New crane church bulletin 9.25.11

Prayer Requests: Ruby Heald has not been feeling well. Sue Wilson that she recovers well from her recent surgery. Johnny King: That he recovers quickly. The Ed Gallion family as they mourn the loss of their family member. Danny Dillard: as he deals with health troubles. Charlie Gant: That his health will continue. Joey Streety: That he will be able to have help for his health issues. The Szaloys: Made it home safely. Pray for Wesley that he will continue to get better. Those who have moved Frankie Maynard and Jana Nelson, that they may transition well in their new homes. Attendance Info: 9/18/11 Class: 25 Worship: 42, 26 Offering: $903.00 Wed. 22 September Birthdays ,[object Object],WHAT MOTIVATES WHAT YOU DO? Our character makeup, the things we do, what we say, where we go, what we wear, are all motivated by what is important to us. Christians are to be motivated by Christ and a sincere love for Him. When that is the case then we will truly live our lives for Him on a daily basis. A Christian that is unfaithful and engaged in the works of the flesh is not motivated to live for Christ. Jesus said: quot;
Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). We are either living fully and completely for the one who loved us and died for us or we are not. It cannot be both ways. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). I am uplifted when I see Christians living their lives for Christ because of their love for Him. On the other hand, I am very discouraged when Christians get involved with worldly things and acting like those of the world. We are in the world but we certainly are not to be of the world. We are to be separate, holy, and transformed as we live a life devoted to Christ our Lord (2 Corinthians 6:17; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Romans 12:1-2). I want to encourage every Christian to live in such a way that others can see that it is evident that we are living for Christ and not the ways of the world. (1 Timothy 4:15). -Richard Thetford The Mary StreetChurch of Christ BulletinSeptember 25, 201113335031750 3241040525780We wish to welcome you to our worship services. Visitors at our assemblies are honored guests! We are encouraged that you may have interest in what we consider the most important issues of time and eternity. We are confident that you can learn to share our faith and hope in Jesus. We hope you will decide to study and grow with us each time we meet! If you are a first time visitor, please fill out a visitor card and give it to a member of the church. God bless you. SEQ CHAPTER 1JESUS SAID: “Blessed (happy) are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” - Matthew 5:10. True Christians today are not persecuted nearly as severely as were the saints in the early days of the church. It is said that many of the early Christians simply “ran to their death for Christ.” Oh, that we today might have a faith so strong. Nor did severe persecution end with the early disciples. During the inquisition of the “Dark Ages,” Protestants were hunted down by the thousands, tortured and killed by the papacy. These sadistic killers were experts at keeping their victims alive for years in order to torture them. Many of these events are recorded in Fox’s Book of Martyrs, a book I would not recommend for bedtime reading. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” - v. 11. Our Lord does include verbal abuse here so perhaps we are still able to be partakers of this type of abuse in some small way. “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” - v. 12. In Hebrews 11:35-40, “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance: that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” Although I am forever thankful for the protection given by God to us today, I can’t help being a little worried that we have not received some measure of comparable persecution. - Fred Melton At All Costs! By Gary Henry “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:25,26). THERE IS NOTHING OF MORE VALUE TO US THAN OUR SOULS, AND WE ARE NOT WISE IF WE HANG ON TO OTHER THINGS THAT JEOPARDIZE OUR SOULS. Jesus went so far as to say that if we were ever faced with a choice between our souls and the entire rest of the world, we would be foolish not to let go of the world and preserve our souls. When the ship is sinking, we must swim away from it. It is not easy to keep in mind that our intangible, invisible “possessions” are of greater value than those of a more visible nature. A man, for example, will sometimes be willing to put his entire reputation, his career, his family’s happiness, and many other invisible things at risk for the momentary pleasure of one immoral trinket that is so immediately present to his physical senses that he thinks he can’t possibly do without it. Tangible treasures and physical pleasures can seem so valuable in a moment of temptation that we completely forget about the much greater value of the things we’ll throw away if we yield to the temptation. When we’re hungry enough, we’ll trade our birthright for a bowl of soup. And like Esau, we later regret having done so (Hebrews 12:16,17). Jesus used some of His starkest language to warn us about the danger of confused values. Do whatever it takes, He said, to sever yourself from anything that endangers your spiritual welfare: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29). Much of the wisdom of life consists in knowing what to let go of and when to let go of it. Nowhere is there an exhaustive list of all the things that can potentially put our souls at risk. The truth is, there are few things in the world that MIGHT not do so under certain circumstances. But WHATEVER threatens to cut us off from God, we should cut ourselves off from that thing. Immediately. “Imagine a burning house. A few occupants run naked from the house. They abandon everything else to save their lives. Others in that house attempt to save some furniture and other precious possessions. They return into the blazing structure several times in order to bring things out. Ultimately they die in the smoke and flames. This is misplaced attachment” (Pseudo-Macarius). 1430655205740A Surprising Call Saturday night I received a phone call from my daughter. After I said “hello,” on the other end of the line I heard my daughter excitedly say, “Daddy, I’m engaged!” But how can that be? It was just last week that I was holding her in my arms for the very first time, surprised by her big dimples. It was just yesterday that she was swinging on her swing set in the backyard, singing at the top of her lungs for the whole neighborhood to hear. How could the little girl that I just taught to ride a bike be getting married? My, how time flies! But I should already know that. James told us that when he said our life is like a vapor that appears for a short time and vanishes away (James 4:14). The phone call I received from my daughter on Saturday night was a reminder for me to make the best use of the time we have, not just with reference to our families but to our God as well. Before we realize it, we will all receive a “call” from God. When that call comes, will you be prepared? Give it some thought. —Steve Higginbotham, Knoxville, Tennessee

New crane church bulletin 9.25.11

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New crane church bulletin 9.25.11