FAMILY NEWS AND NOTES
As the men serving on the communion table make their way toward the front to be seated, please begin to prepare your minds for our worship services.
Please remember …Each Member and Visitor needs to complete an
ATTENDANCE CARD and pass them to the inside aisle where they will be picked up at the appropriate time.
Traditionally we have designated the first Sunday of each month as a time when those who are able may contribute to our Building Fund. If you have made plans you may do so today. Thank you.
Men … remember … Men’s Business Meeting next Sunday evening following the evening service. All men of the congregation are encouraged to attend.
LADIES BIBLE CLASS resumes this coming Tuesday, January 8, at 10:00 AM and will be studying in II Corinthians, Chapter 6, with Janice McCain teaching. All ladies of the congregation are encouraged to attend.
We need volunteers to host 3rd Sunday Devotionals for our Youth. There is a list on the round table. If you are willing to host on a given date please sign the list and show what month you are willing to host.
The Grimes family has requested that we remember their friend, Allen Parr, who had a kidney removed last week.
Daniel & Keely McCary would like for you to know they have a new niece … Gracelynn Rose McCary … born Wednesday, weighing in at 9 pounds and 21 inches long. Mother and baby doing great.
Weldon Miller was scheduled for a medical procedure in Dallas this past Friday. Please keep Weldon in your prayers.
Perry Cooper has been moved back to Titus Regional Medical Center, room 305. Keep Perry in your prayers. Also, remember Josephine as she continue rehab due to hip surgery.
Remember Ola Mae Simpson who recently lost her sister and Nelda Cooper who recently lost her mother.
Also, remember Ann Carter who has been sick at home and please check the prayer list for additional folks who need our prayers.
Bonnye Horton passed away last Tuesday. Her funeral services were conducted here at north Jefferson under the direction of Bates-Cooper-Sloan Funeral Home at 2:00 PM Friday, with burial at Nevill’s Chapel Cemetery.
THANK YOU …. “Your thoughtfulness is truly appreciated. It’s so very great to have a loving, caring, Christian family. I appreciate more than I have words to say. All your calls, cards & prayers.
In Christian Love …
Ola Mae Simpson”
PRAYER LIST:
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Doris Bell, Louis & Nona Bell, Winell Blackard, Annah Brown, Sue Browning, Billye Campbell, Gene Campbell, Perry Cooper, Josephine Cooper, Jan Hargrove, Dorothy Kyle, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide, Wade Miller, Weldon Miller, Ben McCain, Charles Neal, Elna O’Neal, Edith Shiflet, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Lynn Barrett, Robert Brewster, Terri Coutoumanos, Wesley DuBose, William Embree, R. C. Grissom, Ted Klym, Betty Newman, Paul Unger, Bill Webb
Reflections & Dreams
The dawning of a new year provides us with a good opportunity to collectively take stock of our spiritual standing before God. As we soberly reflect upon our spiritual progress, we should ask ourselves, what did we accomplish last year? Is there anything to rejoice about or to regret? The bottom line is: "Is God pleased with our spiritual progress?"
Here is what I see, and in my opinion the future looks bright. Our contributions demonstrate great generosity by our membership, witness our recent special contribution of over $7,000 in one Sunday for mission work in Mexico. If our giving continues in the new year like this past year, we should come close to paying off our building this year, which will open the door for us to do even more mission work. We have experienced both spiritual and numerical growth the past year and the signs are readily evident. Many wonderful works have been accomplished, like increases to our mission outreach program, our best ever V.B.S. and Summer Youth Series, and our new Bible Bowl program for young people, as well as strengthened programs of outreach, benevolence, and education. Best of all our congregation is at peace, with a wonderful spirit of love, cooperation, and optimism prevailing.
Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement. As we reflect upon the past and dream about the future, here are some questions we should collectively ask as a body of believers here at North Jefferson. Is every member faithful to the Lord and His precious church? Are we truly sound in doctrine, faithful in worship, friendly in outreach and loving in service? Every elder, deacon, teacher, preacher, worker, and member ought to reflect on whether or not we are fulfilling our God-given roles to help the church grow and prosper and be pleasing in the sight of God
We also ought to reflect on our progress as individual Christians. Did you personally grow spiritually this past year? Have you studied God's Word diligently and prayed constantly? Have you faithfully attended the worship and Bible study opportunities of this church? Have you given generously of your means, in proportion to your blessings, to help support the Lord's work? Have you been an active participant in the work of the Lord's kingdom?
It's a sobering experience to inventory our lives spiritually, but it can also be a very profitable one. God's Word tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith, and to make sure we are progressing spiritually (II Cor. 13:5-9). Undoubtedly when we do so, we will note areas of progress and accomplishment, as well as areas where we need to make some changes and do some more work. The faithful Christian will deal honestly with the results of his inventory, and will resolve to make whatever changes are necessary to please the Lord.
As we stand on the brink of a new year, I hope all of us will recognize the great potential for good that we have both here in Mt. Pleasant, and throughout the world. May God help us to dream big dreams and visualize great accomplishments for the good of His kingdom! Let's accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative! Let's go and grow for the glory of God! Let's be God's distinctive, dynamic, and dedicated people no matter what the cost! May God help us in our quest to grow spiritually, and to be more like Him each day we live!
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The Sinner’s Prayer
By Johnie D. Fredman
[Guest Article from The Southwesterner—Southwest church of Christ—Ada, OK]
Most people who are familiar with Christianity have at least heard of the sinner’s prayer. While the actual wording varies, the sinner’s prayer is a prayer that is said by an unsaved person in which they ask Jesus Christ to come into their heart and life and to be their personal Lord and Savior. Many religious groups today teach that reciting the sinner’s prayer is the defining moment when a person moves from being lost into being in a saved state before God.
Have you ever wondered about the history of the sinner’s prayer? There is nothing similar to the sinner’s prayer found in scripture, so when did it begin? It is difficult to pinpoint an exact beginning date; however, most of the available information points to the sinner’s prayer beginning in the mid-1800’s. That being the case, that method of “being saved” is only around 150 years old. Surprised? Did you know that no one in the Bible was ever saved by saying a prayer? In fact, just the opposite is found.
In Acts chapter 9, a man named Saul had a face-to-face meeting with Jesus Christ. He later tells the story of this event in chapter 22. Saul, later known as the apostle Paul, was actively persecuting the church when he was blinded by a bright light. Jesus personally spoke to him and asked Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” In response to Saul’s question, “What shall I do?” Jesus told him to go into the city of Damascus and there he would be told what to do (Acts 9:5,6; 22:10). After three days, Jesus then sent Ananias to instruct Saul to “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins” (22:16). When Ananias arrived Paul still needed to have his sins washed away, meaning he was not yet forgiven and therefore was not in a saved state before God. What steps had Saul taken thus far?
Saul saw Jesus, clearly believed in him and even called Him Lord (9:5). He then went into Damascus where he fasted for three days (9:9). What else was Saul doing during this time? He was praying! For three days Saul fasted and prayed to God (9:11). However, when Ananias arrived Saul was still a lost sinner who needed to wash away his sins. After three days of praying, why hadn’t the “sinner’s prayer” saved Saul already?
The doctrine of the sinner’s prayer is not a doctrine that comes from Scripture. In fact, read the New Testament from cover to cover and you will never once find anyone in the Bible who was saved by saying a prayer. You will never find any time that a person was instructed to pray in order to be saved. Unfortunately, even some popular preachers associated with the Lord’s church have begun encouraging people to recite the sinner’s prayer in order to be saved. My friends, being scriptural is much more important than being popular! We must do things God’s way, and not man’s way.
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