Welcome Friends
To all of our friends, neighbors, relatives, and associates who have graciously consented to visit our services today, we extend a hearty welcome! The elders, deacons, teachers, preachers, and members of the North Jefferson Church Of Christ would like to thank you so much for attending our Sunday services today, to be our special guests for our first "Friends & Family Day."
Our worship today will follow the same simple pattern and format of Scripturally-authorized worship that is practiced at our services every Lord's Day. However, we have given this Sunday the special designation of "Friends & Family Day," in order to make a special effort to invite our friends, neighbors, and relatives to get better acquainted with the Lord's church which meets here on North Jefferson, in Mt. Pleasant.
Through this special effort, it is our humble desire to reach out to our community with the soul-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. As members of Christ's church, we have embraced the Bible-based philosophy that the religious unity for which Christ prayed in John 17, can only be achieved by throwing away all man-made dogmas, doctrines, and creeds, and by casting off all of the divisive names of denominationalism, in order that we might follow God's plan for His Son's church, as outlined in the New Testament. In this way we believe we can be pleasing in God's sight by being nothing more or nothing less than simple New Testament "Christians."
In our combined Bible class this morning, we will introduce and preview our "Vacation Bible School," which will be conducted this week, Mon. - Fri., June 5th - 9th, from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. each morning. Our vital theme for this year's school is: "The Christian Soldier's Armor." We hope your children, who are between the ages of nursery school and 6th grade, will come and be with us for this exciting Biblebased learning experience.
At our worship hour this morning, we will worship God together in spirit and in truth, just like the first century church worshipped God according to the pattern outlined for His church in the New Testament. My sermon this morning bears the title, "The Church of Christ, Who Are We & Why?" This lesson is intended to show the distinctive nature, teaching, and practice of the church founded by Christ and purchased with His blood (Mat. 16:18 & Acts 20:28). This will be in contrast to the many man-made denominational churches which exist in our world today. The simple plea of undenominational New Testament Christianity, based on the authority of Christ's teaching, will be presented as the only reasonable way to achieve spiritual unity in our religiously divided world.
A loving God who was willing to let His Son pay our sin debt, is someone you ought to want to get to know. We hope today to show you the love of Jesus and to share with you His plan for saving your soul and making it possible for you to be adopted into the family of God! We believe your life will never be the same again after you really get to know our loving God, and His Holy Son, Jesus.
Again thank you for being our guest today! We hope this day proves to be the beginning of a wonderful life-changing, faith-building, spiritual experience for you, which will ultimately lead you home to a heavenly eternity in the presence of God! We invite you to return for our evening worship service tonight at 6:00. Until then, may God richly bless you! In Christian love,
David McCain
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The Existence Of God
Can I know God exists? The question is asked by most everyone at some point in life. God expects every Christian to be able to supply an answer to this question. Peter wrote that we should "always be ready to give an answer (or make a defense) to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear" (I Peter 3:15).
How shall we respond? The Bible makes it plain that the evidence is readily available for one to confidently affirm that he knows God exists. Romans 1:19-20 tells us, "what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." When mankind stands before God in eternal judgment, no one will be able to plead ignorance or truthfully say, "but I did not know!" God has effectively removed that excuse by the clear evidence He has left of His existence scattered throughout all of His creation.
The evidence literally surrounds us. It is seen in the stars: "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). It is seen in nature. Paul taught a pagan crowd to turn from idols to the living God when he said, "He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). It is seen in man's capacity to reason. Hebrews 3:4 affirms, "for every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God."
Even a child can reason that no house ever existed eternally or came into existence of its own accord; he knows it was built by a man. The same God given reasoning leads one to conclude from the universe-wide evidence that God exists. Little wonder then that the psalmist penned, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God" (Psalm 14:1).
Brad T. Bromling
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The Divine Origin Of the Bible
Is the Bible from God? If it is not, its message matters little. However, if it is from God, its message is all that matters! How does one decide? There are certain traits that logically could be expected of any book of divine origin.
First, we could expect it to affirm its divine origin. The Bible says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (II Timothy 3:16). The phrase "inspiration of God" literally means "God breathed." This applies equally to the New and Old Testaments, as seen in that God dispatched the Holy Spirit to reveal His Word through godly men (John 14-16, II Peter 1:21). The New Testament was preached, written, and accepted as being God's final message for lost and sinful mankind (II Peter 3:16, I Thessalonians 2:13).
Secondly, we could expect it to be perfectly harmonious. Though it was written in four different languages (Hebrew, Greek, Chaldean, and Aramaic), by about 40 different men, from various backgrounds, nationalities, occupations, and educations, over a span of some 1600 years of human history, it nevertheless is unerringly harmonious from cover to cover. This harmony is nothing short of miraculous. Try as they might, critics and skeptics have been unable to find even one true contradiction in the whole Bible.
Thirdly, we could not expect man to be able to produce a better book or make this divine volume obsolete. Man has been writing for about 5,000 years, yet where is the book that surpasses the Bible? No other book has influenced or ever will influence this world like the Bible. The books of men soon become outdated, but not the Bible. It's as fresh today as it was 1900 years ago, and will remain pertinent until the end of time (Jn. 12:48, Mt. 24:35).
Indeed from these and other factors we may confidently conclude that God is the author of the Bible. Its message therefore is all that matters!
Brad T. Bromling
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Family News and Notes
PLEASE REMEMBER .
Our Building Fund Contribution day has been moved until the 11th of June (Next Sunday). If you have plans to contribute please mark your calendar.
TODAY IS FRIENDS & FAMILY DAY. We welcome each and everyone. After the morning service today we will have a luncheon and each visitor is invited to stay. We have prepared for you.
Today we will have a combined class in the auditorium for Bible Class hour to highlight our VBS that begins tomorrow (June 5th). The sermon topic for the worship service today is "The Church of Christ, Who are We and Why?"
Again VBS begins on June 5 and runs through June 9th. The Theme for VBS is "The Christian Soldier's Armor." We look forward to seeing all the young people there.
And our Summer Youth Series begins on Monday, June 5 and will be each Monday nite thru July 31st (except June 26th due to Bible Camps).
On Monday evening, June 5, SYBSNET will be in New Boston. We will leave here at 6:00 PM to travel as a group. Then . next Monday, June 12, SYBSNET will meet here. The Guest Speaker will be Sam Dilbeck from Leonard, Texas.
Each of our young people are reminded to see David or Janice McCain for Camp applications to Indian Creek Youth Camp in Alabama on June 23rd thru 30th; Camp Cisco July 23rd thru 28th, and Camp Ida.
Johnny Ramsey returned to East Texas Medical Center Tuesday nite with low blood sugar. He was treated and was able to return home Thursday. Keep Johnny & Iris in your prayers.
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Fourteenth Annual
""What Saith The Scriptures""
2006 BIBLE LECTURESHIP
"Ancient Words: Biblical Truths for Modern Living"
August 25-27, 2006
Longview Church of Christ
1401 Eden Dr
Longview, TX
SPEAKERS:
Ken HopeGarland, TX
Darwin HunterShreveport, LA
Joe ChaseTexarkana, TX
Maxie BorenFt. Worth, TX
Tom GaumerFarmersville, TX
Leroy SedgwickMt. Enterprise, TX
Joe HancockHallsville, TX
Dan ManuelPalestine, TX
Bryan HodgeMarshall, TX
Friday, August 25
Begins at 6:30 PM
Saturday, August 26
Begins at 9:00 AM
Sunday, August 27
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
Noon Luncheon
5:30 PM
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PRAYER LIST:
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Jean Bell, Deborah Biesemeyer, Winell Blackard,
Annah Brown, Nancy Chastain, Perry Cooper, Hollis Lee, Joyce Lee, Georgia Lide, Courtney Marshall, Elna O'Neal, Wayne Pickrel, Marie Plemmons, Johnny Ramsey, Helen Roper, Dorothy Sargent, Alva Mae Sheets, Edith Shiflet, Ola Mae Simpson,
Julia Terrell, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Wanda Abbey Rivera, Melba Boyd, Cristell Cato, Austin Cody, Juanita DuBose, Wesley DuBose, Horace George, Edna Graves, Ruby Jeffery, Wayne Lineberger, Lonita Thompson
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