Family News and Notes
Copies of the Minutes from the Men's Business Meeting last Sunday and of the Financial Report for the month ending August 31st are available on the table in the foyer. If you are interested please take a copy.
On Wednesday evening, September 20, 2006, Bro. Pat McIntosh will be with us to give a report to the congregation on his work with the Bear Valley School of Preaching. This should be an interesting report and you are encouraged to be in attendance.
The Monthly Devotional will be held tonite after evening services. We will meet in the Multi-Purpose Room where Mexican Stacks will be served and soft drinks provided. Each family attending is asked to bring a small dessert. This event is being by the Traughber and Ferrell families.
Visitation Teams will meet in the Multi-Purpose Room following services this evening where you may pick up your Visitation Cards, etc. Everyone is encouraged to participate in this program, if possible.
The Tuesday morning Ladies Bible Class meeting at 10:00 AM on each Tuesday, has finished the book of Matthew and will begin in the book of Romans this coming Tuesday, September 20. The books should be here the first part of this week.
Janice McCain responded to the invitation last Sunday. She cited inconsistencies in her life and requested the prayers of the congregation on her behalf to help her to do better and to be a good example to others. Please place Janice on your prayer list.
Please remember in your prayers Richard and Debbie Everett of Bridge City, Texas, whose son lost his life in a motorcycle accident this past week. David will preach his funeral one day this week in Bridge City. (Services were still pending at the printing of this bulletin.) He will have a funeral with full military honors. Colin was recently released from the Iraq war where he served as a Navy Seabee.
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The Eighteenth Annual Four States Lectures
Redwater church of Christ
Hwy 67
(10 miles West of Texarkana)
September 29thOctober 1st
Theme:
Dangers From Within
Friday:
7:00 PM - Ignorance - Richard Rutledge
8:30 PM - Indifference - Jacob Rutledge
Saturday:
9:20 AM - Slothfulness - Jerry Dickison
11:00 AM - Sowing Discord - Jerry Dickison
Lunch: - Potluck
5:00 PM - Ladies Only Class - Janice McCain
Lukewarmness & Complacency
7:00 PM - Poor Leadership - David McCain
8:30 PM - Lack of Discipline - David McCain
Sunday:
10:00 AM - Lack of Devotion To One's
Home Congregation - Jim Patterson
11:00 AM - False Teachers - Mark Miller
Lunch: - Potluck
6:00 PM - Forsaking The Assembly - Ed Lee
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PRAYER LIST:
Justin Barker, Rachel Barker, Jean Bell, Winell Blackard, Annah Brown,
Nancy Chastain, Josephine Cooper, Perry Cooper, Hollis Lee, Joyce Lee,
Georgia Lide, Wade Miller, Wayne Pickrel, Marie Plemmons, Helen Roper,
Alva Mae Sheets, Edith Shiflet, Ola Mae Simpson, Julia Terrell, Rebecca Tippitt
ALSO: Delores Blackburn, Clyde Bowling, Cristell Cato, Austin Cody,
Lana Downs, Juanita DuBose, Wesley DuBose, Carolyn Fox, Roy Fox, Edna Graves,
Ruby Jeffery, Wayne Lineberger, Albert Miller, Johnine Phillips, Debbie Riley,
Wanda Abbey Rivera
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Lying & It's Consequences
Sadly, we live in a world where it seems that not much value is placed on telling the truth anymore. Television and the movies have glorified dishonesty, deception, and subterfuge. Our children have witnessed televised hearings before Congressional committees and courts as high as the United States Supreme Court, where under oath, some of the highest elected officials of our land have lied repeatedly. They've even witnessed a recent President of our country, hold the truth in such disdain, that his version of the truth was debated on the basis of what the definition of "is" is. This casual disregard for the sinfulness of lying and this obvious contempt for the "value" of honesty, integrity, and the truth is truly appalling and utterly disgusting. Not only that, it has caused our nation to suffer greatly, because collectively the American people have begun to justify lying as a "necessary evil," in the "dog eat dog" business world, and as a result, the value of always telling the truth has been greatly diminished in our society.
But what does the Bible say about this issue? I think it is high time we dusted off "the Book," to remind ourselves of how God feels about lying, and to remember the value He has placed upon telling the truth. We ought also to seriously consider His counsel concerning how we are to rightly judge an individual who has been accused of some wrongdoing. An in-depth investigation of the Scripture's teaching in this regard follows.
The ninth commandment declares: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (Ex. 20:16). Jesus restated this as a command for the Christian age in Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, and Luke 18:20.
Two of the seven things God hates, and that He views as an abomination are: "...a lying tongue, and ...a false witness that speaketh lies" (Prov. 6:17 & l9).
"A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape" (Prov. 19:5).
"Be not a witness against thy neighbor without cause; and deceive not with thy lips" (Prov. 24:28).
According to Matthew 15:19 & 20, false witness proceeds out of a man's heart and defiles that man.
"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor" (Eph. 4:25).
Speaking of heaven, John wrote: "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie..." (Rev. 21:27).
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are ...whosoever loveth and maketh a lie" (Rev. 22:14-15).
And last but not least, in language that no one could fail to understand, "...all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8).
Brethren, the world may take a casual view of lying, but the Christian simply cannot afford to do so. God prizes the truth, and so should we. He takes a very dim view of lying, and we should too. God demands that the accused be treated fairly and be given the benefit of the doubt, and that should be our practice. God cautions us to be sure of our testimony before we go destroying the reputation and influence of others, and oh, how we need to heed that caution.
The Bible's message is abundantly clear. God demands that His people tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, no matter what the consequences. God demands that His people love the truth, seek the truth, and that we be not satisfied until we have found the truth. God's Word is not vague about the matter of the eternal consequences of lying. Liars will not go to heaven, but rather will be punished eternally in hell for their lies. Therefore, Christians simply must always tell the truth. If you are guilty of lying you need to repent and confess your sin to God today. Then you need to recommit yourself to telling the truth, all the time, and in every place! David McCain
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THE POWER OF SPEECH
- By Johnny Ramsey
Proverbs tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Jesus said that by our words we shall be justified or condemned. Peter informs us that to see good days involves keeping our lips from guile and from speaking evil. Hitler inflamed the Nazi world with carefully chosen words of hatred, excitement and slanted viewpoints. Franklin Roosevelt used brilliant words in his famous "fireside chats" to stir a nation and calm an era of depression. Football coaches have won or lost decisive games with wise or unwise speeches before contests on the field began.
Ephesians, chapter five, contains stern warnings against the use of filthy and foolish words (v.4). James 1:26 tells of the hypocrisy of pretentious people who claim to be religious while failing to bridle the tongue. A famous gospel song declares:
Angry words! O let them never
from the tongue unbridled slip;
May the heart's best impulse ever
check them ere they soil the lip.
Bitter words, like sharp arrows, pierce and wound the soul (Psalm 64:3). We must guard the door of our mouth lest we do terrible harm in the world about us (Psalm 141:3). In Proverbs 6 we learn of seven things God hates. Three of them refer to the misuse of our speech: (1) lying, (2) false witnessing, and (3) sowing discord among brethren.
Each one of us, through the years, has wished he could recall many things said in anger, retaliation and thoughtlessness. So much damage can be done through envious words and shallow thinking! It is really dangerous to allow that small member of our body, the tongue, to run loose (James 3:1-10). A daily application of Colossians 4:6 is needed by all: " Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." W3e each need to carefully measure our words and ask God for wisdom in the exercising of our freedom of speech (James 1:5).
The sin of tale-bearing is condemned in the Bible and the application of the golden rule of Matthew 7:12 prohibits us abusing our neighbor with unfair words. Someone has said, "Gossips are like blotters. They absorb a lot of dirt but usually get it backwards." Careless words have wrecked promising lives and unkind remarks have broken hearts and severed friendships.
Have you ever heard of Gossip Town,
On the shores of Falsehood Bay?
Where old Dame Rumor, with rustling gown,
Is going the lifelong day?
It is not far to Gossip Town,
For the people who want to go;
The Idleness Train will take you down
In just an hour of so.
Only eternity will reveal the damaging nature of the fiery tongue!
In Psalm 40:9 we find a very striking three-point lesson. The inspired writer said: "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation; lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest." It is certainly true that Jehovah fully knows about our speech. We might "fool the hapless public and be a subtle fraud" but we can never deceive God in this matter of words (Gal. 6:7). As Jesus said: "By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words shalt thou be condemned" (Matt. 12:37).
The improper use of our tongue in cursing, lying, gossiping and flattering is no more damning than our failure to use our lips to praise God, convert sinners, restore the erring and build up the kingdom by preaching the gospel and rebuking sin. I am confident that hell will have many occupants who made one serious blunder they simply sealed their lips, and thereby the gospel was hidden to them that are lost" (II Cor. 4:3). No doubt men who claimed to be gospel preachers will be in that sad company also for shutting their eyes and lips to flagrant sin that should have been clearly opposed. Many brethren who "never miss a service," consistently miss opportunities to "reprove, rebuke, and exhort" (II Tim. 4:3).
Have you ever studied the Bible with this question in mind: What would the history of the world be if others had sealed their lips as we do today? Stephen, Jeremiah, Paul, Amos, John the Immerser and Daniel all valiantly spoke out for God under trying conditions. We must also speak as the oracles of God (I Pet. 4:11) as we are set for the defense of the gospel (Phil. 1:17). It will not please the Lord if we fail to courageously give3 answer when the world asks for a reason of our faith (I Pet. 3:15). The sincere speech of loyal servants of the Master is powerful, piercing and penetrating in the midst of an age of profanity, secularism and debauchery. Let us speak out for the Truth that makes men free indeed! (John 8:31-36).
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