"When I was a child," said the young man to his date, "my mom always used to say to me that if I made an ugly face it would stay that way."
"Well," said the bored girl, "one thing is for sure, you certainly can't say you weren't warned."
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Family News and Notes
Ladies Bible Class books for next fall are in. These are entitled "If You Would See Good Days." If you plan to teach you can pick up your copy from Janice McCain.
We need Volunteers to help clean the building for the month of June. If you are willing and able to help with this good use of your talents please sign the sheet on the table in the foyer.
Remember Vacation Bible School is June 07 thru June 11. Monetary donations are being requested to help purchase refreshments. If you can help please contact Veleta McFerrin or Lee Moses.
First Summer Youth Series begins on June 01, 2004. North Jefferson congregation will host the first meeting and again on June 29. On June 8 it will be Oak Grove, on June 14 it will be Talco and on June 22 it will be Mount Vernon. Each of these meetings will begin at 7:00 PM. Altho this is for our youth everyone is invited.
GOSPEL MEETINGS:
Pritchett Church of Christ
June 6 thru 9, 2004
with Bro. Jerry C. Brewer
Clarksville Church of Christ
June 6 thru 9, 2004
with Bro. Curtis Ritchwood
See the brochures on the round table in the foyer for times and topics.
Lake Cisco Christian Camp at Bangs, Texas will be July 25 thru 30, 2004 for boys and girls who finished 8th thru 12th grades.
Hazel Phillips was able to be in attendance last Wednesday evening. We are glad she was able to come.
Some of our sick who are in Titus Regional Medical Center
(as of the printing of this bulletin):
Aresser Thursby (Mary Glover's mother) is in Room 428.
Howard Horton is in Room 322. Bonnie says she thinks he is a little better.
Robin Embree is in Room 401. This is the daughter-in-law of William and Patsy Embree. She had surgery last Monday.
Virginia Ward (sister-in-law of Hallie Lang and aunt of Rhodney, Larry, Linda, Brenda & Jerry) is in Room 326 in Titus Regional Medical Center. She has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. She will be going home from the hospital in a couple of days.
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PRAYER LIST
Justin Barker, Louis Bell, Winell Blackard, Annah Brown,
Sue Browning, Darrell Cooper, Josephine Cooper, Perry Cooper, Barbara Duncan, Alice Freeman, Howard Horton, Bill Jones
ALSO: Kelsey Meyers, Aresser Thursby, Virginia Ward
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The Reality Of Hell
By David McCain
Is "hell" a real place, or is it just a myth dreamed up by some mean, old-fogey preachers to scare people into living right? If you believe the Bible, then you must believe in hell, because the Scriptures do indeed teach there is a place called "hell," where the wicked will be eternally punished (Mt. 10:28, Lk. 16:23). Perhaps some preachers have painted unreal pictures of hell in their zeal for persuading men to avoid that horrible eternal abode. However, preachers didn't create hell, and if the truth be known, it is doubtful anyone could overemphasize the "terror of the Lord" (II Cor. 5:11), or the terrible reality of the eternal place of fire and darkness that the Bible calls hell.
The Bible says everyone who does not know God, or obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, "shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power" (II Thess. 1:8-9). Jesus spoke of a day in which some shall be cast into "outer darkness," where there shall be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 25:30). Obviously, hell is a painful place because it is a place of "eternal fire" (Mt. 25:41), and "everlasting punishment" (Mt. 25:46). More frightening still is Jesus' three-fold description of hell as the place where, "the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:43-48). That doesn't sound very inviting to me, but that description is enough to convince me that hell is not the place that I desire for my eternal home.
The most sobering warning of all, though, is found in Jesus' great "Sermon on the Mount." There Christ admonished, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Mt. 7:13-14). That passage gets my attention, because I want to be among those few who find their way into the presence of God in heaven someday. I know that Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6), and that only those who obey Jesus by doing the will of the Father will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 7:21).
Hell is real! It is not a mythical place conjured up by mean old-fogey preachers.
God created hell as a place of eternal punishment for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). It is only by our own neglect that hell will be our eternal home. Have you made proper preparation for the afterlife? Don't go blindly stumbling down the broad way, which leads to eternal damnation in the presence of the devil. Instead, make the effort to enter the highway of holiness, which leads to eternal joy in the presence of God. Remember, only the truth can set you free from Satan's grasp (Jn. 8:32), and keep you out of hell.
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Failure to Correct (Part III)
By Lee Moses
Many Christians have developed a complex about conflict, apathy to error, and indifference to iniquity. In the past two weeks we have seen how these attributes hinder one from helping others to correct their sins. The final hindrance to be considered is:
Shortcomings of Self
Oftentimes, We have so many problems of sin within ourselves that we feel we are unable and unqualified to correct such problems in others. We feel hypocritical trying to correct others when we ourselves are in need of correction. On one hand, this is proper reasoning. One who is guilty of a sin has no business condemning others guilty of the same sin (Rom. 2:1). One who has serious sin in his life, or a "beam" in his eye, is not qualified to help another with a small "mote" in his eye (Matt. 7:1ff). Only those who are "spiritual" are entrusted with restoring one who is overtaken in a fault (Gal. 6:1).
While one's sinful shortcomings of self may indeed disable and disqualify one from helping another correct his sins, this does not excuse him from his Christian duty to "consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works" (Heb. 10:24). Similarly, one who is blemished by sin may be unable to worship God acceptably (I Cor. 11:29; I Pet. 3:12), but this still does not excuse him from his Christian duty to worship God "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). If in any way our shortcomings of self hinder us from performing our Christian duty, it also becomes doubly our Christian duty to eliminate those shortcomings, through the grace of God.
Conclusion;
Jesus came to earth "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). The apostle Paul preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in order that he might "present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" (Colossians 1:28). He was deeply grieved while there were souls dwelling outside of Christ, removed from the salvation found only in Him (cf. Rom. 10:1; II Tim. 2:10). Each of us should have similar motivation to help souls make the corrections necessary to be found in Christ when the final trumpet sounds. Correction begins with ourselves and with our families, carrying over to all those whom we might have the opportunity to help. This may be through stern rebuke, mild chastening, or simply presenting a statement of truth; but it is always to be done with grace and love for God, for the truth, and for the soul in need of correction (Col. 4:6; Eph. 4:15).
What causes our failure to correct? Does a complex about conflict hinder us from correcting those in need? Correction may require conflict, but remember,
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).
Are other hindrances keeping us from correcting? A Christian cannot have apathy to error or indifference to iniquity when such is what separates souls from God. Shortcomings of self, while they obviously do hinder one from correcting others, do not provide an excuse for a failure to correct. Correction is a Christian's duty, and if we are failing in this regard, we need to correct ourselves.
(PM)..................Weldon Miller