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Family News and Notes

We Are Proud!

We are proud of all of you who faithfully attended our Gospel Meeting. We are proud of those of you who worked in various ways to make our meeting a success. We are proud of the way you made our visitors feel welcome. We are proud of the extra effort many of you made to invite friends, co-workers and other Christians to attend. We are proud of the many visitors we had, many for their very first time. We are proud of the fine singing that was so uplifting and encouraging. We are proud of our young people who attended and who continue to sit at the front of the auditorium and set examples for us in this regard. We are proud of the way the lessons, by Bro. Michael Light, were presented and the topics he spoke on. We are proud of Brother Kent Cooper, and his commitment to be a more dedicated servant of yours. He has truly set an example for many of us. We are proud of the cooperation and support many you willingly give for the benefit of the congregation and for the glory of God. We are proud of you who care and share so much on a regular basis. And yes, we are truly proud to be a part of the family of God here at North Jefferson. It is our prayer that we'll all strive to remain faithful, encourage one another, work together in unity and seek the souls of those who are lost The Elders.

Today is the first day in a new month.

If you are able and have made plans you can contribute to our Building Fund today. Sorry we didn't have room to mention this last week.

Pat McIntosh will be here this Wednesday evening to report on his work.

There will be a meeting tonight (after services) to discuss VACATION BIBLE SCHOOLfor all teachers, workers and members interested in a successful V. B. S. ! We will meet in the Multi-purpose Room.

For the meeting we had a good attendance.

Monday evening 126

Tuesday evening 131

Wednesday evening118

Visitation Team No. 3 meets after services this morning.

Visitation Team No. 4 will meet after evening services on Sunday, May 16. Further plans will be announced later.

Still need Volunteers to help clean the building for the month of May. Please check the list in the foyer and sign up.

Monday night Irene Duncan broke the metatarsal bone in her left foot. She is on crutches and is doing OK.

Elna O'Neal had surgery on Wednesday in Dallas. She was dismissed from the Hospital on Thursday and spent some time with her daughter, Candy, and was scheduled to return home on Friday.

Alice Freeman is scheduled for surgery Monday. Place her on your prayer list

Louis Bell was still in Room 321 at Titus Regional Medical Center on Thursday but should be home today.

Gene Riley is back at home following surgery last week.

Last Week, Kent and Darrell Cooper attended a Continuing Education class in Lufkin where Darrell was awarded the honor of "East Texas Funeral Director of the Year" by the East Texas Funeral Director's Association. Darrell was unaware he was to receive this award. Congratulations, Darrell!

Please change your records to show new 911 address for Peggy Grimes:

96 CR 3350

Cookville, TX 75558

THANK YOU "Your kindness and sympathy will always be held in grateful remembrance by the family of Judy Betts"

THANK YOU "Thank you so much for the many cards, visits and phone calls during my stay in the hospital. I appreciated those so very much.

Alva Mae Sheets"

BIRTHDAYS IN MAY (these are the ones that have been furnished to this editor):

12 Lurline Johnson

15 Linda Jones

26 MaKayla Zacarias

27 Kathy Zacarias

31 Frances Neal

31 Patsy Duncan

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Winning The Battle Against Sin

By David McCain

Not once does the Bible condone sin, nor whitewash its earthly or eternal consequences. "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?", Paul asked in Romans six. And the solemn answer rings forth, "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rms. 6:1-2). No, the Bible always pictures sin for what it is, and for what it does to those who participate in it.

Sin is transgression of God's law (I Jn. 3:4).

It is missing the mark, or going beyond what God authorized (I Cor. 4:6, II Jn. 9).

Sin robs man of his innocence and leads to great misery (Prov. 13:15).

Sin destroys our fellowship with God (I Jn. 1), erecting a wall of enmity between us and God.

Isaiah wrote, "Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isa. 59:1-2). Willful sin, if continued in after learning the truth, voids the sacrifice of Jesus, and condemns your soul at Judgement (Heb. 10:26-31). Ultimately, sin's price is death, "for the wages of sin is death" (Rms. 6:23a).

However, thanks be to God, He has not left us hopelessly lost in our sins! Though the wages of sin is death, the "good news" is that "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rms. 6:23b)! Yes, we've all failed the Lord miserably, but He wants us to get up, and learn from our mistakes, and go on paying the price of trying to serve Him.

Occasionally, we make terrible choices in life, because of ignorance, or immaturity, and sometimes because we're just plain rebellious. When we do, we buy for ourselves lots of trouble. Wishing we had not sinned will not make the guilt, nor the consequences of our sin go away. Ignoring your sin, or trying to hide it will only add to your pain and increase your guilt. Don't compound the problem by denying your sin, or by letting it defeat or destroy you. Rather, deal with the reality of your sin, as you seek God's help for overcoming it, and His strength for living with its earthly consequences. Repenting of our sins, confessing them to God, and others, if necessary, and asking for forgiveness, is the only way to be freed from sin's eternal stain, by the amazing grace of Christ.

Sin's unpleasant consequences must always be dealt with in this earthly vale, but the eternal consequences can be avoided. John wrote, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I Jn. 1:9). Paul penned, "...but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14). Peter admonished, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (I Pet. 5:6-7). "The Son of Thunder," "the Persecutor," and "the Denier" knew whereof they wrote. They had all failed the Lord miserably at times, but they all kept pressing on. They knew the race will be won not by the perfect, but by the patient, persevering souls who will not let sin destroy them.

Yes, brethren, when sin knocks you down, don't let it keep you down. Don't wallow in the mire! Get up, change up, fess up, pray up, and PRESS ON!

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Concern for the Church

By Lee Moses

When one thinks of the struggles endured by faithful men and women of God, one is likely to think of David's persecution by King Saul, Jeremiah's being cast into the dungeon, or of Zechariah's stoning. One might think of the persecution faced by the apostles of the Lord. Paul enumerates in Second Corinthians 11 a number of the physical trials he personally endured: Countless scourgings, three beatings with rods, a stoning, and three shipwrecks, among other unimaginable life-threatening events. At the conclusion of this gut-wrenching list is a trial not of a physical naturehe adds, "Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches" (v. 28). After facing "those things that are without"; that is, those external struggles he had mentioned; they were no longer what concerned him. The fact that he would have to face such struggles again was not what concerned him. But his deep anxiety for all the churches pressed upon him daily. Such love and concern and for the church should move us greatly. But was such concern for the church any more than one should have? No, each of us should have similar concern for the church.

We should have concern for the spiritual growth of the church. Each member of the church is to grow spiritually, thus leading to the growth of the church as a whole (I Peter 2:2; II Pet. 3:18). We must begin with ourselves in this process, but we do not end with ourselves in this process. We are commanded, "But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13). Many are in dire need of exhortation. When one's own congregation is holding a Gospel meeting, it is inconceivable that any physically capable member would miss any session thereof. When the church of our Lord is not at the stage of spiritual development where it should be, this should cause our hearts to be grieved.

We should also have concern for the moral purity of the church. Christ died for the church

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27).

However, the world has greatly spotted, wrinkled, and blemished the pristine church of Christ. There are members of the church living no different from the world once they exit the confines of the church building. There are members of the church living in what the world calls marriage, but God calls adultery (Romans 7:3). There are members of the church dressing provocatively, some even as they go to worship the Lord. Are we outraged over such things? We should be.

We should also have concern for the doctrinal soundness of the church. The foundation upon which the church is built is the doctrine, or teaching, of Jesus Christ and the apostles (Matthew 16:16-18; Luke 8:11; Eph. 2:20; cf. I Cor. 3:11). It is from the doctrine that we derive our spiritual growth and moral purity. Yet in so many churches, the opinions of men hold governing power. Pop psychology is being taught in so-called "Bible" classes rather than the all-sufficient word of God. Pipsqueak preachers shun to preach the whole counsel of God for fear of alienating certain people. If this does not concern us, something is wrong with our hearts.

Paul under the direction of the Holy Spirit expressed his deep concern for the church. The Lord continues to have concern for the church. Do we share this concern? While there is much about the church for which we need to be thankful and joyful, we must not let ourselves be blinded from the serious concerns facing the church. Our concern should extend, as it did for Paul, to "all the churches." We may not have the charge over the church received by Paul and the other apostles (cf. Matt. 19:28). But "by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (I Cor. 12:13). Let us have concern for the churchand let us use that concernnot to lead us to discouragement, but to do all we can to help the church to follow the path of righteousness.

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