Author: janicevance

A Glimpse into the Youth Bible Class

In the youth class we have recently been studying the importance of our attitude. Winston Churchill said, “attitude is a small thing that makes a big difference,” and certainly he’s correct. Our attitude impacts everything we do. But what does God’s Word have to say about our attitude?

The Bible actually has a lot to say about our attitude, often it is very direct and other times it’s more implied. But since our attitude is always with us and never turned off, and impacts all our life, certainly the Bible would have a lot to say about such an important topic.

One of the first scriptures to come to mind is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Here Paul gives us three attitudes we need to have. He encourages us to rejoice, pray, and be thankful. We don’t often think about prayer as an attitude but in the context of 1 Thessalonians 5:17, it makes sense. We need to have a prayerful attitude. An attitude that quickly turns to God in prayer. Prayer should be our first instinct, in most situations. This shows our dependency on our Heavenly Father. We need to seek guidance from Him.

At the core of this series is Colossians 3:1-4. Here Paul gives us not just an attitude but an approach to life. “Set your minds on things above not on things on the earth.” Our attitude and approach to life must emphasize the spiritual rather than the physical. As Christians we are blessed to have this attitude because we have been “raised with Christ.” As we seek the things above, our attitude is greatly impacted because we aren’t swayed by the stressors of life knowing we have victory through Jesus.

             Our names are very important to us! Parents should carefully choose names for their children since they will wear them for a lifetime. From an early age, we put our own imprint on our names – for good or not so good. At some point, Jesse James became known as a bank robber; Blackbeard as a pirate; and Benedict Arnold earned the title of “Traitor”. The same could be said for numerous Bible characters such as Judas Iscariot or Barnabas. The wise man declared in Proverbs 22:1 – A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

    Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

            What are we known for? When people hear our name, what comes to their minds? Hopefully, they think of something good and positive. Perhaps it’s our honesty or integrity or kindness. Cornelius was a Roman soldier – a centurion – with a good name. But he lacked something. You and I can have a good name among men, but we need an additional name to our birth or married name – and that name is “Christian”. Such a necessary name is only mentioned three times in the New Testament. A quick look at these passages reveals three things we can learn about this name. But first, the term “Christian” means “of, or belonging to, Christ.”

            The first mention of “Christian” is in Acts 11:26 which identifies us (“Christians”) as disciples or followers of Christ. This certainly fits the definition given in the previous paragraph. Next is Acts 26:28 which is interpreted in many ways in our translations. But the one thing not subject to dispute is that “Christian” is something we choose to become – a choice we make. Sometimes we sing a song that puts this choice into words: I have decided to follow Jesus… The final scripture is 1 Peter 4:16 that indicates being a Christian may involve painful consequences – “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.”

            Are people shocked to learn we are Christians? Is Christian just another name to us or does it describe whose we are? Perhaps the apostle Paul described this identity best in Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

By Justin Morton

This last week my family and I were on vacation with some friends. While we had a great time and enjoyed spending time with our friends, we were very thankful to finally get back home. The fellowship was great, the food was good, and the memories will last a lifetime, but as the old saying goes, “There’s no place like home.”

Many of you have probably had the same thought as you came home after being away for several days. While you enjoyed your trip, you were thankful to get back home to the place you belong. The apostle Paul felt the same, but his feelings were not about a physical location here on earth. His feelings were about being at home with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). When writing to the Christians at Philippi, he said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil. 2:21-23).  The way many of us feel about returning home after a long trip is the way Paul felt about being away from the Lord. He wanted to be with Jesus more than anything.

Friends, it’s nice that we have a strong desire to return home after being away. Just don’t forget, “This world is not our home, we are just a passing through. Our treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.” My prayer is that we are a people who long to be back home with the Lord where we truly belong.

Last week the elders put forth three men to serve as deacons. We feel these men will be a great addition to our existing deacons. The roll of a deacon can be time and energy consuming and we are thankful we have men willing to serve in this capacity. These men will be blessed to serve and we will be blessed to have them serve.

            One of the blessings of being a deacon is that you are fulfilling a need. In Acts 6 there was a problem. The Grecian widows were being neglected and they went to the Apostles. The Apostles told them to select seven men to fulfill this need, which they did (Acts 6:1-7). A need was fulfilled. These have been asked to serve the needs of greeters, visitation, and care groups.

            A second blessing of being a deacon is the opportunity for development. Remember the Apostle wrote, “For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 3:13). As a deacon one learns how to carry out a task assigned and to serve the congregation.

            A third blessing is that the church grows as a result of a good work being accomplished. After the Apostles had the church to select seven men to carry out the designated task, the scriptures record, “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).

The elders are very excited about the future for the assembly at Walter Hill and hope you are too. God bless our current deacons and these men put forward as potential new deacons.

By Justin Morton

Last Sunday, we looked at what the Bible says about the one church. We talked about how the one true church of our Lord teaches the right things, lives the right life and worships the right way. While we often spend more time talking about what the church teaches and how they worship, I’d like for us to give more thought to how the church is supposed to live.

We noted last Sunday that one of the things the early Christians were devoted to was fellowship (Acts 2:42). Just a few verses after this we read about what their fellowship looked like. Notice, “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46). Not only did the early church worship together, but they spent time together outside the temple. They broke bread together in their homes. While I appreciate the time we have together before and after our services each week, this should not be the only times we are with one another. If we want to be like the early church, we must do what they did.

I want to challenge members of our Walter Hill family to purposely plan to spend some time with other members of our church family outside our times of worship each month. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just invite some people over for a meal or make plans to go out after one of our times of service. Plan a play date for the kids or just go and grab a cup of coffee or sweet tea. If we do this, I believe we will see the same effects the early Christians saw: church growth in spirit and in number.

             Perhaps you’ve heard about a Gallup poll reflecting a drastic drop in the number of Americans who believe in God. The latest poll shows that only 81% of Americans believe in God – down from 87% in 2017. The poll also showed that only four in ten believe God can intervene on people’s behalf through prayer. While these facts are disturbing, I urge everyone to examine the various demographics of this poll at:  https://news.gallup.com/poll/393737/belief-god-dips-new-low.aspx

            While we are saddened to see our nation drift farther and farther away from God, we are fearful our religious freedom is in jeopardy. Our Savior has told us what He expects of us: “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33; NKJV).

            As a Christian minority, will we be willing to hold true to the faith? Knowing what God expects of us and doing the same are often two different things. We already know that, or we’d never sin again (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8). If put to the test, will we deny our Lord or confess Him? I’m sure we’d all like to think we’d not be like Peter (Luke 22:33-34, 54-62). But God’s people must always be prepared to stand up for what is right, and the Scriptures are filled with many examples. Let’s keep building up our faith by reading about such in Daniel 1, 3, 6:10-28 or Hebrews 11.

            We are approaching my favorite time of the year – Christmas! However, the holidays can be a time of sadness and depression for those who have lost loved ones. On Sunday afternoon, November 6th, we will host a special session of GriefShare from 3:00-4:30 called “Surviving the Holidays”. This is for members of this congregation only. Then, beginning on January 8, 2023, we will host a 13-week session of GriefShare open to everyone. More details will be announced later.

Justin Morton

My first experience with fishing was in the pond behind our house, a pond I knew very well because I lost quite a few baseballs in that pond. However, I never spent much time fishing. Then one day my uncle was fishing and decided to teach me the finer points of his hobby. Within a matter of minutes, I had caught my first fish. As exciting as it was to catch that fish, do you know what I remember most about that day? I remember the fish struggling to survive. That fish wanted to be back in the water because water is a source of life for fish. Once a fish is out of water, it is unable to survive for very long.

Sometimes I feel as though Christians have a lot more in common with fish than we probably realize. You see, like fish, we sometimes take the bait and allow ourselves to be pulled away from our source of life into a world that threatens our survival. James said “A friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). When we allow ourselves to bite the lure the world dangles before us, we are pulled away from obedience to God. We find ourselves giving in to sin and thereby making ourselves an enemy to God.  Like fish, we take the bait and are pulled away into a world that threatens our survival, our eternal survival.  

Sure the bait looks appetizing, but it’s just a trick. By the time the fish realizes it has made a huge mistake, it is struggling to survive. Friends, let’s stay alert so we don’t take the bait that leads to our separation from God.

Fall is probably my favorite time of the year.  The chill in the air and a little reprieve from the hot summer along with the anticipation of the holidays make it a very exciting time.  It is also an exciting time for Walter Hill.  We have several fall activities coming up including a camping trip, RUSH at Freed-Hardeman, our Fall Fellowship, our teen’s Fall Retreat, and our Annual Gospel Singing.  If you haven’t attended our singing, please put it on your calendar now and make plans to attend.  It is a great evening of beautiful singing and beautiful fellowship!  I’m sure most families have events, vacations, or other activities planned this fall as well!   

The date of this bulletin should remind us of the brevity of life.  Some of us may recall the events on this day back in 2001 and for many of us, that day is still etched in our memory.  Other days in this month from recent years are also etched in our memory that remind us of the same.  As of today, there are 111 days left in 2022 (depending on how you count).  Little did we think about the time left in the year 2001 and how our lives would be changed after that single day.  It should remind us to treasure the time with which we have been blessed.  Count our blessings for the first 254 days of this year and make the most out of the 111 days left.  Don’t wait until 2023 to make new resolutions.  Resolve now to appreciate what we have, love who we have with us, and use the activities this fall to bring glory to an Almighty God and bring people to Christ!

by Justin Morton

Today begins a new quarter in our Bible school program. If you have not already done so, take some time to check out all the different class options we have available for our adults. There are so many different classes to choose from that I am sure you will find one on both Sunday and Wednesday nights you will enjoy.

And let’s not forget about our children. We are blessed at Walter Hill to have so many talented and capable teachers in our children’s classes! Do not miss the opportunity you have every Sunday and Wednesday to bring your child to Bible class. Your kids will really enjoy the classes and learn a whole lot about God’s Word too.

Throughout the Bible, we see over and over again the importance of studying God’s Word (Psa. 1:1-2; 119:9, 11,16, 97). The Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psa. 119:105). Can you image being in darkness and having access to a lamp but choosing not to make use of it? That would not make any sense. Likewise, we have this lamp, the Bible, to help direct us through this dark world; let’s make sure we are using our lamp.

Let me challenge each of us to be here every Sunday and Wednesday night for our Bible classes. Let’s see if we can raise our attendance for each of these nights to at least 200 present. I know we can do it. What do you say? Will you choose to take advantage and make the most of this opportunity to engage in a deep study of God’s Word?

            Thursday, September 1, marks the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Month. Boston Children’s Hospital has this staggering statement on its web site about suicide in children and teens: “Among children between the ages of 15 and 19, suicide is the second leading cause of death, and the leading cause of death for 14- to 15-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” According to the VA, the suicide rate for veterans is 1.5 times the rate of non-veteran adults. Depression and suicide are real problems in today’s world. And most of us are ill-equipped to confront these issues.

            Depression and suicidal thoughts have been around almost from the beginning of civilization. The prophet Elijah – undoubtedly a great man of God – provides a great case study for Bible students (1 Kings 19:1-18). To attribute such thoughts and behavior to a lack of faith is very naïve. Most of us need some help and encouragement to weather life’s storms.

            If you have a smart phone, please download an app dealing with suicide prevention and help just in case you ever need it. Three such apps are: A Friend Asks; SPA (Suicide Prevention App); and SAMHSA. All have the 24/7 phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255. You can always dial 911 in an emergency, but 988 is the new Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number. Hopefully, none of us will ever need this help line, but if we do, these are the experts!

            As you read through the gospels, notice how often Jesus took care of someone’s mental or physical problems before expecting them to follow Him. For example, consider the demon-possessed man in Luke 8:26-39 or the four thousand He fed in Matthew 15:32-39. Seeking help when needed is a sign of wisdom – not weakness!