Author: janicevance

            The wise man Solomon wrote a great truth in Ecclesiastes 12:12 as follows: “And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh” (NKJV). I don’t know how many books are published around the world each year but it must be phenomenal – covering almost any subject you can imagine. Personally, I set a goal of reading 35 books this year and it appears I’ll reach that goal this week. And I know some of you have read even more.

            I’ve learned a lot from these books but I’m not sure any of them will help me get to heaven. We all need a lot of help to reach that eternal home with our Savior. The prophet warns us in Isaiah 10:23 – “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;

It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (NKJV). The psalmist knew whom or what to follow when he wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105; NKJV).

            While secular books may entertain us, challenge us, and educate us, only God’s word can direct our steps to the eternal home He has prepared for His saints. Jesus fervently prayed to His Father on the night of His betrayal for all of His disciples. While there are so many wonderful things in His beautiful prayer, notice John17:17 – “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (NKJV). It is God’s word – truth – that sets God’s people apart – that is able to make us holy – to make us saints.            Jesus drove this point home in John 8:32 with these words: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (NKJV). I encourage everyone to read wholesome literature but not to the neglect of the truth!

            As announced by the elders last Sunday morning, I plan to semi-retire at the beginning of April and fill the role of associate minister. If things go as planned, this will give me 25 years as the first full-time minister at Walter Hill. Depending on when the new pulpit minister can move into this role, I may have to stay on just a little longer. Of course, it may take a few weeks for the search committee to get organized before the search begins in earnest. I hope you’ll begin praying now for this committee and our elders for the right man (and his family) to be found.

            I am reminded of the congregation whose members were suffering from a severe drought and they decided to have an old-fashioned prayer meeting – asking God for rain. The congregation turned out in force to pray for an end to the drought; however, no one brought an umbrella. While we immediately see the irony (and humor) in this, it is backed by a Biblical example.

            Do you remember how Herod threw Peter in prison after killing the apostle James, the brother of John? It is recorded in Acts 12 and verse 5 reveals that the church was constantly praying to God for him. After an angel of the Lord set Peter free from prison, he came to the home of Mary, John Mark’s mother, where many of the church were gathered praying. The young girl Rhoda recognized Peter when he knocked at the gate but, in her excitement, failed to let him in. Instead, she ran to tell those praying. They thought Rhoda was not quite right and told her it was Peter’s angel. Peter’s persistent knocking finally got him admitted to the house with the realization that their prayers had been answered.

            As the search begins, let’s pray positively that God will guide the elders and committee to find the right man for the job!

            Attendance numbers have always fascinated me. Even as a child, I would look at the attendance boards during services and try to make mental comparisons from one week to the next. Perhaps this was my way of staying awake during my dad’s sermons! And I continue to have an interest in these figures because they can sometimes be symptomatic of the congregation’s health much like a thermometer is used to determine if a patient has a fever.

            Since resuming Wednesday evening Bible study on April 14^th of this year, we have averaged 127 in attendance. (I omitted VBS from these numbers to prevent skewing.) During this same period (with VBS omitted), we averaged 144 on Sunday evenings. With the resurgence of COVID cases, our attendance at both services has dipped slightly – and that is to be expected.

Overall, our Sunday evening attendance is about what we should expect but we can probably do a little better. On the other hand, since we are having our Bible classes on Sunday evening, I would expect our Wednesday evening numbers to be very similar. I know it is difficult for some to attend evening services when it’s dark or when the COVID threat is raised. But we need to ask ourselves why we are not coming on Wednesday evenings (or Sunday evenings). Let’s make sure it is not because of apathy or that other activities are taking precedence. These opportunities may be the piece (or peace) missing in our life!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6; NKJV).

Fall is my favorite time of the year.   The cool, crisp air in the morning, the beautiful colors in the trees, pumpkins and fall festivals are some of my favorite things about this season.  Another of my favorite things is spending time in the outdoors and enjoying the wildlife.  If you have ever spent some time just watching deer, you will notice how they walk, how they eat, and how they maneuver through the woods and fields.   They are very skittish animals.  They are constantly looking around for danger.  They may eat a bite or two, but then they are looking around to see what might be a threat. They have very heightened senses of sight, hearing and smell.  And, for good reason since they have some natural predators.   They also have good defenses, being able to react quickly, run fast and jump over obstacles. 

As Christians, we should have that same heightened sense of awareness to sin.   We should constantly be looking around us for threats from Satan and should be very cautious of how we enter into certain situations or go about our daily lives.  1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (NKJV).  Scripture also tells us how to defend ourselves as well when that threat makes an appearance.  Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us to clothe ourselves with the whole armor of God that we may be able to “stand against the wiles of the devil”.   It is up to us to be diligent and to use the defenses God has made available to us.   

            Our special GriefShare support group for members begins today at 5:00 P.M. in Adult One. If you failed to sign up, you are still welcome. You will be with people who love you because you’ll be with your church family. Like we tell all our initial GriefShare attendees, give us three weeks before you decide it’s not for you. If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, come and give it a try this afternoon. I believe you’ll be glad you did!

            Grief is painful. Grief is jagged and has no smooth edges. It is abrupt and leaps on us when we least expect it. Grief sometimes seems eternal. All of these statements are so true, but this is also true: Grief is the expression of love we have for someone who has passed away. This is encouraging because it is positive compared to the previous statements we made about grief.

            One of the first scriptures many of us memorized after John 3:16 was the shortest verse in the Bible – John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.” It’s an interesting verse because Jewish witnesses to His tears mistakenly interpreted them as our Lord’s grief over the death of Lazarus. However, Jesus was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. Why would He grieve a loss that was soon to become non-existent?

While there are several reasons why Jesus may have wept, the one that seems most logical to me is weeping out of empathy. When we see loved ones grieving with tears, we should be moved with compassion and “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15b). But the dual mention of Jesus groaning on either side of verse 35 may indicate our Savior’s aching heart for those who refused – and would continue to refuse after this great miracle – to believe Who He Was – the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)! 

             The church that Jesus established is a wonderful blessing!  It is wonderful to be surrounded by likeminded men and women who love the Lord and serve Him in all that they do.  We need to thank God for blessing us with the church.  We must also strive to help our children, the children of this congregation, understand the importance of the church and the blessing it will be to their life.

             I must clarify what I mean by the children of this congregation.  Certainly, parents have the most impact and the greatest opportunity to teach the value of the church to their children.  However, this is something we all must teach to the children at Walter Hill.  Parents can’t, and shouldn’t, teach this on their own.  We all have opportunity to teach it through our example and attendance at each service.  We model to the youth that worship and congregational Bible study are important by making it a priority, thus attending.  When we fail to make it a priority, our youth notice our absence and could conclude, “it must not be too important.”  We must remember we are being watched not only by the youth, but also one another and our decisions impact those who see us.

Here are some things to remember about why the church is important.  These things would be great to discuss with your children, grandchildren, nephews, etc.  The church is important because it was established by Jesus (Matthew 16:17-18).  The church is the family of God (1 Timothy 3:15).  It is a group of people who provide us with help and accountability (Galatians 6:1-2), encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25), and prayers (Ephesians 6:18).  The church must be a priority!

Think about these three guiding questions that assist us in making decisions. The first is “What’s the moral thing to do?” This aims to align us with what is acceptable to our Lord and His will. The second question often overlaps: “What is the ethical thing to do?” Asking this helps re-enforce the need to do what is right and fair. The third question is maybe most helpful though because we usually know what’s moral or ethical without asking those specific questions. The third question is “What is the wise thing to do?” Most frequently, this is what we must wrestle with as we assess our options. Is it morally and ethically acceptable to wear shorts to a job interview for a management position? Sure, it is. Is it wise? Probably not.

The Bible has much to say about wisdom and gaining wisdom. The fundamental truth about wisdom is “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10; see also 1:7). In this sense, wisdom is rooted in knowing, fearing, and respecting God. Wisdom is worth seeking (Pr 2:1–15) and rewards us generously when we use it (Pr 2:20–22).

In Proverbs 9, we see two women inviting those without understanding into their homes to eat. Woman Wisdom offers a large meal to the simple (unwise) so that they may leave their naïve ways and “walk in the ways of insight” (Pr 9:1–6). On the other hand, Woman Folly invites in the simple as well, but her promises are hollow and only lead to death (Pr 9:13–18). You see, Woman Folly herself is loud, unwise, and unknowing.

May we seek wisdom and its blessings!

            Do you ever imagine what it would have been like to be one of the twelve accompanying Jesus for three years? He was their Teacher – the One they followed and listened to. They lived with Him and traveled with Him. They surely got very close to Him – the Son of God – and a familiarity must have developed as among friends. But the old phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” would have never been appropriate for this relationship because there was nothing to dislike about Jesus.

            Is it possible for us to become too familiar with Jesus? No, I’m not talking about growing “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) and drawing closer intellectually and spiritually. I’m talking about reducing the Christ to such a human level that we treat Him like some palsy-walsy friend. I think the Lord’s disciples received many warnings to prevent this and maybe we need to remember those reminders in Scripture.

            One of those is found in Mark 4:35-41 when the disciples woke Jesus during a storm because they thought they were about to perish. After Jesus rebuked the wind and calmed the sea, they feared exceedingly – they literally “feared with great fear”. When they realized Jesus was no ordinary man, they were very afraid. Perhaps we need to remember the same from time to time and approach our worship of Him with more reverence.

            His holiness and that of our heavenly Father demands some separation. And while we are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace, we need to remember where this throne is – who sits on it – and our own sinful humanity.

            On bended knee I come,

            With a humble heart I come,

            Bowing down before Your holy throne.  

What are we afraid of?  This may seem like a silly question, but I believe all of us could admit there is something that scares us or possibly several things that we are afraid of.  I remember a time that we never locked the doors on our homes or vehicles.  I am not sure the doors to our house even had locks on them.  If they did, I am sure we had no keys to them.  Maybe the screen doors had a latch that would fit into an eye hook to keep it secured but that is about all.  It just seemed that we were not afraid.  Now we have multiple locks on our doors and even alarm systems with cameras in our homes so we can see what is going on even when we aren’t home. 

In looking at what the bible says about fear, it is estimated the words “fear not” are found around 300 times. 

While we are told so many times not to fear, we are also warned to fear Satan.  1 Peter 5:8 tells us “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”   While it is easy to be fearful of many things, to be eternally separated from God should be our greatest fear. 

Consider the words found in Isiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

I challenge all of us to spend some time this week studying what the scriptures say about fear. 

 

            What a wonderful spiritual feast we enjoyed last weekend at the feet of Bryan McAlister! If you missed any of these lessons, please go to www.youtube.com and search for “Walter Hill church of Christ”. There you will find the sermons for our gospel meeting. Bryan presented lessons we all need to hear – positive, encouraging messages. You will be blessed by them and him!

            As we seek to return to some level of congregational normalcy, we need your help. Really, we need your presence for our Bible classes on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. The attendance has slowly been improving, but like Uncle Sam, we need you! I know the COVID threat is still out there and, if you feel uncomfortable in crowds, please wear your mask.

            We all need encouragement from time to time because our lives have so many ups and downs. But one of the best forms of self-encouragement comes when we help others. We have so many who are struggling, and we may the one who can make their load a little lighter. Consider the words of Romans 15:1 from the NASB: “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.” Or these from Hebrews 12:12 in the NKJV: “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees.”

            These words from an old hymn (#497 in our books) surely bring these scriptures home:

            Have you lifted a stone from your brother’s way,

            As he struggled along life’s road?

            Have you lovingly touched some frail, toilworn hand,

            Shared with someone his heavy load?

            Have you spoken a word full of hope and cheer?

            Have you walked with a slower pace,

            Till the weary of heart who were stumbling on, 

           Took new courage to run the race?