Author: janicevance

by Justin Morton

Over the course of our lives, some words become easier for us to say. Many children do not struggle to say words like, “That’s mine. Give it to me”. As we get older, we find ourselves saying things like, “I’m too busy” or “There’s just not enough hours in the day.” But other phrases seem to be much harder for us. In fact, some of the hardest words to say in the English language are, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” So short and simple. And although all the words are pretty easy for us to pronounce, this phrases seems to be difficult.

One of the reasons this phrase is so difficult is because we often have a hard time admitting we are wrong. When we mess up, our gut reaction is to think of a justification for our actions. “I did this” or “I said that” because… Fill in the blank with our reason for justifying such actions. Only when we realize we have no way to justify our wrongs do we finally own up and say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

As difficult as it is for us to admit we mess up and need forgiveness from others in our lives, it seems even more challenging to do this when we have sinned before God. Every one of us sins each day (Rom. 3:23). Messing up is not the problem. The problem for many of us is fessing up after messing up.

Remember the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11)? After David messed up, he could have confessed his sins and sought the forgiveness of Bathsheba, Uriah and God. But that is not what David did. Instead, he tried to cover up his sins on multiple occasions. When that did not work, David stooped to the lowest level imaginable; he had Uriah killed while he was out fighting on behalf of David and the people of Israel (2 Sam. 11:14-17). He did all of this simply because he could not admit he had done wrong.

The Bible teaches the importance of owning up to our mistakes and shortcomings. James said, “Therefore, confess you sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (Jam. 5:16). Friends, as difficult as it is, we should own up to our failures. We should be willing to come clean about our mistakes. Only then can we find peace and mercy. The wise man said, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Prov. 28:13). The apostle John said, “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). Is it time for you to come clean before God and say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me”?

by Allen Webster

A Christian faithful to attend all services will hear about 215 sermons/classes a year, including gospel meetings and VBS. In a lifetime of 75 years, that approaches 16,000 sermons and 8,000 hours. Anything one invests that much of life in should be taken seriously. James gives a time sequence approach to best utilizing sermons (James 1:21-22).

Before a Sermon: “Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness” (1:21).[1] A field is prepared to receive seed by removing trees, brush, roots, rocks, and weeds. It is plowed to soften it, so the seed has a place to germinate and an opportunity to grow. The human heart (mind) must be prepared to receive the seed of the word (Luke 8:11; 1 Samuel 7:3; 2 Chronicles 12:14; 19:3; 20:33; 30:19). Preaching is as a shower from heaven. It cannot penetrate hard hearts but is as water running of a slab of marble. A heart is prepared by removing the sins that fill it (Genesis 6:3) and block the word from entering, or having entered, from growing (Matthew 13:1-9). Once a mind is cleared, it can soak up verses like a sponge and become saturated with thoughts from God like Gideon’s fleece (Judges 6:38). With ploughed ground, the seed quickly grows to maximum fruit (John 15:5, 8).

During a Sermon: “Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (1:22). It is always wise to put ourselves under the influence of God’s powerful word (Romans 1:16). A sick man should live near a hospital[2] (Isaiah 1:6; Romans 3:23). Even if one did not intend to obey it, it still has the potential to work. Once as Jesus preached, officers were sent to arrest Him. Instead, they returned to their superiors with the message, “Never man spake like this man” (James 7:46). In ancient times spies listened to preachers, took notes of what was said, to accuse them of false doctrine. In a few cases, they were converted.

What is our responsibility while the word is preached? “Receive” it. God’s word is a feast; a banquet is not meant to be watched but eaten. A medicine cannot heal until it is taken. Reception is the door through which God’s grace enters our lives so throw open the windows of your soul for blessings (cf. Malachi 3:10).

How are we to receive the word? “With meekness.” Many miss the gospel because they do not have a teachable spirit (James 3:17). “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). The door of blessings opens when one sits at Jesus’ feet (Luke 10:39). It is to be received in its entirety. A meek person does not pick and choose or cut and carve the divine word. The Word’s odds and ends, corners, and fragments are valuable—every word is precious (Psalm 139:17). A sermon may step on our toes, but it must be accepted if it is God’s will for our lives. If the preacher speaks truth, we must not sit in judgment upon it (Jeremiah 36:23). We cannot say this belongs and this is unessential. To doubt Jesus is treason.

What is to be received with meekness? “The engrafted[3] word.” As botanists join two species of trees by grafting, so Jesus the Vine joins sinners to Himself to provide them sustenance and make them fruitful (John 15:1-7). Since God’s words are living (Hebrews 4:12), they can be grafted into living hearts.

Two wounds are required to make a graft. A branch is cut from one tree, but it cannot simply be taped or tied to the stump of the host tree. The host tree must be cut to receive the graft. The graft must be taken inside. Jesus was wounded on the cross; a sinner’s wound comes in the form of a broken heart (Joel 2:13; Psalm 34:18; 51:17; Matthew 5:3-4). Our hearts receive the word into that gash. Christ lives in us; we abide in Him (Galatians 2:20; 1 John 2:6).

Vance Havner said, “God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume—it is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”[4]

After a Sermon: “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (1:23).  James states the same truth positively and negatively. Positively, he says, “Be ye doers of the word” (James 1:25; 4:17; Matthew 7:21-27; 12:50; 28:20; Luke 6:46-48; 11:28; 12:47-48; John 13:17; 14:15, 22-23). This imperative tense means, “Let this be your constant pursuit—your main purpose in life.” The word “poet” comes from the word for “doers” here. A faithful Christian’s life is a perpetual poem, exhibiting beauty and symmetry.

Knowledge without action is of little benefit. A businessman who knows how to make money remains poor unless he opens a shop. The doctor who can cure the sick heals none if he has no practice. A capable teacher helps no child if she takes no students. Practice is the harvest; knowledge is but ploughing and sowing.

Letters usually end with a phrase that English teachers call the complimentary close, such as “Sincerely.”[5] In the late 1700s and 1800s, it was common to use “Yours truly.” A century before, it was commonly, “Your obedient servant.” Our lives and prayers should close with that thought (Deuteronomy 26:16; Joshua 1:8-9; 1 Samuel 15:22; Ezekiel 33:31-32).

Negatively, James says, “not hearers only.” This does not refer to a person who listens with little interest. To the contrary, it denotes one who listens closely but makes no effort to live by it. In early centuries, hearers designated those attending lectures who listened but never became disciples (cf. Acts 17:21)—like auditors, today. They hear the same lectures and may be received with the same interest, but when graduation they will not receive a diploma.

There are two parts to obeying the Gospel: believing and behaving (Romans 2:13; Colossians 3:17; 1 John 2:3-4; 3:7; 3 John 1:11; Revelation 22:7). It is not talking, but walking, that brings one to heaven. It is not enough to hear; we must heed. What is heard in the holy place must be lived in the marketplace. One who listens to a doctor but does not take the medicine will not be cured (cf. John 8:31-32). Hearers only are the greatest prodigals because they waste the greatest gift, God’s precious word. The better that which one hears, the more guilty if he neglects it; the plainer the gospel is taught, the more inexcusable its rejection. “When I have a more convenient season, I will send for thee” (Acts 24:25; Revelation 3:20).

Most people will not come to hear Sunday’s sermons. They will not read the Bible, but they read Christians. Paul wrote, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” (2 Corinthians 3:2).

The text closes with this solemn statement: “deceiving your own selves.” Bishop Brownrigg (1592–1659) said, “To deceive is bad, to deceive yourselves is worse, to deceive yourselves about your souls is worst of all” (Isaiah 44:20; Obadiah 1:3; 1 Corinthians 3:18; 6:9; 15:33; Galatians 6:3, 7; 2 Timothy 3:13; Titus 3:3; 2 Peter 2:13; 1 John 1:8; Revelation 12:9).

This phrase literally means “to reckon sideways and then cheat” (as in a foot race). A person who assumes he can benefit from only listening cheats himself. To be able to quote the New Testament but not practice it, would ultimately be useless (2 Peter 2:21). If we heard a sermon every day, preached by an angel, it would never bring us to heaven if we only heard.[6]

When a husband returned home sooner from worship than usual, his wife asked, “Is the sermon done already?” “No,” he said, “it is all said, but it is just beginning to be done.”

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[1] This material is adapted from Charles Spurgeon: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/before-sermon-at-sermon-and-after-sermon#flipbook/

[2] Spurgeon

[3] Implanted

[4] http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/Vance-Havner-Quotes/

[5] Robert C. Shannon, 1000 Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997)

[6] Matthew Henry

Walter Hill has been blessed to have many evangelists come to preach in our gospel meetings over the years.  This year Allen Webster will be with us to bring a series of lessons to help us grow spiritually.  Allen works with Heart to Heart, the newsletter that is mailed to many homes in Rutherford County and throughout the U.S.  The shepherds at Walter Hill are encouraging each of you to make plans to be here July 26-28.  Please mark it on your calendars!

The theme for Walter Hill this year is Equip.  In our Wednesday evening Bible classes, the adult study has been based on this idea of Equipping the Saints.  If you have gotten out of the habit of attending Wednesday evenings, please think about being here on Wednesdays for the remainder of the summer.

Jesus was the master equipper.  He chose men, who for the most part, did not fit the profile to be leaders.  Yet those twelve men, minus Judas, laid the foundation of the church, which was built upon the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ.

It must have been amazing for those disciples following Jesus day after day around Palestine, listening to the words he spoke, observing the miracles he performed, and witnessing the life he lived!

Even with all they saw and heard, many of Jesus’ disciples did not grasp who it was walking before them.  They obviously knew they were in the presence of someone special, even someone sent from God, but they did not fully understand the mission and purpose of Jesus at the time.

After Jesus was crucified and was resurrected, the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, and they began to preach the whole gospel of Jesus.  Men inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote books and letters about the life of Jesus and His church.  These books and letters became the New Testament as we have it today.

Since we have access to the New Testament, we can know who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and what His plan is for us.  His plan is to equip us “for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” Ephesians 4:12.  Jesus, the master equipper, still provides us with the necessary tools to serve in His church.  The whole counsel of God has been given to us and may each of us be diligent in reading and studying that precious book. 

by Justin Morton

It’s hard to believe we are already in July and, much to the dismay of our teachers and students, the summer is half way over. We have already had many wonderful opportunities to study God’s Word, worship the Lord and fellowship with one another. But the great news is that we still have plenty more chances for these very things. Let’s highlight a few upcoming opportunities we have during the month of July to engage in the study of God’s Word.

NEW SERMON SERIES

This Sunday we are kicking off a new sermon series called “People of Prayer.” We are going to spend the month of July looking at this important spiritual discipline. While we are aware of the importance of prayer in our lives, many of us struggle to pray consistently or feel we don’t know what to say. In this series, we will look at the privilege, priority, pattern, power and the problems of prayer, so we can EQUIP ourselves to be “People of Prayer.”

GOSPEL MEETING

Our annual Gospel meeting with guest speaker Allen Webster is only three weeks away: Friday, July 26th to Sunday, July 28th. For many years Brother Webster was the preacher for the Church of Christ in Jacksonville, AL. Presently, he teaches for the Memphis School of Preaching and the Georgia School of Theology. While you may not recognize his name, many of you are very familiar with Allen and his work. He is the editor and featured contributor of the publication, House to House, Heart to Heart, which is mailed monthly to many communities nationwide, including our own. The theme for our series of lessons is “Reigniting the Fire.” We will meet on Friday and Saturday nights @7PM and on Sunday @9AM, 10:30AM and 1PM, with a potluck fellowship meal between Bible class and the afternoon service. Please invite your friends and neighbors for this series of lessons!

CONNECT CONFERENCE

While this opportunity is not hosted here at Walter Hill, the Connect Conference provides various classes to strengthen our faith and encourage us to evangelize. This conference takes place at the Crieve Hall Church of Christ in Nashville, July 24-26, and is well worth your time, even if you can only drive over for a few classes one day. You can find a flier in the educational lobby with more information or visit www.connectcon.org.

I know we are all busy this summer. But these upcoming events present us the opportunity to study God’s Word and fellowship together. I hope you will make plans to join us as we strive together to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

by Chris Elrod

             This summer has been a reminder of the goodness of God and His people.  We had more attend this year’s VBS than we have had attend since 2014.  God blessed us with opportunities to plant the seed of His Word in the lives of several from our community (Luke 8:11).  I am always so encouraged by all the children who are eager to sing songs and learn about God, but I am also encouraged by all those who are eager to serve during VBS.  So many were eager to jump to work in a wide variety of ways, understanding the impact VBS can have on the faith of our children and in reaching the lost of our community.  Thank you for all your hard work, support, and for inviting loved ones and friends to VBS!

Camp was also a huge success despite some being injured and the extreme heat.  Camp was a success because God’s Word was taught and is at work within the lives of so many young people.  We had more register for camp (110) than ever before.  Our teens know camp is one of my favorite weeks of the year.  It’s always so great to see so many from other congregations.  It’s such a blessing.  Yet, I am always so encouraged by our group, both our adults and youth.  The adults who come to camp with us demonstrate in a special way what it means to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).  Camp is hot, the mattresses are at best mediocre, and vacation time is required for most to be in attendance.  Yet, they go to help nurture the spiritual growth of our youth.  I have such a deep appreciation for them!  The Walter Hill Youth encourage me in the ways they lead at camp, grow closer to one another, and seek the Lord through worship and Bible study.

We had five baptisms at camp this year.  Four were from Walter Hill.  We are so proud of all those who were baptized into Christ.  So far, we have had eleven baptisms in our youth ministry in 2024.  The coolest part is that most of them occurred in conjunction with a teen leading or taking part in a Bible study with another teen.  Our teens understand and are living out Jesus’s command to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) and are setting an example for us adults to follow.  Imagine the growth we would experience if we as adults were as evangelistic and eager to invite our friends to Bible study.  While we strive to set an example for our youth, they too set an example for us!  Let’s seek to make disciples.

by Justin Morton

I love church camp! I grew up attending several different church camps, and as an adult I still spend 3 weeks of my summer serving our amazing young people at camps across Tennessee. This year several local congregations joined in with Walter Hill at Camp Joy, and we had over 100 campers and staff members. Despite the heat, we had an unforgettable week of fun and food, studying and singing.

Many of you may have some special memories from your time at church camp. But perhaps some of you have never had the opportunity to attend church camp. Listen to what some of our Walter Hill young people love about church camp:

I love camp because you get to learn more about God, Jesus and the Bible while playing games with old and new friends. – McKenna Davidson

I love camp because of the people. From getting to learn new lesson and points of view from people to interacting with some of the kindest, funniest and competitive people I’ve met. Also, learning more and more about the Bible and God each day. – Wrigley Phillips

Camp is one of my favorite weeks out of the summer. I love being a part of the devos and singing! – Tyler Lancaster

I love camp because I love being around people I know and the singing. It’s all fun! – Braden McNabb

Camp is a fun place to socialize and learn more about God as well as about each other. – Martin Nance.

I love Ooga Booga – Cade Bailey

I love being at camp and getting to “baptize” people in the creek. – Josh Miller

Camp is a great place to learn more about God. – Caden Morton

Camp is the most influential week of the year. – Will Cooper

Camp is a good time to worship and get to know each other and build a relationship while growing in the Lord (Phil. 4:4). – Emma Dickerson

I love camp because I get to see friends I haven’t seen all year. –Ella Mitchell

I love camp because I get to worship God and hang out with my friends and I really love the singing and all the games we get to play. –Savannah McNabb

I love Bible camp because I can worship God. –Izzy Jernigan

As you can see from the lips of some of our very own, church camp is a special place. If your child or grandchild has never attended Camp Joy, please considering joining us next summer for this life changing experience.

by Justin Morton

Happy Father’s Day to all of our fathers here at Walter Hill. I hope you are showered with love and appreciation on this special day for all of the wonderful things you have done, currently do and will continue to do for  your family. Although it may not be said nearly enough, you are appreciated by both your physical family and also your spiritual family. Thank you for being the fathers that you are.

For some children, especially boys, we have a desire to grow up and be just like our dad. You see, while we may never say it out loud, our fathers are our heroes. We look up to them and want to imitate them from the time we are small. So we do things like try to walk around the house in those oversized shoes, trying not to fall flat on our faces. We put on dad’s hat and wear it proudly as it falls over our eyes. Some kids will even put on one of their dad’s shirts, which probably covers them from top to bottom, just because they want to wear what their dad wears. Many kids want to be just like their dads.

And while it is great that kids want to grow up to be like their dad, we need to be sure we are giving them an example worth growing up to follow. As fathers, let’s strive to give our children an example of what it looks like to love the Lord and His Word. We can do this by studying and meditating on the Word in view of our children (Psa. 119:97). Let’s demonstrate to our kids the importance of being actively and zealously involved in the work of the Lord (Rom. 12:11). Let’s show our kids an example of living a life devoted to doing the Father’s will. Abraham provided a great example of this in the sight of his son, Isaac (Gen. 22). Let’s model for our children how a godly man loves and cherishes his wife (Eph. 5:25-31). Young people today desperately need to see such an example of love and honor.

What kind of legacy do we as fathers want to leave for our children? A legacy of success from a worldly standpoint or a legacy of success as a faithful servant of the Lord? How we live today does not just have an effect on today or tomorrow, but it can have a generational effect for many years to come. Your kids may want to grow up to be just like you dad. Will that be something to be proud of?

As you know, our theme this year is EQUIP. Justin’s lessons are mostly focusing on equipping the saints. To be equipped is to be provided with whatever is required for use or for any undertaking in terms of knowledge and equipment.

We need equipment for almost anything we do in life. To repair an engine, we need a certain set of tools. When we embark on a journey or voyage, we usually take all the equipment we will need while we are away.

Our Wednesday evening adult class will revolve around equipping each of us to be better husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, teachers, mentors, and even evangelists. By doing so, we hope to equip each of us to be better Christians. 

The book Hebrews speaks to this matter of equipment relative to the doing of God’s will. “Now the God of peace…. equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

The more thoroughly we are equipped the more we will bear the fruit to the glory of God. (Col. 1:9-10).

The elders hope to see you at this special class.

            Sometimes congregations invite guest speakers for a special series of lessons such as a “Summer Series.” Often, these lessons center around a given theme or scripture passages. One theme that has always fascinated me is based on this question: If you had one last sermon to preach, what would you speak on? The elders offered me such an opportunity this month, but I declined. Yet now I’m faced with a similar dilemma as I write this last bulletin article. What do I write in this farewell piece?

            Several ideas have flashed through my mind such as Paul’s valedictory address in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 or the tearful scene in Acts 20:37-38 as Paul said goodbye to the Ephesian elders at Miletus. Although not knowing what the future holds for any of us, we plan to interact with you and your families for many years to come. While we may be absent in body, our hearts will certainly be close to yours. But, back to the task at hand, what I want to say to everyone is best recorded by the Holy Spirit Himself.

            “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another” (Genesis 31:49b).

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:3-6).

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).

“The Lord bless you and keep you;

  The Lord make His face shine upon you,

  And be gracious to you;

  The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

  And give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). 

by Justin Morton

We have so much to be grateful for here at Walter Hill. God has been good to us in many different ways. He has blessed us with quite a bit of growth, and each week we have a host of visitors in attendance. While some of these visitors may have a church home or a religious background, others who are visiting may not have a church home or do not have a relationship with Jesus. Here at Walter Hill, we want to live out the great commission and carry the Gospel to as many people as possible (Matthew 28:18-20). And while it’s great we have visitors coming through our doors, let’s not forget about the power of a personal invitation.

We have several events coming up in the next couple of months that provide great opportunities to invite our family, friends and neighbors. Consider a few of these events and make plans to attend and invite others to join you.

Vacation Bible School June 2-5: I know many people believe Vacation Bible School is a kids’ program. And while the focus that week is on our children, adults can benefit from VBS as well. We have 4 guest speakers lined up to be with us for our evening adult class. So whether you have kids or not, VBS is a great opportunity to invite someone to visit Walter Hill with you. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing kids get excited about God and His Word?

Equip Class Starting Wednesday, June 12: We are going to do something a little different this next quarter. On Wednesday nights this summer, all of our adult classes will be meeting in the auditorium for a joint class. This class series is based on our congregational theme for the year. Several men of our congregation will be discussing practical ways we can be equipped to serve in our homes, church and community. A schedule of the class topics for each week will be available soon.

Gospel Meeting July 26-28: Our annual Gospel Meeting this year will feature guest speaker, Allen Webster. Brother Webster was a preacher for the Jacksonville Church of Christ in Jacksonville, AL for many years. Currently he teaches at the Memphis School of Preaching in Memphis, TN. Many of you may recognize his name because he is the editor and featured contributor of the publication, House to House Heart to Heart. Brother Webster will be doing a series of lessons on the theme “Reigniting the Fire”. Please make plans to join us for this series.

I know the summer is filled with vacations, family events and perhaps longer hours at work. However, if at all possible, make plans to be here for these summer events. And go ahead and personally invite someone to join you. Who knows, it just might lead to someone choosing to follow Jesus (John 1:35-51).