Month: April 2024

By Ron Thomas – Via Bulletin Gold

Have you ever wondered how the Lord opens hearts? The
Scripture gives two avenues by which this is done.

First, in Acts 16:14, the Scripture reads, “The Lord opened
her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:14).
How did this occur? In the first portion of the verse, Lydia heard
the things Paul was preaching:; it intrigued her, she wanted to hear
more. With this hearing of the message’s substance, the Lord’s
message got to her. Thus, she and her household were baptized.
She wanted to be identified with One Paul spoke about.

Second, in Acts 16:25f, Paul and Silas were incarcerated for
preaching the Gospel message of Christ. The accusation leveled
against them? “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble
our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us,
being Romans, to receive or observe” (16:20-21). It is evident,
from the reading of the context, at least some in the Roman
influenced area wanted nothing to do with the message of hope,
so they accused the Lord’s preachers of preaching unlawful
things. That evening, after Paul and Silas were imprisoned, an
earthquake occurred. The jailer of that Philippian jail was moved
to come and stand before Paul and Silas and ask what he must do
to be saved (16:31-33). Paul told him, and he and his house were
baptized, identifying with the One killed by the Jewish
community.

The Lord opens hearts. He does this by His message, and He
does this by circumstances people experience in life.

Are you listening?

By David Ferguson

Jesus came to the Earth the first time meek and lowly, and riding
on the back of a donkey. But that’s not how He will return at His
Second Coming. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus is the
“blessed hope of the church (Titus 2:13). Throughout the
centuries of church history, concerned believers have waited
expectantly for this glorious event to happen.

The Son of God came the first time in Bethlehem as a virgin-
born baby. He was “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3).
He was arrested, ridiculed, and finally crucified. His death was a
perfect sacrifice for sin. But some day He will come again – not
to experience mocking and humiliation – but to reign as King.
The Second Coming of Christ is the bright and radiant hope of
God’s people. The Apostle John, writing from the island of
Patmos, says, “Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye
shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him” (Revelation
1:7). Jesus Himself declares that people will “see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory”
(Matthew 24:30).

Jesus promised that He will prepare a place for us, and that He
will come again (John 14:2b-3). There are scoffers who say,
“Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:3-4). They are
not willing to take the promises of God’s word seriously. But the
Angels declared to the disciples of Jesus who witnessed His
ascension into Heaven:”This same Jesus, Which is taken up from
you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
Him go into Heaven” (Acts 1:11). The Apostle Paul declares that
“when Christ Who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). The truth about the
Second Coming of Jesus is clear- and we do not try to explain it
away. Are you ready for that day? Have you come to the Lord in
obedient, saving faith? If not, then why not?

By Joe Slater Via Bulletin Gold

We use innumerable acronyms to shorten emails, text messages,
etc. “LOL’ (laughing out loud), IMO (in my opinion), and Btw
(by the way) are only the start of a virtually endless list. Have
you noticed this one? BFF (best friend forever).

This person'” (you fill in the name) “is my BFF!” It might be
someone you’ve known since early childhood; maybe it’s a
spouse; maybe it’s your spouse whom you’ve known from early
childhood! Regardless, having friends helps us navigate through
life’s ups and downs.

I’m blessed with many friends, and I hope you are too! I’d be
hard pressed to identify which of my friends (among my fellow-
mortals) is my “best friend.” Some whom I’ve counted as friends
in the past have, by their behavior, made it clear that they are no
longer my friends. I regret that, but I realize I cannot change other
people’s thoughts and actions.

Christians have no trouble identifying their “best friend
forever”! “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down
one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). We know Jesus is the best
friend we could possibly have, and He will never forsake us. Who
else could ever qualify as our “best friend forever”?

A challenging question for me is, “Am I a friend to Jesus?
We sing, “I’ll be a friend to Jesus”- but look at what the Lord
Himself said: “You are My friends if you do whatever
Command you” (John 15:14). Having warm fuzzy feelings
Jesus is fine, but loving him and being His friend goes well
beyond subjective criteria. Who among us would claim to be the 
best friend Jesus has? But we can, indeed, be His friends forever.

Let’s do that!