Bulletin Articles

This question may not matter to you. I believe we are at liberty to
choose within the options the Bible provides. What is your image of
Jesus? There are a lot of artists who have depicted Him. The images
have taken on the aspects of the particular culture in which they
were created. Most of them have an eye pleasing, peaceful, angelic
image of Him, which is contrary to Isaiah’s prophecy (53:2). Some
depict Him with sheep, some with children and some on the cross,
all of which happened at some time and all of which speak to His
earthly appearance. What if I told you there was another way to
look at Jesus the Christ?The apostle John writes more about the image
and person of the Christ than any other apostle. It is John that writes
about His origin, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). It is John who records
Jesus’ seven “I Am” statements: “Bread of life” (6:48), “Light of the
world” (8:12), “the Door” (10:7), “the Good Shepherd” (10:11), “the
Way, the Truth and the Life” (14:6), and “the True Vine” (15:1). In the
gospel of John (21:12-14) and in his first letter (1:1-4), John makes it
clear that the resurrected Jesus was not a ghost but the real living
person of Jesus. With so much being written by John about the
presage of the Christ, it is no wonder that he would be the one to
record the most powerful images of the exalted Savior.

When John was on the Isle of Patmos, the visions that he was shown
of heaven and things that “must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1)
included imagery of the Exalted Christ. In the opening chapter of
Revelation, John records what he sees of Jesus: voice like thunder
or many waters (1:10,15), clothed in a robe with golden sash (1:13),
hair like white wool (1:14), eyes like fire (1:14), feet like molten
bronze (1:15), two-edged sword for a tongue (1:16), and His face
shown like the sun (1:16). This was such an impressive sight that
John fell down as though he was dead. Jesus comforts John and tells
him to write to the seven churches of Asia. Jesus opens these letters
with a description of Himself, some of which comes from John’s vision
of Him. It is important to note that Jesus would use the imagery of His
exalted form to address these letters. It is this form that would
impress upon them the changes they needed to make. It was this form
that would encourage those congregations suffering persecution. If
you were under the thumb of an abusive government, who would you
want as your Savior? A nice looking guy holding a sheep or the exalted
King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:11-16)? Tremble and repent
at the thought of Him who has the eyes of flaming fire. Take courage
and fight with the One who judges and wages war.

This article is 10 years old, very relevant for us today.Dan Jenkins Sunday, 16 March 2008

On February 28, 2008 the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled that homeschooling violated the laws of that state. Over 200,000 children face the possibility of being removed from parental teaching and molding of their lives and being forced to let the government assume these chores. The issue is headed for the California Supreme Court, but the implications are astounding.

The latest information from 2007 shows that Florida has nearly 56,000 children from about 37,000 homes where children are being home-schooled. Palm Beach County has more children (4,070) from more homes (2,996) than any county in the state. The increasing popularity of this method of rearing children (the verage annual increase since 1986 is 20%) shows the concern many parents have about what is happening.

All of this has got me thinking. There are those in government who think they know far more about the needs of children than the parents of those same children. Their view is that parents simply are not equipped to ensure children are prepared for life.

Educationally, this concept may be true. However, consider the fact that these same entities believe that morality and ethics should come from the state. They feel that their morals standards are what children need. Let the state, through its schools, teach children about homosexuality, birth control, origin, situational ethics, etc. The tragedy is that far too many parents have abdicated their God- given responsibilities in these very areas.

Parents, think about this for a moment. Are you homeschooling your children? I am not asking about educational homeschooling, but about using your homes as a school where children learn about God Is it possible that when our children began school, we forget the most important “school” of all!

Don’t be fooled. In the absence of spiritual emphasis around the dinner table and other social times with your children, Satan will ensure he uses every possible means to capture the souls of your precious children. Every Christian parent should be involved in “home-schooling” his child!

By David Sproule

Without looking, do you know what the last
word in the Bible is? If not, what would you guess?
No, it is not, “The End”! If it helps, it is also the
last word in the books of First Corinthians, Roman
Galatians, Second Peter and Jude. God closes His
inspired revelation with this word-“Amen.” Think
about that.

The English word “amen” comes from the
Greek word amen, which appears 152 times in the
Greek New Testament. It is translated “amen” 50
times, and most of the other occurrences are
translated “verily” (KJV/ASV), “assuredly” (NKJV) or
“truly” (NASB/ESV). The word “amen” simply means,
“so be it.” It acknowledges that which is certain and
true.

So, the last word in your Bible is “Amen.” The
Bible tells of God’s amazing love and the grace that
He extends toward us through our Lord Jesus Christ.
He promises to save us from our sins and give us
eternal victory in heaven. How else would you end
such a book? “So be it!

If you are not a Christian obey the gospel to
become a Christian,

• Hear the gospel (Romans 10:17),
• Believe in Jesus (John 8:24),
• Repent of sins (Acts 17:30),
• Confess faith in Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), and be
• Baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Romans 6:1-6).
• Share the gospel with others (Matthew 28:19-20).

It happens to Americans eery day of their lives, few of us like the way we look the first time we see ourselves each day in the mirror, so it is not long before we begin making changes to our appearance. Usually, before we leave the house, we take a final look in the mirror hoping that we look presentable and acceptable to others.

James describes the Bible as a mirror.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was (Jas. 1:23-24)

It is remarkable how God uses the simplest aspects of our lives to illustrate truth. To look into His mirror, the Bible, and to see our spiritual needs and do nothing about them just does not make sense. It is even more foolish than that person who looks into a regular mirror, sees something which destroys his appearance and then walks away forgetting what the mirror showed him.

Paul describes the Bible as a mirror with the power to change you.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18)

These words are much like the words from James, But Paul sees that person as spending time looking into the mirror, but not seeing just self. He looks into the mirror and sees Jesus in His radiant glory. The present tense of “being transformed” indicates an on going process. He does not just see the Lord once, and then he is immediately and completely changed. He see the Lord. He spends time gazing at Him. The glory of the Lord becomes his standard, and he is being changed into the very image of the Christ. Looking into God’s mirror will change the heart of all men.

Consider some “mirror rules” for those seeking to change their appearance. We must come to our mirror, His word, with an open, sincere heart and see His image clearly. We must come with a determination to change the flaws we see in ourselves in that mirror. We must spend time seeing the glory of the One in the mirror, meditate on what we see and then change our lives to become like that One. We need to think often about this, knowing that it takes time to become just like Him.