Category: Bulletin Articles

Welcome to the Groveland Church of Christ.

In this section, you will find announcements of upcoming congregation events and fellowship activities as well as articles of spiritual interest and encouragement.

• God’s Grace – Ephesians 2:8
• Christ’s Blood – Romans 5:9
• The Gospel – Romans 1:16
• Sinners Faith – Acts 16:31
• Sinner’s Repentance – Luke 13:3
• Sinner’s Confession – Romans 10:10
• Believers Baptism – I Peter 3:21
• Christian’s Work – James 2:24
• Christian’s Hope – Romans 8:24
• Christian’s Endurance – Revelations 2:10

By Joe Slater

 

God has never required trusting obedience without evidence. Biblical
faith is not blind faith. Throughout the ages He has shown Himself to
be infinitely worthy of our confidence.

In ancient times He used signs (miracles) to confirm His word. Jesus
utilized abundant signs during His ministry. Despite such clear proof,
His enemies taunted, “We want to see a sign from You” (Matthew
12:38). But Jesus, knowing their corrupt hearts, rejected their ploy. He
would give them no sign except His resurrection!

God has blessed us today with His completely revealed, confirmed,
and recorded word. His inspired apostles worked innumerable signs to
verify it. That task being complete, no further proof is needed.
Supernatural gifts, therefore, have ceased (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).

Nevertheless, many even today clamor for a sign! A difficult
decision confronts us “Give me a sign, Lord!” We want to know what
the future holds – “Lord, send me a sign!”

More often than not, modern sign-seekers assume their subjective
feelings are signs from God. “This decision gives me peace, so it must
be God’s will.” Such reasoning is backward! We ought to be at peace
because we know our decision is according to God’s written will, not
just assume it is God’s will because we feel at peace.

It all goes back to “facts, faith, and feelings.” God’s word establishes
the facts. Upon God’s word we base our faith. Knowing that we have
rusted and obeyed God’s word should make us feel good. Many,
however, have reversed this order: “I feel like this is right; therefore,
that’s what I believe; therefore, it must be God’s will.”

We have God’s confirmed will. We need no signs!

Via Bulletin Gold

By Mac Deaver

In Phil. 4:4 Paul wrote, «Rejoice in the Lord always: again I
will say, Rejoice.” –But what are some circumstances that call
forth the joy of which Paul speaks?

We ought to rejoice in our salvation. After the Ethiopian
officers conversion, he went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:39).
After the seventy returned from their mission, Jesus told them to
rejoice that their names were written in heaven (Lk. 10:20). If
one’s sins are forgiven and his name is written in the Lamb’s
book of life, he certainly ought to rejoice.

We ought to rejoice as we realize that God is in control of
world affairs. Sometimes the catastrophic events throughout the
world cause us all great concern. But we must not despair,
realizing that God is aware of all, and is in control of all. (Rom.
13:1-4; Isaiah 6:l). And even if we must suffer for right-doing,
there is occasion for rejoicing (Acts 5:41; 1 Peter 2:20).

We ought to rejoice in the knowledge that all will work out to
the ultimate good of the faithful. “And we know that to them
that love God all things work together for good, even to them
that are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). All
things revolve around the good of the church. Paul also said,
“The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save
unto his heavenly kingdom….” (2 Tim. 4:18).

Indeed, the Christian has every reason to rejoice in the Lord.

Via Bulletin Gold

By Al Behel

“Every athlete exercises self-control…They do it to
receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable
one…” (I Cor. 9:25)

John “Pepper” Martin played for the St. Louis Cardinals and
was the star of the 1931 World Series. Following one of those
games Pepper was interviewed by a newsman. The first question
he was asked was, “Pepper, what’s your chief ambition?”
Without hesitating Pepper responded, “My chief ambition is to
go to heaven.”

The newsman who interviewed Pepper Martin laughed at his
response and said rather sarcastically, “Oh, you want to play a
harp, eh?” Martin shot back at him, “My friend, I don’t think that
is funny. I know you don’t mean to be a smart aleck, but there’s
something wrong with a person’s attitude when he’s flippant
about serious things. If there’s anything foolish about reading
the Bible every day and believing what it says, and if there’s
anything funny about wanting to go to heaven when you leave
this world, then I’m afraid life here isn’t worth living.”

What a goal! To go to heaven. I’ve often asked people, “If you
could go anywhere and do anything, what would you choose?
The responses have been interesting. A common response is, “Td
like to go to Europe, Paris, Or to Greece, etc.”I don’t remember
anyone saying, “Id like to go to heaven.”

The Christian life is like running a race. In the ancient Olympic
games the winner received a perishable wreath ofivy or pine. We
are in a race for an imperishable wreath that will never decay.
We want to go to heaven. Nothing we gain in life in our careers
r accumulate through wealth will be taken into our caskets. Our
friends will not go with us. We will go alone. All earthly treasures
will be left behind. But, we look beyond these temporary trinkets
to an eternal home where we will live for all eternity. In the
words of our hymn, “Heaven will surely be worth it all.”

Via Bulletin Gold

By Rob Albright

 

When the women came to the tomb of Jesus, an
angel met them and said “He is not here” (Mt.
28:6). Jesus was not in the tomb. It was empty.
Even though a large stone was blocking the
entrance and even though the tomb was guarded,
the fact is, the tomb was empty.

So, what happened? Luke states the truth in
Acts 2:24 when he said, God raised Him. That
message of Jesus’ resurrection must be preached.
The resurrection verifies Jesus claim to be the
Son of God. This truth was confirmed when
Jesus appeared to His disciples (John 20). Paul
said that Jesus even appeared to over 500 people
and most were alive in 56 AD (1 Cor. 15:6)

The resurrection benefits us. It gives us a
living hope (1 Peter 1:3) and if we have been
united together in the likeness of His death,
burial, and resurrections, we shall be in the
likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:1-5).

Via Bulletin Gold

By Bill Brandstatter

Via Bulletin Gold

My birthday is March 2nd. You may be reading this before or
after that day. It causes mne to think about life and mny status with
God. The reflections cause me to look backward and forward. I
have realized daily the expression “time flies.” The writer James
told of life and stated, “It is even a vapor that appears for a little
time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14 NKJV) Reflection is
good for the soul. It causes us to look at where we are and where
we ought to be. The Psalmist stated regarding life, “For it is soon
cut off, and we fly away.” (Psa. 90:10)

Where have I been? My past life is gone. The present is now.
Whatever mistakes I made in the past I need to forget and move
on. The apostle Paul had to remind himself to do that. He stated
he was forgetting those things which were behind and reaching
forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil.3:13). I can’t
change the past. I can make the present better.

Where am I now? God is concerned about where we are now.
The urgency of the moment is expressed in several Bible
passages. Paul wrote, “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is
the day of salvation”(2 Cor. 6:2). We should be redeeming the
time” (Eph. 5:16).

Where will I be in the future? I don’t know what the future
holds, but I know who holds the future. The best way to prepare
for the future is to prepare now. The future happens with the
dawn of every new day. As one person stated, “Today is the start
of the rest of your life.” My entrance into heaven depends on
what I do while here on earth. I have the chance now to do what
I must to enter heaven one day. What a difference a day can
make. We must obey Jesus today, so that we can see Him
tomorrow. (Mark 16:16; Heb. 5:8,9)

By Joe Slater

“Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and
few there be that find it” (Matthew 7: 14, KJV).

The expression “strait and narrow” has become proverbial in
reference to careful compliance with the rules given by parents or by
God. However, most mistakenly understand it as straight and narrow.”
The spelling difference is subtle, but the change in meaning is radical!

A “strait” (without the g-h) is seldom straight. Look at the Strait of
Magellan or the Strait of Hormuz on a map. They’re anything but
straight! Guiding a ship through those straits takes plenty of zigzagging
along a difficult and narrow route! They’re called “straits” because
they’re difficult, not because they go from point “a” to point “b”
without deviation.

Many other Scriptures teach us not to deviate from God’s word, but
“strait” in Matthew 7:14 isn’t making that point. The path to eternal
life is narrow and difficult! By contrast, the way to destruction is wide
and easy (7:13). Most people find wide and easy to be appealing.
Comparatively few put forth the effort to travel the narrow, difficult
path.

But wait! Doesn’t the majority rule? That sounds very American!
How can the majority of people be wrong? Isn’t it arrogant to say that?

Well, we didn’t say it – Jesus did. A majority of Jesus’ own people
(the Jews) rejected Him. Despite the thousands who became Christians
in Acts, vastly more rejected the gospel. This is nothing new; God has
always operated with a remnant.

Are you on that narrow way? It’s difficult, but the destination
makes it more than worth the effort!

Via Bulletin Gold

By Joe Slater

Businesses may take inventory at the first of the year for tax purposes
or to see if the company was profitable last year. What about you and
me? How did we do last year? What adjustments do we need to make?
Several matters call for an inventory:

1. Bible study (not just reading, but study). Both public and private
study instill God’s word into our hearts. We ought to be known as
walking Bibles! It can be so, but not without serious Bible study.

2. Prayer. You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:3).
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Need we say more?

3. Attendance. Satan has used the pandemic to condition us into
thinking in-person attendance is a mere option. For the truly ill,
watching the service on an electronic device is helpful. I know that by
experience! Nevertheless, when healthy, active people simply choose
not to show up, Scripture calls it sin (Hebrews 10:26). Lame excuses,
justifications, and rationalizations will never solve this!

4. Giving. God doesn’t “need” anything from us (Acts 17:25).
Giving has always been an indication of love for God. The poorest Jew
under the Law gave ten percent of his gross income (not what was left
after paying the bills). Most Jews gave a good deal more. Under the
New Covenant we are to give as God has prospered us (1 Corinthians
16:2). How would your income be affected if God prospered you in
proportion to the generosity of your giving?

5. Good works. You can name dozens of bad things you haven’t
done. That’s great? Now, what good works have you done? That’s one
purpose God has for you in Christ (Ephesians 2:10).

It’s time to take inventory!

Via Bulletin Gold

By Edd Sterchi – Via Bulletin Gold

 

In Acts 18:24-28, we are introduced to a Christian
named Apollos. He was a great example in spreading
the word of God.

We can certainly learn from His ways. Notice for
example:

* He was mighty in the Scriptures (v.24). He knew the
Word of God, but it is also important to note that he
was always willing to learn them more accurately
(v.26).

* He was eloquent (v.24). He spoke in a manner that
people wanted to hear what he had to say.

* He was fervent in spirit (v.25). He was always
excited about telling God’s truths.

* He spoke boldly (v.26). He was courageous in
presenting the Word of God. He never backed down
from the truth.

* He always proved his point (v.28). He used the
Scriptures to establish that what he was speaking was
from God.