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.

By Joe Slater

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he
who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the
wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:35, NASB).

Note carefully that “believe” and “obey” are treated
here as equals. Peter uses the same two words in 1
Peter 2:6 – “Therefore to you who believe, He (Jesus)
is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The
stone which the builders rejected has become the chief
cornerstone.’ The faith that pleases God is the faith
that obeys.

Also note that John did not say God’s wrath will abide
on the disobedient at some future point. He said it
“abides” on him (present tense, now). Of course
eternal destruction will be the final manifestation of
God’s wrath; but unless we are following Jesus, God is
highly displeased with us right now. We must remedy
that situation without delay!

If there were but one good reason to follow Jesus, that
would be enough. John the Immerse. however, gave
his disciples at least seven reasons in John 3:27- 36.
Those reasons are still valid. Are you following Jesus?

By Joe Slater

As John the immerser sought to calm his fretful
disciples, he told them, “He whom God has sent (i.e.
Jesus) speaks the words of God, for God does not give
the Spirit by measure” (John 3:34). What better reason
would anyone need for following Jesus?


Our Lord Himself stressed that He spoke God’s words:
“My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent Me” (John
7:16). Later He reaffirmed, “…all things that I heard
from My Father I have made known to you” (John
15:15).

Many prophets preceding Jesus spoke the words of
God; but Jesus was superior to them all. He out-ranked
them. He spoke not only what He was told by
inspiration, but what He had seen and heard. And He
possessed the Spirit without measure.

Beyond any shadow of doubt, the old prophets were
inspired by the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel, for example, says
over and over, “The word of the Lord came to me,
saying…” This shows that Ezekiel’s inspiration was
not continuous; from day to day and time to time, as the
need arose, God gave Ezekiel His words

Jesus, however, received the Holy Spirit at His baptism, as
witnessed by John who saw the Spirit descending like a
dove. Jesus had the Spirit to the fullest extent, like no other
before or since. We can know and be assured that Jesus
spoke the words of God, and that we are safe in following
Him.

By Joe Slater

John the immerser told his disciples, “He who has
received His (Jesus’) testimony has certified that God is
true” (John 3:33). John may well have been referring to
himself as one who had received Jesus’ testimony,
thereby certifying that God is true. But the general
principle remains that when we follow Jesus, believing
what He said and obeying what He taught, we certify
that God is true.

“Certify” literally means to set one’s seal upon
something to verify that it is authentic. Today we use a
Notary Public to insure that the signatures on a
document are valid rather than forgeries.

Of course God is true (authentic, correct) whether we
respond to Him in the right way or not. But when we
believe and obey Jesus we are, in effect, casting our
vote for God.

The apostle John wrote, “he who does not believe God
has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the
testimony that God has given of His Son” (1 John 5:10).
Now obviously, God is not a liar! But see the
implication of John’s words. To “make” God a liar is to
consider Him so, or to imply that He is such.

Those who reject the teaching of Jesus are, in effect,
calling God a liar! Who would want to be guilty of such a
thing?

Yet multitudes, by reason of their failure to believe and
obey Christ, are implying that God is a liar, whether they
mean to do so or not.
Are you certifying that God is true by your faith and
obedience?

By Joe Slater

“And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies;
and no one receives His testimony” (John 3:32).

So said John the immerser to his disciples. John had
plainly pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the
Messiah; yet many of his disciples didn’t understand.
John lamented, “No one receives His (Jesus’)
testimony.” John used “no one” as a figure of speech for
emphasis; there were a few who received Jesus (John
1:11-12), but the vast majority rejected Him, including
some of John’s own disciples.

If you want someone to guide you to your destination,
wouldn’t it be best to follow someone who has been
where you want to go? We want to go to Heaven. Jesus
came from there. He knows the way. In fact, He IS the
way! (John 14:6).

Since Jesus came from Heaven, He gives to us a more
complete understanding of God than anyone before or
after Him. Now, to be clear, the prophets (including
John) were inspired by God. They spoke truthfully what
God’s Spirit told them or showed them in dreams and
visions. Jesus, however, testified of what He had
actually seen and heard. The point is not that the
prophets were bad, but that Jesus is better!

Jesus saw and heard directly. He had co-existed with the
Father and the Holy Spirit from eternity, so He was
uniquely qualified to help us understand what God is like
and what He requires of us. As John 1:18 says, “No one
has seen God at any time. The only begotten of the Father,
He has declared Him.”

Jesus is supremely qualified to tell us about God and lead
us to Heaven. Follow Jesus! He’s been there!

By Joe Slater

“He who comes from above is above all; he who is of
the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who
comes from heaven is above all” (John 3:31).

John the Immerser deliberately made a play on the
word “above” in this passage. The first “above” pertains
to heaven being “above” the earth directionally. But the
second “above” is a reference to rank. Jesus is “above”
everyone else in rank. The Lord Himself said, “All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth”
(Matthew 28:18).

Why does Jesus outrank all others? The place from
which He came partially answers that question. John
and all the prophets before him were earthly men; but
Jesus had come from Heaven where He had been
eternally co-existent with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The point is not that John, Moses, Elijah, or the other
prophets were wrong or evil. In fact, there was a time
when God spoke through such men. But as Hebrews 1:2
says, God “has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son.” On the Mount of Transfiguration, when Moses
and Elijah appeared alongside Jesus, God’s voice
commanded: “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”
(Mark 9:7).

In ancient times, kings led their armies on the battle field.
Loyal soldiers understood the importance of following
their king. Even the captain of the army knew the king
outranked him.

Jesus is our King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation
19:16). As His loyal soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3), let us honor
His supreme rank with our careful obedience!

By Joe Slater

As John the Immerse prepared the way for Jesus, he
enjoyed tremendous success. Great numbers heard him
preach repentance, and many submitted to baptism.
Some of John’s disciples thought his success was being
threatened as multitudes came to Jesus. They protested,
“Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to
whom you have testified – behold, He is baptizing, and
all are coming to Him!” (John 3:26).

John, however, was undisturbed. He knew his job, he
knew who Jesus was, and he felt no rivalry. “A man can
receive nothing unless it has been given to him from
heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I
am not the Christ,’ but ‘I have been sent before Him.’
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend
of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices
greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore
this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must
decrease” (John 3:27-30).

Jesus’ success had been given to Him from heaven. It
was and is God’s will that people follow Jesus. This
made John happy, not resentful! John had done his work
well, and now people were traveling on that road God
had sent him to prepare. The “best man” at a wedding
does not envy the groom, but rejoices in his friend’s
good fortune.

Even so, John rejoiced as people followed Jesus. He more
than willingly removed himself from the spotlight, giving
all glory to the Lord. What a marvelous example of selfless
humility!

God still wants people to follow Jesus. Christianity isn’t
about our popularity or fame. Even great men like the
apostles rejected veneration. “Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians
1:13).

Let us follow Jesus because it is God’s will, and let us
persuade others to do likewise!

By Thayer Salisbury

My grandfather owned a table saw. It was not a Delta,
or a Craftsman, or DeWalt. It was a home-made table
saw. Now I can highly recommend home-made bread,
home-made peanut butter, and even homemade soap;
but I have never seen a home-made table saw that I
trusted. That saw was an accident waiting to happen. A
really nice table saw may cost between $500 and $2000.
I do not know what my grandfather originally paid for
his saw, but about 1967 it almost cost him two fingers.
He was trying to rip a board when something slipped
and he sliced the first two fingers of his left hand
severing them almost completely. [That much is true;
the rest is parable.] For years people had been telling
him that they could keep the slightest of connections to
the body of Christ and still manage to remain spiritually
alive. So, my grandfather decided to test the claim. He
asked the doctor to just stem the bleeding, but not to
bother reconnecting the fingers to his hand. After all, if
members can remain spiritually healthy while barely
participating in the life of Christ’s body, why couldn’t
two of the members of his physical body remain healthy
while disconnected almost completely from his body?
His fingers died, of course. His body suffered for the
loss of those fingers, of course. But it was a noble
experiment and it proved what everyone should have
known, that the health of a member always depends on
the close connection of that member to the body. 

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually
members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27, ESV).

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can
you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the
branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown
away like a branch and withers; and the branches are
gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned (John 15:4-
6, ESV).