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.

Joe Slater via Bulletin Digest
 
Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow concluded with a promise and a question. Jesus promised that God will speedily avenge His persecuted people; and he asked, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth” (Luke 18:8).
 
Trials and mistreatment test our faith. The persistent widow in the parable kept pleading to the unjust judge for justice and finally received it. How much more should the servants of a just and faithful God keep praying even under the worst of circumstances?
 
But some disciples allow severe trials to destroy their faith. In the parable of the sower (Luke 8), Jesus spoke of the rocky soil where the tender plant had no depth of root and perished in the hot sun. This illustrated people with shallow faith who “in time of temptation/trial fall away” (8:13).
 
Christians in the early church endured devastating persecution from both Jews and the Roman government. Many remained faithful unto death; but some surrendered their faith to save their lives. They gave up before God avenged the blood of the martyrs by destroying Jerusalem and causing the fall of the Roman Empire.
 
Faithful believers have continued to be abused down through the centuries by Catholics, Protestants, atheist governments, and others. Here again, some brethren remained steadfast while others threw in the towel. Nobody said waiting for God to take His vengeance would be easy.
 
If persecuted Christians should remain faithful under such challenging circumstances, how much more ought we to serve the Lord zealously when the worst we face might be an ugly remark or a door slammed in our face? We know not when Jesus will return, but when He does, will He find you being faithful?

Adapted from an article by Joe Slater

July 4, 2026, marks 250 years since John Hancock and 55 other delegates of the thirteen colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. As flawed human beings, neither they nor we have ever completely succeeded in practicing the lofty goals and principles of that matchless document. Nevertheless, those goals and principles shine forth like a beacon to challenge us to improve.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). No nation in history has been without fault; that certainly includes America! Genocide against the original inhabitants of the country and the institution of slavery are but two of many stains that tarnish the nation’s image. Denying or minimizing those sad realities only prevents us from improving.

It is equally erroneous and counterproductive to ignore improvement while denouncing the entire nation because perfect solutions haven’t been reached. As long as flawed humans are in charge (and that will always be the case), ideal solutions aren’t even in the realm of possibility. Humans will never create Utopia!

Christians can and should be a preserving influence. A mere ten righteous people would have moved the Lord to spare the sinful city of Sodom (Genesis 19:32). The very sin that spelled Sodom’s doom was heralded all of last month in America as something to be proud of! The same Satanic forces are in a dither now that their “right” to slaughter pre-born humans will be restricted in several states. Given the genocidal and racist nature of abortion in America, the hypocrisy is staggering.

While never stooping to their level of vulgarity or resorting to violence, we must kindly, firmly, and plainly teach and practice the truth as revealed in God’s word. May God help us to be the salt of the earth and light of the world!

Joe Slater

“Pardon Definition: A pardon is a government decision to allow a person who has been convicted of a crime, to be free and absolved of that conviction, as if never convicted” (Duhaime’s Law Dictionary; duhaime.org).

That is essentially what the New Testament term justification means. You know you did the crime (sin). God knows it, too. But he acquits you of the charge – finds you “not guilty” even though everyone knows you did it. How can a holy, righteous, just God do that? Only by accepting the penalty Jesus paid for you.

How can you know God has pardoned you? Sincere religious people may say, “I’m just putting my trust in Jesus.” So far so good, but is “trust” merely an exercise of the heart? Suppose a death row inmate summons the warden and says, “open the prison gate and let me go! The Governor has pardoned me!” The warden asks, “what evidence shows that the Governor has pardoned you?” The convict replies, “I have full confidence in the Governor; I’m certain he has pardoned me.” If you’re the warden will you turn him loose?

Another prisoner might say, “I know I’ve been pardoned because I feel it right here in my heart!” We can’t know what he feels, but no warden worth his salt would release him based on feelings!

Reliable assurance of pardon comes from a trust that obeys! “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22). The reference to baptism is hard to miss, especially considering that baptism is “an appeal to God for a good conscience” (1 Peter 3:21, NASB).

On what basis do you have assurance of pardon?

Do you have a good conscience?

What is its basis?

Joe Slater

Where did the word “father” come from? The background of the Hebrew term (abh) is uncertain, but the Greek term (patḗr) is from a root meaning nourisher, protector, upholder (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia).

Father can refer to your closest male ancestor; that’s the way we commonly think of it. But it can also mean a more distant or remote male ancestor (perhaps what we call a grandfather or a man with several “greats” before grandfather). The Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well said, “Our fathers” (that is, our ancestors from several generations back) “worshiped on this mountain” (John 4:20).

Most importantly, Scripture uses “Father” numerous times denoting God. We who are blessed to be fathers in the flesh strive to demonstrate those positive qualities of nourishing, protecting, and upholding that characterize our Heavenly Father.

Nourishing includes far more than merely providing a balanced physical diet for our children. It involves everything that supports growth; and spiritual growth is even more important than physical growth.

God provides the protection His children need from the storms and pitfalls of life. He is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Our children need the same protection from us as their earthly fathers.

Our Heavenly Father upholds us when the world would knock us down and when we, through weakness and sin, fall flat on our faces. Let us, as fathers, do the same for our children.

Rob Redden

“. . . even Solomon in all his glory was not as arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:9).
What do the lilies of the field have over the glory of Solomon? Certainly it isn’t the distinction between the beauty of nature and the product of human ingenuity, although that’s worth considering. The flower has glory naturally without any effort of its own. It’s glory is simply being what God meant it to be.

A Solomon may use his potential and gifts from God to promote his own pride and ambition. One scholar wrote concerning man: “. . . the more he becomes what he desires to be the less he resembles what God meant him to be.”

Solomon had glory for sure, but his glory came short of the glory revealed in a flower! Solomon’s glory, unlike the flower, was imperfect because, like the rest of us, he had a competing will that brought him lower than even the beasts of the field. But, unlike the flower, we have the capacity to choose to become what God wants us to be.
We are challenged every day to be what God wants us to be. God wants us to be what He created us to be, and that’s obedient children who trust in His guidance. Instead, we are often full of pride, and ambition, and seek our own glory rather than God’s.

As God’s children, we need to take in the glory of the flowers of the field, and realize that we must submit our will to His, and become more like Jesus.

We are given the resources for this aspiration. “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 from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Joe Slater
 
“The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps” (Proverbs 14:15). Sometimes the caller ID on my phone says, “scam likely.” Sad to say, hucksters by the boatload are more than happy to promise you the moon as they steal your identity, drain your bank account, and leave you wondering, “What happened?”
 
How many Nigerian oil barons need me to help them transfer a few million dollars to the US? Their emails promise that I’ll get a nice fat cut of the loot; all I have to do is give them my personal information (bank account number, routing number, social security number) and they’ll take care of the rest! The tragedy is that of the millions of emails the crooks send, a small handful will fall for the scam. Only when they discover their bank balance is zero do they realize they’ve been conned.
 
Heartbreaking as it is when gullible people lose their money, losing one’s soul to a spiritual con artist is worse. Jesus warned His disciples to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). We rightly commend the example of the noble Bereans who didn’t blindly believe whatever someone told them. Rather, “they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
 
Prudence requires us to consider well our steps. Just because someone said something doesn’t make it so – not even if it’s someone we like and have come to trust! Before
you believe and act upon what you’ve been told, investigate! Verify! Don’t be a simpleton!

Joe Slater
 
Can you imagine how frustrated Jesus must have felt when the very people who ought to have recognized and welcomed Him stubbornly refused? Nevertheless, He continued offering salvation to those humble enough to accept it.
 
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). This beautiful invitation has three imperatives.
 
The first is “come.” While He was on earth in the flesh people could physically come to Him, but even then (as now) coming to Jesus required faith and obedience. Those who bore heavy burdens of sin and trials found rest in Him. That is still the case.
 
Then Jesus said, “Take.” Take My yoke upon you. A yoke is an instrument of service such as oxen would wear to pull a plow or cart. Yes, we must serve our Savior. But whereas an ox yoke might gall and chafe the animal’s neck or shoulder, Jesus’ yoke is “easy” (v. 30). Serving Him brings delight in contrast to the crushing misery of sin.
  
Finally, Jesus said, “Learn.” We cannot know how to serve Him and enjoy rest unless we learn from Him. We learn from what He taught as we read through the gospels. In the same way we learn from what He did as we observe His mercy, His obedience, His power, His faith, His suffering, His anger, His patience (and you can extend that list indefinitely).
 
Come. Take. Learn. Those three simple steps form a good summary of what discipleship involves. His invitation is for you. Will you accept it? 

Edd Sterchi
 
I personally do not understand why some church
members only come on Sunday mornings. After all, we
worship the same God on Sunday evening as we do on
Sunday morning. We study from the same Bible on
Wednesday evenings as we do during all other service
times. Maybe if those folks could see just who benefits
from everyone coming to every service, they would
desire to come more often. Let’s take a look at who
benefits when members come to every service.
 
* God benefits. We come here to honor and worship
Him. The more that we are here, the better our singing
of praises to God and the more glory is given to Him. I
realize that God doesn’t need us, but imagine how
disappointed He must be when we decide not to come
to a service in His honor.
 
* The church benefits. When we gather together,
encouragement and edification takes place. The more
that are here, the better the fellowship and the greater
the opportunities for showing our love and concern for
one another. When we choose not to come, the church
suffers.
 
* Your family benefits. Coming to services is a family
activity that can always be done together. The more of
your family that are here, the better the influence and
the closer your family will become. When we opt not to
come, our family loses.
 
* You benefit. By bringing yourself, you are putting yourself in a position to increase your spirituality. The more that you are here, the greater the opportunity for you to grow and mature in Christ and find areas of greater service. When you don’t come, you are harming yourself.
 
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:24-25)