COMING SOON… Men’s Fellowship at Gold Hill Road – March 12
67th Annual Carolina Lectureships – April 3-6
Ladies Day with Mimi Tate (Texas) – April 30

The 2011 Statewide Bible Bowl is now history. We had a great day at this year’s Bible Bowl with well over 400 in attendance and 63 teams participating. Thank you to every team for your hard work and dedication. Thank you to every congregation for supporting the Bible Bowl. Thank you to every Christian worker who gave up a beautiful Saturday to help make this year’s Bible Bowl a tremendous success. We are indeed thankful to God for His perfect Word.

Congratulations to our own preteen Bible Bowl team for bringing home a first place finish and to our senior team for finishing second in their division. Our teen team and adult teams represented St. Andrews Road very well. Next year we will be studying from the Old Testament.

Our March lesson series is entitled: “Faithful Deacons.” The authority for deacons in every congregation of the Lord’s church is found in the word of God, the Bible. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:14-15; “These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” He had just penned a list of the qualifications of elders and deacons.

This Sunday morning we will look at the second lesson in this series: “The Qualifications of Faithful Deacons.” We will focus our attention on God’s qualifications of those who will serve as deacons of the Lord’s church at St. Andrews Road.

Did you know that God has always required those who would serve him to meet certain qualifications?

Take a look at the qualifications of those who were to serve as judges over Israel with Moses: able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness (Exodus 18).

Look at God’s requirements of the one who was to take Judas’ office as an apostle; a man who had accompanied the rest of the apostles all the time that Jesus went in and out among them from His baptism until His ascension (Acts 1:20-26). There were only two of the 120 who were assembled who met these criteria: Justus and Matthias. There are no apostles today because no one can meet these qualifications.

Look at the qualifications of those who were selected to serve the neglected widows in Jerusalem: seven men from among you, men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit (obedient to and guided by the God’s word), and wisdom (Acts 6:1-7). The church selected seven men and the apostles appointed them to serve.

Look at the list of qualifications of those who are to serve the church of Christ as deacons: reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience, tested, blameless, husbands of one wife, ruling their children and houses well, with wives who are reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things (1 Timothy 3:8-13).

Come prepared to read, think, consider, and respond. Did you know that God also has qualifications for those who desire to enter heaven? Not everyone will enter in, only those who meet His requirements (Matthew 7:21).