Homecoming at Enola - March 3, 2013

     HOMECOMING with the Enola Church of Christ is scheduled for this coming Sunday, March 3^rd and we’re very excited about the opportunity to be together with family, friends, and neighbors for Bible study, worship, and good fellowship.  Brother Bobby Coker will be our very special guest preacher and will take some time to share an encouraging message from God’s word.  He tells me that his message will be short and sweet.  You know how preachers are, don’t you?  Short is relative.  Sweet!  Well, what else could Brother Coker be?  We will be enjoying a fine “potluck” lunch together prepared by THE best cooks in the country at noon.  You won’t believe the spread the Christians at Enola can put on.  I am the most blessed preacher in the country. 

     Almost every week I meet men and women who are Christians and have fallen away from the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I pull into the new Valero in Vilonia to get some gas, I see a Christian that I know has lost their way, and the conversation goes something like this:  Me: “Hey.  How’s it going?”  Them:  “Okay.  How about you?  You keeping brother so and so or sister so and so in line?”  Me:  “Fine.  Ha.  You know that’s sometimes hard to do.”  Me:  “Haven’t seen you in a while, since the funeral (or wedding or the family reunion or some other event).”  Them: “Yea, well, you know how it is.”  Me:  “You know how short life is, what you need to be doing, what your mom (or dad or husband or wife or son or daughter) would want for you.  I’ve been hoping that you might wake up one Sunday morning and maybe decide to come on back.”  Them:  “Hey, maybe one day I will.  You never know.”  Me:  “We are always praying for you and your family, especially that you will come on back to Christ and the church.  We need you.  We’re having a very special day this coming Sunday, a Homecoming.  That would be a great time for you to come on back and start over.  Brother Coker…remember him…he’ll be preaching.”  Them:  “Really.  That sounds great.  Maybe we’ll come out.  We’ll see.”  Me:  “And hey.  We’re having at delicious lunch for everyone too.”  You and your family are invited.”  Them:  “Okay.  Have a good one, preacher.”  Me:  “Hope to see you on Sunday.”  Them:  “Maybe, we’ll see.”  We can only pray, invite, remind, and hope that those we know and love will accept our invitation and be forever changed by the gospel of the Jesus Christ.  This is my life’s ambition, every Christian’s commission.

     Have a good week!  Remember those who are sick.  Pray for them and as you have opportunity, be an encouragement to them.  Give of your time, talents, and treasures.  Look for ways to serve God by serving your fellow man.  Help out when you can.  Be more patient with your family and friends.  We all need a break from time to time.  Be kind and gentle.  Smile more often.  Wake up every morning and say, “This is the day that the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Have a positive expectation.

Cool, sunny, quiet, and steady

     Hey, again from up in the country, Enola, Arkansas.  Today is a beautiful day.  I can already see that spring is on the horizon.  The buttercups are popping up everywhere.  The smell of freshly-cut grass and blooming irises will soon be in the air.  At the same time, my buck stove is still churning out the much needed and much appreciated heat.  God is good and His promises always remain steadfast.  I’m glad that human beings are not in control of the things that are most important.  God is.

     We had a great Sunday, once again at the Enola Church of Christ.  We had a good crowd present (128) even though too many were out with one sickness or another.  I don’t know whether to stop shaking hands or to just continue to shake as many hands as possible to build my immune system.  I guess I’ll just keep shaking hands, eating oranges, and hoping for the best.  I heard that we had a few people out roping cattle.  I hope they did well enough in their competition to merit their decision to choose roping over Bible study, fellowship with fellow Christians, and worship to honor God on the Lord’s Day.  Those who missed this past Sunday missed out on a wonderful opportunity to share in seeing Chuck Loyd become a Christian.  I’m so very happy that I was present this past Sunday to share with Brother Loyd in such a once in a lifetime experience.  Congratulations to him and to his family.  He is a changed man, a forgiven man, a man hungry for God’s will, His blessings, and the knowledge of His ways.  May God bless Chuck and his family in every way is my prayer.

     God continues to bless us at Enola with growth and prosperity.  Our offering continues to remain bountiful.  Thank you to every member of the church for your financial sacrifices and your support of the work at Enola.  It is my prayer that we will continue to study God’s word and put into practice what we read and study.  When we prayer, may we pray diligently, specifically, and with our whole hearts without ceasing.  When we sing, may we sing with the spirit and with the understanding also.  When we share in the Lord’s Supper, may we remember Jesus and examine ourselves.  When we hear the good news preached, may we hear with the mind to put into practice when we hear.  When we give, may we give as we have been prospered, cheerfully and bountifully.  God is faithful.  Are you?  Am I?

     This Sunday morning we began a new series of lessons from Matthew 28:18-20 entitled, “All Means All.”  Jesus Christ has ALL authority.  He instructed every Christian to go to ALL NATIONS to teach them the gospel of Christ and to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus instructed us to teach ALL THINGS that He commanded.  He then ended the Great Commission saying, “And Lo, I am with you ALWAYS, even to the end of the world.”  Last Sunday we looked at Jesus as having all authority.  What does this mean?  Well, if Jesus has all authority, then Moses and the Law have no authority.  Elijah and the prophets have no authority.  The angels have no authority.  The church has no authority.  The preacher has no authority.  It is true that Moses and the Law are written for our learning (Romans 15:4), just not for our keeping.  It is true that Elijah and the prophets spoke the word of God, just that their word was for those who lived before the coming, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Luke 16:16) and not for those of us living in the last days.  It is true that the angel’s word is steadfast, just that the word of Jesus Christ far outweighs the word of angels (Hebrews 2:1-2).  The church has no authority, only responsibility.  The eldership’s authority rests only in Jesus Christ.  My preaching must always rest in the word of Jesus Christ.   This Sunday we will see that every Christian is committed to teaching all nations the good news and baptizing those who are taught in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

     Well, enough for this week.  I hope you get the picture.  Jesus has ALL AUTHORITY.  If He has all authority (He does) then ALL MEANS ALL.  God bless you, me, and everyone.

Skylanders Adventure - I'm learning!

     Hello from up in the country, Enola, Arkansas and the Enola Church of Christ.  God is blessing us with so many rich blessings every day.  Of course, the rich blessings we enjoy are the consequences our acceptance of Christ’s invitation to salvation by grace through faith.  He said “Come to Me and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke and learn from Me” (Matthew 11:28-30).  Paul was exactly right when he wrote about God and how we live and move and have our very being in Him.  I’m sorry for those who live away from God.  They try to find the goodness of life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) but day by day find only emptiness, hopelessness, frustration, and failure.  They may find a moment or two of worldly pleasure that soon fades away.  They are missing out on so much that could be theirs.  God is.  People may ignore Him.  They may deny Him.  They may not believe it Him. They may resist Him.  They may reject Him.  They may pretend that their lives are “just fine.”  Truth is:  God still is.  God, just like the truth, forever confronts us every minute of every day.  Oh, that we may once and for all finally sigh, smile, look up to heaven, open our hearts, nod our heads to say, “Okay, okay!  I see.  I know.  I believe.  I am so sorry.  You are and Jesus is.  I’m ready to be in You through you Son, Jesus through baptism.”  It is especially sad when a person comes to Jesus, then after a little while returns to the life of sin.  My, my!  God’s word teaches us that leaving Christ to go back into the world of sin is like a dog turning to lap up his own vomit or like a pig that has been washed returning to wallow in the mud.  As for me and my house, we will be like Joshua of old, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

     This Sunday morning we will conclude our series of lessons “Adjustment:  What is God asking us to do?”  Last Sunday we looked at a few Old Testament examples of some who had to adjust their lives to God’s purpose.  This Sunday we will take a look at a few New Testament examples.  Think about what Joseph and Mary had to do in order to fulfill God’s purpose for them.  What about the apostles?  And Paul, did he have to make any adjustments in his plans.  I look forward to sharing this lesson with you.

     On Sunday evening we will look into the Bible to see that Jesus is the King of Gentleness.  In everything aspect of Jesus’ life, He was always meek and gentle.  My grandson’s favorite video game right now is “Skylanders.”  He has several Skylanders figures and plays the game very well, much better than me for sure.  He is very patient with me as we play the game together on Xbox.  As we played the game this week, our conversation led us to consider what Jesus would look like as a Skylander figure.  We had such a good time imagining what He would look like.  Would Jesus be a “giant” or a very small figure?  What color would He be?  What weapons would he have?  Would He just speak and the enemies would just disintegrate?  Would He wave His hand and “BOOM” the enemies would be defeated?  Would He have a shepherd’s staff (He is the Chief Shepherd) or a sword (After all His word is the sword of the Spirit).  I am so very thankful that Jesus Christ comes up in so many of our conversations.  May God help me to better appreciate just how rich I am!  No.  I don’t have much money.  And while our house in the country is not a mansion, it is affordable and comfortable and “home.”  I love it when I pull my Dodge into our driveway and hear my grandchildren say, “Hurray, hurray!  We’re here at PopPop and Nana’s!”

     Have a good rest of the week.  Being a Christian and living the Christian life is the only way to live.  I pray that you are really living!

Teaching, Loving and Caring in the Country

     It’s been a very busy week!  Monday was a day that I will not soon forget.  The Lasley family was completely devastated at the passing of their beloved Tammy.  We all were filled with sorrow for the family, for our community, and for ourselves at the passing of such a fine young woman.  She was only 49 years old.  Such an experience serves as a reminder of the brevity and the volatility of life.  Death is only a heartbeat away.  We often pray with our children and grandchildren at bedtime.  Our prayer goes something like this, “As I lay me down to sleep.  I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake.  I pray the Lord my soul to take.  In Jesus name.  Amen.”  This prayer now has a renewed significance to me.  On Thursday evening, Tammy went to sleep.  She died during the night.  The Lord took her soul to Paradise.  Blessed by  the name of the Lord.  We do not know when our own appointment with death will be, only that we have an appointment that we will keep.  Our task is to be in Christ, walking in the light as He is in the light, striving to live our lives before God and others with kindness, gentleness, and humility and with courage, integrity, and honor.  We are not perfect in ourselves.  We are made perfect in Christ Jesus.  I am so very thankful.

    God always requires those who are following Him to heaven to make adjustments to His will and purposes.  This Sunday morning at Enola we will take a look at some examples from the Old Testament that prove this point.  What adjustments did Noah have to make in order to follow God’s purpose?  What about Abraham?  And Moses?  What about David?  The Book of Ruth shows the beautiful consequences of one who adjusts their life to God’s purposes.  I look forward to sharing this lesson with the church and our guests.

     On Sunday evening we will continue in our series; “Jesus is King of Kings – Jesus is the King of Action.”  We will be looking at specific examples from Jesus life to show that we can depend on Jesus to take action when action is required.  Jesus is indeed the King of Kings.

     Can you believe that January is gone and that February is now upon us.  The church of Christ at Enola is growing and changing every week, maturing in the ways of God and His Son reading, praying, working, serving, and sharing the gospel.  Already this year we have experienced the spiritual birth of three new Christians.  We are overjoyed!  Of course, we have also experienced one of our faithful families moving their membership elsewhere.  We are saddened, but we try to understand.  Maybe you are thinking about making a change in this new year.  Make the drive out to the country to Enola and experience the honesty, simplicity, and joy of Christians worshipping and working together in unity, harmony, and happiness.