Our invitation - "Come to Jesus."

March 9, 2019 - Hello.  Welcome.  In Matthew 11:1, Jesus “finished commanding His twelve disciples” and taught and preached in their cities.  He answered John’s question (3); “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” with (4) “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see.”  After speaking about John’s mission and His own, He rebuked the cities who should have believed in Him but would not repent (20).  He then prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to His Father (25-27) after which He extended His great invitation (28-30); “Come to Me, all 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.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

I heard about a Christian brother who skipped out on the assembly of the church one Sunday.  Here is his story.  

I didn’t meet with the church for worship and fellowship on the Lord’s Day this week.  On Monday a friend met me on the street and said, “I noticed that you were absent from our assembly yesterday.  Will you be there next Sunday?”  “No,” I replied.  “I can’t make it.  Don’t look for me.”  Two Christian brothers saw me on Tuesday at Walmart and asked me about my absence.  I said to the first, “I wish I could have been there on Sunday, maybe next Sunday” and to the second, “My schedule looks impossible, but I’ll try to make it.”  On Wednesday morning at the Post Office a fourth Christian brother asked if I would be at church next service.  “I’ll certainly try to be there, but I may not be able to make it.”  Before I reached my car a fifth Christian stopped me, and then and there I promised I would be there for sure.  I don’t know whose official duty it was to contact me, but I couldn’t resist the invitation from five Christian brothers and sisters.  

What lessons can we learn from this story?  #1 - We all like to go where we are wanted and needed.  If we want the saved and the unsaved, the different and the indifferent, as well as our absentee brother or sister to attend when the church meets together to hear the best news in all the world, we must let them know.  #2 – I must take advantage of every opportunity to help others to stay on the pathway to true happiness here and then heaven hereafter.  If we really want them to come, we will look for the opportunity to invite them and remind them.  #3 – We’re all in this together.  Note that one invitation wasn’t enough to shake this wayward brother into action.  Though he rejected the first invitation with little concern, note the positive impact of every other invitation and reminder.  

Sunday morning – “A Scripture Text for Life – Proverbs 3:1-6.”  We’ll look at David’s negligence and the cost of yielding to the devil’s temptations.

Sunday evening – “God’s Eternal Promise – Forgiveness.”  Amazing Grace how sweet the sound...

Steadfast...Unmovable...Always Abounding...

Hello from Morrilton, Arkansas in view of Petit Jean Mountain beside the beautiful Arkansas River.  It seems that old winter is fighting hard to stay with us.  Wednesday (27^th) was a warm and sunny 65.  They say that it will be 17 on Sunday evening.  As we all know and take comfort in, spring is just around the corner.  I’m glad.  It will be so good to see the flowers popping up and the trees budding out again.  God has everything under control.  

The Harding Street church of Christ is doing just fine, continuing in the Way of Jesus Christ in simplicity and steadfastness.  It seems that the world around us moves further and further away from three solid Christian principles:  continuance, simplicity, and steadfastness.  Is faith in God through His only Son, Jesus Christ, repentance, confession, baptism, and true Christian living so difficult to understand in these modern times?  What does Hebrews 11:1 tell us about faith?  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Could it be that the very reason life seems hopeless to too many people is found is this simple verse of Scripture?  Think about it.  Faith is the very substance of hope.  Though we may not “see” God, His Son, the Holy Spirit, or heaven yet, our faith is the evidence and our confidence in their reality.  When we “mess up,” make a mistake, do something wrong, fail to meet expectations, or commit sin, saying “I’m sorry” and changing our hearts, minds, and actions is common sense and exactly the right thing to do.  Either Jesus the Christ, the Savior or He isn’t.  There is no in between.  He is.  To deny Him is to reject the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Jesus is the One and Only way to the Father (John 14:6).  No matter what people say or believe or teach, baptism is required for salvation because Jesus declared it to be.  To His disciples He said, “Go, teach, baptize, and teach and He would be right there with them” (Matthew 28:18-20).    Why do some feel as though these basic principles are from some “bygone era” and should be discounted as “old-fashioned” and irrelevant in this, our modern-day society?  It is true.  The Bible is still relevant, still vibrant, still alive, still convicting, still needed, still true yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever.  Count on it.

Sunday is March 3^rd and so we begin a new series of lessons entitled “A Scripture Text for Life.”  I am so excited to share this series with you from Proverbs 3:1-6.  Every Sunday morning sermon will be taken from this simple text.  Our first lesson is taken from verses 1 and 2 “My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of day and long life and peace they will add to you.”  Simple and to the point!  You would think so.  After all, we all want good and happy days and a long and peaceful life.  But we have a few problems that stand in the way of remembering and keeping what we know to remember and keep; problems like deception (Eve), passion (David), fear (Peter), greed (Judas Iscariot), and impatience (Probably you and me).   What was it that empowered Jesus to stay strong in the midst of these temptations?  He remembered.  He kept.  We’ll consider these things and commit ourselves to remember and keep God’s commands.  Come and see.

Wow! God certainly does fulfill His promises!

Welcome!  I’m so happy that you are reading my blog post this week and every week.  In addition to this article be sure to check out the other sections of our new website:  www.hardingstreetcoc.com: the Harding Street bulletin, our calendar, education information and coming soon; good reading for ladies, a youth page, and audio sermons.  We want to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ any and every way we can to those who are searching for the Way to goodness and mercy all the way to heaven.  David wrote about the Christian life in Psalm 23:6 when he wrote; “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  Of course these promises rest upon Jesus as the Shepherd of our lives.  We (The church of Christ that meets at 906 E. Harding Street) are truly a people who love God.  We want to serve Him every day.  We want to show and share Jesus’ tender loving care as we serve others.  We want to reflect the Light to those around us.  We truly want to teach, love, and care with the same passion and compassion that Jesus has for all the world.  May God, the Morrilton community, and the world see Jesus living in us!

This week has been one of those weeks every preacher dreams about and hopes and prays for.  On Sunday (17^th) we welcomed Brother Don Atkins to the church of Christ at Harding Street.  Brother Don will certainly be a wonderful asset to the church.  He will be teaching the auditorium Bible class beginning in March.  They will begin a study of the Judges.  We then had the great privilege of witnessing three new deacons accept their appointment; Brothers Marion Chenault, Jamie McCoy, and Brent DuVall.  Then at the close of Brother Bane’s sermon we celebrated a new Christian being born into the family of Christ as Emmy Lou DuVall confessed Jesus as Savior and was baptized into Christ by her dad, Brent, who was just appointed as a deacon.  Then, later on Sunday we had a new Christian brother added to the church as Seth Hall confessed Jesus as the Son of God and was baptized into Christ.  On Wednesday evening we announced the news that David and Pam Petroff have decided to be members at Harding Street.  God always fulfills His promises.  What did the Apostle Paul write in 1 Corinthians 3:6?  “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”  This we will do.  This God will do.

This Sunday (24^th) we have Brother Bob Turner and his lovely wife visiting with us.  Brother Turner will share a lesson from God’s word at the worship hour then speak to the auditorium class about a new project he is directing called “The Leadership Project.”  If you’d like to investigate this new work, the website is www.leadership-project.com.  And don’t forget the hyphen.  

Our Sunday evening lesson is entitled “Jesus – Concerning Salvation.”  We often sing the song “Trust and Obey.”  The chorus of this song teaches us about true faith in Jesus:  “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”  When we look in the Bible we find that faith is actually a combination of trust and obedience just like the song says.  The writer to the Hebrews in chapter 11 and verse 6 teaches us about true faith: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is (TRUST) and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (OBEDIENCE).”  We’ll consider this on the evening worship hour. 

Happy Valentine's Day - All you need is love!

February 14, 2019 – Hello…And Happy Valentine’s Day today! Love.  Oh yes!  All we need is love.  You know this is true.  What would happen today in your life and mine if we decided to love the way Jesus did, the way He taught, the way He asks us to?  Well?  Let’s do it.  Let’s love and see.

Sunday we will gather together at 906 Harding Street in Morrilton, Arkansas to remember Christ Jesus our Savior who loves us and gave His all for our salvation.  As we remember His sacrifice on this Lord’s Day let us take a serious and honest look at how we’ve lived our lives so that we may worship God in spirit and in truth.  If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  It could be that our relationship with God is just the way it needs to be.  Great!  Just keep on keeping on; teaching, loving, and caring, just like Jesus.  Brother Bane will be preaching on the morning and I’ll be preaching on the evening.  Next Sunday, February 24^th Brother Bob Turner will be with us to preach and then share some valuable information on the “Leadership Project” at the 10:15 Bible Class hour in the auditorium.

Congratulations to our three new deacons:  Marion Chenault, Brent Duvall, and Jason McCoy.  They will be appointed on Sunday just prior to the sermon to serve alongside David Blaylock, Tony Chenault, and Gary Watters.  To God be the glory in all that we do today and in the coming days to further the gospel of Christ in our Morrilton community and throughout the world.  Our task is to plant the seed of the word of God, to water the seed with faith, love, and hope, and then wait with prayer, patience, and perseverance for God to fulfill His promise to “give the increase” according to His will and purpose (1 Corinthians 3:6).  And this we will do!

We are so very happy to announce that Brother Don Atkins has decided to work and worship with us here at Harding Street.  Don has been with us for worship and fellowship for the past couple of months.  God is blessing us just like He promised by sending us laborers into His harvest.  What does Jesus say in Matthew 9:37-38?  Read it and see.  When we pray, God hears and answers.  I am praying for my Christian brothers and sisters; for those who have fallen away to return and for those who have not yet been born in Christ to hasten to trust and obey.  Do you remember the sermon I preached not too long ago on what it takes to grow?  Remember:  FOOD (God’s word spoken, taught, preached, and heard), EXERCISE (Putting into practice what we learn from God’s word), and TIME (Patient and steadfast).

LADIES:  There will be a COUNTY-WIDE Ladies Meeting concerning our upcoming LADIES’ DAY this Tuesday, February 19 @ 6:00 p.m. in the Annex at Harding Street.  This meeting is for all ladies at Harding Street (We’re hosting this year) and also ladies around the county.

Can you believe it? February already! - Spring is just around the corner!

February 3, 2019 - Hello from beautiful Morrilton, Arkansas to reading a little about the happenings in the Harding Street Church of Christ.  What a view we have from our front entrance; Morrilton High School and Devil Dog Stadium.  It seems that I have always been and ever will be a Devil Dog fan.  Every morning when I drop out of my Ford F150 truck seat to go into the church office I glance across the street and thank my heavenly Father.  

Our weather has been really been a bear recently; 18 one day and then 70 a few days later.  I am so happy that the ice and snow is further north.  Winter will soon give way to Spring and I’m glad about that.  God knows what He’s doing.  It will be so good to see the flowers popping up and the trees budding out again in just a few weeks, Lord willing.  

The Harding Street congregation is doing just fine, continuing in the Way of Jesus Christ in simplicity and steadfastness, holding strong to the faith that is in Christ.  It seems that the world around us continues to move further and further away from these three principles:  continuance, simplicity, and steadfastness. (Consider what recently took place in the halls of government in the state of New York.)  Is faith in God so difficult to “get?”  What does Hebrews 11:6 tell us about faith?  And what about repentance?  When we sin; saying “I’m sorry” and changing our hearts, minds, and actions is common sense and Biblical truth (Acts 2:38).  Is God asking us to do something that we just cannot do?  I don’t think so.  And what about confession?  Either we deny Jesus as the Christ or we confess Him as the Christ.  There is no in between (Matthew 6:24).  And baptism?   No matter what people say or teach to the contrary, baptism is required simply because Jesus declared it to be (Matthew 28:18-20).  And is true sincere Christian living so difficult to grasp?  Why do some feel as though these basic principles are from some bygone era and should be discounted as “old-fashioned” and irrelevant in this, our modern-day society?  Fact is:  The Bible is indeed a very old book; but still relevant, still vibrant, still alive, still convicting, still needed, still true in this day in which we live. And here at Harding Street we will ever read it, respect it, rely on it, teach it, and preach it until our Savior comes again.

Brother Bane and I will change things up a little bit this month.  Brother Bane will be preaching on Sunday morning today, the 10^th and the 17^th.  I’ll be preaching Sunday evening tonight, the 17^th and the 24^th.  We will have a guest preacher on Sunday, February 24^th for the worship hour and Bible class in the auditorium, Brother Bob Turner.  Brother Turner will be visiting with us to preach and then share some very important information with us about a “Leadership Project” that we might get involved in, a ministry that is designed to help us develop leadership within the church.  We’ll see how it goes.  In March I’ll be doing all the preaching on Sunday AM and PM, Lord willing.

Remember that TODAY is the final day to turn in your “Deacon Recommendation Forms.”  We hope to appoint some additional deacons to help David, Tony, and Gary with the ministry of the church.  The elders will be meeting with those you have recommended and plan to announce the names for further consideration on Sunday, February 10^th, Lord willing.

Check out the new Harding Street website – www.hardingstreetcoc.com.  We’re still working on it so be patient as we learn what and how to do what needs to be done.  God is blessing us.