FAMILY NEWS
Frankie Fitzgerald has been diagnosed with cancer. Please remember him in your prayers. He is Debra Fitzgerald’s father-in-law.
Jean Carmichael’s sister, Debbie Adams needs your prayers; she is waiting for the results from a biopsy taken this week.
If you have any news for your church family, please call. Jerry. Joyce Fehrman, the secretary should have a phone soon and will be able to take the information as well.
COMING EVENTS
Please begin now to pray for God’s help in the following events:
Beginning JUNE 8 there will be a door-knocking campaign and Gospel Meeting with David Shannon speaking. A group of people from Mount Juliet, Tennessee will come to help us with it.
IN JULY we will have Vacation Bible School. Green Street Church of Christ in Henderson, Kentucky will send a group of people to help with that.
Our web site will be ready soon and you will be very pleased to tell your friends and family to visit it and check us out. I jumped the gun and put the address in the heading of the bulletin before it was ready, but soon it will be. Thanks, Kim.
In an elementary class a teacher brought up the subject of magnets and magnetic force to her pupils by using the following: “My name starts with the letter M and I have six letters. I pick up things. What am I?”
One little boy wrote: “Mother.”
RESTORING THE CHURCH
Many years ago in Soulac, France a farmer stumbled over a stake in a field. As he attempted to dig it out he discovered that it was firmly attached to something buried much deeper. As others joined in the efforts and began to dig, they discovered that the stake was actually the steeple of a buried church building! Across the centuries, the winds of nature and the debris of various wars had so covered the building that it had been completely forgotten! Eventually the entire building was uncovered and restored to use.
Two thousand years ago Jesus established HIS church (Acts 20:28; Matthew 16:18). Across the centuries, the church that Christ established has been covered up with religious error, traditions of men, innovations and opinions (See Matthew 15:9; 1Timothy 4:1-7).
We are now at a point where Christianity can only go forward by going back---back to the New Testament and the church that was established by Jesus. Our divided, tradition-covered religious world needs to dig beneath the rubble of modern denominationalism to rediscover the church that Jesus built!
Our goal at the Grant County church of Christ is to restore New Testament Christianity to its pure, simple form by using the Bible as our only guide. No extra creed books, no denominational names or ideas, JUST THE BIBLE!!
Let us go back to the Bible in our worship, our plan of salvation, and the way the church is governed. But more importantly, let us return to the love that Christians had for each other in the early church and the benevolent spirit of Acts 2:44-45:“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need” and Acts 4:32-35. “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”
Let us engage in positive thoughts and words, especially when it comes to fellow Christians. Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25).
Restoration of the New Testament church is an on-going process. It cannot be achieved unless everyone does his/her part. Won't you please join us in this effort to continually make the church of Christ more and more like the church described in the New Testament?!
THE DAY THE CRICKET PREACHED A SERMON!
As a youth, I squirmed through many a worship service. One particular Sunday was to have an added distraction. As soon as the preacher got up to deliver his sermon a cricket walked out onto the stage. He probably came from one of the cracks there were to be found most anywhere in the old building. Everyone in the first three rows saw the cricket. He looked dazed and stumbled near the edge of the pulpit area and our eyes followed his every step. I shouted to myself "Jump! Jump!" But alas the cricket did not jump. Time after time he walked back and forth. I didn't know if the sermon was any good, but the cricket was sure fun to watch.
When the invitation song began, we all stood up and watched the cricket run. He almost got stepped on when the song leader walked to front and we all laughed. Then my laughter turned to amazement. Someone had gone forward! My Dad! He wasn't a Christian and my Mom and I had been trying for years to get him to come to church with us, to no avail until today. Now the preacher was taking him back to be baptized.
"Dad," I asked later, "what made you want to baptized today?" Dad asked, "Didn't you hear how Jesus gave His life for us so that we could be saved?" I hung my head in shame. That beautiful message did not reach me that day. I was watching the cricket.
To this day, I believe that cricket was preaching to me. He was saying, "Watch me! Jesus isn't important. I'm more fun." A lot of things will distract a person from worshipping God. But I learned my lesson. God is more important than anything else.
(Copied)
A father was once trying to encourage his dejected son by saying, “Don’t give up! Don’t ever give up!” The father said, “Remember, son, people who are remembered are people who never give up. Think of Robert Fulton, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney. They didn’t give up. And look at Isador McPringle.” The boy said, “Who is Isador McPringle?” “See,” said the father, “you never heard of him. He gave up.”
A farmer took care of some business at a neighboring estate and was asked to stay for lunch. His host and hostess began to eat immediately, but the farmer bowed his head and said grace.
“Do many of the people around here follow such an old fashioned custom?” the host asked, smiling indulgently.
“Most do,” the farmer replied.
“This must be a more backward area than I thought,” said the host. “Isn’t there anyone nearby sufficiently enlightened not to parade their prayers at the table?”
The farmer thought a moment and replied, “Well, I recon there are some over at my place who never pray over their food.”
“College graduates, no doubt,” said the host.
“Nope,” said the farmer, “pigs.” …Copied