God Has Heard Me

By David Bragg

    Loneliness, especially among the elderly, can lead to becoming victims of online scammers. Recently, an 80-year-old woman in Japan was targeted by an online "astronaut." He claimed to be a Russian cosmonaut under attack while orbiting Earth. In this intense battle he was running out of oxygen and needed to purchase more. She ultimately transferred nearly $7,000 (U.S.) into an online account in his desperate measure to save his life (http://www.msn.com); 9-18-25).

    According to the article, victims in cases like this often feel marginalized by society. They feel alone, forgotten, unseen, and unheard. Perhaps Hannah wrestled with similar anxiety as years and years passed with her prayers for a child seemingly unheard by God (1 Samuel 1:19-20).

    Pouring out her heart before Eli the priest, Hannah finally received a favorable answer to years of praying. Tellingly, she named her firstborn son Samuel, meaning “Heard by God,” saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” 

    Her story reminds us of the desperation of the world to be heard and recognized, and the blessing we enjoy as Christians with God we are heard. He listens to our prayers, and through Jesus (1 John 5:14) and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26), we are assured that He hears us

 

- David Bragg is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/ If you are in the Greensboro, NC area, please join us for worship: https://nwchurchofchrist.com/about/

Whose Team Are You On?

By David Bragg
    Last summer the Associated Press reported on a very unusual baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees. What made this game so special was the participation of Jose Caballero. The Rays player seemed to have had a regular game through the sixth inning. It was during the seventh inning stretch that Caballero was traded … to the Yankees (AP, 7/31/2025).    If you think about it, how we grow as servants is so important because it is one of the major ways that we display to others which team WE ARE ON! Peter says that each of us have “received a gift” (1 Peter 4:10). He is not talking about a miraculous gift because of the examples he offers: to “minister” and being “good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” We are each set by God in the body “just as He pleased” (1 Corinthians 12:18). How am I using my God appointed gift?    Like Jose Caballero, each of us, as Christians, switched teams, as it were. We must be careful to avoiding switching back. It is up to us individually to decide what to do with the gifts that grow out of our maturing faith. Will we bury our gifts, or use them in service to others, and God?

- David Bragg is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/ If you are in the Greensboro, NC area, please join us for worship: https://nwchurchofchrist.com/about/

Luck and Salvation

By David Bragg
    Do you feel lucky? Arthur Priest was. Arthur worked below deck throwing coal into a steam boiler of steam-powered ships. Consider these benchmarks of his career:• In 1908 he survived the wreck of the Asturias. • In 1911 he survived the collision of the Olympic with the HMS Hawk. • In 1912 he survived the Titanic.• In 1916, during WWI, he survived sinking of the Alcantra and the Brittanic.• In 1917 he survived the torpedoing of the HMHS Donegal. His name was so closely tied to these “lucky” escapes that ship owners didn’t want to hire him, workers didn’t want to work with the “lucky” Arthur Priest (https://afrinik.com/).    As David penned the 68th psalm, he sings that God’s name is exclusively tied to salvation. Look closely to verse 20: “Our God is the God of salvation.” We see that same God working out a salvation of which David could only dream: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).     Salvation is not based on chance. It is not luck, such as Arthur Priest. Salvation is Jesus Christ. He alone can guide us through the unavoidable valley of death.

- David Bragg is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/ If you are in the Greensboro, NC area, please join us for worship: https://nwchurchofchrist.com/about/

A Soldiers' Spear

By David Bragg     Fantasy? Legend? The apocryphal “Gospel of Nicodemus,” written hundreds of years after the New Testament closed, sought to “fill in” the gaps in the inspired Gospels to satisfy people’s insatiable curiosity. It is there that we first encounter Dismas and Gestas, the two thieves crucified with Jesus, and Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced Jesus’ side. Even there, no names are assigned to the soldiers who hammered the nails into Jesus’ hands and feet.     The problem is that all this unwarranted speculation serves as a distraction to what is REALLY important. It is not the names of these criminals and soldiers that matters; else the inspired writers would have “filled in the gaps” for us. What is crucial is the fact that David prophesied that Jesus would be pierced 10 centuries before Christ was born (Psalm 22:16), and that John witnessed them as they were being fulfilled. And the REAL key, that Jesus indeed died on the cross, for the very ones who nailed Him there!     Why did Jesus die on the cross? For the sins of the world. Who nailed Him there? We did!

- David Bragg is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/ If you are in the Greensboro, NC area, please join us for worship: https://nwchurchofchrist.com/about/

Willing Spirit, Weak Flesh

By David Bragg
    In the late 1800’s, the race to reach the North Pole was intense. Explorers experimented with every available means of transportation in this quest. S. A. Andrée, a Swedish engineer, made his attempt in 1897, choosing to travel on a massive hydrogen balloon. Confident of success, Andrée even packed a tuxedo, fully expecting to attend numerous victory celebrations held in his honor.    Andrée never made it to the North Pole. After his departure his body was not discovered until 1930—33 years later. The anticipated celebrations never happened. His tuxedo, never worn, ended up preserved in a museum, a somber reminder of the expedition’s tragic outcome and unrealized dreams.    You remember that night as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, struggling with the menacing challenge looming before Him. You can hear His plea to the Father, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). Don’t you rejoice this morning that the weakness of His flesh did not overcome the will of His spirit? Unlike Andrée’s celebration that never came, we have eternity to share in Jesus’ victory.

- David Bragg is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through his blog: http://davidbragg.blogspot.com/ If you are in the Greensboro, NC area, please join us for worship: https://nwchurchofchrist.com/about

“Unity – No Matter What”

By Jim Faughn     That’s what the message was on a sign at a church building in our community. I’ve been thinking about that message ever since I saw it.      I cannot truly be loyal to Jesus if I’m not concerned about, praying for, and working toward unity. At the same time, I’m thinking that I cannot do all of those things no matter what.     Allow me to try to explain what I mean by that after I share with you a portion of the words that Jesus prayed to His Father very shortly before He went to the cross. As His thoughts transitioned from His apostles to “…them that believe on me through their word…,” He prayed:     that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:20-21)     To be sure, unity was on the mind of Jesus as He prayed. It is also clear that He viewed a lack of unity as a hindrance to belief in Him. While those things are true, we don’t need to overlook the connection between unity and the inspired message with which the apostles would be entrusted.     It might be helpful to remember that, not long after Jesus prayed the prayer recorded in John 17, He was on the cross. There was a strange and unusual combination of hatred, division, and unity that played a vital role in putting Him there.      One example of that has to do with two Jewish sects of that day. Pharisees and Saddducees were in opposition on a number of doctrines, but were united in their opposition to – and hatred of –  Jesus. That “unity” was a factor in putting Jesus on the cross. Whatever else that could be said, it should be acknowledged that this arrangement was both temporary and artificial.     Another example can be found with regard to two officials of the government. As we read about the trials which led to the crucifixion of the Savior, we find these interesting and telling words: And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves (Luke 23:12). This is yet another example of a temporary and artificial unity that played a role in the death of the Lord.     We now live in a world in which the most ungodly lifestyles, philosophies, beliefs, religions, practices, etc. are accepted and promoted. Not only are they accepted and promoted, we are now being told that people who do not celebrate what the Bible condemns are unloving and even unChristian.      How did we get here? How did so many who claim to be following the One who prayed for unity become so divided and divisive? Why has it gotten to the point where people who preach and talk about love actually practice hate? What makes people who promote tolerance become so intolerant with those who disagree with them?     For that matter, why would people whose stated intention is to follow Jesus produce creed books, catechisms, manuals, etc. that have the effect of dividing people? Why would any individual allow his or her opinions, preferences, or “comfort zones” to be of equal or greater importance than scripture?     I suppose that multiple volumes could be written to address questions like that, but I will suggest just one thing. It may not be all that profound, but I am hoping that you will give it some consideration.      It seems to me that the closer we get to Jesus and His Word, the closer we get to one another. That seems to me to be the answer to His prayer for true unity. A corollary to that might be that things which He condemns cannot be endorsed or practiced by those who are truly His followers.     Genuine unity includes a genuine connection to God’s Word, submission to the will of Jesus, and true fellowship with His followers. People can form temporary unions, but unity is eternal.     So – count me in for “unity,” but count me out for “no matter what.”

- Jim Faughn serves as and elder for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. Be sure to visit the following for more great articles: Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith

One Man’s Idea about the Message of the Bible

By Jim Faughn     During my lifetime, I have had some conversations which are difficult to forget. There are some which I would like to forget, but have difficulty in accomplishing that. At other times, there are conversations which I hope I never forget.     There are at least a couple of reasons why a conversation can find its way into that second and much more positive category. The reason could be that the person with whom the conversation took place is one of those unforgettable people in my life. At other times, it was just the fact that something was said which made a major impact on me and/or caused me to do some real thinking.      On some occasions, both of those factors play a role in making a conversation very memorable and important to me. Both the person saying something and what was said had an impact on me that lasts long after the conversation is over (and maybe long after the person is no long alive).     I often think of one of those kinds of conversations that took place a few years ago. The man with whom I was having that conversation was one of the most interesting men I have ever met. He was unique in so many ways. Although he is no longer living, one comment he made still lives in my memory. I have every reason to believe that it will continue to do as long as I have a memory.     My friend and I were talking about the Bible and, during that conversation, he made an observation that, in my mind, is one of the (if not the) best succinct statements about God’s Word that I have ever heard. “I’ve read the Bible. Its message is that I need a Savior and I’m not Him.”     I thought about suggesting some ramifications and applications implied in that statement, but I decided against that for a couple of reasons. First, I’m afraid that the number of those ramifications and applications is almost endless. I truly believe that it could take volumes to try to explore each way in which that statement is true.     The second reason that I decided to just let his statement “stand for itself” is that I did not want to influence your thinking. I prefer to let you do what I have done. I would like for you to remember that statement and continue to think about it for years to come.     Maybe, like me, you will have difficulty in getting one short statement out of your mind and, at the same time, trying to think of all of the ways it applies to you. Maybe, like me, you need a regular reminder of the fact that…     I need a Savior and I’m not Him.

- Jim Faughn serves as and elder for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. Be sure to visit the following for more great articles: Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith