By Bill Brandstatte
My wife and I enjoy watching a television program where a young lady
restores old houses. She says she restores them “to their former
glory.” We today need to restore the church to its former glory. When
the Lord comes back He wants the church to be glorious. (Eph. 5:27)
Paul wrote, “To Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ.” (Eph.
3:21) What about the church today? Does it look like what it did in
the glorious days of the New Testament? Let us consider some ways to
restore the church to its former glory.
We need to get back to the name and identity of the church as the
New Testament records. There are thousands of churches across our great
land. These all have a variety of names, and have different teachings
and ways of worship. The early church bore the name of Christ. It was
glorious because, He was its head. All that was done was to glorify
Him. In Eph. 1:22, 23, Paul declares that Jesus is the head of the body,
His church. Then in Eph. 4:4, 5 Paul states there is one body. Paul
wrote that there should be no divisions. (1 Cor. 1:10) He taught and
ordained the same thing in every church he visited. (1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Cor.
7:17)
Does this kind of unity exist today? Does the name the church wears
really make a difference? In New Testament times the name pointed to God
and Christ. Often it was identified by location.
For example, Paul wrote to the “church of God which is at Corinth”.
(1 Cor. 1:2). Paul mentions in Rom. 16:16; “The churches of Christ
salute you.” The early church never wore the name of a man (Jn. 20:28).
We see an amazing unity in passages that identify the church with God
and Christ.
In Acts 20:28, the church is referred to as the “church of God”.
This passage also tells us that the church was purchased with the blood
of Jesus. When He died, the church got its start. Jesus was God before
He was in the manger. (Jn. 1:1) He was also God when He came. (Matt.
1:23) He stated in John 10:30, “I and my Father are one.” Thomas
confessed Jesus as, “My Lord, and My God”. (Jn. 20:28) We see an
amazing unity in passages that identify the church with God and Christ.
The Lord wants His church to be glorious. Let’s do all we can to make it
that way.
– Bill Brandstatter preaches for the Marion Church
of Christ in Marion, IL. He may be contacted through the
congregation's website: http://marionchurchofchrist.com/
By Edd Sterchi
“Father, Give me a heart that is true to You...
...a heart that will bring my body to VBS every night.
...a heart that will put a smile on my face as I walk through the doorways.
...a heart that will help vibrate my vocal chords in song to You.
...a heart that will not let me be at peace until my mouth invites someone to come with me.
...a heart that will encourage my hands to be patting encouragement on others’ backs.
...a heart that will prompt my feet to be busy helping and doing whatever is needed.
...a heart that will open my ears to hear and heed the wonderful lessons that will be presented.
...a heart that will cause my eyes to be ever vigilant—for that one special opportunity.
...a heart that will motivate my knees to bend in prayer often.
...a heart that will remind me to ever be “beating” for Jesus. with my heart I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen”
- Edd Sterchi preaches for the Broadway Church of Christ in
Campbellsville, KY. He may be contacted at eddsterchi@comcast.net
By Bill Williams
… But God
In stories that are told, whether by books, movies, etc., a
common thread of the storyline is: introduction of characters,
developing the personalities of the characters, a problem arises, the
situation degrades, a solution comes at great cost and a resolution of
some sort is made known.
This is a picture of our life and our hope. When we begin to
relate with the characters, we associate their troubles with our own. We
want them to succeed and have a “happy ending” because that is our
hope.
The Bible tells the story of God and His dealings with
humanity. God creates perfection. Man, given a choice, chooses the evil
(which is the exact story repeated over and over again in all of our
lives). Then, God promises a solution and begins to work throughout
history presenting the solution. This solution comes in the form of His
Son, Jesus. The effects of this Solution reaches down through history
promising a resolution. Paul phrases the story like this: “ And you were
dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our
flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in
mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we
were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by
grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us
with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to
come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward
us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-7).”
We chose death. We choose death. We choose our own way and that is the problem. This problem only gets worse. We work according to the Devil’s will and our lust. We become, even though we might not acknowledge it, children of wrath.
At this point, the most beautiful two words arise. But God.
We failed, but God… God, in His love, with His mercy, from the
overflowing richness of who He is, gave us a solution. Jesus Christ. He
made us alive in Him. He also gave us a hope for the ages to come. God’s
kindness did this for us.
When you are distressed, when you are lost, when you feel alone, remember: the world has abused you, your choices led you astray, But God gives life and hope.
- Bill Williams preaches for the Jackson Church of Christ in
Jackson, MO. He may be contacted through the congregation's
website: http://www.jacksonchurchofchrist.net
One bleak day in February, 1822, a young theological student sat in
his room at Andover Seminary. Samuel Francis Smith was going over a
sheaf of German songs for children, given him by a friend, the composer
Lowell Mason. Sunset shadows crept into the room and Smith was tired
from a strenuous day of study. He was relieved to spend a few relaxed
moments going over his friend’s music. As he hummed over one after
another, one struck his fancy. He glanced at the words at the bottom of
the page, and his knowledge of German told him that the words were
patriotic, but they did not appeal to him. He decided to write his own
words. He searched around on his desk until he found a scrap of paper
about 5 or 6 inches long and two and one half inches wide. On this, as
he tapped out the rhythm of the music, he began to write:
“My country, ‘tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountain side
Let freedom ring!
-Selected; via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur Church of Christ,
Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be
contacted through the congregation's website:
http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
I am the flag of the United states of America. I was born on June 14,
1777 in Philadelphia. There the Continental Congress adopted my stars
and stripes as the national flag.
My thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen
white stars on a field of blue represented a new constellation, a new
nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind.
Today fifty stars signal from my union—one for each of the fifty
sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has
ever known.
My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of my country.
My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American
men and women and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American fathers
and mothers.
My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all.
My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.
I am the flag. I symbolize all that is uplifting and good about our country.
-Selected and edited; via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur
Church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and
editor, may be contacted through the congregation's website:
http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
By Alan Smith
Someone has come
up with the following list of words which don't exist, but
should:
AQUADEXTROUS (ak wa deks' trus)
adj. Possessing the ability to turn the bathtub faucet on
and off with your toes.
CARPERPETUATION (kar' pur pet u
a shun) n. The act, when vacuuming, of running over a
string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching
over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back
down to give the vacuum one more chance.
DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt') v. To
sterilize the piece of candy you dropped on the floor by
blowing on it, assuming this will somehow 'remove' all the
germs.
LACTOMANGULATION (lak' to man
gyu lay' shun) n. Manhandling the "open here" spout on a
milk container so badly that one has to resort to the
'illegal' side.
PEPPIER (pehp ee ay') n. The
waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to
be walking around asking diners if they want ground
pepper.
PHONESIA (fo nee' zhuh) n. The
affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom
you were calling just as they answer.
PUPKUS (pup' kus) n. The moist
residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to
it.
TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin
ay' shun) n. The act of always letting the phone ring at
least twice before you pick it up, even when you're only
six inches away.
Some of those
words could possibly be useful, but there is another word
which doesn't yet exist that I'm even more excited
about. Jesus wrote to the church in Pergamos (one of
the seven churches of Asia Minor):
"He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To
him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to
eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a
new name written which no one knows except him who
receives it." (Rev. 2:17)
What will that new
name be? We can only speculate. All I know is
that it is a word reserved for God's children who
faithfully persevere the trials that this life has to
offer. Eternal fellowship with God and His family,
the tree of life, worship with the redeemed of all ages,
AND a new name to go with your new life! What more
could we ask? What more could we want? There
are wonderful things that lie ahead for God's
children. Keep that in mind the next time you are
struggling to get through the difficulties that this life
has brought your way.
Have a great
day!
- Alan Smith, author of the popular "Thought For Today," and
minister for the Fayetteville Church of Christ in
Fayetteville, NC, may be contacted at
alansmith.servant@gmail.com
By Clifton Angel
According to
Joseph Stowell, “The Greeks had a race in their Olympic
games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who
finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch
still lit” (Fan the Flame, 32). Such an accomplishment
would require more time, greater tact, and different
talent. This runner would have to have endurance.
Christians also are running a race of endurance (Hebrews
12:1–2).
Paul tells us
via his letter to the Corinthian church that love “endures
all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). The word Paul used to
speak of the endurance of godly love is the same word used
to describe Jesus’ endurance of the cross (Hebrews 12:2)
and the Christian’s endurance in the faithful race
(Hebrews 12:1). Therefore, we may conclude that a person
who loves like Christ (which is this love of which we
speak) can endure like Christ. No matter the persecution,
the tribulation, the temptation,
or the situation, we can endure it if we have this kind of
love. When the one you thought was a friend does something
unfriendly, endure. When the love of your life ruins your
night, endure. When your co-workers don’t work and rather
complain, endure. When the nation crashes down town by
town, endure. When your faith brings strife and even
requires your life, endure. That’s love. I will conclude
with words shared by a friend:
Pressed out of measure and
pressed to all length,
Pressed so intensely it seems
beyond strength.
Pressed in the body and pressed
in the soul.
Pressed in the mind until the
dark surges roll.
Pressed by foes and pressed by
friends,
Pressure upon pressure till life
nearly ends.
Pressed into loving the staff
and the rod.
Pressed into knowing no helper
but God.
Pressed into liberty where
nothing clings.
Pressed into faith for
impossible things.
Pressed into living a life in
the Lord.
Pressed until a Christ-like life
is outpoured. (shared by Stephen
Sutton)
- Clifton Angel preaches for the Coldwater Church of Christ
in Coldwater, MS. He may be contacted through that
congregation's website: http://www.coldwatercofc.com/
