September 10, 2023

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THE CHURCH OF CHRIST ON M 51 S

We welcome you to our worship services this morning. We hope that you will be encouraged and uplifted by our time together. We have no creed or set of rules to force on you. We simply rely on the Bible to tell us what to do and try to copy what we read the church in the first century did. We meet here every Sunday, but we also have Zoom available for those who are interested. Just ask and we will include you in our Zoom services. Call Karl Marcussen at 574-514-1400 for information.

FAMILY NEWS

THANKS to those who supported our efforts at Timbers last Sunday. You made a difference.

FOOD PANTRY was conducted Monday. We had 10 homes with 65 people that we supplied with food who were part of 19 families. That included milk, eggs, canned goods, and a variety of breads. Our thanks to Richard Hoyt, Tracey Brewer, Rose Marlin, and Bill and Patty Gibson who work so hard on making this great service happen. Be aware that we serve families anytime we learn they are in need, but the advertised availability of food is always the first Monday of every month.

HELP NEEDED THIS THURSDAY: The delivery of food to A.C.T.I.O.N. ministry in Dowagiac is this coming Thursday. We have agreed to help unload the truck. This is a part of our service to the community. What this involves is that when the truck comes in some time after 3:00 P.M. tables are set up and the food is laid out on the tables. Several of us push the provided grocery carts around the tables and get what is provided. Folks needing food come and a grocery cart full of food is loaded into their car. People are needed to push carts, to bag the fruit and/or vegetables, assemble boxes, assist in record keeping, help park the 100+ cars that come, or load the food into cars. You can help! Be at A.C.T.I.O.N. ministry at 3:00 P.M. See Richard Hoyt if you need directions. This is something that YOU can do

TODAY'S LESSON

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHRISTIANITY, Part 1
John Clayton

“I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also:
I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also”
(1 Corinthians 14:15).

INTRODUCTION: “Think” is used 20 times in the gospels.

We need to understand what we do and why.

I. OUR FAITH IS NOT TO BE BLIND.

A. Acts 8:26-31 — Notice what Philip DOES NOT say.
B. Romans 1:19-20 — What is your basis of faith?

1. Not something you inherit — that is acceptance.
2. Not a response to peer pressure.
3. Not because of a “miracle” in your life.

II. UNDERSTAND WHAT REPENTANCE IS.

A. Metanoeo - “to have another mind.” Change how you think. Usually associated with baptism.

1. Acts 2:38 — What did they need to do?

2. 1 Peter 3:21 — “Appeal made to God by a GOOD CONSCIENCE means a change in how you think.”

B. Romans 6:3-4 — “An entirely new life” involves thinking.
C. 2 Peter 3:9 — Think differently to live differently.
D. Mindless baptism is just getting wet.

God's Spirit does not react to it — Acts 8:9; 13.

III. UNDERSTAND THE ACTS OF WORSHIP — 1 Cor.inthians14:15

A. Prayer — Matthew 6:5-8 — Our public prayer is not “canned” — Mid McKnight story.
B. Jesus gives a model prayer — not a mantra (guiding principle).

Romans 8:26-28 — God's Spirit helps our prayers.

C. Singing — Zephania 3:17 — God sings with us.
D. Three different kinds of songs — Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16

1. Psalms — like “The Lord Is My Shepherd” (642 in our songbook). Sung privately.
2. Hymns — hymnos in Greek — congregational songs of praise to God.

3. Spiritual songs — pneumatikos ode meaning songs of encouragement and instruction. See 1 Corinthians 15:44-47.

4. Man is uniquely in God’s image and can uniquely sing spiritual songs.

E. All of us need to join in song every time. See THE BACK PAGE below.

THE BACK PAGE

THANKS FOR ASKING FOR BASICS

I really appreciate those of you who asked for a class on basics. There are some of you who need to be a part of that class, not because I am teaching it (that may be a negative) but because we need to know why we do what we do. In reality our salvation may depend on that. The apathy that exists in the church today is not coming from those of us who came from the world. It is from those who were “raised in the church” who are the major source of the apathy.

Some of you were forcibly dragged to church three times a week, and went because it was a reasonable price to pay for peace at home. Once you got away from home for many it was a welcomed freedom from the prison of forced church attendance, and for some they did not attend church again.

For those who receive this bulletin that is probably not the case, but the flaming desire to be active in the work of the Lord may not be there either. God's Spirit will never force its way into your mind and soul. In the words of Jesus, “I know your works and that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot” (Revelation 3:15). With the weather we have had that statement should be very meaningful. Have you grabbed a drink on one of our 90°+ days and found it to be lukewarm? Jesus said that those who are lukewarm will cause him “to have no more to do with you” (Revelation 3:16).

Regardless of your history, we all need to understand what we do and what we do not do in our relationship to God. In our Sunday morning class we are going into this subject area in depth. This past Sunday we looked at singing and what is essential and what is not. When I was an atheist I asked a friend who was raised in the Church of Christ why they did not have an organ. He told me that a fight started on who was going to play it, so they just got rid of it. We have solid biblical reasons for what we do and do not do. Come and join in the discussion.

Our sign by the street!

One of God's blessings is the beauty of Fall!

Sign saying from www.sayingsforchurchsigns.com.

Scripture links/references are from BibleGateway.com. Unhighlighted scriptures can be looked up at their website.