Articles From Our Bulletins
Oh How I Love God's Law!
Last month in an article entitled “Oh How I Love Your Law” we surveyed the different ways to grow in our knowledge of God’s word - ways that are available to us as members of the Southport church of Christ. Here’s the list --
1. Private or family Bible reading & study.
2. The sermons each Sunday.
3. Our Sunday morning adult Bible study.
4. Our Wednesday evening adult Bible study
5. Our library.
6. Our children’s and teen Bible classes.
7. The devotional at Manor Care.
8. The Ladies Bible study at the building.
9. The women’s home Bible study.
10. The monthly home study of Revelation.
11. Our Gospel Meetings.
12. Gospel meetings elsewhere.
13. Other home Bible studies.
14. Our website.
I thought this list was complete, but since then three more items came to mind, two are so obvious I couldn’t see them!
15. Our tract rack. Just inside the entrance are two tract racks with a supply of tracts on a wide variety of Bible subjects. These concise treatments of important Bible subjects can “jumpstart” our study of many Bible subjects.
16. This weekly bulletin. Rather than containing just congregational news and jokes or sayings to entertain, this is a teaching bulletin. Each week articles can be found that turn to the scriptures to inform, encourage, or enlighten us.
17. Any occasion in which we share God’s word with others. Hopefully you have experienced this phenomenon. Whether we are preaching, teaching a class, leading a home Bible study, or simply discussing a Bible subject with a friend, we find ourselves gaining more Bible knowledge and insight – sometimes learning more than the ones we are teaching. This last way in which we can grow in knowledge leads us into the main subject of this article, how important it is to share God’s word with others.
Share God’s Word
Even a casual reading of the New Testament will cause us to conclude that our Lord wants his people to share the gospel with others. Jesus made it clear that “peacemakers” will be blessed (Mt. 5:9) and goes on to tell us “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt. 5:14-16 ESV) Our Lord wants us to be peacemakers, especially that peace between our friends and God. He tells us we are lights and should act like it.
Then, of dozens of other passages, let’s note what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We belong to God, we’ve been called out (“church” is the “called out”) of darkness. As we rejoice in his marvelous light we proclaim how wonderful he is, that is, we evangelize, we share the gospel, the good news of salvation in Christ.
We listed all the ways available for us to learn God’s word. Now let us list the ways we, as members of God’s family at Southport, have to share God’s word with others.
1. Invite someone to come with you to worship services.
2. Invite someone to join you in the Bible classes on Sunday morning and Wednesday night.
3. Invite your children’s friends to the children’s Bible classes.
4. Participate in such efforts as the devotional at Manor Care.
5. Invite a friend, to the ladies Bible class.
6. We regularly record all the sermons presented here, Get a CD of a good salvation sermon to give to someone. Give someone a CD of a sermon on a subject of interest.
8. Keep a couple of our “I’d Like to Recommend” business cards to give to those you meet.
9. Invite a friend to an ongoing home Bible study.
10. When you are having regular family Bible studies, invite a neighbor.
11. Tell a friend about our website where they can find over 600 sermons to listen to, and over 60 articles on a variety of subjects available to read.
12. Check our library for material on how to reach the lost.
13. Invite your friend to study a particular Bible subject or Bible book together.
14. Invite your friend to a weekly reading of the Bible.
15. Invite your friend to hear a lesson during a gospel meeting.
16. Invite your friend to hear a lesson in a gospel meeting elsewhere, especially if the subject announced is one of mutual interest.
17. Introduce your friend to other members. The more he or she knows that are of “like precious faith” the more likely their interest will increase.
All of these ways to share the gospel with others pretty much assumes that our friends are open to spiritual things. This brings us to the final, and most fundamental thing for us to do that can lead eventually to sharing the gospel and souls saved. That one thing?
Good works!
Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 5: “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” It is in seeing our good works that bring others to give glory to God.
Good works – that is so important! “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. “ Ephesians 2:10. Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:14. Good works are so important we are urged, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” Hebrews 10:24.
These good works, done because we are God’s children, will be noticed and eventually those open to spiritual things will ask us about our hope, why we do good for others. “[I]n your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15. As we answer questions about our hope we will naturally share the gospel with them, using the different means listed above to share God’s word.
