GOSPEL MEETINGS
I will be in a Gospel Meeting at the Woodland church of Christ in Sylva, North Carolina next week (Sunday-Wednesday). Please remember this effort in your prayers. We have helped with support for this congregation in the last year or so. We helped them to send House To House/Heart to Heart to all in their area for this year.
Our Gospel Meeting with James Watkins will be June 20-25th. We will meet each night at 7:30 PM. Sunday morning services will be at the regular time. Singing, which Wally Kirby will direct, will be at 7:00 PM each evening. On Sunday, we will go to the Thomas House for a meal. This is always an enjoyable time for the congregation to be together and to have the opportunity to invite our friends and neighbors to come and hear the lessons presented. I hope you have set aside that time and are making plans to be here for every service. It will be an opportunity to hear a great servant of God who has been preaching for many years. I have talked with several people recently who plan to come a good distance to hear Bro. Watkins. Our Gospel Meeting always starts on FatherÕs Day and continues through Friday night. We extend an invitation to all to come and hear GodÕs word.
I also received an invitation today to a Gospel Meeting that will be held at Bagdad June 13-16 with Jack Honeycutt speaking. We need to do all we can to help support this effort. Services will be at 7:00 PM each evening.
As I reflect on this day (Memorial Day), I hope that you took the time to express gratitude for the men and women who serve in the military and especially for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. We have so much to be thankful for. Hopefully we realize that freedom is not free. Children of God have even more to be grateful for as we consider the sacrifice that was made for us to have freedom from sin. Romans 6:18, Òbeing then made free from sin, you became servants of righteousness.Ó ÒFor the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.Ó (Romans 8:2). That freedom cost Jesus his blood (I Peter 1:18,19). May we never forget to give thanks to him for the wonderful freedom we have.
And Their Feet Swelled Not
(Nehemiah 9:21)
What an AMAZING chapter in GodÕs Word is Nehemiah chapter 9!!! It is a chapter which deserves to be read every single day of our lives. Such a practice should surely get us started down the road toward a proper respect for and love of God Almighty and a deeper respect for His will in our lives. It was a part of my daily Bible reading on Thursday, and I am thankful to be able to write a few lines to encourage you to read it, as well. I have confidence that spiritual fruit will be produced as a result, to the glory of God.
This great chapter of some 38 verses is mostly composed of a prayer to God from His people. It is actually a NATIONAL CONFESSION OF SINS, if you will. It is one of the most beautiful prayers you will ever find anywhere from any time period.
Please, will you stop reading these words and read Nehemiah chapter 9? It should take no longer than eight minutes. Before I give attention to the title of this article, let me suggest what has led up to this great point of REVIVAL among the people of God.
1. First, there was the godly influence of one of the BibleÕs greatest leaders for God, Nehemiah.
2. Second, was the accomplishment of the massive task of rebuilding JerusalemÕs walls under NehemiahÕs leadership in only 52 days (6:15).
3. Third, there was a desire of the people to hear the Word of God. They showed great respect toward its reading, even standing up to hear it being read to them (8:5).
4. Fourth, when it was discovered that they had not been obeying the voice of the Lord, they repented of those ways. They began again to observe the Feast of Tabernacles, a powerful indicator of their changed hearts (8:13-18).
5. Fifth, Nehemiah and the leadership emphasized that these developments must be viewed not as a time to weep or sorrow or grieve, but to rejoice (8:10-11).
What stunning developments arose from God using ONE precious soul who truly Ògot itÓ concerning obedience to God and His will! Here is the heart of Nehemiah: ÒAnd it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,Ó (Nehemiah 1:4). This was NehemiahÕs reaction to news that JerusalemÕs walls had not been rebuilt. He felt compelled to become PERSONALLY INVOLVED to remedy that tragic circumstance.
Just one of many beautifully descriptive statements of GodÕs faithfulness to His people in chapter 9 is found at 9:21É and their feet swelled not. I use it here as a summary of all God did for His people. The expression describes one of the ways God cared for His people during the period of the Wilderness Wandering, which we read about in the book of Numbers. On the occasion of this great prayer in Nehemiah, signaling the revival of a sense of need for pleasing God, the people were reminded of GodÕs goodness toward their fathers. He had taken care of their every need even though they proved to be a rebellious, murmuring, and unthankful people.
Here, in response to the goodness of God, the people were stirred to faithfulness. They became embarrassed about the way their fathers had been lacking in that quality and they made a determination not to follow in that same pathway.
Is it not high time (Romans 13:11-14) for us to use the goodness of God as motivation for faithful service as well (Ephesians 2:10)? What might come to your mind fitting in the category of feet that did not swell?
--David Lemmons, www. lemmonsaid.wordpress.com/
MONTROSE CHURCH
OF CHRIST
53 LAKESIDE DR.
CARTHAGE, TN
JUNE 20-25th .
SUNDAY:9:00 AM & 7:30 PM
MONDAY THRU FRIDAY: 7:30 PM
SPEAKER: JAMES WATKINS
Speaker on GBN
SONG LEADER: WALLY KIRBY
SINGING BEGINS AT 7:00 PM
EACH EVENING