February 2016, Vol. 35, No. 2

All church bulletin resources from the February 2016 edition of Bulletin Digest.

Love

A story is told of a young sailor who called his parents from San Diego after the Vietnam Conflict. He said he was bringing his buddy home with him to stay. “You see, mom” he said, “my buddy is pretty badly broken up. He was severely wounded and has only one leg, one arm, and…

Have You Earned Your Place In Heaven?

After making a whopping $50 million donation to a gun control initiative, and because of his work against obesity and smoking, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was quoted as saying: “I am telling you, if there is a God, when I get to heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed. I am heading…

Making a Difference in the Family

God gave each member of the family a role to play. Each one playing his or her part will make a difference in the family, as can be seen in Paul’s instructions to the saints in Ephesus. Christian wives are to place themselves under the control of their husbands as one means of showing that…

Good News and Bad News

There is a lot of bad news out there, as mirrored on TV and the Internet. The stock market is in trouble, thousands of Americans jobs are on the line, and threats of terrorism are shadows in the background. And then there are our own personal pain and problems to contend with. Financial, physical, medical…

Pray Boldly!

Television interviewer and journalist Larry King describes three farmers who gather daily in a field during a horrible drought. The men are down on their knees, looking upward, and praying the skies will open and pour forth a much-needed rain. Unfortunately, the heavens are silent, and the petitioners become discouraged, but they continue to meet…

Unity

God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and when we are all grounded in the truth of God’s word unity will be the result (Ephesians 4:1-15). Truth does not cause division because truth is constant. Division comes when someone blows the winds of false doctrine and topples Christians who are not grounded in truth. They are…

The Five Finger Prayer

The five finger prayer is a great way to teach someone to pray, or a good model for anyone to use to pray. Remember, James 5:13-16 teaches us to pray for one another. First, your thumb is nearest you. Begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. Second, the next finger, is the…

Jesus vs. the Jews

Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus is essentially on trial. The reader is forced to make a decision around every corner about whether he or she accepts the claims of Jesus or the claims of His opponents: the Jews. In the second half of John 10, Jesus is in the midst of one of His…

In Season, Out of Season

On his second missionary journey, Paul came to the city of Philippi. There, while worshiping by the river, he met and baptized Lydia. But not all in Philippi listened to Paul and he was falsely accused of “troubling the city” (Acts 16:20). Beaten and thrown into prison, Paul and Silas did not let persecution stop…

What Howard Learned in Heartbreak

Howard Rutledge, a United States Air Force pilot, was shot down over North Vietnam during the early stages of the War. He spent several miserable years in the hands of his captors before being released at the war’s conclusion. In his book In the Presence of Mine Enemies, he reflects upon the resources from which…

Reliable

It is probably sound advice that, when a car leaves you stranded, you should return the favor. Few people would keep a car that cannot be depended upon to work as needed. There may be a parable here. Remember that David described himself and his fellow Israelites as “…his people, and the sheep of his…

The Tick

Ever had a tick on you? Ticks are small blood sucking mites. They spend a good bit of time just waiting in bushes, grass and woods for a victim–you! Once you happen by, they jump on and attempt to quickly crawl to a protected spot on your body. Then they sink their mouth parts into…

What is My Food?

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). 1. Spiritual birth is part of God’s will (John 1:1,2). 2. Doing the will of God brings satisfaction (John 7: 1,7; Acts 13:22). 3. The will of God provides for everlasting life (John 6:40).…

Do Non-Christians and Christians Stand on Equal Footing with God?

The Bible seems pretty clear about this question. We can read for ourselves the answer. The real question is: Do we accept the answer? The world doesn’t see the difference at times. Sadly, there are some within the church who can’t tell the difference either. Let me start with a scripture. Galatians 6:10 reads, “As…

Faith and Optimism

When your cup runs over, is it a blessing, or a mess? Is your glass half full or half empty? Do you make difficulties out of your opportunities, or opportunities out of your difficulties? Are you the kind that complains about the noise when opportunity knocks? Do you claim to be an optimist who doubts…

Do You Love Me? Feed My Sheep

“The third time he said to him, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.’” John 21:17. Peter knew how his sin of denying…

Boost Your Budget by Missing Worship?

If you miss worship on the first day of week does that mean your pocket has a little extra in it to spend the rest of the week? If you answer yes, you have the wrong answer. Giving as we have been prospered means exactly that – giving as we have been prospered; not giving…

They’re Your Buttons

In one of my graduate classes last week my professor made this comment: “Don’t blame others for pushing your buttons. They are your buttons.” If we’re not careful we have a tendency to blame others for our thoughts and actions. “Well _________ just made me so angry that I couldn’t control myself”, we might say.…

What’s First?

Rick Reilly wrote an article for Sports Illustrated in 2003 titled, “Let Us Play.” He described in his article how many families in America are opting to engage in recreational activities on Sunday instead of attending worship services. He quoted many religious leaders who have decried the loss of spirituality in our society. Reilly attributed…

The Pattern of Sound Words

Man has ever sought to be free of divine restraint. In the early days of the church, a philosophy known as “antinomianism” was prevalent. It was the ideology that argued: “We are not under law.” The concept is not dead even today. There are some, even in the church of the Lord, who allege that…

Three Cheers for Jesus!

We often give a hearty “Hip, Hip, Hooray” to one we wish to celebrate or honor. I think we don’t celebrate Jesus enough in our memories, words, and lives. Jesus came to make our lives blessed, joyous, and fruitful (cf. John 10:10). There are several instances in the Scriptures where Jesus said “Be of good…

The Joyful Life

May the grace of Christ our Savior, And the Father’s boundless love With the Holy Spirit’s favor Rest upon us from above. Thus may we abide in union With each other and the Lord; And possess in sweet communion Joys which earth cannot afford. via Broadway church of Christ Campbellsville, KY… We are sorry, but…

Worrying and Precious Time

Time is a precious blessing not to be wasted. With each tick of the clock, the brief span of time we have in this world is passing. This is why Paul exhorts us to use our time wisely: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). We should “number our days,” making the…

I’m a Christian First

Life. Sometimes it controls us. Sometimes we get so entrenched in what we’re doing that we lose sight of what is most important. As Christians, there is one simple truth that must guide every decision we make and every move we take: Christ is to “have first place in everything” (Col. 1:18). Christ must have…

Peace to the World

The Charter of the United Nations was signed in June 1945. The stated purpose for its existence was to maintain peace and security, to solve problems, and to promote harmony among nations. However, since it was signed, there have only been twenty-six days without armed conflict somewhere in the world. For sure, nations and individuals…

Caution: In Case of Rapture

A popular bumper sticker says, “Caution: In case of rapture this car will be unmanned . . .” This is a popular doctrine taught by many religious groups. But would you be surprised to learn that neither the word rapture nor the commonly taught doctrine of the rapture even occurs in the Bible? It is…

Missed Opportunities

The story is told of a young man who wished to marry the farmer’s beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and responded, “Son, go stand out in that field and I’m going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the…

Conforming To His Image

In his book, “The Kingdom Agenda,” Tony Evans tells the story about a man who was mystified at what he saw painted on a rural barn. There were twenty painted targets. Each one had only one bullet hole in it, each perfectly centered in the bull’s-eye. Whoever had been using the barn for target practice…

The Divine Word Versus a Deceived World

The Bible teaches that men can be deceived by Satan (Revelation 12:9,10). Deception in vital matters pertaining to the soul means damnation. The religious world is deceived if it believes that God approves of religious division (denominationalism). The Divine Word teaches such division is sinful (1 Corinthians 1:10-13; John 17:20,21; Ephesians 4:1-4). The world is…