HOW TO MAKE OUR BIBLE CLASSES BETTER

II Timothy 2:15

Every member of the Lord's church should be excited about studying the Bible. A study of God's Word is like having a conversation with God. What born again child of God Wouldn't want to have their Heavenly father speak to them and understand what He is saying. There should be a deep yearning to hear from Heaven. Pray for your yearning.

If you are an adult - come out to the Bible classes 9:30 each Sunday morning. The Bible says study to show thyself approved of God (II Tim. 2:15). You win God's approval when you study. If we fail to study, the Bible says in Proverbs 1:24 "Because I have called, and ye refuse; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none of my reproof." What God is saying is "His people refused to hear Him." Proverbs 26 says, "God also will laugh at our calamities, and mock when fear cometh."

Part B of II Tim. 2:15 says "rightly dividing the word of truth." Many have not given themselves time or opportunity to learn God's Word correctly. One can not win souls nor keep himself saved and spiritually healthy if he has problems understanding the Bible.

~Minister~

HOW TASTEFUL ARE YOUR WORDS?

Words. We have them; we cut them short; we mince them; we play on them; we hang on them; we even eat them.

Paul writes about doing something else with words - seasoning them. "Let your conversation be always full with salt, so that you man know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:6). This is the only time "seasoned with salt" is used in the Bible.

The output of our mouths depends on the input of the thoughts of the heart. Whether we like it or not, we usually don't say something unless it first has been on our minds. An unknown sage wrote, "Be careful of your thoughts; they may break into words at any time." The wise man put it well: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips" (Proverbs 4:23-24).

Justin, an early church father said, "By examining the tongue of a patient, the physician finds out the diseases of the body, and the philosopher the diseases of the mind." What spiritual diseases lurk behind your words? Murmuring words reveal a critical heart. A swearing tongue indicates a sacrilegious heart. Boastful words flow from a proud heart. Gossip springs from a thoughtless heart.

Jesus perceived the evil hearts and resulting bad fruit of the hypocritical Pharisees when He said, "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him" (Matt. 12:33-35).

We man not always speak our minds, but God knows our thoughts. "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." (Psalm 139:4). Some words are tasteful, but others leave a disagreeable aftertaste in our mouths. Are we seasoning with salt? How do your words taste today?

TO OUR NEW MEMEBERS WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD -- PART II

~Minister's Encouragement~
Part II

As a new member you may even witness members of the Church living wrong; sin has a way of working itself back into God's House. Keep in mind that some Christians are under great pressure and the actions that spill over from the pressures of life are not uncommon. You will notice Christians coming before the Church and asking for forgiveness and prayer. The Bible teaches us to confess our faults and pray for one another (James
5:16).
Don't come apart when you fall into some kind of sin or heavy burden. God has a well-prescribed plan for his children when they are weakened by the power of sin. In the book of I John 1:7 it says, "but ifwe walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood ofJesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin." Here the Bible is teaching us that if we sin and get back up and walk in the light, the same blood that took away all of our sins in Baptism will continue to take away all present and future sins. In the ninth verse, it says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful andjust to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us form all unrighteousness."
God did not bring you this far to let you go or to have you go it alone. God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are with you always (Matt. 28: 20). The Church is also with you and we desire that you join in with us as we work and serve our Lord. If you have any questions about anything from the Lord's Supper to giving, from Bible class to marriage, from sin to saving someone else's soul, please let me know.
I believe you are here for a purpose, let God help you to work all things out. Again Welcome.

~Bro. Jack McNeil~
&
The Park Street Family

TO OUR NEW MEMEBERS WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD -- PART I

~Minister's Encouragement~
Part I

As a new member of the Park Street Church of Christ, there must be hundreds of things on your minds in regards to your place, duty, and expectations for this congregation. Well don't get too worked up, we all had to travel the road that you are on now, and guess what, "We made it and are making it."

First of all remember this is a time of learning and getting well grounded in the foundation of God's will. The Bible says, "Therefore whosoever hearth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock "Matt. 7:25

The rock is the foundation. The floods and rain, along with the winds are the troubles of life. For one to remain faithful through the storms, he must have faith in God and his Word. Do your best to learn the Bible; it is of great importance that you undergo the training necessary to understand little by little the Word of God. There is an old saying "yard by yard is hard, but inch by inch is a cinch."

Don't be too alarmed when people around you look and treat you differently now that you are trying to live for Christ. The Bible says as Jesus spoke in John 10:32 "Many good works have I showed you from my father; for which of those works do ye stone me?" The people in Jesus' day were willing to stone our Lord for his good. Don't be too concerned, as the Bible teaches, this too will pass.

WHY GO TO CHURCH?

A churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now, "he wrote,. "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the preachers are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."
This started a controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals, But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I know this. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together... "Acts 20:7

DEALING WITH CREDIT CARD DEBIT

There is one alone, and there Is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother, yet is there no end of all his labor neither Is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he,for whom do I labor, and bereave my soul good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail. Ecclesiastes 4:8

I. Americans are loaded with credit card debt.
The average American household with at least one credit card has nearly $9,200 in card debt, according to CardWeb.com. The average interest rate runs in the mid-to-high teens at any given time.

2. Some debt is good.
Borrowing for a home or college usually makes sense. Just make sure you don't borrow more than you can pay back, and shop around for the best rates.

3. Some debt is bad.
Don't use a credit card to pay for things you consume quickly, such as meals and vacations, if you can't afford to pay off the bill in full in a month or two. There's no faster way to fall into debt. Instead, put aside some cash each month for items so you can pay in full. If there's something you really want but it's expensive, save for it over a period of time before charging it, so that you can pay the balance when it's due and avoid interest charges.

4.Get a handle on your spending.
Most people spend thousands of dollars without much thought to what they are buying. Write down everything you spend for a month, cut back on things you don't need, and start saving the money left over, or use it to reduce your debt more quickly(c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:8)

5.Pay off your highest-rate debts first.
The key to getting out of debt efficiently is to first pay down the balances of loans or credit cards that charge the most interest, while paying at least the minimum due on all your other debt. Once the high-interest debt is paid down, tackle the next highest, and so on (I Corth. 4:2).

Overview of Types of Strongholds & Application of Spiritual Truth

• DECEIT
  Lying
  Fantasies
  Delusions
  Rationalizations
  Wrong-doctrine/misuse of Scripture
  Spiritual Truth
  SPIRIT OF TRUTH
  
• HEAVINESS
  Depression
  Despair
  Self-Pity
  Loneliness
  Unconfessed Sin
  Suicidal Thoughts
  Spiritual Truth
  (Garment of) PRAISE
  
• REJECTION
  Addiction
  Compulsions
  Seeks acceptance
  Unworthiness
  Withdrawal
  Spiritual Truth
  ACCEPTANCE
  
• BITTERNESS
  Resentment
  Hate
  Unforgiveness
  Anger
  Violence
  Revenge
  Spiritual Truth
  FORGIVING HEART
  
• JEALOUSY
  Spiteful
  Gossip/Slander Betrayal
  Critical nature Judgmental
  Suspicious
  Spiritual Truth
  SACRIFICIAL LOVE
  
• PRIDE
  Vain
  Self-righteous
  Self-centered
  Materialistic
  Seeks positions
  Spiritual Truth
  HUMILITY
  
• CONFUSION
  (DOUBT & UNBELIEF)
  Suspicious
  Apprehensive
  Indecisive
  Skeptical
  Unsettled
  Spiritual Truth
  SACRIFICIAL LOVE
  
• RELIGIOSITY
  Seeks activities
  No spiritual power
  Spiritual blindness
  Hypocritical
  Spiritual Truth
  PRAISE & PEACE

What God Willed, God Fulfilled.

"Go and Wash in Jordan Seven Times."

Naaman, an important man in Syria, was a leper (II Kings 5:1-15). His wife had a captive girl of Israel for her maid, and the maid told of one in Israel who could cure leprosy. Naaman lost no time heading for Israel! But when he came to the prophet of God, Elisha didn't go through some mystical "hocus pocus" to make an impression. He gave God's remedy in simple terms, "Go wash in the Jordan seven times." To Naaman this was foolishness, and he started home in anger and disappointment. But his servant persuaded him to reconsider: "If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather, then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?" So Naaman agreed, went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan. "And his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."
From the human pint of view, Naaman's reasoning was flawless: "Are not the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel?" But the power was not in the water of the Jordan River. The power was God. And that is the point. The Jordan didn't cure other lepers, as Jesus pointed out (Luke 4:27). But it cured Naaman, because God willed it.

And what God willed, God fulfilled