The
BIBLICAL
MESSENGER

       
COMING EVENTS

October 27 - Change to standard time. Before going to bed Saturday night, run your clocks BACK one hour and enjoy an extra hour of sleep.

October 25-27 Lecture Series "Understanding Our Times." By G.B Shelburne, at the Northside Church of Christ, 19 East 29th St. San Angelo, TX.

November 16- Teacher's workshop with Dana Hood and Sharon Bryant. Southgate Church of Christ.

        Our sincere thanks to all of you for your prayers on behalf of our son, Jerry. We got the good news last week that his Hepatitis C is now in remission. He is feeling good again and is more able to work that he has been in some time. We certainly realize the power of prayer and this is just one more example. Thank you all very much.

/s/ Ed & JoNell Roper  

        "To Ninth & Main Church of Christ
        Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers while I was in the hospital. Special thanks to Jim Vinson for his visit."

/s/ Beth Smith   

        Did you know that the youngest king mentioned in the KJV was Joash (also known as Jehoash). He was seven years old when he became king of Judah, and reigned for forty years. (II Chronicles 24:1)
       

HE'S CRAZY ABOUT YOU:

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.

if he had a wallet, your picture would be in it.

He sends you flowers every spring.

Whenever you want to talk, He listens.

He can live anywhere in the universe, but he chose ... your heart.

Face it friend, He is crazy about you.

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for tears, and light for the way.

REALITY CHECK

         This is a true story. A seventh grade football team had just played a game. They lost 60-0. On the way home, even though they had lost, they started shouting "We're number one! We're number one." Obviously, they were not number one. This is called false optimism or false pride.
         Paul said, "Prove your own selves whether ye be in the faith." (II Cor 13:5). In other words examine the fruit of your own life and see whether or not you are "in the faith."
         After the first day of practice a high school student asked permission to take his football equipment home. Permission was given. The very next day the student turned his equipment in and quit the football team. The coach discovered that the boy came out for practice only one day so he could have his picture made and tell everyone that he was on the football team.
         An old expression that is still true is, "Sitting in a church building will not make one a christian any more than sitting in a hen house will make one a hen." Every christian is commanded by the Lord to take a reality check. (II Cor 13:5). Every christian needs to examine his own life, by asking...Do I...faithfully attend services (Heb 10:25), study the Bible regularly (II Pet 3:17), sing with the spirit (I Cor 14:16), give liberally and cheerfully as I have been prospered (II Cor. 9:7), seek to teach the lost (Matt 28: 11-20, Luke 19:10), put the Lord first in my life(Mark 12:30)? We all need a reality check.
         Our thanks to Brother Leroy Sedgwick for the answer to the question, "When was the last time before October 6, 2002 that we had 100 or more people in worship here." The answer is February 7, 1999.
         Do you stay near the cross every day? If not, why not?

In Christian Love,                           
John Hobbs                           

(Editors note: Perhaps a more important question is what can we do to cause our attendance to increase so that 100 will be the rule rather than the exception!)