God’s Plan for Man’s Salvation
* * * * * * * * * * * * “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts
16:30
The Gospel Must be HEARD Rom. 10:17 John 8:32
The Gospel Must be BELIEVED John 8:24 Mark 16:16 Sins Must be
REPENTED OF Luke 13:3, 5 Acts 2:38
Christ Must be CONFESSED Matt. 10:32-33 Rom. 10:10 There Must Be
BAPTISM (Immersion) for the Remission of Sins Acts 2:38 1 Peter
3:21 There Must Be CHRISTIAN GROWTH and FAITHFULNESS 1 Peter 2:2
Rev. 2:10 2 Peter 3:18
September 20, 2020
The body, bride, and church of christ
Jesus offers this invitation to all men: “Come to Me, all you
who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt.
11:28). Christ is able to offer this rest because of His work in
reconciling man and God through the cross (Eph. 2:13-16). After we
obey the gospel by putting on Christ in baptism (Rom. 6:3, 17), we
must “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).
What does the Bible call those who have obeyed the gospel? In
the New Testament we read of sever-al terms to identify them, among
which we have: the body, the bride, and the church of Christ.
The Body of Christ — Paul, talking about the universal group of
Christians, uses the imagery of the body of Christ: “And He put all
things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to
the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in
all” (Eph. 1:22-23; cf. Col. 1:18). The human body naturally
follows the instructions that come from the head. Paul used the
illustration of a body for that very reason. As Christians must be
in subjection to Jesus, keeping faithfully His commandments (Matt.
28:20) and doing all things according to what He has commanded to
say and to do: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through
Him” (Col. 3:17).
The Bride of Christ —In the letter to the Ephesian, while
discussing the different roles in a marriage, Paul described the
Christians as the bride of Christ: “For the husband is head of the
wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of
the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so
let the wives be to their own husbands in everything” (Eph.
5:23-24). This illustration parallels the previous one with regard
to our need to be in subjection to Christ. But using the marriage
relationship Paul also emphasizes the need of complete and
continuing faithfulness. Jesus taught that we cannot divide our
loyalty between two mas-ters (Matt. 6:24). We must be faithful to
Christ alone “until death” (Rev. 2:10), and never forsake our
commit-ment to Him when we are tempted to do so.
The Church of Christ —Christians, because they belong to Christ,
make the church of Christ. Jesus promised: “I will build My church”
(Matt. 16:18). Since He is the builder, we must respect and follow
His pattern for the church. Paul commands “Hold fast the pattern of
sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which
are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13). We do not have the liberty to
make the church what we want it to be. We are bound and obligated
to let the church be what Jesus wants it to be. This means that the
church must be busy proclaiming the gospel as “the pillar and
ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).
These three descriptions of the followers of Jesus as a group
share a common theme: faithful obedi-ence. Being the body of
Christ, we must be subject to Him and keep His commandments (John
14:15). Being the bride of Christ, we must be faithful and seek to
please Him over all others (Gal. 1:10). Being the church of Christ,
we must follow the divine pattern and do the work He has given His
people to do (2 Tim. 1:13).
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews affirmed that Jesus is:
“the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb. 5:9).
Salvation is for the faithful and obedient new-born believer in
Jesus Christ who is “the Savior of the body” (Eph. 5:23), which is
His bride and His church. As His people, we must obey Him.
WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday
Bible Study 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. Evening Worship
6:30 p.m.
Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
Week of
September 13
Bible Study 29 AM Worship 36 PM Worship 29 Wednesday 29
ATTENDANCE RECORD:
SCHEDULED TO SERVE Sept. 27: ANNOUNCEMENTS: B. CAMPBELL SONG
DIRECTOR: am B. CAMPBELL pm SONG SERVICE PRAYER: am D. MELOTT pm
Jo. RICE READING: D. GOFF WAIT ON TABLE R. McCOY JR. DAUGHERTY
SERVE CONGREGATION N/A N/A CLOSING PRAYER: am. J. RICE pm De. HOOD
GREETER N/A Wednesday Invitation: September 30, 2020
Paolo Di Luca
PREPARE COMMUNION—September 2020 Mary Jung
Bridge Street
Church of Christ 1139 S. Bridge Street - PO Box 292
New Martinsville WV 26155
Messenger
Messenger
Bridge Street
Church of Christ
1139 S. Bridge Street - PO Box 292 New Martinsville WV 26155
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Paolo Di Luca
Evangelist
304.559.7735
[email protected]
Office: 304.455.2130
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.bridgestreetcofc.org
Paolo Di Luca
Family: Joyce Campbell - Multiple Sclerosis Barb Nolan - home
Faye Stillwagoner—chemo treatments Lee Cross—home Rona Grimm—health
issues Charles & Karen Murdock--home Wilbur Dawson--home Clair
Twyman--home Danielle Moore Carla Haught--shoulder surgery recovery
Bill Caputo--health issues Lorene Eddy Sue Skinner--knee surgery
rehab Joan Sams--medical tests
Friends: Sharon Pugh - Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer Sean
Klug—Health issues Carol Sue Allen-health issues Wilda Williams
Matt & Kathi Ferrebee Kirk Timmons Steve Higginbotham--Stage 4
cancer Caleb Shannon--surgery
IN SEARCH OF THE LORD’S WAY Channel 7 - Wheeling
“Jesus The Lord” September 27, 2020
Services
NMHCC Cancelled till further notice
We are honored to have you with us to-day. Please return this
evening (6:30) and Wednesday evening (7:00) for our mid-week Bible
Study. If you have any questions about what we do during worship,
we invite you to speak with our minister. His name and contact
in-formation is on the back of today’s bulletin.
SCRIPTURE READING September 20-26, 2020
Old Testament/ New Testament Sunday---Isaiah 26-27 Ephesians 6
Monday---Isaiah 28-29 Romans 1 Tuesday---Isaiah 30-31 Romans 2
Wednesday---Isaiah 32-33 Romans 3 Thursday---Isaiah 34-36 Romans 4
Friday---Isaiah 37-38 Romans 5 Saturday---Isaiah 39-40 Romans 6
Lisa Wade has been having some more health problems. Sharon
Knowlton is waiting for results from her recent PET scan.
WELCOME
We want to express our deepest sympathy to Dale and Norma Jean
Cumberledge at the recent passing of Dale’s nephew.
There Is Something In A Name
Names make a difference. I recall reading an article titled,
“What’s In A Name?”, that appeared in Farmer’s Almanac. The article
mentioned the names of some individuals and the occupations of
these people. There was a James Bugg who was an exterminator. Then
there was Sam Nickum, a barber, and Joe Bunt the baseball coach.
The partner-ship of O’Neill and Pray formed a church equipment
business. Will Crumble and Sons was the name of a plastering firm.
Shirley N. Redd was an accountant. Paul Sinn was a preacher. I once
knew a preacher whose name was Boring. There is something in a
name. The prophet Isaiah referred to a time when God’s people would
be given “a new name” (Isaiah 62:2). Peter wrote, “If a man suffer
as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in
his name” (1 Peter 4:16, ASV). The early church historian Luke
recorded, “And the disciples were first called Christians in
Antioch” (Acts 11:26). King Agrippa understood the place of the
name Christian in the religion practiced by Paul. Agrippa said to
Paul, “You almost persuaded me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28).
Martin Luther has been reported to have said, “I pray you to leave
my name alone, and call not yourselves ‘Lutherans” but
‘Christians.’ Who is Luther? My doctrine is not mine. I have not
been crucified for anyone. St. Paul would not permit that any
should call themselves of Paul, nor of Peter, but of Christ. How
then, does it benefit me, a miserable bag of dust and ashes, to
give my name to the children of Christ? Cease, my dear friends, to
cling to these party names and distinctions; away with them all;
let us call ourselves only ‘Christians’ . . . (Stork 289). Man-made
names should be avoided when it comes to religion. And yet most of
the names that dot the present day religious landscape of so-called
Christianity are foreign to the Scriptures, and if this is the name
that the apostles urged others to wear, and if it is the name in
which we can glorify God, shouldn’t we be content to wear this
name? ~~written by Charles Pugh III~~
Eight Commandments of Human Relations 1. Speak to people. There
is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.
2. Smile at people. It takes 72 muscles to frown, only four to
smile.
3. Call people by name. The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is
the sound of their own name.
4. Be friendly and helpful. If you would have friends, be
friendly.
5. Be genuinely interested in people. You can like almost
anybody, if you try.
6. Be generous with praise--cautious with criticism.
7. Be considerate with feelings of others. There are usually
three sides to a controversy:
yours, the other fellow’s and the right one.
8. Be alert to give service. What counts most in life is what we
do for others.
A Christian is a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart
through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks,
a
hand through which Christ helps.
