A publication of the:
Butler church of Christ
Our meeting location is:
201 5th Ave.
Butler, PA 16001
724-287-0628 (building) / 724-282-9417
(home/office)
Assembling Times:
Sunday Bible Class - 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship – 10:30 AM
Wednesday Bible Class – 7:00 PM
Editor / Preacher –
Brian A. Yeager
Check out the web site:
(I Corinthians 10:31 and I Peter 4:11)
(Acts 17:10-11) “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” A daily diet of the word of God through the searching, not just looking briefly through, of the scriptures is what every Christian needs to be properly fed spiritually. Jesus said: (Matthew 4:4) “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” One of the biggest problems among brethren today is a lack of studying the scriptures. Thus, as a whole, brethren have erred because they have no knowledge (Hosea 4:6). If you want wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of spiritual matters you must look to what the Lord has said (Proverbs 2:6).
Ye Shall Know the Truth
(John 8:32) “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Knowing the truth is paramount in being set free from the bondage of sin. Ignorance keeps you lost. Think of yourself traveling in a city that you have never been in before at the midnight hour wherein many places were closed. You find dark roads, no people, and your map was left at a rest area four hundred miles ago. You’re lost! The only way to find your way to the correct route to head in the right direction is to find some source of information. The same is true when one is caught up in sin. Jesus is the one way (John 14:6) and His mission was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). But, you will not find information about Jesus in a road map of this world. You will find the way to Jesus through His instructions. Once you find His instructions you will have to do some searching as Jesus made clear to the Jews: (John 5:39) “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” Now the question is, are we as Christians willing to use what the Lord has provided for us to gain knowledge?
Are We Using the Resources?
When you have a spiritual question, where do you look to find the answers? Some weaker brethren, who should be mature enough to study on their own, have absolutely no idea on how to find answers to their spiritual questions. They seem to believe that the elders, preachers, or other Christians around them are their own personal walking Bibles. That does not mean it is bad to ask mature brethren for answers sometimes, but to always depend on others to find the answers is a horrible sign that one does not study and grow on their own as they ought to (II Peter 3:18). When posed a spiritual question they say, let me ask so and so. Brethren have negated the value of the inspired text when they fail to use it. To be ready to give an answer (I Peter 3:15) and to prove all things (I Thessalonians 5:21), is not to know who to ask, but how to search. We, as Christians, should be placing the word of God in our hearts (Psalms 119:11) so that we might be able to meditate upon it day and night (Psalms 1:1-2).
Concordances and dictionaries are easy ways to find answers in the inspired text known as the Bible. Once one begins to search and study more they will learn divisions of the Bible, book and chapter settings, etc. That knowledge will help when you have a Bible question and you know about where the answer would be because you know certain contexts. Then more study and focus will lead to more memorization in which you will site passages and even quote them. If you can find something in Walmart because you know the store, you can remember the words to your favorite song, or even if you can recall sports statistics; you then can also remember the word of God. After all, is the cereal isle, Pittsburgh Steeler’s record, or the tunes to the Dixie Chicks latest CD more important than knowing the word of God? Remember, knowing the truth is what sets you free!
Are we using things such as this weekly bulletin as study aids? By the way, I have wondered how many brethren are reading the bulletin on a weekly basis. This may serve as a good time to find out. If you read this bulletin let me know. Do not tip off your husband / wife or any others. Just let me know. That will serve as a good measuring stick to see how profitable the time spent on this bulletin is and how much I should focus on it. Back the subject matter. A daily family devotional is a great idea. You could sing a song or two and just read as a family for a little while. This will help in getting spiritual matters on your mind. Our family does this after lunch on a daily basis during the week. Do you use our track rack? Would you buy material written by faithful brethren to study? Maybe a set of cassettes or CD’s of the Bible that you could listen to on your way to work or to the store would be a good idea. Tapes are available of the weekly lessons here that you could listen to during down time. What resources are you missing that would help you?
Conclusion
(Psalms 119:105) “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto
my path.” We are in a dark world (John 3:19-20). Are we
as Christians taking our lamps with us to guide our steps? Do we
have the attitude of David: (Psalms 119:16) “I will delight myself in
thy statutes: I will not forget thy word”? Can we say that
we will not forget the word of the Lord, if we really have never came to
know it? Maybe the problem some Christians have with studying the
word of God is a lack of interest. What a rude awakening it will
be when those “Christians” find that God is just as interested in them
as they were in Him. As you read this article resolve to spend more
of your valuable time knowing more about the Lord and His will. Your
life depends upon it!
Are you spending more time with
the newspaper
than
with the word of God? 
ASK YOURSELF, WHICH HAS THE BETTER
NEWS?
Quick
Notes
Those Serving Today:
Announcements – Brian Yeager
A.M. Song Leader – Young Jay Wagner
Lord’s Table – Brian Yeager
Assisting – Sergio Imbarlina and Terry
Nannie
First Prayer – Jay Wagner
Closing Prayer – Mike Lockwood
Those In Need of Our Prayers:
Joan Croyle, Tony Sassano, Kathren as
she is traveling, Christy Graham who is struggling with worldly influences
vs. proper decisions, and the Graham family as they work through situations
involving Christy.
The Lockwood family will be moving to Milwaukee, WI sometime in February.
Please keep them in your prayers.