Eastland eBulletin 7.16.06

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Area Meetings

. July 16-21 - Overland VBS (Lawrence-burg); Lakeview (Columbus, IN)
. July 17-19 - New Salisbury (IN)
. July 21-23 - Hodgenville
. July 30-August 4 - Central (Shelbyville)
. NOTE: A scale model of the wilderness tabernacle will be on display in
Pewee Valley July 29-August 6. Admission is free. The tour lasts 1 hour & 15
minutes. I don't know who is sponsoring this - this is not an endorsement -
but it might be interesting and informative. More information is on the
bulletin board.

Potpourri
. Remember the kid's bulletin in the foyer.
. Tonight's is our monthly singing.
. Notes for this morning's sermon are available in the literature rack.
Cloyce Sutton is the speaker.

Monthly Duties
. Transportation: Mindel & Sutton
. Lord's Supper: K Mindel, L Shields
. Meals: H Boatright, S Durbin, J Robarts
. Deacon: J Crowder
. Ushers: G Shields
. Sound: J Norris

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Just Call Me To Dinner!
By Reggie Robarts

Is there really anything in a name? My foster mother-in-law, Nellie Mae
Woodward, use to repeat the old expression, "You can call me anything you
want, but just make sure you call me to dinner." I have just about the same
sentiment. Dinner is important, as a casual glance at my person will reveal.
But it is also important to me, as I am sure it was to "Mother" Woodward,
what people call me (that is, how they address me) because it says something
about me. It identifies me personally and sets me apart from other people
around me. I trust my attempt to live honorably conjures up respect in
others when they hear or use my name. But there is another name that I wear
that is far more important for me to guard and honor than the given name I
have. It is the name that I chose to wear many years ago and that I am duty
bound to uphold and never to shame. It is, of course, the name Christian. I
wear it as an individual and as a collective name with others who have
chosen to make Christ their Savior. Just a few random thoughts about that
name.

One of the reasons the "Christian" world remains in the fragmented state
that it is in is its insistence on wearing different names. The number of
religious bodies claming to be Christian churches have proliferated over the
years in staggering numbers. To identify themselves as distinct and
different entities each has adopted a different name. Some have taken the
name of their perceived founder such as Lutherans. Some have chosen to
emphasize their "differentness" by using a particular tenet of their
teaching such as Seventh Day Adventist. Others have chosen as a name their
particular form of church government such as Presbyterian or Episcopal. The
list could be multiplied hundreds of times over. It takes some ingenuity and
creativity to come up with all the different names for these churches as
they have come into being.

There are a number of names revealed in the New Testament that identify
God's people both collectively and individually. Some of the collective
names are: church of God (Acts 20:28), church of the firstborn (Hebrews
12:23), or church of Christ (Romans 16:16). Individually we read of
Christians (Acts 11:26), children of God (Galatians 3:26). These lists are
not exhaustive but they are enough to indicate something important. Never
are God's people, collectively or individually, called by a name that only a
limited number of them could wear. Groups cannot be identified by some
peculiar doctrinal tenet that sets them apart from all their fellow
Christians and still be approved by God. Nor can their founder be different
from the founder of all other faithful Christians. Such delineating names
and divisive designations would strike at the very heart of the New
Testament's plea for unity. When Jesus prayed in John 17:21 that all His
followers be one, or when Paul admonished the Corinthians in I Corinthians
1:10 that "there be no divisions among you," they condemned in principle the
use of names that would effectively separate believers. The different names
of the religious bodies are really reflective of a deeper difference, a
difference in doctrinal stances of the various groups.

Those terms in the New Testament that identify or describe God's people make
so much sense in telling the world who we are. When we say, "I'm a
Christian," doesn't that essentially describe what I am, a follower of
Christ? Does it not say that I am subscribing to the teachings of Christ
Jesus, whatever they may be? When we tell others, "I am a saint" (when they
get over the shock), doesn't it tell them that I am trying to live a moral
and upright life? If the Eastland congregation puts up its sign saying
"church of Christ", aren't we affirming that this is a group of people who
are dedicated to worshipping and serving Christ? I hope these are the
impressions left on the minds of people by the name(s) we wear. I feel
comfortable with those names because they are found in God's Book. If those
names evoke questions such as, "What kind of Christian are you?" or "Where
do you get the arrogance to call yourself a saint?" so much the better. It
can open a door of discussion in which someone may be taught the truth and
be saved.

Do we all have to wear exactly the same name? No, but the name we wear
should be one the all-wise God thought would be appropriate for His people.
It should leave no doubt about where our allegiance lies, and should be one
that brings glory and honor to our Creator and to our Savior. Yes, I want to
be called to dinner, but more than anything else I want to be called by a
name that identifies me as one of God's elect.

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Your Cell Phone & Your Bible
Author Unknown - Submitted by Sandy Neal

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell
phones?

. What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
. What if we turned back to go get it every time we forgot it?
. What if we flipped through it several times a day?
. What if we used it to receive messages from the 'text'?
. What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
. What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
. What if we used it when we traveled?
. What if we used it in case of an emergency?
. What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?
.
This is something to make you go...hmmm...where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing.

. Unlike our cell phone, we don't worry have to about our Bible ever being
disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!

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