Bulletin / Prayer List 12-25-16

Prayer List
Mark Morris still needs our prayers.
Brenda Williams, A.C. Quinn’s daughter is home recovering from a heart attack.
A friend of Greg Counts’, Ronnie Brown is a diabetic and is losing his sight.
Dale Brown a fried of Kerry King needs our prayers.

Andy LeDane, Eddie Griffin, James and Florene Griffin, Jimmy Griffin, Jerry and Betty Harris, Don Hickerson, Lester and Billie Phillips, Dan Tucker, Mary Jean Turner, Armanda family, Jack and Diane Arnold, Betty Clark, Doris James, Gary Hickerson, Bobbie King, Dan LeDane, Carol Moore, Beryl Miller, and Don Boyd.

Serving in the military: 
Dakota Smitherman has been deployed to Afghanistan. 
Travis Counts has been deployed to Kuwait.
Faith Balzen is in California. 
Cody Blomstedt is in El Paso, Texas.

Let us pray for our country and government leaders and those who are in harms way, military and civilian personnel.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much…

Pantry Item: Assorted Cereal

January Announcement: Robert Embry
Lord Supper: Greg Counts, Robert Courtney, Kerry King
Jan. 1st Prayers: Morning: Greg Counts – Butch Balzen
Evening: Don Harrington – Robert Courtney
Scriptures: Robert Embry
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Recruitment vs. Conversion

Jesus taught that folk “…should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them“ (Matt. 13:15). Peter also instructed the people to “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord“ (Acts 3:19).

Conversion as it is taught in the New Testament is a turning about or a reversal. Simply, it is turning from an old life of sin to a new life in Christ: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new“ (2Cor. 5:17).

Further, Jesus’ command to his disciples was to go into all the world and make disciples of men (Matt. 28:19-20; Mk. 16:15-16). These and many other passages in the Bible explicitly point to the necessity of one’s turning from sin unto righteousness through his obedience (Romans 6:16-18). Those who know and believe the Word of God understand and accept this fact; however, there are those in the religious world--some in the church--who ether do not know or do not care.

An interesting article appeared some time ago in a news periodical in which the FBC in Springdale, Arkansas, spent $279,000.00 to create Zany Toon Town for their church. “The ministers say it is a vital recruitment tool.” One would have to ask the question, “What happened to conversion in God’s scheme?” There is little doubt that Zany Toon Town would draw considerable attention, especially among the gullible young--those toward whom the focus is directed in the first place.
Zany Toon Town may attract a significant group of people, but it will not convert one single soul to the crucified Christ. As a matter of fact, such an experiment is designed to recruit rather than convert. The very nature of such denies the power of the Gospel of Christ to convert the hard hearts of men (Romans 1:16).

The Lord’s people need to be cautious lest they be lead into the use of human methodology designed to recruit, rather than the gospel of Jesus Christ designed to convert the hearts of the lost.

A. C. Quinn
(Note: The above article is a re-run, but it is still a reminder of the loose attitude some religious folks have about conversion.
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For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death,

(2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJ).