The Visitor » Here and There

Today is not only my 72nd birthday, but it is also the beginning of my 17th year with this church. I thank you for your generous support over these 16 years and look forward to serving you and with you for whatever years the Lord may permit. It has been a joy to be part of such a loving and godly family. I could not have possibly imagined the wonderful way in which God has blessed mine and my wife’s lives as we have sought to fulfill our pledge to God for allowing us to be among you as one who we serve.
As you know, my wife sends out both birthday and anniversary greetings to all our members and we are grateful to those of you who have always responded by remembering our birthdays and our anniversary. We are in your debt for such kindnesses.
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This coming Wednesday is July 4th. In honor of our national birthday, we are going to do something a bit different to show our respect for God blessing our nation. Beginning at 5:30 and continuing until just before time for our worship period, we will be enjoying a “sack lunch” picnic in our Fellowship Hall. Please bring a sack lunch for yourself and a bit extra in case we have visitors. We will have plenty of soft drinks, tea and coffee and we will conclude our food fellowship with some cold watermelon.
We will then move to the Community Room where we will spend time in a worship service dedicated to honoring our nation’s beginning and reflecting upon those Scriptures which encourage us to honor our leaders and pray for them.
We hope you will come and bring visitors who may be at your place for the holiday.
We will resume our studies with Richard Rogers the following Wednesday evening.
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Join Mack Lyon next Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. on Channel 27, KDFI-TV for his lesson on “Joseph’s Bones.”
Now what do you suppose a person can learn from a study of Joseph’s bones? Scientists study the bones of men and animals that have been dead for centuries. They make significant discoveries. At any rate, they say they do. Let’s study the Scriptures to see what they say to us about Joseph’s bones.
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CHRISTIAN ALUMNI
BY John Gipson – Sixth & Izard Church of Christ, Little Rock, AR
It was a strange conversation. For a number of Sundays he had missed the assembly of the saints on the Lord’s day. Concerned by his absence, I went to his home and found him in good health and in a relatively good mood. After chatting for a few minutes, I stated the purpose of my visit – his absence from the worship services.
In essence he said he had graduated from such first principles, and that his spiriruality had reached such a high level that he no longer needed corporate worship, or the partaking of the Lord’s supper. He didn’t use the term, but he considered himself a Christian alumnus. He had arrived.
I spoke to him of the danger of “forsaking the assembly.” I asked him how could he be an encouragement to others, or fulfill the admonition, “and leet us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” if he neglected the worship services (Hebrews 10:24,25). He made no reply.
I explained the peril of ignoring the Lord’s supper. He was failing to abide by the Master’s directive, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” I also reminded him that as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes — something he was failing to do. I told him of the Corinthians, and how their abuse of the Lord’s supper led to Paul’s statement, “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-30). Again there was silence.
Neither my words, nor the scriptures, had any apparent effect.
In his mind he had reached such a high spiritual level that he no longer needed to be a part of the body. He was a Christian alumnus. Sad!
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