Sylvester church of Christ

Thought for the Week Daniel 3:16--If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. When faced with being thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was so great they could without hesitation proclaim that their God is able to deliver them and deliver them He did (Daniel 3:9-26). O that you and I will have this kind of ...faith in our God today. There have been times when I have wondered if we really realize just how able our God really is (Matt. 6:25-34; Matt. 14:29-31). I believe our God is able to pour forth blessings upon us beyond our wildest imagination if our faith in him is such that we are willing to commit everything we have to him, our time, talents, abilities, money, ourselves in total, nothing held back (2 Cor. 8:1-5; Rom. 12:1-2). In doing this, we will be submitting ourselves into his care under any and all circumstances in which we find ourselves. Our soul is our greatest treasure. To ensure our success and happiness on this earth as well as in the eternity to which we are going, we must be willing to entrust this treasure to him. By so doing we will have a peace that passes all understanding in this life even when we are facing sore trials (2 Tim. 1:12; Isaiah 12:2-3). Each of us should be asking ourselves, just what and how much have we committed to Him. Think seriously on this, are we banking in heaven or just on this earth (Matt, 6:19-21)? Our God is able to change these feeble bodies (Phil. 3:20-21). Just think about this for a little while--one day if we have committed our souls to Him wholeheartedly, He will deliver us from all the trials, troubles and temptations of this world. One day this old body will no longer be racked with pain, there will be no more sickness or disease to strike us, there will never be a tear to dim our eyes. No more pain worry, anxiety, burdens or cares that are connected with living in the flesh (Rev. 7:13-17; Rev. 21:2-6; 1 Cor. 15:42-44; 1 Cor. 15:51-57). Our God is able--Do you truly believe it? I pray that all of us will live our lives in such a way that we can pray, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust" (Psalms 16:1; Psalms 86:2; 2 Tim. 4:18). Charles Hicks

What People Out Of Christ Are Missing? By: Gary Colley To be in Christ is to be in His church where Jesus says all spiritual blessings are found (Eph.1:3). Jesus said, ..upon this rock I will build my church (Matt.16:18). All authority in true religion is given to Jesus by God, and He is the one to whom all Christians give their allegiance (Matt.28:18-20). Paul to the Ephesians said, And (God GC) hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over a...ll things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all (Eph.1:22-23). Jesus loved His church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water (baptism GC) by (in obedience to GC) the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, and any such things; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Eph.5:25-27). All of these verses show the importance of being in Christ or His church for our salvation. But for those who refuse to hear the Gospel, believe it, repent of their sins, confess Him before men, and be baptized into Christ, there are many things missing in their lives. 1. Outside of Christ or His church, we are not children of God and therefore we are missing the inheritance promised of eternal life (Gal.3:26-29). 2. Outside of Christ or His body, we are missing the redemption of Christ from the slavery of sin (Eph.1:7). 3. Outside of the Lord Jesus, no one can rightly claim the forgiveness of sins (Col.1:13-14). 4. Outside of the Lord, there can be no hope of eternal life (Matt.7:13-14; I Jn.5:11-13). 5. Outside of Christ, there is no acceptable bearing of fruit which is done in Christ (Jn.15:1-6). 6. Outside of Christ body, we are missing the grace from God (II Tim.2:1). 7. Outside of Christ we cannot live for Him who died for us (Gal.2:20). 8. Outside of Jesus the Christ, we are missing the needed blessings of the new life (Col.2:12; II Cor.5:17). If the Lord said directly to you today, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved would you do it? (Mk.16:15-16). If the Lord said directly to you today, For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ would you put on Christ? (Gal.3:26-27). If Jesus took you by the hand today and said, If ye love me ye will keep my commandments would you love and obey Him? (Jn.15:14; 14:15). If you could have the Lord’s clear promise of salvation being by baptism today, would you listen and obey? (I Pet.3:21). Since we are assured that the Lord, if with us personally, would say no more or less than what He has said in His Word, we urge all to listen today to the voice of the Son of God and obey His Word! (Jn.16:13; Mk.10:16). --Gary Colley

Happy New Year! The good Lord willing, we will see the beginning of another year. I always feel sorry for the depictions of the New Year coming in and the old year going out. In just one year the healthy little baby becomes a frail old man whose life comes to an end. What if you could know that this was going to be your last year upon this earth? Would you live any differently than you did the past year? Are there any relationships into which you would put more effort? Wou...Continue reading

Christmas I want to begin this message by saying my intent in what I write this day is not to condemn anyone but to simply stir up your minds and encourage everyone to be careful in all their words and deeds (Colossians 3:17). All over the land, people are making preparations to celebrate December 25 as the birthday of Jesus. Some believes so firmly in this day and season that it is nothing short of blasphemy to raise a question as to members of the Lord's church engaging i...Continue reading

Defeating the Devil The Bible clearly teaches that the Devil is a serious adversary who desires to devour our soul. But, the good news is we can and must defeat the Devil. Here are three ways we can defeat Satan. Resist the Devil. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world (1 Peter 5:9). The encouragement Peter gives to suffering Christians is that they can resist the adve...rsary. Although the devil is a fearful foe, you can defeat him! Realize his Tactics. The devil has many tricks up his sleeve to use against the Christian. Satan is characterized as a wiley and conniving creature (1 Tim. 3:7, Eph. 6:10-11). Satan has a large arsenal of weapons including worldliness, lust, defeat, and even self. But, if we will study the nature and tactics of Satan it will help us defeat him. Read the Bible. At the temptation of Jesus, He overcame Satan by saying three times, It is written (Matt. 4). Jesus was so well versed in the Bible that it was His primary defense against the devil, and it worked. Today, if we are going to overcome Satan we must know the Word of God. The Psalmist said, Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:9-11). God has given us the ability to defeat Satan. We have to arm ourselves for battle and vehemently fight the foe every day. May God help us to truly overcome the enemy (Rev. 2:10). See more