Woodland
Hills Church of Christ
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Sunday, August 13, 2006 Volume 50, Issue 31 WHY TAKE THE LORD’S SUPPER? There is a constant need to remind the old and instruct the young about fundamentals of the faith. The Lord’s Supper is one of those fundamentals that needs to be stressed. Following are some basic reasons found in scripture for taking the Lord’s Supper. It is a weekly reminder of the SUFFERING CHRIST. In instituting the Lord’s Supper Jesus said, "This is my body which was given for you: this do in remembrance of me." The final moments of Jesus’ life were full of suffering, and each Lord’s day we are faced with His pain through this memorial. As Brother Teddlie states in his song: "feast divine all else surpassing, precious blood for you and me, while we sup, Christ gently whispers, do this in my memory." It is a weekly reminder of the SYMPATHETIC CREATOR. Acts 2:22-23 reminds us of this point. "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know; Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. We are reminded every week that the Creator loved the creature enough to give "His only begotten son." (John 3:16) It is a weekly reminder of the SIGNIFICANT CROSS. Throughout history thousands of crosses have been erected, but one stands far above the rest in significance. Each week the Lord’s Supper brings us face to face with the fact that Jesus "humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:8) It is a weekly reminder of the SECOND COMING. First Corinthians 11:26 reminds us, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he comes." As we partake of the Lord’s Supper each week we have a grave reminder to always be prepared "till He come." See You in Bible Class Sunday,
JOIN US FOR A THE PARABLES OF JESUS Week #10 - August 16th "The Talents" (See The Bulletin Board For More Details)
TAFT AYERS The Chinese government has recently announced that they will step up efforts to prosecute doctors who violate their anti-abortion laws. What laws? There are several. Due to China’s one-child policy, and great social pressure to have a son, it has become the practice of some to abort or abandon female babies. Because of this, China has outlawed abortions based on sonogram determinations of the baby’s sex. Since the desire is for a male child, this is essentially a protection of female infants. While this has been Chinese law for some time, until recently it was not widely enforced, or penalized only by a small fine. The recent announcement means that greater effort will be exerted to prosecute these monsters, and much steeper criminal penalties will result. Furthermore, Chinese law does not allow abortion after the 14th week of pregnancy. Currently, U.S. law offers no protection for the unborn, save the Partial-Birth Abortion Act (condemns only a certain method) which was recently signed into law and is currently under review by the Supreme Court. Although some may argue that this legislation may be for gender inequity reasons rather than reasons of morality or ethics, it still serves to illustrate a point. China; Godless, Atheistic, Communist China; A place where elementary students take classes specifically to destroy any flicker of faith in God, and the only worship that is promoted is of the state; is more concerned with protecting unborn babies than the United States. What have we become? We may have God’s name on our money, but not in our hearts. We may claim we are a nation "under God," but in reality we humble ourselves before no one. The words of Christ in Mark 7:6 are as applicable to our nation as they were to the Jewish people: And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME." From legalized murder to the shameless embrace of homosexuality and sexual promiscuity, there are few wicked deeds that remain uncelebrated. In the name of "tolerance" we suppress virtue, in the name of "understanding" we attempt to choke out conviction. For the sake of "education," we attempt to stamp out faith. Let us rise above. Let us stand out. Let us refuse to bow to the myriad forces of evil that would seek to destroy not only the Lord’s church, but the society in which she exists. It will not suffice to hold the world at arm’s length. We must show those around us the better life that Christ provides. And we must be determined that we will never yield to the embrace of ungodliness. "For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."—Hebrews 12:3 -S.R. MUGNAINI
FAMILY NEWS OUR SICK/HOMEBOUND WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS ICE CREAM FELLOWSHIP BRIDAL SHOWER SERVICE GROUP ASSIGNMENTS Service Group #1 please turn in your assignment sheets from last week. BABY GIRL CRIB SHOWER RECYCLING PROGRAM SENIOR AFTERNOON OUR RECORD
WHAT CAN I OFFER? Our Lord was very clear about what He had to offer man when he said; "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." (Lk. 4:18) And if one will look closely, he will see that there are five things here we can offer to a lost and dying world. First, we can make the poor rich through the gospel. No one is poorer than the person who does not enjoy "the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7). And Christians must show their benevolence by giving hope to him "that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Lk. 12:21) Members of the church are the wealthiest on earth, for unto us was spoken, "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. (Eph. 1:18) May we, like Paul, seek to offer this wealth to others; "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." (Eph. 3:8) Second, we can encourage the brokenhearted. One tragic message ought to break the hearts of every person; "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Rom. 3:23). Any good and honest heart that understands this will react like those on Pentecost, "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostle, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37) The good news is that hearts which have been broken by sin can be encouraged. Let us show men how to "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb. 10:22) Third, we can help set the captives free. Sin is an evil taskmaster. And every man who is not serving God is a slave to sin; "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Rom. 6:16) You can offer the world the keys with which it can take off the shackles of sin: "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sins, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (Rom. 6:17, 18) Fourth, you can help give sight to the blind. How tragic it would be to loose your physical ability to see the world around you. However, a tragedy far greater than this would be to lose sight of things spiritually. The sad reality is that most of our world has allowed the Devil and his ways to have a blinding effect on them; "He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should heal them." (John 12:40) Will you not each forth a compassionate hand to show those blinded by sin the way to true sight? Will you not help the blind to also one day "see him as he is." (I John 3:2) Fifth, you can help offer healing to those who have been bruised. There is no doubt that sin has a way of "beating up" on us. James recognized this and wrote, "Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (Jas. 1:15) We must share with a sin bruised world that Christ "was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isa. 53:5) See You in Bible Class Sunday,
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