The End of Your Search for a Friendly Church . . . Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Lakeland, FL Permit No. 254 CHURCH OF CHRIST 1807 S. FLORIDA AVE. Florida Ave v South Florida Avenue CHURCH OF CHRIST 1807 South Florida Avenue Lakeland, FL 33803-2653 Return Service Requested Friday thru Saturday, May 16-17 Our monthly devotional will be hosted by the Williams family at the church building (fellowship room) beginning at 6:30. After a wonderful period of devotion and fellowship, all of our youth are invited to stay at the building for a well supervised “lock-in.” If you would like to know more about it or can help, see Brian or Jagie. Courtney Williams, 11th Art Says It - Original Photography, Division: 11-12, 1st Place Bible Bowl Test, Division: 11-12 Bible Bowl Team, Division: 11-12, Team A Good Samaritan Bronze Individual Scrapbook Winner’s Circle, Division: 10-12, 1st Place Group Scrapbook Winner’s Circle, Team: A Songs of Praise Winner’s Circle, Division: 10-12, 1st Place Honoring a Fine Young Lady Courtney Williams was inadvertently left off the list of our young people’s accomplishments in last week’s bulletin. Brian, the page 4 editor, extends his deepest apologies for the oversight and thanks those who pointed out the mistake. Below is the entry that should have been listed with the rest of the accomplishments. In the World but Not of the World To the Father, Jesus said of the apostles, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16). All Christians are “in the word” but not “of the world.” Our young people face many challenges to their faith today. Though the challenge to be faithful has always been there, it just seems there is more competition for their hearts than there ever has been. We have some great young people among us who set good examples to those around them. They are an encouragement to us. We thank them and their parents for their involvement in this congregation! Brian VBS June 22-26 Lap 1: Train for Success —“Put on God’s Armor” Lap 2: Find Your Stride —“Help Others” Lap 3: Win a Medal —“Seek Good Friends” Lap 4: Set a Record —“Always Do Your Best” Lap 5: Endure to the Finish —“Be Like Jesus” “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (Matthew 5:13-15)
Transcript
The End of Your Search for a Friendly Church . . .
Non Profit Org.U.S. Postage
PAIDLakeland, FL
Permit No. 254
CHURCH OF CHRIST1807 S. FLORIDA AVE.
Flor
ida
A
ve
v
South Florida AvenueCHURCH OF CHRIST
1807 South Florida AvenueLakeland, FL 33803-2653
Return Service Requested
Friday thru Saturday, May 16-17 Our monthly devotional will be hosted by the Williams family at the church building (fellowship room) beginning at 6:30. After a wonderful period of devotion and fellowship, all of our youth are invited to stay at the building for a well supervised “lock-in.” If you would like to know more about it or can help, see Brian or Jagie.
Courtney Williams, 11th Art Says It - Original Photography, Division: 11-12, 1st Place Bible Bowl Test, Division: 11-12 Bible Bowl Team, Division: 11-12, Team A Good Samaritan Bronze Individual Scrapbook Winner’s Circle, Division: 10-12, 1st Place Group Scrapbook Winner’s Circle, Team: A Songs of Praise Winner’s Circle, Division: 10-12, 1st Place
Honoring a Fine Young Lady Courtney Williams was inadvertently left off the list of our young people’s accomplishments in last week’s bulletin. Brian, the page 4 editor,
extends his deepest apologies for the oversight and thanks those who pointed out the mistake. Below is the entry that should have been listed with the rest of the accomplishments.
In the World but Not of the WorldTo the Father, Jesus said of the apostles, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16). All Christians are “in the word” but not “of the world.” Our young people face many challenges to their faith
today. Though the challenge to be faithful has always been there, it just seems there is more competition for their hearts than there ever has been. We have some great young people among us who set good examples to those around them. They are an encouragement to us. We thank them and their parents for their involvement in this congregation! Brian
VBS June22-26
Lap 1: Train for Success —“Put on God’s Armor”Lap 2: Find Your Stride —“Help Others”Lap 3: Win a Medal —“Seek Good Friends”Lap 4: Set a Record —“Always Do Your Best”Lap 5: Endure to the Finish —“Be Like Jesus”
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (Matthew 5:13-15)
A Friendly Church With a Vital Message Proclaiming the Unsearchable Riches of the Lord Jesus.The Messenger is published weekly by the South Florida Ave. Church of Christ meeting at 1807 South Florida Ave - Lakeland, FL 33803 Vol. 67 No. 19 5- 13-14
MESSENGER The South Florida Avenue The South Florida Avenue
at Florida School of PreachingJeremy is a third generation preacher. His grandfather, Bena-ncio Padilla, preaches in Uvalde, Texas, and his dad, Lee, was the first Hispanic minister for Iglesia de Cristo at Eagle Lake, Florida, in 2005, and currently preaches in Utah. Jer-emy came to us shortly after high school from Crossett, Ar-kansas, where he was an active member of the church there. He took some classes at Southwest School of Bible Stud-ies in Austin, Texas, where he also met his wife, Stefani. They have one son, James.
Jeremy plans on working with a local church of Christ as a full-time preacher. We have all grown to love and ap-preciate Jeremy and his family as they have been part of our church family. We pray God’s blessings upon them!
“And How Shall They Hear Without a Preacher?”Immediately after declaring that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” the apostle Paul wrote,
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? (Rom. 10:13-15a)
As long as this world stands, the Gospel will need to be preached. Sin will always affect humanity, and the Gospel is the only solution to that number one problem. We commend Jeremy and Stefani for their desire, sacrifice, and perseverance in taking two years out of their lives to prepare at FSOP. Since 1969, the school has been faithfully training Gospel preachers and could not function as it has without the support of individuals and congregations like the South Florida Avenue church of Christ. For this, the school expresses great appreciation. May the Lord find Jeremy and Stefani a place in His vineyard and may He continue to send men this way so that they can better prepare themselves to “preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15b). --Brian Kenyon
Satan says, “One Church is as Good as Another”
When you consider the clean, upright people in all churches, Satan has an easy job getting you to believe his whisper, “One church is as good as another.” And as long as you look at those upright people instead of your Bible, Satan has you just where he wants you. But when you
start reading your Bible, you discover that God never did establish many churches, and you also discover that more than one church is sin.
Christ did not say, “Upon this rock I will build my churches,” but rather He said, “Upon this rock I will build my church” (Mt. 16:18). If two churches are right, then two shepherds are right, but Jesus said, “There shall be one fold and one shepherd” (Jn. 10: 16). Though the United States Census Bureau lists hundreds of different kinds of churches, God says that even two are too many. Open your Bible to the Book of Ephesians. God gave Christ “to be head over all things to the church which is his body” (Eph. 1:22, 23). The Holy Spirit says there is “one body” (Eph. 4:4), and “but one” (I Cor. 12:20). For the Gentile Christians to be in one church and for the Jewish Christians to be in another church are ideas opposite to God’s idea, for He wants “both in one body” (Eph. 2:16) with every wall of partition (Eph. 2:14) broken down. You are not following God’s will when you answer to any denominational name, for every one is a “wall of partition.”
In Bible times, that one church (body) was neither Catholic nor Protestant, and you have to close your Bible and pick up something else before you can ever read of Catholic or Protestant churches. The Bible church was called “the church” (Eph. 5:23), “the church of the Lord” (Acts 20:28), “the church of God” (I Cor. 1:2). Various congregations were called “churches of God” (1 Thes. 2:14), and 11 churches of Christ” (Rm. 16:16), but they were not different denominations. All of them together made up “the church” (Eph. 5:23), “the household of God” (Eph. 2:19), “one body” (Eph. 4:4), “my church” (Mt. 16:18).
In Bible times no one thought of a person’s being saved out of the church, for the very word “church” meant the “called-out-from-sin-people.” Even if some hypocrites nominally were in the church, there was nobody saved out of the church for the Lord added to the church “day by day those that were being saved” (Acts 2:47). If a man were saved, he thus automatically became a church member, became a “called-out-to-live-for-Jesus-person.”
In Bible times, people were not saved the moment they believed in Jesus, but after they believed they were commanded: “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38). “Then they that received the word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). And the Lord added them to His church (Acts 2:47). If you believe, repent, and are baptized, the Lord will not add you to any denomination, but He will add you to His church.
In Bible times, the saved people (church members) met on the first day of the week to break bread, to lay by in store of their money, to sing, to pray, and to study the Word (Acts 20:7; 2:42; 1 Cor. 16:2; Eph. 5:19; Col. 4:16).
It is true that there are clean upright people in all churches, but they have not learned the way of the Lord as it is written in His book. If it is right to say, “One god is as good as another,” then it is right to say, “One church is as good as another.”
Be not deceived,
-Windell Fikes
May 18, 2014 9:30 A.M.
Song at Bible Class ...................................... Jim TurnerPrayer ...................................................... Fred Strickland
10:30 A.M. Announcements .......................................Kenny FrenchSong Leader ..............................................Kyle WilliamsOpening Prayer ...................................... David WilliamsClosing Prayer .....................................Tucker Sweeney 6:00 P.M.Song Leader ............................................. Stacey PaulinOpening Prayer ......................................... Casey PaulinClosing Prayer ........................................ Antonio MartinGreeters .................................... Fred & Kathy StricklandAtt. Cards......... ...Sebastian Rapley & Quadarius AskewOpen & Close Building ................................. Jim Turner
Please meet in the library. If you cannot serve, please call Chuck Wyatt so he can get
a replacement - 859-5231
Sunday, May 11, 20149:30 A.M.
Song at Bible Class ..................................Kyle WilliamsPrayer .................................................... Charles Sanford
10:30 A.M. Announcements .......................................Kenny FrenchSong Leader ............................................David WilliamsOpening Prayer ............................................Ken WalkerClosing Prayer ...........................................Chuck Wyatt 6:00 P.M. Song Leader ............................................. Stacey PaulinOpening Prayer ....................................... Antonio MartinClosing Prayer .............................................Ken WalkerGreeters ................................................ Phil & Dottie FfeAtt. Cards ............... Ian Enamorado & Sebastian RapleyOpen & Close Building ................................. Jim Turner Wed. May 14, 2014Song Leader ..............................................Steve HunleyOpening Prayer ....................................... Jason Hendrix.Closing Prayer ...........................................Paul Romine
~ HOW WE ARE GIVING ~ . Apr. 13 ................................. $4,536.80Apr. 20 ................................. $4,628.00Apr. 27 ................................. $3,926.00May 04 ................................. $4,733.60Contribution Average ......... $4,492.102014 Weekly Budget ........... $4,256.38
SCHEDULED TO SERVE
Jeremy Padilla ............... Table ................... Charles PaulinDavid Anderson ............ Assist ..................... Frank Hamby
Prayer ListOur Members: Bernetta Green is recuperating at home af-
ter her surgery. TaLeah Anderson is scheduled for surgery May 7th. Evelyn Wyatt, Jim Turner, Jacquelin Dopwell, Sam Bolding, Duane Nelson, Bill Burton, JoAnn Hoback, Margaret Coone & SharonWashington.
Relatives: Valerie Rodriguez,Wayne Hendrix, Gary Thrower, Danny Stephens & Lewis Tillis.
Shut In Members: Ann Howard,Virginia Plumlee & Louise Starks.
Others: Vera Jackson, Mariza Johnson, Betty Wethering-ton, Alison Bridgemohan, Frances Cain, Marilyn Eick, Frank Wood, Christina Fuessner, Bonnie Hendricks & Kathy Peel.
Upcoming EventsMay 11th: - FSOP graduation after the evening service. Fol-
lowing graduation we will have finger foods and desserts in the fellowship hall.
May 11th - 16th: - Gospel meeting at Martin Luther King St. Church of Christ in Arcadia. Speaker will be John Iverson, Check bulletin board for times & information.
May 17th: - The Men’s Breakfast will be held at the North side Church of Christ at 8:00 am.
VisitorsAlexa Barrett & Scarlett, Linda Pennington,Tiffany
Jackson.
Thank You CardsWe have received thank you cards from Glenn and Mariann
Willcut and Evelyn Wyatt, and a thank you note from Jeanelle, Amanda & Ethan Thrower. These will be posted on the bulletin board.
Hither,Thither and YonKenny & Reba French will be traveling to Arkansas for
their granddaughter’s graduation and be returning May 23rd. Please keep them, and any others who may be traveling in your prayers.
May
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