From The Minister s Pen. Let Us Begin With Prayer

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1 Bulletin #1415 June 12, 2016 From The Minister s Pen Let Us Begin With Prayer he expression, Let us begin with prayer, has been heard many times. It s good T and right that as God s children, we recognize our need for Him and accordingly approach His throne. Consider, however, applications of the thought: Let us begin with prayer. Let Us Begin the Day With Prayer In so doing, beginning the day with prayer follows the example of Jesus Christ. Mark 1:35 reads: And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. As the song states: Ere you left your room this morning did you think to pray. Let Us Begin Our Decisions with Prayer This is what our Lord did before selecting His twelve apostles (Luke 6:12-16). The Bible states: And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12). The Son of God Himself needed to approach the Father s throne, and He is much greater than we are. This is an example for us all! Recall how that Joshua and the men of Israel were beguiled by the Gibeonites (Jos. 9:1-27). Why? They asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord (9:14). Do we seek the Lord s counsel by Bible study and prayer unto Him? By prayerfully following God s Word, we will receive His wise counsel. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psa. 119:105). Let Us Begin Our Family with Prayer The godly woman Hannah is a great example of this principle. She promised God that if He would give her a man child, that she would give him unto the Lord all the days of his life: And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head (1 Sam. 1:11). God granted her request and she bore Samuel, who would become one of the greatest characters of all time. There are other matters pertaining to the family for which one should pray, such as the choice of a godly mate, the bringing up of children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, strength and wisdom, and setting spiritual priorities which result in choices producing the greatest spiritual benefit. Let Us Begin a Great Work with Prayer Nehemiah is one who saw the need for a great work and immediately began to pray about it: And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed

2 before the God of heaven, And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father s house have sinned (Neh. 1:4-11). King Artaxerxes of Persia, granted Nehemiah his cupbearer the request of going back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and even supplied the materials for it. Accordingly, Nehemiah gives God the glory: And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me (Neh. 2:8). Later, in order to hinder the work of rebuilding, the enemies of God s people sought to entice Nehemiah to compromise, but he refused, saying: I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? (Neh. 6:3). Moreover, when they brought slander against Nehemiah and attempted to make the Jews afraid, what did Nehemiah do? He prayed unto God: Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands (Neh. 6:9). This, plus the fact that the people had a mind to work, resulted in the completion of the reconstruction (Neh. 4:6; 6:15). Let Us Be in a Position to Pray In order for our prayers to avail much, we must be righteous people, and we must pray fervently. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (Jam. 5:16). The privilege of prayer is a great motivation to do the right and to shun the wrong: For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil (1 Pet. 3:12). Page 2 Accepting Christ Is Accepting the Word of Christ Only those who accepted the teachings of Christ while He was here in person accepted Christ. Likewise, all who come to Christ today must do so by the teachings and instructions by Him given. Christ draws all men through teaching (John 6:44-45). When the apostles went out to preach the great commission, they were thereby preaching Christ. This was the burden of all their discourses. The prophet said, All thy children shall be taught of the Lord (Isa. 54:13). Therefore, all who have been properly taught through the living oracles concerning Jesus of Nazareth, and have obeyed those words have come to Him. Christianity has never changed. Its laws and ordinances are still the same as they were in the first century. It is ridiculous, absurd, and sectarian to talk to people about coming to Christ, and leave the impression that they can do so without doing what Jesus taught. To deny that baptism is a part of the grace of God is to deny the Bible. If baptism does not belong to the grace of God, it belongs to the grace of the devil. If you have been baptized, your baptism is either of the grace of God or the grace of the devil. The book of Acts was written to illustrate the laws of the kingdom of God and particularly those that relate to primary obedience. Such examples as the conversion of Saul and the eunuch (Acts 22:16; 8:35-39) make the way of obedience so plain that no one but the most prejudiced can fail to understand what to do to be saved. It should be our custom today to preach and teach with the same vigor and force that was characteristic of pioneer preachers of previous generations. Human nature has not changed and it will ever remain the same. The needs of man are the same and the answer to those needs were revealed in the Word of God 2,000 years ago. As it did for the eunuch and Paul, the blood of Christ still cleanses hearers today who believe in Christ (John 8:24), repent of their sins (Luke 13:3), confess that faith (Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:10), and are baptized into Christ for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).

3 Bulletin #1415 June 12, 2016 Church News and Views 72 nd ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Sound Doctrine Class THE DEVIL IS AFTER THE MAN! Last week in the Sound Doctrine class, Dr. Washington lifted his booming voice, "In this century before us we need more Men to be Men!!! He then asked, "What's that, what is a Man? He then launched, from 1 Corinthians 16:13, an indepth Biblical and psychosocial study of the species called MAN! All men who are not enrolled in the existing Men s Sunday morning class are asked to attend these lectures. Our 72 nd Homecoming celebration this year is the "THE YEAR OF THE THROWBACK". Members will not be asked to purchase a new tee shirt this year. All members are asked to wear the oldest tee shirt in your closet!!! The person with the OLDEST tee shirt will receive a prize of $50.00!!! Come wearing your "throwback" for our 72 nd Homecoming!!! Stop by the Homecoming table in the front lobby today for more information!! Tranett E. Perkins (Baptized: June 5, 2016) JOIN US!! Every member... every visitor make plans to participate in our 72 nd anniversary celebration!! Celebrate and praise God for His blessings upon this congregation during all 72 years of our existence. Celebrate the blessings that you, your family, and the South Florida community have received through this congregation! Make plans to participate in each of our celebratory events. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Gospel Meeting July 12 th July 14 th Samuell Pounds, Guest Evangelist Health Fair Family Day July 16 th Homecoming Sunday High Attendance Day July 17 th

4 The Wednesday PM youth class will sponsor an appreciation meal for all FATHERS, GRANDFATHERS and GREAT-GRANDFATHERS in our congregation on next Sunday. The dinner will be held in the Fellowship Hall immediately following the morning worship service. Men! Please plan to attend this special tribute to you! Page 4 This Week s Happenings At A Glance Bible Study (5:00PM)... TODAY Sick Ministry (7:00PM)... June 13 Midweek Bible Study (7:30PM)... June 15 Home Economics Class (9:00AM)... June 18 Below is a partial list of the vendors participating in our 2016 Health Fair. Additional vendors will be announced. Plan to attend!! Fla. Dept. of Health (HIV rapid test mobile unit) One Blood (blood donations) Mammovan - (Memorial Health System) Jeanne Cedeno M.D. of The Family Doc (Education on nutrition and health, and weight loss) YouFit (Body Mass Index Measurements and other screenings by personal trainers) MCNA Dental - (Dental health & insurance information) Broward Health (Blood pressure and glucose test screenings) Mary Kay (Skin Care Specialist) Florida Dept. of Health (Breast and Cervical Health Educator) Broward Sheriff s Office (Neighborhood crime prevention, vehicle display unit) Senior Medicare Patrol (Insurance and Medicare information) Lou Franz Distributors (Products for pain relief) Florida Barber Academy (Free hair cuts for children!) Rehoboth Pharmacy / Pinnacle Insurance Florida Blue / Voter Registration / Humana Transamerica Life Insurance Lord, He Whom Thou Lovest Is Sick (John 11:3) Shut-In: Charles Davis, Camille Ewers, Paul Frances, Martha Moore, Ermine Mullins, Joyce Parrish, Marion Williams, Lillie Jackson Prayer Requests: Bobby Ace, Ethel Bess, Laura Blidge, Louise Bowman, Richard Brazil, Raf Campbell, Charlie Crawford, Arnetta Cross, Ron Cullingford, Brooklyn Delancy, Aletha Denmark, Felisha Downer, Donna Eacho, Sharon Eason, Nelzene Edwards, Loerine Ellis, Bessie Everitt, Hanley Freeman, Dudley Hill, Joe Holland, Vernon Holland, Arbie Humphrey, Lois Hutchison, Jacquelyn Irvin, Veanna Irvin, Willie Jewel Jacobs, Becky Johnson, Gloria Johnson, Annie Lee, Kevin Larkins, Nancy Logan, Suzanna Middleton, Sharon Monroe, Willie Mae Morris, Jennifer Neita, Jimmy Newson, Rosie Newson, Dianjalo Parrish, Donald Perdue, Johnny Richardson, Shay Roache, Akiko Robinson, Shirley Seays, Richard & Jean Sherman, Maxine Smith, Yvonne Stokes, Linda Stokes, Brandi Stroman, Alexander (Joe) Sutton, Ernest & Mae Thomas, Samantha Tobias, Rolinne Trompe, Roosevelt Tukes, Lewis & Jean Truttling, Johnnie P. Walker, Johnny Walker, Lillie Walker, Lucille Walker, Michael Ward, Ray Watson, Joshua Webb, Marie Webb, Ranspord Webley, Annie Williams, Betty Williams, Charles Williams, Jackie Williams

5 Bulletin #1415 June 12, 2016 We Come Into This House To Worship Him (John 4:24) Month of JUNE MORNING Announcements EVENING Prayer Willie Hamilton Henry Brown, Sr. Scripture (Reading Raymond Thompson Raymond Thompson Sermons Call To Obedience Counselors: K. Hutchison / J. West C. Jean / W. Hamilton Confessions /Prayer Petitions Keith Hutchison (Officiating) Offering (1 Cor. 16:1,2) Lord s Supper (Acts 20:7) AM Officiating: Keith Hutchison / Raymond Thompson (1) Left, J. Franklin (2) Left, J. Thomas (3) Left, T. Harris (4) Left, E. Holcombe (1) Right, B. Byrd (2) Right, L. Frazier (3) Right, C. Jean (4) Right, D. Edwards Alternate: G. Barbee Song Leader Song Keith Hutchison (Officiating) PM Officiating: Keith Hutchison / Raymond Thompson E. Thompson M. Hughes J. Franklin E. Holcombe C. Jean T. Harris Alternates: D. Stokes; J. Thomas Ministerial Announcements Doxology Dismissal Worship and Praise Leaders Keith Hutchison, Ushers Head Ushers: Tony Hugley, Booker Bess Auditorium: Bros. T. Hugley, B. Bess, F. Williams, D. Adams, E. Thompson, R. Johnson, J. Outler, M. Jeanty, D. Gray, S. Wilson, D. Freeman, R. Rouse, C. Rouse Lobby: I. Johnson, H. Penn Hospitality Desk / Concierge Alice George, Sharon Evans Back Hall: D. Brooks, J. West

6 Page 6 Bible School Attendance Report FROM: The Education Department June 5, 2016 CLASS ATTENDANCE COLLECTION GOAL NUMBER GOAL AMOUNT Church Nursery 4 Nursery Class(2 & 3) 10 3 $ $ Kindergarten (4 & 5) Grades 1 and Grades 3 and Grades 5 and Grades 7 and Grades 9 & Grades 11 & * Ladies Class Men s Class Sound Doctrine Class 80 81* * #1 CLASSES OF THE WEEK ATTENDANCE ADULT: Sound Doctrine YOUTH: Grades 11 & 12 COLLECTION ADULT: Sound Doctrine YOUTH: Grades 7 & 8 *GOAL MET Total: 199 $ SERMON NOTES The Record Speaks GOAL ACTUAL 6/05/16 Wednesday PM Bible Study Bible School Worship Baptisms (2016) Placed Membership 2 Visitors 4