The Encourager. January 21, Sunday Service s Bible class 10:00 am Worship 11:00 am Afternoon 2:00 pm. Tuesday Ladies Class 11:00 am

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1 The Encourager Church of Christ 140 West 15th Street Front Royal Virginia FrontRoyalChurchofChrist.com SimpleBibleLessons.com We Welcome Our Guest! We are so glad you ve come for worship today! Our prayer is you will be blessed by your time with us. Please feel free to ask us any questions you may have concerning our worship. January 21, 2018 Sunday Service s Bible class 10:00 am Worship 11:00 am Afternoon 2:00 pm Tuesday Ladies Class 11:00 am Wednesday Service 7:00 pm Personal Bible Study SimpleBibleLessons.com Online Correspondence In Home RSW Jail Ministry Correspondence 2nd & 4th In House Food Pantry By Appointment Minister John Stephen Smith ministerfrcoc@gmail.com

2 5 GREAT DUTIES OF CHRISTIANS am Sermon Title Speaker Date Scriptures Used : Sermon Points _ Notes _ FACES AND CAUSES OF UNBELIEF pm Sermon Title Speaker Date Scriptures Used : Sermon Points _ Notes _

3 In Need of Our Prayers & Our Benevolence Liddy Brewer, (Jane s niece) for a good test report. Scott McCool, WMH Rm 207a RSW Jail Ministry Our nation and lawmakers The Lord s church here. The Lord s church worldwide. Military men and women First Responders Our missionaries Our Homebound Larry & Audrey Herring John Woodall Nancy Barnes Julia Souders Cancer Diagnosis Blaine Tewalt Ryan Denharat Sandy Holzhauser Vita Torres Viola Menefee Nancy Barnes Jeff Pingley Betty Martin Wendy Willoughby Elaine Appleton Robert Jenkins Ongoing Concerns Bobby Jo Henderson Pop Funk Kenny Henderson Jr. Ruth Martin Ruth Brooks Sharon Jenkins Gloria Van Arsdall Carson Van Arsdall Jamie Shell Linda York Tim Gunter Marty Jones Jamie James John Taylor Gary May Ron Parks Irene Alger Lisa Settle Scott McCool Jaden Turner Kim Wines Remi Wines Debbie Martin Linda Sullivan Doris & Donald Jones Doug Ritenour Carol Ritenour Names On This Page Will Periodically be removed. Please Keep Tenia Informed as to there Condition & or Status Winter Blues! Try some of these ideas that may help. Try a craft to your liking, sewing, cooking, etc. Read a new book that is outside of your reading genre. Send cards, letters or a note to a shut-in, or someone on your prayer list. Love to do puzzles? From jigsaw to crosswords, is a great way too spend some time. Old board games, have family or friends over for game night. Lots of ways to chase the blues away. As always Bible time and study is always a blue s chaser.

4 The Cracked Acorn Self January 21, 2018 c.r. van arsdall It was in the summer of 1849 that Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman was standing on the wrong place at the wrong time. A dynamite blast went off and sent a tamping iron through the air. It passed through Gage's head, and he survived. Before the accident he was an efficient worker and shrewd businessman. The accident changed him and made him a profane person, with little regard for others. He also could not make plans for the future. His friends remarked he had become "the other Gage." This and other incidents have prompted research into what is our "self." Scientists are searching to explain the complex cohesive neural process which explains why we are happy or unhappy. Children up to the age of 12 years are in the SELF learning process and tend not to be bothered by changes in routines and life in general. Adults do not react the same way once SELF has been formed. Sources note once the brain is fully formed an action has a programmed response. Like computers our thinking system is not only programmed to think & act but in the background there is also the planned response. We put a lot of time into SELF. How people can become less SELF-ish & learn to live & contribute to the lives of others is one of the wonderful traits of being human. I can t see artificial intelligence teaching selflessness. How we react to our daily lives and how flexible we are to responses from our fellowman is the key to the peace and tranquility we all seek. We all know of individuals who are still at a later time in life trying to find "SELF." They are reaching for anything that can help them feel more alive. Some need the thrill of skydiving or cliff jumping to say "Yes, this is the SELF, I have been looking for!" Whatever future studies show, the study of our SELF and how it drives our lives will continue to be interesting reading. Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying," Good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, "Do not murder, "Do not steal, "Do not bear false witness, "Honor your father and your mother.'" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth. "So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor,and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich. Luke 18:18-23 Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, All His wonderful passion and purity. May His Spirit divine all my being refine Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. When your burden is heavy and hard to bear When your neighbors refuse all your load to share When you're feeling so blue, Don't know just what to do Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you. When somebody has been so unkind to you, Some word spoken that pierces you through and through. Think how He was beguiled, spat upon and reviled, Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you From the dawn of the morning till close of day, In example in deeds and in all you say,

5 Serving Today Mike McCool Art Candenquist Rex Callaway Bob Baleskie Song Service Peter Diaz Wilson Diaz Scripture Reading Art Candenquist Mark Your Calendar s & Check Bulletin Boards Men s and Ladies Meetings today from 1:00 to 2:00, after Fellowship meal. Sweetheart Dinner Sign-Up Sheet on front Bulletin Board. Larry Herring 9 Reagan Anderson 9 Jane McCool 16 Eddie Benfit 17, David Born 22, Joel Jones 23 Emma Diaz 30 Bill & Linda Adams 13 This dinner is for all guys and gals! Cost is $14.00 per plate. This is a prepaid dinner, please give your money to Jane McCool. The ladies that prepare the food for us requested that they know how many are coming by January 31st. Please don t forget to turn off or put on vibrate your cell phones before entering the worship service. Midweek Bible Study? Is this a practice that is worthy of going too? Does your Christian walk benefit from attending this service? The answer to both questions should be yes, anytime saints gather together to hear a message from the Bible and study to show ourselves approved is worthy and beneficial. Ramen Noodles Spaghetti Dry Cereals Relay for Life: Collecting aluminum cans. Place in blue tote in main foyer.

6 Babel: More Historical Confirmation of the Bible The Bible possesses the attributes of divine inspiration with sufficient internal evidence to establish its divine origin. Hence, when it relates a historical incident that occurred thousands of years ago, one would naturally expect that such an incident might well be noted in other historical accounts from antiquity. Of course, one would not expect all, or even many, of the details to match exactly for at least two reasons: (1) the oral transmission of history is inevitably subject to human frailty, including both accuracy of memory and temptation to embellish, and (2) false religion has the tendency to distort and recast history in order to suit its own purposes and achieve its own agenda. An excellent example of these tendencies is seen in the multiplicity of, and variety in, the multitude of accounts of the great Flood of Noah s day. 1 Though they differ widely from culture to culture, country to country, and century to century, nevertheless, they share substantial agreement in too many significant features not to have arisen from the same historically factual event. Consider another great event whose historicity is set forth in Scripture as factual: Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly. They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth. So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth Genesis 11:1-9. The great Joseon (Chosun) nation was a Korean dynastic kingdom that flourished for five centuries ( ). 2 During the 17 th century, Korea was largely closed to the West and somewhat of a mystery to Europeans. But for a group of wayfaring Dutchmen on a journey to Japan, that all changed in 1653 when their ship De Spewer (The Sparrowhawk) was shipwrecked on Jeju (formerly Cheju-do) Island off the coast of South Korea. The 36 survivors were taken into custody by the local prefect and, within a year, transferred from the island to the capitol of Seoul on the mainland where they spent the next 12 years. At the end of 13 years, in September 1666, eight survivors managed to escape to Japan. One of those survivors, Hendrick Hamel, spent the ensuing year in Nagasaki writing an account of his observations and experiences in Korea, which was published in 1668 under the title Journal van de Ongeluckige Voyage van t Jacht de Sperwer. In what was essentially the first Western account, Hamel provided the world with a firsthand description of Korean society and culture. Only recently was his account translated accurately by a Dutchman based on the original manuscript. 3 Apart from his fascinating assessment of Korean life in the 17 th century, Hamel provides a portrait of religious life, including the customs and practices of Confucianism. At one point in his narrative, he makes a passing remark concerning the beliefs held by the Confucian monks: Many monks believe that long ago all people spoke the same language, but when people built a tower in order to climb into heaven the whole world changed. 4 Keep in mind that Hamel encountered the monks belief circa No one knows for how long this belief was part of the religious traditions of Korea. Hamel claims that many of the monks believed the matter, and that the event occurred long ago. Observe that the belief of the non-christian monks regarding the Tower of Babel contained four salient points that explicitly and directly connect with the biblical account: 1. The entire world s population spoke a single language; 2. The people constructed a tower; 3. Their stated goal was to climb into heaven; 4. Their efforts affected the entire world. All four of these features are included in the biblical record found in Genesis 11: 1. [T]he whole earth had one language and one speech (vs. 1). 2. Come, let us build ourselves a city, & a tower (vs. 4). 3. a tower whose top will reach into heaven (vs. 4, NASB). 4. So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city (vs. 8). Christianity and the Bible have nothing to fear from the unbelief, skepticism, and hostility of infidelity. The more information surfaces from history and nature, the more the Bible is confirmed in its uncanny accuracy and supernatural endowment. 5 by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

7 BSGFAA 1 Kings 20 Lesson 182 Ahab Warred with Syria ELIJAH Bible Quiz: 1. What feast did the children of Israel eat after crossing the Jordan River into Canaan? Joshua 5:10 2. When did God quit feeding the children of Israel with manna? Joshua 5: Why did God allow Abijam to rule over Judah even though he was sinful? 1 Kings 15: After telling Ahab of the drought, why did Elijah hide? 1 Kings 17: While Elijah was hiding from Ahab, what did he eat? Drink? 1 Kings 17:4,6 6. Elijah told Ahab that there would be a drought. How long did drought last? 1 Kings 18:1 7. What did Elijah warn Ahab to do because of the approaching heavy rain? 1 Kings 18:44 8. When Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah for slaying the 450 prophets of Baal, what did Elijah do? 1 Kings 19: Elijah told God that (a) he alone, (b) he and his servant, he and his family, or (d) only the tribe of Gad had not forsaken God s covenant. 1 Kings 19:14 Additional Scriptures: God is everywhere Psalm 139: Yes or no, did the Syrian troops attack Ahab first? 1 Kings 20:14 2. What were the Syrians doing in their temporary shelters when Ahab attacked? 1 Kings 20:12, Yes or no, was Ben-hadad, king of Syria, killed in battle with Ahab? 1 Kings 20:20 4. Why did the Syrians want to fight Israel on the plain rather than in the mountains? 1 Kings 20:23 5. At the turn of the year, when the Syrians returned to Ahab for battle, who had the larger number of troops? 1 Kings 20:27 6. Who guided Ahab in his battles with the Syrians? 1 Kings 20:13, 22,38 7. The prophet told Ahab that his punishment for letting the Syrian king escape would be. 1 Kings 20:42 Application: on God is the Lord of all 1 Kings 20:28

8 BSGFAA 1 Kings 21 Lesson 183 Ahab Coveted Naboth s Vineyard ELIJAH Bible Quiz: 1. Who, living in Jericho, were the Israelites instructed to destroy? Joshua 6:21 What items were they instructed to take? Joshua 6:19 2. What happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary? Describe Mary s reply. Luke 1:41, What was the widow s reply to Elijah, when he asked for bread? Describe Elijah s instructions to the widow. 1 Kings 17: Yes or no, did Jezebel destroy all the prophets of God? Explain Describe Obadia as a youth. 1 Kings 18:4, Why did Elijah tel Ahab that Ahab himself had caused the drought in Israel? 1 Kings 18:18 6. Why did Elijah beg God to let him die? 1 Kings 19:4 7. God (a) let Elijah die as e wished or (b) gave Elijah work to do? 1 Kings 19: Who guided Ahab in his battles with the Syrians? 1 Kings 20:13, 22, The prophet told Ahab that his punishment for letting the Syrian king escape would be. 1 Kings 20:42 Additional Scriptures: 1. Humility of a Christian Colossians 3:12; James 4:10 2. Ahab s death 1 Kings 22: Death of Ahab s sons and household 2 Kings 9 and Death of Jezebel 2 Kings 9: Law of Moses concerning the sale of ancestral lands Leviticus 25:14-17; Law of Moses on witnesses to condemn a person to death Numbers 15:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15; Matthew 26:60 Questions: 1. How did Ahab feel when Naboth would not sell him his vineyard by the palace? 1 Kings 21:4 2. Who told Ahab that she would get the vineyard of Naboth for Ahab? 1 Kings 21:7 3. What deceitful manner did Jezebel use to acquire Naboth s vineyard for Ahab? 1 Kings 21: Describe Ahab s death as told him by Elijah the prophet. 1 Kings 21:19, What did Elijah tell Ahab about Jezebel s death? 1 Kings 21:23 6. Who caused Ahab to be evil? 1 Kings 21:25 7. After Ahab humbled himself before God, what did God say concerning His prophecies against Ahab?1 Kings 21:29 Application: on humility 1 King 21:29