Shelby County Today

March 1, 2024 - According to the teachings of Jesus, every person is going through one of two gates. Either they are choosing to enter the narrow gate and the narrow way or they are choosing the broad way which leads through the broad gate.

Of course, these two ideas represent two ways of life. One represents the way of good while the other represents the way of evil. The thought taught by Jesus in Matthew 7 is that more people will follow the easy, popular way of life than the one prescribed in the scriptures.

This teaching is harmonious with another of the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 22:14. Here he says, “For many shall be called, but few chosen.” That indicates that there will be only a few people comparatively speaking, interested in the Lord’s way enough to follow it and be saved. Jesus puts it this way, “Enter ye in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Jesus is warning folds to be careful how they live. Many people, thinking they are on the narrow path, might be surprised to find themselves on the broad way. Jesus wants everyone to be saved, but He must have their cooperation in living His kind of life, and living it His way. Are you living for Jesus, and living life His way?

It’s something to think about... tbp

Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com.

February 26, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Monday, February 26.

One of the regular features of our Sunday morning worship service here at First Baptist Center is the Children's Sermon. It's always a joy to see the kids hurrying toward the stage to join our children's minister for their special time. And, as they come, I usually play a special song, This is the story behind that song.

Sisters Anna and Susan Warner never married, living together during the latter half of the 19th century. They supported themselves by writing novels - more than a hundred between them. In 1860, Susan had a bestseller titled "Say and Seal". There was a scene in the book where a very sick boy was visited by his Sunday School teacher. The child, as he lay dying, asked his teacher to sing a song, and the man sang these words -

Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong

The scene, of course, was fiction. There was no little boy, no Sunday School teacher. There was no song. But the publisher was so taken by the lyrics, that he approached the great gospel hymn writer, William Bradbury, to compose a tune. The new song became hugely popular all across America.

And now for the rest of the story.

When missionaries went to exotic China - missionaries like a woman named Lottie Moon - they took this little song with them. It quickly became the favorite hymn of that vast, mysterious country. Today we call this tune "China". In an interesting side note, Bradbury's melody uses the pentatonic scale, just five notes. Most of our music today uses a seven-note scale (Do-Re-Mi). The pentatonic scale is seen mainly in folk songs and in blues music. Oh, and by the way, it's the foundation for the music... of China. Written by an American composer, "Jesus Loves Me" must have seemed, to the children of China, like it was written just for them. And, of course, it was. God works in mysterious ways!

Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org

“They that come to the Lord must believe that He is......” Hebrew 11:6

February 19, 2024 - When I was in the eighth grade, the Curtis Publishing Company came to our school to get the students to sell popular magazines for them. (Saturday Evening Post, Reader’s Digest, etc.). And we could win special prizes if we sold enough subscriptions.

I knocked at Mrs. Munnerlyn’s door and said, “You don’t want to buy any magazines, do you?” “Come in, Henry,” she smiled. “I need to talk to you.” She stood me over a hot heater grate in the floor and gave me one more pep talk. “You’ll never sell anything with that negative approach. To be a good salesman, you’ve got to believe in what you sell.”

Hey, I took her advice and became the number one seller in our class. I won a brand new Schaeffer fountain pen!

One reason some church members never sell anyone on Jesus is because they don’t act like they believe in Him…

… and some of them probably don’t!

February 15, 2024 - I read an interesting story the other day related by William Barclay. It seems a minister accepted a position with a new congregation. He was warned by those who knew this congregation that it was a dead church and he would be better served not to go there. Nevertheless, he accepted the position and soon discovered that the church was indeed dead.

There was no planning, no labor and no amount of urging or exhortation could kindle a spark of life or waken any response. To be sure, he told the congregation they were dead and he made plans to carry out the funeral of the church.

On the day appointed for the “church’s funeral” he had a coffin brought into the building and the building was decorated with funeral sprays and other floral arrangements befitting a funeral. The building was crowded more than it had been in years. At the end of the “burial service”, as a last token of respect, the minister invited the assembled audience to file past the coffin.

As they filed past, they received a shock. The coffin was open and empty. In the bottom of the coffin was a mirror. As each individual looked into the coffin of the “dead church” they saw their own face. You see, if the church is dead spiritually, it is because we are dead spiritually. The simple fact is that we are the church. The church is people. It is its members. If a congregation is dead, it is because its members are dead.

It’s something to think about... tbp

Join Us for Worship this coming Lord’s Day at Center Church of Christ or online at www.centerchurchofchrist.com