We can imagine that on "the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6), there will be many excuses. 

Let's consider some.

"But, Lord, what about all of the good that I have done?" - - -

This sounds like Matthew 7:22 "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not done many wonderful works?" 

"God will like it because I like it" is the claim that many make. Many assume that our Heavenly Father will accept whatever they do in life simply because it pleases them. 

Note what Ephesians 4:17-18 says about this type of mindset: 

Sex Sells - Souls Suffer 
by J. Raymond Pecoraro 

We live in a time when our young people are under tremendous pressures from their peers & from the world’s multi-billion dollar advertising industry. They have so many conflicting messages from those who are either ignorant and/or don’t have an intact conscience. It matters very little as both will have the same outcome to young people.

It seems that nearly every product advertised is done through some form of sex appeal. The problem is a major one & it isn’t getting better. In fact, it is getting worse with each passing year. And to be an equal opportunity blame sharer, sex is seen on T.V., written into music, & practiced without the benefit of marriage! This practice leads to innocent children being born without much of a chance in life. When children have children the result is generally drastic! I am not even touching the hem of the garment concerning the high abortion rate which, incidentally, continues to climb yearly.

Absentee parents are too busy to properly rear their children for whatever reason. Most parents aren’t even qualified to rear children & these innocent babies become the ward of the state. Many of these pregnant teens don’t have a clue as to the identity of the biological father! This ought to make the hairs on one’s head stand on end! But, remember, many of these youngsters are practicing a “learned” behavior. They see their parents’ lack of self-control therefore the message passed on is that “if its good enough for my parents, it must be good enough for me!”

Our young people must be taught that sex isn’t the only way to “prove their love” to another person.

In Proverbs 1:10, Solomon said, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”

If anyone forces or pressures you into doing the wrong thing, you can follow Joshua in Joshua 24:15, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers which were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me & my house, we will serve the Lord.”

This wisdom can be applied to any bad situation!

Remember, doing the right thing is never, ever out of season!
And just because you are told that everyone is doing these things simply means that many people are doing the wrong things.

The blind leading the blind causes their followers to also fall into the gutter.

The prophet Moses stated, “You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.” (Exodus 23:2; Matt. 7:13, 14).

And last, but certainly not least, God has a reason for forbidding sex apart from marriage.

If someone claims that another could show their love by engaging in premarital sex, just turn the table on them by telling them if they loved you, they wouldn’t place you in that predicament! (I Cor. 9:27).

God made provisions for a healthy sexual release. He made male & female. (Gen. 1:26, 27). And since He didn’t want man to live alone, He created a help-meet for him. Therefore, He instituted marriage between a male & a female, both consenting, mature adults, eligible to enter into such a serious contract! This was designed to bring about sexual release, create children, and to keep one’s soul unspotted from the world.

He did not ordain the dating scene to be anyone’s sexual playground! (Gen. 2:24; Prov. 5:15-18; I Cor. 7:1-5; Heb. 13:4).

When God’s authority is upheld, one’s soul will not be jeopardized for all eternity!

Here is a list of problems that would be prevented, if we would only listen to Him:
1. Prevention of diseases caused by having sex with multiple partners.
2. Prevention of problems associated with birth control in the woman.
3. Prevention of having to put up their babies for adoption. (Statistics prove this comes back later to haunt mothers who did this).
4. Prevention of violating their conscience, exploitation of another, & other problems associated with this.
5. Prevention of losing control over one’s own body, hence one’s life by allowing another to control you.
6. Prevention from losing your self-respect … once it is gone, it is very difficult to get it back.
7. Prevention to live your life as a teenager. This changes when babies enter the equation.
8. Prevention of having to lie to the one you want to spent the rest of your life with in marriage.

If you are in a situation, please take it to God.

Hell isn’t worth the value of your soul!

God loves you and He didn’t send His beloved Son to earth to die for you, only to have done so in vain!

You are precious & important to Him.
He created you in His very image.
May we all, as parents be the right influence for our children.

Train them up in the “nurture & admonition of the Lord.”

It will definitely pay major dividends down the road.
On the other hand, if parents fail to exercise their God-given responsibilities, they will rue the day!

Slow to Speak
by J. Raymond Pecoraro, Wooddale Church of Christ


John Wayne, affectionately known by his friends as “The Duke” was a famous actor & film icon. He was considered “All American.” He is credited with saying the following statement, “Talk low, talk slow, & don’t say too much.” 

This is great advice unless we are fast talkers who speak loudly & don’t know when to stop talking before we say too much! 

The Bible has much to say about controlling our speech. In fact, controlling our tongue would go a long way in dealing with anger. 

In James 1:19, 20, we read, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” The wise man Solomon said, “A soft answer turns away wrath.” (Proverbs 15:1).

In Judges 8:1-3, we read, “And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb & Zeeb: And what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.” 

Gedeon gave a soft answer during a verbal conflict with some of his fellow men. 
They criticized Gedeon because they felt left out of the main part of the battle against the Midianites! 
Gedeon could have laid into them with harsh words, but instead, he reminded them that they did a greater deed than his. 
His humility & soft words avoided a huge scuffle that could have gone out of control! 
Instead, Gedeon complimented them on what they have accomplished in comparison to what he did! 
He defused what would have been a volatile situation. 

Sometimes in our dealing with our brethren, discretion is the greater part of valor! 
With the help of our Lord, we can also defuse heated situations simply by choosing our words very carefully & speaking softly & slowly. 

Christians shouldn’t be interested in winning a battle only to lose the war! 
We must learn to respond gently & carefully to angry people. 
This gives us greater opportunity to promote unity & thereby glorifying the name of our Lord!

Lord, set a guard upon my lips,
My tongue control today;
Help me evaluate each thought
And watch each word I say.

May we learn to bite our tongue before our tongue bites someone else! 
Remember, anger words cannot be undone! 
Once they leave the lips, the damage most likely is already done & feelings are hurt! 

May God grant us the wisdom to think before we speak!
 

If Jesus Couldn't, Why Do We Think We Can?
by Steve Higginbotha, 
Wooddale Church of Christ 



Expectations have much to do with our contentment. 

Those who place unrealistic expectations upon themselves are generally discouraged, and feel as though they are a failure. 

I’m convinced that if people had proper expectations, they would not be so soon moved to discouragement, depression, and despair. 

An obvious step to “reeling in” our expectations is to understand the fact that “if Jesus couldn’t do something, we need to stop believing we can.

Consider:

Jesus couldn’t make his own family believe that he was the Son of God (John 7:1-6), so why then do we beat ourselves up for sometimes failing to do the same?

Jesus couldn’t avoid sadness and sorrow (Isaiah 53:5), so why do we sometimes act as though we expect life to be a bed of roses?

Jesus couldn’t go without rest (Mark 6:31), so why do we feel guilty if we aren’t on the go 24/7?

Jesus couldn’t avoid making enemies (John 15:18), so why are we so surprised when people hate us for our faith?

Jesus couldn’t cause all men to repent (Matthew 23:37), so let’s be content with our best efforts. We can’t obey for others.

Jesus couldn’t even forgive all men of their sins though he was willing (John 8:24; Luke 17:3), so why do we think we can forgive those who will not repent?

Maybe the first step to contentment is in shedding the guilt that comes from the unrealistic expectations we place upon ourselves. 

After all, if Jesus couldn’t do it, why do we think we can?

The Cross of Christ 
(Part Two)
By: J. Raymond Pecoraro, Wooddale Church of Christ

Past, Present, Future
by Tom Smith, Wooddale Church of Christ

Thy Will Be Done


by Tom Smith, Wooddale Church of Christ

(photo credit: here)by Tom Smith, Wooddale Church of Christ
This is a good, timely question. 


Many "church-goers" today do not even consider the rightness or wrongness of their religion. They belong to a particular church because such is convenient or they simply "like it." 


Not many are looking for a "scriptural church" today. 
They want a church to satisfy their own desires. 


Many of the current denominations do not even claim to go by the scriptures. In fact, they advertise their modernism and "any-thing-goism." 
They believe churches which do submit to Jesus authority are "out-of-date" and legalistic. 


Notwithstanding Jesus church submits to his headship (Eph. 1: 22,23, Matt. 28:18). 
This means the right church does what the scriptures teach (2 Jn. 9-11). 
She is designed by a scriptural designation (Rom. 16: 16), teaches the true plan of salvation (Jn. 8:24, Acts 17:31, Rom. 10:10, Acts 2:38), and worships God in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24).


I kindly challenge you to take God’s word and find the right church. 


You can easily eliminate modernistic, liberal, selfish churches and clearly establish the identity of the Lord’s church, by using God’s word. 
Be a member of the Lord’s house and not Man’s (Heb. 3:1-6). 
Enjoy answered prayer, the cleaning of Jesus blood, and heaven for an eternity (I Jn. 3:22, 5:11). 


Remember, "Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up" (Matt. 15:13). 
Jesus said this regarding false religions (Matt. 15: 1-14). 
Come out of Babylon (false religion) and bask in God’s truth which will make you free (Rev. 18:3,4, Jun. 8:32).


Jesus built his church (Matt. 16:16, Acts 2:47). 
He built only one (not denominations, teaching different doctrines, Eph. 4:4-6, 1:22,23).
Jesus shed his blood for his church (Acts 20:28). 
Hence, it behooves us to be part of Jesus church, the right church.


The scriptural church had its beginning in Acts 2, A.D. 30, on the first Pentecost after Jesus resurrection. 


It was to this church the Lord added the saved (Acts 2:47, 5:14).
Local churches (congregations), in New Testament days, were governmentally independent one of another. Each local congregation, ideally, possessed its own elders (Acts 14:23). 
These elders only had oversight in the local congregation where they served (I Pet. 5:1-2). In other words, there was no denominational structure. 
These local churches believed and taught the same thing (I Cor. 1:10). 
This is because there was only one faith, the doctrine of Christ (new Testament, Eph. 4:4; 2 Jn. 9). 
They taught a plan of salvation for the alien consisting of faith, repentance, confession and baptism for remission of sin (Jn. 8:24; Acts 17:30; Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 2:38). 
The overseers or elders, to whom we have referred (always a plurality), met certain qualifications found in I Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. 
The early church guarded the purity of the truth, not fellowshipping those who taught error (Eph. 5:10,11; 2 Jn. 9-11). 
The Lord’s church withdrew from members who did not live right (2 Thes. 3:6). 
Early churches did not wear human names (see Romans 16:16).


One can employ the process of elimination to simplify the search for the scriptural church. 


There are churches today which are scriptural, but you must "seek" (Matt. 7:7,8; Jn. 7:17).
The true church has a spiritual mission and is genuinely interested in assisting you in spiritual matters (I Tim. 3:15). 


Why not find the church today which corresponds to the First Century church?

[ Notes taken from the sermon preached 
by Bro. Richard Washington ]


The text was taken from Mark 4:13-20:


¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”


There are four types of hearts:
Rejectful Heart
Retractful Heart
Restricted Heart
and
Reproductive Heart

• Rejectful Heart: word of God went on it but didn't go in it (v. 15)
• II Corinthians 4:3-4 -> ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• I Corinthians 4:6 -> ⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
• 
  
• Retractful Heart: obeyed the word and then turned their back on God (v. 16 & 17)
• II Peter 2:20-22 -> ²⁰ If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. ²¹ It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. ²² Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”^[a] and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
• Restricted Heart: word of God went on it, in it, down, but didn't come back up (v. 18 & 19)
• Luke 10:38-40 -> ³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
• We have to be careful not to get caught up in what we have or it will have us. We can't allow duties, dollars and evil desires to stop us from being and becoming who God wants us to be.
• Reproductive Heart: word fell on good ground; went on, in, down and came up (v. 20)

"I'm not ashamed of the Gospel"
By: Tom Smith, Wooddale Church of Christ