The Champions Spirit
Volume 69, Issue 1
Jan. 10, 2010
In This Issue
“...And he died...”
The statement becomes etched in your brain as you read the fifth chapter of Genesis. It is said of Adam (vs. 5); Seth (vs. 8); Enosh (vs. 11); Kenan (vs. 14); Mahalalel (vs. 17); and on and on the list goes. “...and he died.”
What’s the point?
First, there is given to us the genealogy of Adam—important in itself. But in all the “and he died” statements there are interesting things to be found.
For instance, there is Enoch. Enoch lived 365 years and walked with God—“and he was not, for God took him.” Gone! It doesn’t say, “and he died.” Enoch was the exception—gone to be with God. Gone...but not forgotten! His legacy, he “walked with God” lives on!
Then, there is Methuselah who lived 969 years! What a fine record we think, until we begin to calculate the number of years. Methuselah died in the year of the flood! Did he die in the flood? Perhaps. While we don’t know that for sure, we do know that while he lived a long, long life—he did not live a life that was right in the sight of God. How do we know? When God looked at the world some 120 years earlier (Gen. 6:3)—in about the 749th year of Methuselah’s life—every intent of the thoughts of men’s hearts was only evil continually (6:5). That included Methuselah for only Noah (and his family) was found to be righteous (Gen. 6: 8-7:1). Methuselah lived a long life—not a godly one.
So...what do we learn?
We learn that death is the rule of thumb! We learn to watch how we live! We learn that the important thing is not the number of years we live, but the way we live those years! We can learn a great deal—all from a chapter chock full of the statement, “and he died.”
—Larry Keele
FAMILY MATTERS...
Every guest is welcome to the services of the church of Christ in Champions! If you are visiting, we pray that we will all be blessed as we spend time together in the presence of our God.
As it has been a couple of weeks since our last bulletin, we want to welcome Brittany Schlesener, who was baptized into Christ by Jeremy Guerin on Dec. 20 and Sherae Wright who was baptized by her finance’ Lyndon Delk on Dec. 27.
Look at the Book has begun!
I know that the 50 chapters of Genesis might have been a challenge for some to read last week, but if you are one of the many who did, good for you! If you didn’t, it’s not too late to catch up. For next Sunday, read the book of Exodus.
I must say a word about our Look at the Book notebooks! We cannot thank those who gave of their time and effort putting this massive undertaking together! Some gave of their “New Year’s Eve” night to help assemble them. It was a sight to behold. While many are to be praised for their work, we want to especially thank Kim Johnston for her extra hours and tireless effort in getting these notebooks out on time! Again, thanks to everyone who helped!
Mark your calendars for Feb. 6-7! Eric Lyons from Apologetics Press will bring lessons on the Reliability of the Bible. This Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon program will be outstanding. Don’t miss it.
Parting Thought: Genesis is the “book of beginnings.” What a good beginning for reading the Bible through this year! Keep up the good work!
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!
John's Jogs
“OLD TIME PREACHING’
Mack Lyon reminisced about his 70 years of preaching in the December issue of “The Search Light.” It was interesting so I want to share bits and pieces of it with you. I can’t relate my preaching to his experience but I can relate to attending some of the meetings he relates.
November 12th marked the 70th anniversary of my first attempt to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. On November 15th, L. D. McElhany and the church in Coalgate, OK, where I made that first attempt, graciously permitted me to return and try again to preach. Lois and I were blessed to meet some of the children and grandchildren of some of the people present at that first event; but we met no one who was present on November 12, 1930.
Why have I preached 70 years, and why do I keep on preaching the gospel?
- Older renowned preachers who pioneered the way were my heroes instead of music and sports stars. I admired them and still do.
- I preached because I was called of God to preach. Yes! I believe that. None of us came into the world because we chose or when we chose; but because God had need of us. I thank Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (I Tim. 1:12) and keeping me there 70 years.
- I couldn’t and still can’t keep from preaching the gospel of Christ (Jer. 20:7-9). When I preach, I am not only filling a personal need, but a need of every lost or troubled soul who came to hear me.
A lot of things have changed in my 70 years of preaching. I rode in a horse-drawn wagon to preach that Sunday night. So now I can go many many times that distance in the same time.
We used chalk boards for visual aid; now we use power-point. We had no public address system. We shouted at the top of our voices to be heard above the crying babies and the passing traffic and railroad trains. We had no air-conditioning. We opened the windows and doors and let the bugs and flies and noise come in from the streets and alley ways. We had no padded pews. We had improvised benches with no back support. We had no baptistery. We went to the rivers and creeks and farmers’ ponds where we broke the ice on the water to baptize believers.
But some things have not changed. Man’s need of the Savior is one of them. All of us have sinned. God says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?”.... They need to know the way of salvation in Christ.... Who will tell them they need to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins? (Acts 2:38). I’m told that we in the “SEARCH” program are preaching to 200,000,000 – 300,000,00 such souls every week. —Channel 55 Sunday 7:30 a.m.
—John Qualls