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Two Special Brothers

At the Duluth Church of Christ this coming Sunday morning, Thomas Reid will be speaking to us about two brothers in Christ who were very special to the apostle Paul: Timothy and Epaphroditus. As we look at the characters of these two special men, we can learn how we can model our character after them.

The following songs are from the book Praise for the Lord.

Seek Ye First – 883

The words to this song come straight from Jesus’ mouth, quoted from Matthew 6 and 7. And although you might not think of this as a song of praise, notice that each phrase ends with the word “Alleluia,” a Hebrew interjection meaning “Praise the Lord!” As we think about the providence of God, we can praise Him for taking care of us as we seek His kingdom first, just as Timothy did: “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.”聽 (Philippians 2:21 NKJV)

God’s Family – 855

This spiritual song was written in the 1970s, shortly after “Seek Ye First,” and paints a beautiful picture of what Christians should be as children of God. Paul may not have been married, but he knew his true family was his brothers and sisters in Christ. “When a brother meets sorrow, we all feel his grief.” This is how the Christians in Philippi felt when they heard that Epaphroditus was sick: “he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.” (Philippians 2:26 NKJV) In the same way, Paul knew they would rejoice to see him again. As children of God, we are family, and we should act like it!

There’s a Royal Banner – 671

Before the sermon, we will sing this rousing spiritual song from the 1880s that encourages us to serve as “soldiers of the king.” One of the descriptions Paul gives Epaphroditus is “my fellow soldier” (Philippians 2:25), and when we realize that being a Christian means being at war, and that it is a matter of life and death, things suddenly become more serious! As a soldier of Christ, Epaphroditus understood this, and almost died as a result of his service to God (Philippians 2:30). We should follow his example and “For Christ count everything as loss.”

Come Unto Me (O Heart Bowed Down With Sorrow) – 107

We will sing this song after the sermon to invite those who are burdened with the sin and troubles of the world to come to Christ and make their life right. This song emphasizes what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, that the way of salvation is so much easier than the life of sin. “His peace is like a river, His love is like a song…”

Oft We Come Together – 511

As we begin turning our minds towards the Lord’s Supper, we will sing this beautiful spiritual song by brother Tillit S. Teddlie. Notice the first line: “Oft we come together, oft we sing and pray.” This should be true for all Christians, but sadly, for some it might be more accurate to say “Sometimes we come together, every now and then we sing and pray.” Let us be more devoted to worshiping our God and being with the saints every time the door is open!

God Will Take Care of You – 191

Before the closing prayer, we will return to the thought introduced by the first hymn, that God will take care of us if we seek Him first. And although not specified in this song, one of the ways that God takes care of us is through other Christians like Timothy and Epaphroditus. As we go through life, let us always “beneath His wings of love abide.”

Who Are You Going to Call First?

forebodingcastle

Everything seemed to be going according to plan. We had finished worshiping with the church in Dublin, caught the city tram, taken the train down to Cork and made it to the airport in good time. By this time my sister and I fancied ourselves old pros at flying, and as we found our gate and heard people around us talking in Spanish, I was daydreaming about how nice it would be to arrive in Spain. Ah, the sunny homeland of my second language—I couldn’t wait to get there! And yet as we stood in line to board the plane, I was suddenly brought back to reality.

“I can’t let you on” the stewardess said, after looking at our boarding passes. We were incredulous. Whatever had we done wrong? “You didn’t get your passports checked, so I can’t let you on the flight.” We frantically asked if there was time to run back and do that before the flight left, but there was no way—by that time the Ryanair plane would be well on its way, aiming to land ahead of schedule amid classical music and applause by the jostled passengers.聽 Read More

It’s All About Love

When I was younger, I was embarrassed by love. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my parents and they loved me more than I knew, but whenever it came to romance, love songs, and even the word “love,” I would have nothing to do with it. I can’t say entirely why–my parents made sure I knew that at my age I had no business getting into romantic relationships, and the time when I could was so far ahead I couldn’t even imagine it. But looking back, it seems rather silly, because now I realize that love is the main purpose of my life. I may not be married or have a girlfriend, but the more I think about it, love is behind most of what I do, or at least it should be.

Why do I go to Truth For The World every day and work? Because I love the people in the world who are lost and need the gospel. Why do put in hours of study to prepare sermons and Bible classes? Because I love my Christian family and want to give them something they can learn from. Why do I take time to pick out songs and lead them in the worship assembly? Because I love the Lord and His people, and want to help us all worship Him in one mind as one body.
Read More

Laundry Room Evangelism

I had noticed him reading his newspaper when I brought my clothes to put in the washer, but being the introvert that I am, I hadn’t spoken to the middle-aged Mexican gentleman. To my surprise, when I came back to move my clothes to the dryer, he spoke to me.

“Are your clothes still in there?” he asked me in Spanish. I replied that they were, ready for drying, and then he said “So you speak Spanish?” I told him yes, and from there a (mostly one sided) conversation started, in which he asked me if I go to church, asked me about my job, lamented his lack of ability in English, talked about his daughter in Mexico who has been studying nursing, and told me about three manifestations of the Holy Spirit that he said he had had. I listened politely with interest, and after telling all that in detail, he said “My faith used to be really strong after all that–now it’s not so much any more. My wife has been sick for twelve years, and as much as I pray to God, he hasn’t answered me.” I told him how for us humans, our perspective is so small, but God is in control, and in His omniscience He knows what he’s doing. We mustn’t lose faith in Him when things don’t go the way we think they should. Read More

Hymn of the Week – Shout for Joy

My own recording of “Shout for Joy” (MP3)

I don’t know who composed the music for this rendition of Psalm 100, but it’s beautiful. I only have the music in my head, so I thought I would make a recording of it this afternoon for anyone who would like to learn it. The second echoing voice would be sung by the ladies. Praise the Lord!

Know that the Lord is God;
it is He who has made us,
and we are His.
We are His people,
the sheep of His pasture,
and we are His.

Shout for joy!
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Shout for joy!
Come before Him with joyful song!

Enter His gates with thanks,
and His courts with praise,
for we are His.
Give thanks unto Him,
and bless His holy name,
for we are His.

For the Lord is good,
His love endures forever,
and we are His.
And His faithfulness
lasts to all generations,
and we are His.