West-Ark Newsletter, 15 January 2004

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Family Lines Newsletter, January 15, 2004
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1 Corinthians 6:15-20 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "The two shall become one flesh." But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Paul wrote this statement to Christians living in Corinth. The majority of them (a) had idolatrous backgrounds and (b) were converted from pagan lifestyles. With those backgrounds and lifestyles, sexual immorality was sanctioned and often considered "godly." Some temples [depending on the god or goddess worshipped] maintained sacred prostitutes in order to worship that god or goddess through sexual acts.

Paul informed these Christians this was an ungodly concept. That which belongs to Christ cannot be shared with a prostitute. Their bodies belonged to God through Christ. God's Spirit lived in their bodies. They belonged to God, not to sexual immorality. They could not unite themselves with sexual immorality and continue to belong to God.

The point called to your attention: while sexual immorality could not continue, the fact that in their confusion they were [as Christians] practicing this lifestyle did not immediately, automatically remove them from Christ.

Paul made the same point to the same congregation in 1 Corinthians 8. Some Christians thought idols represented actual gods. Some Christians knew better. Some Christians thought diet made one spiritual. Some Christians knew better. The Christian objective: do not allow correct knowledge to cause the weak to fall from Christ (verse 11). Does this sanction ignorance? No! It condemns the destructive use of knowledge.

Bottom line: we do not know how far God extends mercy and grace to those in Christ. God extends mercy and grace to every one of us! In all our situations, our personal ignorance is viewed by someone else as inexcusable stupidity! We must never forget it is God's mercy and grace, and He alone determines its limits in specific situations.

On what basis does God extend mercy and grace to an ignorant Christian? He extends both on the basis of that Christian's motives. If that person is in the process of growing toward spiritual completeness and understanding, God is patient. If he/she is justifying ungodly acts in defiance of God, God holds him/her accountable and responsible for the defiance. Our motives as Christians determine if God is patient with us or insulted by us.

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The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). If we lack joy it leads us to be ineffective and bored. If we delight in the Lord's joy, persecution will be a pleasure (Matthew 5:11-12), and suffering a blessing (I Peter 4:12-14).

Joy is a state of mind and gladness of heart. We must not allow our joy to be taken from us (John 16:22). We must focus on three avenues of joy that will help us on our Christian walk. First, realize the source of our joy. Is the cause of my joy eternally sufficient? Do I turn to the one who is eternally consistent? Next, we need to know the secret of our joy. We must understand that God's Word enlarges our capacity to receive the Lord's joy. Finally, there is service of joy. Joy leads to gratitude, liberality, and praise. Do we need our joy restored (Psalm 51:12)? May the joy of the Lord make us strong!

**Lions For Christ (LFC) Upcoming Events**
* January 15th - LFC Information Day Campus Center
* January 18th - Game Day At FLC
* January 25th - Champions Meeting & Luncheon, at noon in the FLC
* January 25th - Derrick speaks at Dayton Church of Christ
* January 27th - Lion's Feast At UAFS

**LTC Practice Schedule **
January 18
* 4:00 Junior High Bible Bowl
* 5:00 Elementary Chorus
* 5:00 Junior High Drama
* 6:00 All Puppets
Pre-Convention Coaches: Your deadline is February 9th. Give you packets to Pam or Hank Watlington one week prior to the deadline.

**Old Testament Survey Class **
Beginning February 4 (in Room 203), Jerry Canfield will begin an Old Testament survey. The survey class is for adult students of all ages (especially high school, college aged and other adults). The class will run for fourteen weeks through May 5, 2004. The class will then recess until Wednesday, September 1, 2004. The class will then run for fourteen additional weeks and end on Wednesday, December 8, 2004.

The survey is divided into fourteen lessons (seven lessons will be reviewed in the first session and seven lessons in the second session). The review of each lesson will involve a first week of answering factual questions and a second week of discussion. Advance reading of the covered materials is preferred but not required. The written materials used in the class for the first seven lessons will be available at the Information Center by Wednesday, January 21, 2004.

**Peak of the Week**
(Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m., FLC)
Our journey together in Peak of the Week from January through April will be a call to prayer. Jesus' disciples wanted to learn to pray. And Jesus taught them how to pray. Jesus' model prayer (Luke 11) demonstrates an absolute trust in the power and person of our Father in Heaven.

Throughout the history of God's people, God has shown his power and faithfulness and his people have remembered these answered prayers by calling on the name of the Lord. We will share those ancient stories, as well as our own stories, as we gather to praise him and pray to him.

**Quilters Need Fabric**
Our Quilters are "busy as bees" and in need of more fabric. Fabrics needed are cotton or cotton blends (solids preferred, but will take prints). Give your fabric to one of the quilters or drop it by the office.

Each year our quilters make:
* quilts for brides and those in need;
* bags for clothing for the Children's Home;
* lap robes for nursing homes.

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**In Our Thoughts and Prayers**
* Sue George's mother, Lear Mae Moody, has been diagnosed with cancer in her liver and adrenal glands. More test results are due on Friday.
* Chase Turpin is in Sparks Hospital, room 685, with cellulitis (an infection of the skin). He will be there for a few days.
* Helen Epton (mother of Rebecca Holloway) is much improved. She has moved to Health South Rehab, Room 18B.
* Maile McDonald will enter Children's Hospital in Little Rock Monday (1/19/04) and be there for a few days. She continues with weekly chemotherapy treatments for cancer.
* Peter Michael (from Valley View C of C) is very ill with cancer.

**Bereaved**
Our love and sympathy is extended to the Dickey Family in the death of Bill's mother, Beatrice (age 97). Funeral services are Friday in Millington, TN.

**Baby Shower**
A shower honoring Paige Kimbrow is planned for Sunday, January 25th, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the home of Diane Arnold, 5004 South Cliff Drive in Fort Smith. Paige is registered at Toys 'R Us and Blessed Baby. (See announcement below.)

**New Arrival**
Congratulations to Josh and Paige Kimbrow on the birth of their son, Nathan Thomas on January 11. Nathan was a little early but is a healthy baby weighing 5 lbs., 9ozs. and is 18 ½ inches long. Mike and Kathy Bauer (formerly of West-Ark) are his happy grandparents.

**Lady Razorback Trip Planned**
A trip is planned to watch the Lady Razorbacks play on Thursday, January 22. Details are posted under "Coming Events" in the Information Center.

**Ladies' Retreat Meeting**
There will be a quick meeting this Sunday, January 18, immediately after services in the front of the auditorium to wrap up all last minute details. We will accept payment ($67.00), answer any questions, and hand out maps and schedules.
The Retreat is January 23rd and 24th.

**New Sunday Adult Class**
A new Sunday morning class on the Minor Prophets has begun in Room 206A. Kevin Roberts and Steve Breedlove are the teachers. Everyone is welcome!

**Note of Thanks**
Many thanks to Betty Hatcher for padding and recovering the old chair in the balcony used by our men who run the P.A. system. It is very appreciated!

**Videos Missing**
Quite a few of our Jule Miller videos are missing. Please check at home and return any videos to Roy Dunavin or the church office.

**Gateway Winners!**
Certificate winners for the Apostles rotation are:
2nd grade: Bethany Brown, Lauren Hankins, Kaitlyn Jones, Becca Risley, Allison Thompson, Lauren Willis.
3rd Grade: Kate Burkett, Chandler Harper, Hope Hesslen, Jacqueline Oliver, Julie Orick, Autumn Pistole.
4th Grade: Shelby Armstrong, Kathryn Willis.
5th Grade: Eric Berger, Jessica Frost, David Orick, Allison Todd.
6th Grade: Rani Abuzeide, Morgan Dunavin, John Bradley Smith, Dalton Stancil.
The Grand Prize Winner was Kathryn Willis.
Our next rotation is "The Sermon on the Mount," and the memory work is "The Beatitudes" Matt. 5:3-10 (NIV).

January 24
John Carson
Tom King
Julie Orick
Ada Ferguson is 97! You may send cards to her at Medi-Homes, Inc., 4623 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72903.

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Wow! We had a great night in Rogers this past Sunday as over 300 teens met at the Southside Church of Christ for the first of 8 Sunday Night Live Worship Services that will take place in 2004. Our guest speaker from Joplin, MO did a great job. We are thankful to Marshall Brown and the Southside congregation for hosting this event, and we look forward to our opportunity to host SNL at West-Ark in October.

Now our attention turns to two great events that are planned for later this month. First, all of our mothers and Senior High daughters are invited to the Ladies' Retreat that is planned for January 23-24.

Then, the following weekend, January 30th - February 1st, our 14th annual Winter Retreat will take place in Siloam Springs, AR. This is one of the best weekends of the year. The theme for this year is "Speak Lord, Your Servant is Listening." The opportunity for spiritual growth on a weekend like this is extremely high, and I want to encourage all of our teens to participate.

The sign-up list and information about Winter Retreat is now posted online on the youth website and upstairs on the Teen Information Board in the hallway between the main building and the FLC.

As the New Year continues to unfold, please make plans to ensure that your relationship with God will continue to be fed and nurtured. There are many activities that have been planned for January - April to help you in this journey. Remember, nothing is as important as your relationship with God. May we live our lives in a way that reflects just how important this truly is to each of us.

**Attendance and Contribution Count**
Sunday a.m................. 714
Bible Classes .............. 442
Sunday p.m................. 270
Small Groups ............. NA
Wednesday p.m........... 312
Contribution.......... $15,395
Children's Homes .. $251.95
The Way ..................... 54
Hispanic Ministry ........... 49
Contribution ............. $137
Laotian Ministry ............. 25
Contribution ............. $260

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