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Family Lines Newsletter, May 17, 2009
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**Grace: Understanding Salvation**
By David Chadwell

 

And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.  And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.  Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?  But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”  (Acts 15:7-11)

 

The occasion of the above reading involved a strong disagreement among Jewish Christians about the need for gentile converts to accept Jewish practices.  Many Christian Jews thought that if a gentile converted first to Judaism, then the gentile was “qualified” to convert also to Jesus Christ.  After all, most gentiles knew only idolatry, not the living God the Jewish people knew.  Many gentiles had terrible concepts about divinity—the Jews thought they could destroy those terrible concepts and prepare gentiles for having the lives they should live.

 

Interestingly, the disagreement 2000 years ago is very similar to our disagreement today: What is the foundation of salvation?  Is the foundation our acts or God’s acts?  The primary difference in their discussion and ours was (is) this: their discussion focused on background and our discussion usually focuses on the necessity of obedience. 

 

Peter said to them and would say to us, “Your concerns miss the point!”  Salvation is able to exist because of what God did in Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Any human response to what God did is just that—a response, not a foundation.  Faithless salvation does not exist: the person must place total confidence in what God did in Jesus’ death and resurrection.  That is the foundation of salvation: the foundation of forgiveness, of sanctification, of redemption, of righteousness.  That is God propitiating for our failures.

 

Every act of obedience is merely a response to what God did in Jesus.  Obedience is a huge, believing, “thank you” to God that declares appreciation to God for what He did for us.  Obedience is not a “question mark” or an unbelieving manipulation (“I did the right acts so You, God, have to save me!”)  Human acts can never manipulate God!

 

“Thank you, God, for not making our salvation dependent on a human’s or group of humans’ approval.  Our hope is in what You did for us, not in what we do.”

 

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**Order of Worship**

 

Worship Leader -- Brent Evans
Welcome

 

#63 -- I Will Call Upon the Lord
#167 -- Hosanna
Hosanna You’re My King (on screen)
Lord,  I Lift Your Name on High (on screen)

 

Crucified (on screen)

 

Lord’s Supper
Offering

 

#294 -- You’re the One (vs. 1, 2, chorus; 3, 4, chorus; 5, 6, chorus)

 

Coins for Christ (No Children’s Worship)
#448 -- Greatest Commands 

 

Sermon -- Chris Benjamin

 

Blessing for Seniors – Rick Odell
Blessing for 7th Graders

 

Song for Responses
#674 -- I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

 

Elder’s Prayer

 

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**In Our Prayers**
• Amelia Bramlett will have eye surgery Monday, May 18th at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She is Debbie Belote’s grandniece.
• Eleanor Casey continues to be confined to her home.  For the past three weeks, she has been suffering from a severe case of shingles on the right side of her face and in/around her eye.   While she has improved a little, she is still in a great deal of pain and discomfort.
• Fay Green (Danna Turpin’s mother) was hospitalized in southern Missouri Tuesday night and is scheduled for tests.
• Jay Wood is at home with pneumonia. Pray that the medication will help and that he will not have to be hospitalized.
• Jeana Belote will see an endocrinologist on Monday.  She requests prayers that God will provide answers to some of her health problems.
• Mark & Kristi Wilson ask for prayers as they begin a very involved and complex adoption. 
• Max & Maddie Reed update: Maddie is home!!  She weighs a little over 6 lbs. and is doing very well. Max is still at Children’s Hospital in ICU; he weighs about 6 lbs, and is about 4-6 weeks behind Maddie.  Max’s reversal colostomy surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th. Please keep them in your prayers!
• Terry Davis (brother of Harold) was injured in a tractor accident in Mena while clearing debris.  He will require several surgeries to correct his injuries.
• Tom Ed Gooden (brother of Benny) is to have intensive chemotherapy Friday and Saturday.  He is then scheduled for a stem cell transplant Monday, May 25.

 

**Continued Prayers**
Bennie Hedrick, Bill Miller, Dorothy Tobey, Glenanna O’Mara, Inez Hatfield, Jessie Moore, John Hawkins, Kathleen Taranto, Larry Treat, Lloyd Priester, Louise Cline, Maddy Grist, Margaret Stone, Max & Maddie Reed, Trucilla Surratt, Vicki Varvel, and Wilma Son.

 

**Bereaved in Prayer**
Elizabeth Gardenhire in the death of her sister, Martha Lindsey on Sunday night. Funeral services are Friday, May 15, 2:00 PM at Nelson Funeral Home in Fayetteville.

 

**We’ll Miss You!**
Jim Priester is moving to Ohio next week to help care for his father.   
Jim’s new address will be:
Jim Priester
92 Oak Knoll
Hubard, OH 44425
New cell phone (330) 610-5814

 

**Joy Bunch**
Saturday, May 16
6 PM in the Family Life Center
Come and join the fun!

 

**Scholarships for Children of Vietnam**
All 38 scholarships have been funded. Thanks to everyone who participated in this good work!

 

**On the Bulletin Board**
Rheva Burgess (Fort Gibson High School) graduation announcement.

 

**Congratulations!**
Richard and Emma Adams
50th Wedding Anniversary
May 9, 2009

 

**Welcome!**
Bill & Paige Wilson
Children: Cole and Jessa
2323 S. 23rd
Fort Smith, AR 72901
Bill’s cell 479-461-4414
Paige’s cell 479-831-9641

 

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**Gift Baskets for Seniors**
Sunday has been designated as Senior Sunday, honoring our students who are graduating from High School this year.  As a part of the tradition at West-Ark, a basket for each Senior will be placed near the Youth Group bulletin board in the foyer for anyone to fill with gifts, notes, etc.  Please note that the baskets will ONLY be available for two weeks.

 

God bless our graduates as we send them out to become what God has planned for them to be!

 

**Wedding Invitation**
Callie Walker & Josh Loewen
will be joined in marriage on
Friday, May 15, 7:00 PM
West-Ark Church of Christ.

 

**West-Ark Online Calendar**
www.westark.org/calendar.htm
May 17 -- Graduation Sunday for Senior High Graduates
May 31 -- Elders’, Deacons’, and Ministry Leaders’ Meeting at 4 PM in room 203. (This is a change in date.)
May 31 -- 6 PM Family Meeting in the Auditorium.
May 31 -- Fellowship meal in the Family Life Center.

 

**Baby Bottle Campaign**
Be a blessing to our community! Fill your baby bottle with your spare change and return the bottle on Father’s Day, June 21.

 

**Ladies’ Prayer Breakfast**
Saturday, May 16
10 AM in the Annex
Please bring a breakfast food item or beverage.

 

**King's Kids Calendar**
May 17 - Graduation
 1st Graders (Gym - during class - Grownups are encouraged to attend!)
 4th Graders (GATEWAY - during class)
 6th Graders (during worship)
May 24 - Promotion Sunday (PLEASE SEE DETAILED INFO for all age groups at FLOCK Station)
June 21 - Vacation Bible School Kick-Off (during morning worship)
June 21 - 24 Evenings - Vacation Bible School. Sign up online at www.westark.org/vbs.htm

 

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**Youth Group News**

 

Have you turned in your Soul Quest application?
June 14-20  //  We have a huge group already signed up to go to this amazing new camp. You do not want to miss being a part of this new WAYG tradition. Applications are available in the foyer next to the youth group bulletin board.
Congratulations!

 

Breck Cogswell took 1st place for Literature with her poem entitled “Becoming Wow!” as a part of the PTA Reflections (an Arts contest). She was also chosen as one of five winners of an “Award of Merit” in the junior high school division in the national competition.  Breck was the only student from the entire state of Arkansas to win an award at the national level in any grade and in any category!

 

Senior / 7th Grader Sunday  //  Sunday, May 17 
We will have a special service honoring our graduating seniors and incoming 7th graders. Be sure to pick up a booklet!

 

Senior Party  // Sunday, May 17 // 5-7 PM // Youth Rm
Youth group members, graduating seniors and their parents are invited to join us for some snacks, words of encouragement and a video honoring our seniors.

 

Party with New 7th Graders / Parent Orientation   Wednesday, May 20 7-8 PM  //  Youth Room
We are hosting a party in the high school room for our incoming 7th graders. At the same time Rick will meet with the new parents in the junior high room to get them up to speed about the youth program.

 

Youth Worship  // Sunday, May 24 // 6-7 PM // Youth Rm

 

Youth Group  // Wednesday, May 27 // 7-8 PM // Youth R

 

**Happy Birthday To...**

May 17
Rachel Greer
Robertta Moses
Emilio Regalado
Alice Jean Rogers

 

May 18
Jake Odell
Therese Wieser
Pat Yick

 

May 20
Virginia Oliver
Luke Roberts

 

May 21
John Fowler
Debra Willis

 

May 22
Charley Douglas
Jacob Hollomon

May 23
Dustin Byrd

 

**Nursery Helpers**

Morning
Flora Johnson
Betty Callicott
Amanda Basham
Carol Schaper

 

Evening
Sheila Vaught

 

**Attendance and Contribution Count**
Bible Classes...………....409   
Sunday AM Worship.…...700
Sunday PM Worship…...204
Wednesday Classes…...280
Contribution………..$16,500
Children’s Homes……..$191

 

Lao Worship
Attendance…………….....30
Contribution……………$188

 

Iglesia de Cristo
Attendance………………..59
Contribution……………$222