Browsing Tag

Conversion

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Family Bible Week–It’s about Eternity.

Posted on July 18, 2022

Family Bible Week at West Huntsville is this week! The Gospel Railroad. It’s at 6:30 through Wednesday night. Dr. Bible is there and there’s a candy bandit. (Right now, the candy jar has been stolen and we have NO idea where that bandit has stashed it!) The kids made FBW photos last night and frames for the fridge. They watched lively re-enactments of conversion examples. They sang their hearts out and they learned songs about what it takes to be saved. They entered contests and they rode a real train through the halls of the building. I heard the conductor asking them questions about the Bible as they rode along and waved at spectators in the hall. They watched a puppet show about forgiveness. This is what spiritually focused memories are made of.

On Sundays, for FBW month, the pulpit has been focused on these four examples of conversion that are the focus of this week. The children fill out sheets during the lessons in our worship that help them listen, too. The examples of obedience to the gospel that are the focus this month are the Ethiopian, the Philippian jailer, Cornelius and Saul. Did you know they all did exactly the same thing to get into Christ? There was a recognizable moment in each of these accounts from Acts when sins were washed away. The moment is described for Saul in Acts 22:16. The jailer went out, at the risk of his life in Acts 16, in the middle of the night, to accomplish this washing. The Ethiopian saw water and said “Why are we waiting? Here is water.” And Cornelius was a good man—a really good man—but still had to have the washing before he could be saved. (Notice verses 1-3 of Acts 10 and then look at verse 14 of chapter 11). While the whole world says baptism has nothing to do with salvation, we have to keep telling the whole world what Jesus said “Go into all the world and teach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” 

This week is about believing–building faith in little souls. The goal is for their hearts to know what to do about sin when it one day rears its ugly head in their lives. We all encounter and fall to sin at some point (for me, it’s lots of points), and all of us need the grace given in the waters of obedient faith. 

I hope you can take the time to listen to one of the following lessons from the book of Acts. I know most readers are secure in the knowledge of salvation and are busy telling others the gospel.  If you are not positive you’ve done what the Bible requires of you to have eternal salvation, this listen could be the most important 30 minutes of your life. Here are the lessons. If I can help you become a Christian-secure in salvation and headed for heaven—I’d love to do that. Let’s talk: cindycolley@gmail.com.

https://westhuntsville.org/sermons/the-conversions-of-lydia-and-the-jailer/

https://westhuntsville.org/sermons/cornelius-conversion/

https://westhuntsville.org/sermons/the-ethiopian-eunuchs-conversion/

Saul’s Conversion

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Sister to Sister: You never know what you might find at WalMart.

Posted on September 16, 2019

This weekend, speaking for the ladies at the Arnold church in metropolitan Saint Louis, I looked down the hill and saw that the adjoining property was a busy WalMart. I commented “What a great landmark to tell folks where you’re located.” 

Later in the day, a sweet sister came to greet me. Talking about their Family Bible Time, she asked for tips about keeping a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old interested in Scripture. In this context, she explained that she’s a relatively new member of the church. 

Well, I love hearing sisters’ stories of finding the church of my Lord, so I asked the question: “How, then, did you find the church?” She said, simply, “I was shopping at WalMart.” 

“It was a Sunday and, walking in that parking lot (pointing out of the fellowship hall window to a packed parking lot at a WalMart, which shared a shopping venue with Ross and lots of other stores)—my  husband just pointed up here and said  ‘I wonder what kind of church that is up there.’”  

“I have no idea,” I responded. “But, at the time, we were very disillusioned. We knew we needed to be somewhere serving God, but we could see no connection, in any way, between the catechisms we’d memorized, the infant baptisms we’d experienced, the worship we’d been taught to give–we could see no connection between those things and the Scriptures we knew were from God. That day at WalMart, we knew we were searching, but we didn’t know what we were looking for.”

She then related that her husband said “I think I’ll just google that church.”  When he did he found this expanded mission statement: 

“The Arnold church of Christ is an un-denominational autonomous congregation of the Church one reads about in the New Testament.  We are overseen by a group of elders and strive to be Christ centered and Bible based.”  To this end we call Bible things by Bible names, and do Bible things in Bible ways. Below the mission statement was this little list:

Worship:

  • We worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) every first day of the week (Acts 20:7).
  • Each service contains Biblical teaching and preaching (Acts 2:42, Acts 20:7).
  • When we gather together the congregation unites in singing a’capella to the Father (Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5:19).
  • Every first day of the week we give as we’ve been prospered and as we’ve set by in store (I Corinthians 16:2, II Corinthians 9:7).
  • Each service we pray to the Father through the Son (I Thessalonians 5:17, Acts 2:42).
  • During worship every Sunday we partake of the Lord’s Supper as a memorial of His sacrifice (Acts 2:42, Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 11:23-29).

Life:

  • We strive to walk in the light (I John 1:7).
  • We strife to do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).
  • We endeavor to share the Gospel of Christ with others (Matthew 28:18-20).
  • We strive to combat sin and fight Satan daily (Ephesians 6:13-17).
  • We strive in word and deed to do all by the authority of Jesus (Colossians 3:17).

Hoping that they would find a church that really does strive to be just that church we read about in the Bible, this little family decided to make a visit to that church on the hill. So the next time they went “shopping” it was one door over from WalMart. Thrilled by the warm reception, they were interested in knowing more.  It was a couple of brothers who, upon meeting them that day, asked this couple to further study the Word of God. 

My sister continued: “At the end of the study, we just looked at each other and said ‘Well, this is what we’ve been looking for. This is what the Bible teaches. Why should we wait? Let’s do this.’” 

You never know what you  might find at WalMart! 

And you never know who’s “shopping” near your “city on the hill”.

“You are the light of the World; a city set on a hill” …Jesus Christ.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

For the Diggers: Two Important Men

Posted on July 27, 2017

A study that’s made me richer is about to come to a close. One more month and we will kick off Digging Deep 2017-18. If you didn’t hear the podcast yet, please know that, if you are ever going to invite a non Christian to do a study with you, this new one is the one! You just might have a big reason to rejoice for eternity if you do invite someone. Topic  will be announced at PTP on the live podcast from The Wilderness in Sevierville. Study books will once again be available, because you liked this, but study basics will always be free online, as well. We’ll recognize those in the room there, who have completed (all phases and parts of) this year’s study. If you are one of those women, you are glad you did because the Word is so good for all of us. God has simply showered His best on our fellowship and study. I know we can better serve Him after the deep study we’ve done this year. 

The podcast bulged this month and time ran out. Some have requested the list about Paul and Naaman. As I was writing this study, it just occurred to me that there are lots of similarities between Naaman in II Kings five and Paul. While I’m not stretching to say that Naaman typifies Paul, I am saying that, when two important men, even in different dispensations, submit to the command of God to escape certain peril, there are some important lessons that should not be lost on us. 

Here’s the list:

Both were great (important) men. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 9:14,15; Acts 22:3; Acts 22:25-28)

Both were honored by men even prior to obedience. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 9:29)

Both were brave fighters. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 9:29)

Both were unclean. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 22:16)

Both needed the healing. (II Kings 5:3; Acts 9:8,9)

Both carried letters. (II Kings 5:1; Acts 9:2; Acts 22:5)

Both encountered a great prophet. (II Kings 5:9; Acts 9:4; Acts 22: 7,8)

Both were commanded to wash. (II Kings 5:10; Acts 22:16)

Both were cleansed by dipping, plunging or immersion. (II Kings 5:10; Acts 22:16)

Both had to follow the details of the instructions. (II Kings 5:14; Acts 22:10 [all])

Both were converted. (II Kings 5:15; Acts 9: 18-20)

Both realized they were debtors. (II Kings 5:15; Romans 1:14-16)

Both had to get way out of comfort zone. (II Kings 5:12; Acts 22:14)