The Word of God is alive and active, it is living and powerful, and why wouldn't the words of the living God be alive. For this Word is sharper than any two-edged sword. It has the ability to cut and penetrate. The Apostle Paul refers to God's Word as the "sword of the Spirit" (Eph 6:17) Christ is depicted as one with a sharp sword going out of his mouth which he strikes the nations (Rev 19:15). “Piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” God's word has the ability to cut through, to divide in such a manner as to get to the inner most part of man. It is descriptive of its extreme thoroughness when it comes to the effect on man. Man cannot know another man's heart. But God knows, and man can do nothing to hide what is in his heart from God. With that in mind, let us consider some more thoughts about the power of God's Word.

The book of Genesis gives the account of the creation. The writer of Hebrews comments on this event by saying, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb 11:3). Psalms puts it this way, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Ps 33:6). All things are upheld by word of his power (Heb 1:3; 2Pet 3:7). Christ also performed many miracles by His word. He stilled the raging tempest (Mt 8:23-27), fed great multitudes (Mt 14:15-21), and called the dead to life (Lk 7:11-16; 8:49-56; Jn 11:43, 44).

First of all, the power is found in the ability to convert, to produce children of God (John 20:30-31). It is also the catalyst to produce faith (Rom 10:17). It makes us wise. Paul writes in 2 Tim 3:15, “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” It is God's begetting power. James speaks of the word bring forth people. Paul writes in 1 Cor 4:15 that he is their “father” through the gospel. Peter continues this birth concept by stating that we are “born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God”…(1 Pet 1:23).

The word of God has the power to purify the soul to cleanse us and sanctify us. In Eph 5:25-26 we read, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” The power of God’s word can make us free. John writes in Ch. 8:32, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." No longer do we have to be in bondage to sin. No longer do we have to be held captive by ignorance. No longer do we have to be enslaved by our own limitations. No longer do we have to be bound to this world and it’s wisdom. It is truly powerful. Its power is also that which we will be judged by. John again writes, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (12:48). These lead to the ultimate demonstration of power, salvation! Consider these passages as we close this lesson. James 1:21, “…receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Rom 1:16, “the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek”. Acts 11:14, …“words by which you and all your household will be saved.” 1 Cor 15:1-2, … “I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, …by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you…”

CONCLUSION

NO GIMMICKS, PLEASE!
Roy H. Lanier, Jr.

The denominational world has degenerated into a glorified social swirl. They pretend to stimulate spiritually while making their basic appeals to the humorous and fun-loving natures of their members. There is little compelling about their preachers. Many are constantly searching for new gimmicks and gadgets to hold the interest of the people. All the recreational ideas, promotional persuasions, and social schemes are aimed at just one thing: to keep their folks happy.

The shame of it all is that the Lord's church is beginning to copy after them! A perusal of the many bulletins that cross my desk each week show a continued growth in the idea of keeping the people happy. Attendance, contribution and general interest seem to be the main problems. There is less and less Scrip ture being preached and more and more picturesque speech. Some would think the church is a medium of social functions, rather than a "soul-saving society." A Bible-filled Scripture-quoting, gospel sermon might be a rarity in some of our pulpits. Not only would it be unique, but elders of some churches have made no effort to hide their criticisms of gospel preachers who "quote too much Scripture."

"We've got to hold our young people" is the password of this movement. As if such a desire opened the doors to anything, just so long as the young people's interest is held!

What an insult to young people! To think they have to be coddled and pampered and appealed to as if they were ignorant and unlearned in the truth! All too often, these same young people are embarrassed by such shenanigans of the oldsters, and in reality, are far stronger in the faith than the older ones!

When shall we realize that the gospel needs no gimmicks? It is God's power to save and would we imagine that God needed any changes that man might invent? We have long preached that the de nominations are mistaken when they substituted the ideas of men for the plans of
God. How consistent are we when we change the basic appeal of the good news of Christ to some social or recreational tug at the fun-seeking nature of man.

Let's have no gimmicks and no gadgets. Let's offer no apologies for the frank appeal for men to save themselves from this crooked generation. Let's offer a frank, true-to-the-Book stand.

Let's quit this silly appeal that the "church needs" the erring and negligent and tell them the truth: THEY NEED THE CHURCH AND THE SALVATION OF CHRIST! Why beg them to do what they in reality do not want to do!

Let's stand for the truth; teach it lovingly; and expect men to either get in or get out! ~received via LemmonsAid

THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN
by Steve Higginbotham

A man once stated that one of the greatest disappointments of his childhood was when he saw a tent going up. He thought it was a circus, but upon investigation he discovered it was a revival meeting. He further stated that one of the greatest disappointments of his adult life came when he saw several Christians putting up a tent. He thought it was a revival service, but upon further investigation discovered it was little more than a circus.

Have you noticed how reverence has given way to merriment, fear has given way to familiarity, congregational singing has given way to special performances, Bible teaching has given way to drama, and preaching the gospel has given way to after dinner speeches. Nearly anything that brings applause, draws a crowd, and increases the contribution has been "baptized" and thus sanctioned by some churches today.

However, is there not a sanctity and sacredness to worship that cannot be sacrificed on the altar of entertainment? I for one, believe there is. The circus has come to town! But this is one circus I don't plan to attend.

"...If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the LORD of hosts..." (Malachi 1:6).

AN ELDER'S WIFE
Author Unknown

(Editors Note: It struck me, as I read this article, what a wonderful blessing a good wife can be to her husband, and how fortunate some of us are to have such good women sharing our lives. It also occurred to me that the descriptions in this article are equally applicable to a “Preacher’s Wife” and the things she must endure for the cause of Christ. May God bless them, and help us always to appreciate them and their “work”.)

Vital to the smooth operation of any local establishment of the Lord's church is a devoted person who has no title, holds no office, and has no authority save that of an ordinary Christian. Yet this person holds the power to disrupt or to expedite the most carefully laid plans and the most important works of the church. This quiet but influential person is an elder's wife.

Elders' wives come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and textures. She can usually be found long after services are over, sitting in a parked car by herself - waiting - or in an empty, unheated auditorium after the crowd has gone - waiting. She gets a lot of Bible reading done this way, and she knows where all the songs are in the hymnbook.

She knows the loneliness of long evenings at home while her husband is out trying to correct other people's troubles. She is alone because her children are usually old enough to be occupied with their own pursuits, if they have not left home altogether. So she occupies her time with busy work - and waits.

An elder's wife must be as staunch as a rock, as busy as a beaver, as quiet as a mouse, as biblically informed as a preacher, as flexible as a rubber band, and as patient as a mother of triplets.

She must know how to change her plans without notice, how to keep a meal hot and tasty for two hours after it was ready to serve, how to hold her temper - and her tongue - when people criticize her husband, and, most of all, how to use time profitably while she waits for her husband to get out of a prolonged conference.

Hers is the frustration of knowing little and being able to tell even less, when people expect her to know all and tell it. She knows the
heartache of watching her man wrestling with a problem not of his own making and which he cannot discuss - even with her. Hers is the responsibility of setting an example of faithful Christian wifeliness, not because anyone wants or intends to follow it, but simply because her husband is an elder. She has the burden of knowing that, of all the positions and offices in the Lord's church, her husband occupies one of the two or three whose qualifications depend on the character and caliber of his wife as well as of himself.

An elder's wife likes a peaceful church, worship services, Bible classes, potlucks, children, younger women, going visiting with her husband, opportunities to serve, company, a night when her husband has nowhere to go, getting to go home when church is over, short business meetings, people who don't cause any trouble.

An elder's wife worries about what people think of her husband, what people think about her, what people think about her husband because of her, whether her children are faithful as she taught them to be, church members who aren't faithful, whether the roast in the oven at
home is going to burn before her husband gets out of that unscheduled business meeting which was called for "not more than five minutes" a half hour ago.

Her life is hard, but she wouldn't have it any other way. She loves the Lord with all her heart and feels the warm flow of satisfaction that comes of knowing that she dedicated not only herself, but even her home, her husband and her family to the service of God and the betterment of His kingdom. She knows that she has a reward in heaven, and she is willing to do more of that which she has already learned to do so well - wait.

And even if there were no heavenly crown to look forward to, all the trials of body and spirit become trivial by comparison when a man of God, exhausted from long hours of tending the Master's flock, comes home late at night, takes her in his arms, and says, "I just couldn't make it without you!"

The book of Acts is the hub of The Bible. Consider what Acts teaches us:

How to Become a Christian.

The Evangelistic thrust of the early church.

The spread of Christianity In the first century.

The Beginning of the Christian era.

The text reads In Acts 17:11: “Now these were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” Three things stick out in this verse:

They had a readiness of mind to study.

They examined the Scriptures for themselves.

They let the Bible; not the preacher, have the final word.

We hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study.

2 Sam 22:31
 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. NKJV

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