[Biblemat] Walking in the Light (5/13/07)

Thu May 10 00:21:36 CDT 2007

Walking in the Light

"For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light."
"The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the
simple." 

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another...."
(Psalm 36:9; 119:130; 1 John 1:7a)

May 13, 2007

www.thetfordcountry.com <http://www.thetfordcountry.com/> 

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INFORMATION: My WEB Site  <http://www.thetfordcountry.com/>
www.thetfordcountry.com has just been updated to include the articles and
sermons listed below. All the sermons posted each week to my web site are in
.pdf format.  The PowerPoint charts are also included with ALL the sermons
that are posted to the web site. To access the sermons page, visit the site
and click on "Richard's Page" and then click on "sermons." Please visit the
"Reference Works" links page for updated links to various Bible study
resources. If you are a newcomer to the area or wanting information
concerning the Valley church of Christ here in Grand Junction, Colorado,
then click on the Valley church of Christ Web Site,
<http://www.valleychurchofchrist.net/> www.valleychurchofchrist.net. Thank
you for visiting my web site and as always, your comments are welcome. 

If you know of someone that would like to receive the "Walking in the Light"
electronic bulletin each week, please send an e-mail message to
<mailto:Richard at Thetfordcountry.com> Richard at Thetfordcountry.com  with their
name and e-mail address and I will add them to the list.

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CONTENTS:

"Be Steadfast, Immovable!" (Richard Thetford)

"Ten Keys to a Better Bible Class" (Selected)

"Confessing Christ" (Richard Thetford)

"The Wages of Sin" (Richard Thetford)

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BE STEADFAST, IMMOVABLE!

Richard Thetford

The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved
brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." This passage, probably
more than any passage in the Bible has helped motivate me in my years of
preaching to do the very best I can in any given situation for the Lord's
work, because when I do the Lord's work, then I can be assured that my work
is not being accomplished in vain.

As our family prepares to make our move to Ridgway, Colorado this week, I
want to encourage each of you to be steadfast in the Lord's work here. The
teaching and preaching of the gospel of Christ is not always a pleasant task
because some don't want to change their lives to fully serve Him. The
preacher has the responsibility to "Preach the word! Be ready in season and
out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and
teaching" (2 Timothy 4:2). Until a preacher is able to come to "preach the
word," then it falls on the men of the congregation to keep the soundness
and truthfulness of God's Word consistent. Each of the men will have to
ensure that they are "immovable, abounding in the work of the Lord" in all
areas of the local work here.

This will be my last bulletin that I will publish here. I have enjoyed
making this bulletin available to all of you for teaching purposes and I
appreciate very much the favorable comments that I have received concerning
it. I hope and pray that it has been an encouragement to you and another
tool for you to use in the teaching of the gospel.

We will truly miss each and everyone of you. You will always hold a special
place in our hearts! Our move to the Montrose area to begin a new
congregation there will be a great benefit to the Lord's kingdom on this
Western slope of Colorado. Please pray for our efforts as we plant the seed
of God in that area.

In closing, let me say this, when you earnestly pursue the Lord's
righteousness, then truly "your labor is not in vain!"  May God continue to
bless you in His service.

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TEN KEYS TO A BETTER BIBLE CLASS

Selected

1.      Attend promptly and regularly. Missing shows a weak faith and it
discourages others.

2.      Bring your Bible. It manifests your readiness to study and learn.

3.      Participate in class. Share the fruits of your study with others.
The class will be more interesting and the teacher will thank God for you.

4.      Say "Amen." If you believe something has been well said, let the
teacher (and the class) know it. Don't be bashful.

5.      Take notes. This will not only encourage the teacher, it will set a
good example before others. You will also have a written record for later
study.

6.      If there is a lesson book or lesson sheet, fill it out at home. You
will learn more and be able to contribute more to the class. (2 Tim 2:15)

7.      Show the teacher your appreciation. A word -- or note -- of
encouragement will drive him to excel and inspire him to improve his
knowledge and communication skills. If you can't be a "Paul," be a
"Barnabas." See Acts 4:36.

8.      Disagree sweetly. At least others will know that you have been
listening. Your attitude will make it easier for them to see your point of
view and profit from it.

9.      Talk up the class. Show some excitement. Tell someone else what you
have gained. Invite others to attend with you. Perhaps they, too, will grow
excited about this opportunity to learn more of God's will.

10.    Change! This is probably the most difficult part, but a Bible class
is of very little value if principles learned are not applied to everyday
life.

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CONFESSING CHRIST

Richard Thetford

Once we have repented (turn around and start serving God), then we should be
determined to confess Christ. One way to do this is to take a stand for
Jesus in our daily life. In Matthew 10:32-33 Jesus said: "Whosoever
therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my
Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will
I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." When we determine in our
heart to follow Christ, then we will let our lights shine for Him in our
life. In every situation that arises we must be ready to "stand up" or
"confess" Jesus as Lord of our life. The reward for doing so is huge which
is life everlasting with God, but the penalty for not doing so is severe,
eternal condemnation in hell. When we truly repent then we will be glad to
confess Jesus before men. Before his baptism the Eunuch confessed Christ by
saying: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37). Are we
always ready and willing to confess Jesus as the Son of God before men, and
to live our lives accordingly

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THE WAGES OF SIN

Richard Thetford

In Romans 6:23 Paul writes: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Knowing that the end
result is death (the eternal separation from God), for all those that are in
sin, then it would seem very important that we understand what sin is. Every
one of us have sinned (Rom 3:23). Sin is a transgression of the Law of God.
In other words, it is breaking the law that God has established for man to
live by (the Bible). In 1 John 3:4 it says that "...sin is the transgression
of the law". Sin is also a neglect of duty (Jam 4:17), and a presumption
(Psa 19:13). We have an individual responsibility to keep the law of God.
Only those of us that obey Him (Heb 5:9) and DO His will, not man's, will
receive the gift of eternal life that God has promised us (Matt 7:21-23).
Jesus came to this earth to seek and save the lost. In so doing He
instructed man to keep His commandments, and we will do so if we truly love
Christ (John 14:15). The wages of sin is eternal death, reserved for the
disobedient (Rev 20:14). Through obedience to Him, we'll receive eternal
LIFE!

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SERMONS

THE JOY OF SERVING GOD (with PowerPoint Charts)

RUNNING THE RACE OF OUR LIFE! (with PowerPoint Charts)

Sermons can viewed at my web site:  <http://www.thetfordcountry.com/>
www.thetfordcountry.com

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Valley

CHURCH OF CHRIST

Meets at:
491 Sparn Street
Grand Junction, CO   81504
(970) 245-5112

 <http://www.valleychurchofchrist.net/> www.valleychurchofchrist.net

ASSEMBLY SCHEDULE

SUNDAY
Bible Study..................9:45 A.M.
Morning Worship.......10:45 A.M.
Evening Worship.........5:00 P.M.

WEDNESDAY
Bible Study..................7:00 P.M.

Evangelist
Richard Thetford

Building: (970) 245-5112
Home:     (970) 314-7261

E-Mail:  <mailto:Richard at Thetfordcountry.com> Richard at Thetfordcountry.com

Web Site:  <http://www.thetfordcountry.com/> www.thetfordcountry.com

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Richard Thetford

E-Mail:  <mailto:Richard at Thetfordcountry.com> Richard at Thetfordcountry.com

1491 Canyon Drive, Ridgway, CO  81432

Home: (970) 626-5558

Please visit my web site:  <http://www.thetfordcountry.com>
www.thetfordcountry.com

Evangelist, Valley church of Christ

www.valleychurchofchrist.net <http://www.valleychurchofchrist.net/> 

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