Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
July 2, 2017

Whom Do We Honor?
by Don B. Newcomer, Jr.
Suppose you had a major birthday coming up like a 40th or 50th. Your best friend says that he wants to throw a party “in your honor” to celebrate this milestone. He asks you what kind of celebration you would like to have.
You’re thrilled at his thoughtfulness, so you tell him the following: “I don’t like big crowds, so please keep it small, maybe 10-12 people. And I’d like it to be held in the evening at a certain restaurant.” He asks you about having a cake and you say, “I like white cake with chocolate frosting.”
The big day arrives, and your friend picks you up just before lunch. He takes you to a local fire hall and asks you to come inside because he needs to pick something up. You’re clueless, so you follow along.
When the door is opened, the crowd shouts, “Surprise!” You turn to your friend and ask, “What is this?” He says, “It’s the birthday party I told you I wanted to throw in your honor.” But you say, “Why are all these people here? It’s only lunch time! What about the things I told you I wanted?”
He counters with, “Well, twelve people seemed too small a number to celebrate your special day. So I invited about fifty people, including all my friends and family—and look—almost all of them are here! That restaurant you mentioned couldn’t hold this crowd, so I rented this fire hall near my house.” You spot the cake and notice it has yellow frosting. He sees you noticing and says, “I don’t like white cake, so I ordered a chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. I hope you’re happy; I threw this party just for you.”
This story shows the folly of what many people do in worship. They profess to want to worship God and to do those things which are pleasing to Him, but in their churches they structure their service in a way which pleases them. “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Matt. 15:8).
They add musical instruments because they don’t feel comfortable singing without some accompaniment. They hold their services on Saturday evening because they don’t want to have to get up early on the Lord’s Day. They hire preachers to “tickle the ears” (2 Tim. 4:3-4) of the members because they don’t want to be challenged about any sins in their lives. They have meals in the building because it’s much more convenient to eat there than to have to go out to eat somewhere else. And they do other things without scriptural authority, all the while claiming to worship God in the way He desires. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).
Let us always remember whom we worship and follow His instructions only. If our desire is to please God and His Son Jesus Christ, we will be careful to worship His way and not change our worship into something which we desire.
Reaching the Goal
“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5, NASV).
That’s the goal, or the aim, or the end of the gospel—to produce these qualities in each one of us, to ultimately transform each one of us into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).
Sound teaching and practice on subjects like the work, worship, and organization of the local church is not the end of the gospel. It is quite possible to “hold fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13) on these points and still miss the big point—the aim, or the end, or the goal of such teaching.
Sound teaching and practice on these same subjects, though, is a means to the end, and if we change the means, we will never have the desired end. Every point of truth is in accordance with godliness (1 Timothy 6:3), and if we change any portion of it, we will most certainly end up with something else.
Sorry, but there are no short cuts with God.

Contact Information
	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@knology.net / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Study 9:00 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Training Class 5:00 P.M.
Worship 6:00 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.