Build Up

Today we have special guest speaker, Charlie Kymes.  Charlie has a long history of preaching and working within the Churches of Christ.  His encouraging message entitled “Build Up” is so important in times when many are weary from fighting, unity is a forgotten need, and sacrificial love is seen as a liability.  Today’s message draws our focus back to God’s powerful and purposeful vision for our lives and His Church.

1 Thessalonians 5:11-18 reminds us:
(11)  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.  (12)  Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.  (13)  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.  (14)  And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  (15)  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.  (16)  Rejoice always,  (17)  pray continually,  (18)  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

MEN

Love God.  Love People.  Help people love God.  It is a simple and challenging task.  It is what we strive to do here at the Downtown Bixby Church of Christ.  Over the next few weeks we will look at different segments of our demographics; women, mothers, grads, babies, kids, men and fathers.

Men.  It’s a man’s world… or so they say.  Men are given a lot of opportunities by God, but does the Church teach what men need to hear, in a way they need to hear it, so they can accomplish their roles given by God?  Probably not so well, because recently, a book was written answering the question, “Why Men Hate Church?”

Our vision (Love God, Love People and Help People Love God) compels us to orchestrate our events, classes and worship service in ways that men, women and children all finds their way to successfully following and obeying God.  I pray today’s message will help our men find greater love for God and the people around.  May we all face the battle in front of us with the same faith and skill as David faced Goliath.

 

 

 

Babies

Love God.  Love People.  Help people love God.  It is a simple and challenging task.  It is what we strive to do here at the Downtown Bixby Church of Christ.  Over the next few weeks we will look at different segments of our demographics; women, mothers, grads, babies, kids, men and fathers.

Someone once said that babies are God’s opinion that the world should could go on.  This Sunday we recognize and celebrate the numerous blessings of little ones God has sent our way.  When we see children as a blessing from the Lord, we see that we, too, are a blessing.  We see we come from the Lord.  And we should see that it is privilege and responsibility to pass that on to the next generation.

Priority

Though priority is not a word found in the New Testament, Jesus demonstrates that he had a priority scale in his life.  From an early age he showed that being about his Father’s business outweighed the priorities of family and culture.

In the life of Jesus, time and time again, he demonstrates that loving people is a high priority in his life.  But Jesus doesn’t just love people in a way that will ‘make them feel good’.  Jesus demonstrates that his priority is to “make them good.”  Jesus’ authority and power to heal, cast out demons, etc., compliment his high objective to spiritually heal people.  In doing so, Jesus is able to do things that don’t seem to be initially in the person’s best interest.  This week we follow Jesus as he loves people in a way that is best for them.

Friends and Family

For more than 100 years, the Downtown Bixby Church of Christ has had an open invitation to our community; “come and see”.  We are not perfect.  We don’t have it all figured out.  But we do know that together we are better than if we are alone.  There is something special that happens when we worship as friends and as family.

Do you need a friend?  Do you need a family?  Wouldn’t it be nice to be in a place where others know your weaknesses… not to kick you when you are down, but to support you during those difficult times?

Join us for a morning of worship, a time of food and fun, and share the joy of being in a place that values you as a friend and a part of our family.