{"id":6397,"date":"2023-01-30T06:27:54","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T06:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6397"},"modified":"2023-02-17T21:07:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T21:07:09","slug":"bulletin-edition-january-2022-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/?p=6397","title":{"rendered":"Bulletin Edition January 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cChrist Is All<\/strong>!\u201d        Colossians 3:11<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not possible for any mortal to\ncomprehend the full scope of those three words, but here are ten statements\nthat might help to enlarge our understanding of them. After you have read this\nbrief article, carefully study each statement, asking God the Holy Spirit to\nseal these words to your heart \u2013 \u201c\u201dChrist is all!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. \u201cThis is\nlife eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,\nwhom thou hast sent\u201d <\/em>(John 17:3). If you know Christ, you\nknow enough, even if you are ignorant of other things. If you do not know\nChrist, it is nothing to have all other knowledge. \u201cThat I may know him<\/strong>\u201d\n<\/em>(Philippians 3:10).<\/li>
  2. (Matthew\n13:44-46). There is no way to obtain this treasure and purchase this Pearl, but\nby selling all that you have. If you would save your life, you must lose it to\nChrist.<\/li>
  3. \u201cHe that\nbelieveth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son\nshall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him\u201d <\/em>(John 3:36). His blood is atonement. His righteousness is acceptance\nwith God. His advocacy is our assurance. His grace is preservation. His\nprovidence is our provision. <\/li>
  4. \u201cIf any man\ncome to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and\nbrethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>(Luke 14:26). All other loves must\nbe burned upon this altar, so that nothing and no one comes between my heart\nand my Savior.<\/li>
  5. \u201cThe desire\nof our soul is to thy name\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>(Isaiah 26:8). Seek Christ to the exclusion of all else; and you will\nfind everything you need in him, supplied from his fulness.<\/li>
  6. \u201cRejoice in the Lord alway: and\nagain I say, Rejoice\u201d<\/em> (Philippians 4:4). If a person has\nthat which he desires above all else, he rejoices in it, and all who know\nChrist rejoice in him.<\/li>
  7. \u201cLet this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>(Philippians 2:5). Think on Christ,\nand think of all things in the light of the knowledge of him (Philippians\n4:6-8).<\/li>
  8. \u201cI have\ngiven you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>(John 13:15). The rebel must be\nruled by law. The mercenary is motivated by reward. The believer is ruled by\nlove. \u201cThe love of Christ constraineth us\u201d <\/em>(2 Corinthians 5:14).<\/li>
  9. (Colossians 3:11). In preaching, praise, and prayer, \u201cChrist is all!\u201d\n<\/em>He is all our beauty, all our attraction, and all our entertainment. All\nour activities serve him. All our ordinances remember him and proclaim\nallegiance to him.<\/li>
  10. \u201cJesus Christ, which is our hope\u201d <\/em>(1 Timothy 1:1). His obedience is the basis of our hope, his coming its\nfulfilment, his presence its satisfaction, and his likeness its consummation. \u201cChrist\nis All!\u201d  <\/em><\/strong>Don Fortner<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    ************** <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Where Does God Dwell?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our God is not on\na shelf somewhere in some building; our God does not dwell in houses made with\nhands. Even the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. God is too immense to be\ncontained in a space or place. However, there is one person who contains all\nthat God is; Colossians 2:9, \u201cFor in him (Christ) dwelleth all the\nfulness of the Godhead bodily.\u201d<\/em> Jesus Christ contains in him the\nfullness of God. If we desire to know and study God in the fullness of his\nperson, look no further than Jesus Christ. \u201cJesus saith unto him, Have\nI been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that\nhath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the\nFather?\u201d<\/em> (John 14:9).        ~John\nChapman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ***********<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    THE FULL GOSPEL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I had a man to ask\nme if I attended a \u201cfull gospel\u201d church. I knew what he was referring to. He\nwondered if I attended a church that believed in the \u201cbaptism of the Holy\nSpirit\u201d, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. He thought the \u201cfull gospel\u201d\nwas one that taught that if a man or a woman has enough faith that they will\nprosper in both \u201chealth and wealth.\u201d He believed that the \u201cfull gospel\u201d was the\npreaching of the deeper things of God embraced by a, \u201cspirit-filled Christian.\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I simply answered,\n\u201cYes, I believe in the full gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d I told him that\nColossians 1:19, plainly taught that it pleased the Father, (the God of heaven\nand earth) that in Christ \u201cshould ALL FULLNESS dwell.\u201d I told him that God taught\nin His Word, according to Colossians 2:9, that in Christ dwelt \u201call the\nFULLNESS of the Godhead bodily.\u201d There is no fuller gospel than the gospel of\nthe Lord Jesus Christ. There is no fuller salvation than redemption by Christ\u2019s\nsubstitution in the place of wretched sinners. There is no deeper or fuller\ngospel than the message that God Almighty became flesh and died in the room of\nchosen sinners. There is no fuller revelation than \u201cJesus Christ and Him\ncrucified.\u201d (1 Corinthians 2:2) Yes, I most definitely believe and rejoice in\nthe FULL GOSPEL! There can be no fuller Gospel than the True One!  \n                       \n  -David Eddmenson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The golden key that fits all locks!<\/strong>
    \n
    \n(John MacDuff, “Thoughts for the Quiet Hour<\/a>“,\n1895)
    \n
    \n“If I have not charity<\/strong>, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2
    \n
    \nWhat a magic spell there is in love!<\/strong>\u2014the absolute devotion
    \nof a beautiful soul that loses itself in the hallowed mission
    \nof radiating peace and joy and sympathy all around.
    \n
    \nWhen other charmers have failed to charm, many dull,
    \nunsusceptible ears have been arrested and won by the
    \nmusic of kindness<\/strong>. By it . . .
    \n  old-age renews its youth,
    \n  sick pillows are smoothed,
    \n  burdens are eased,
    \n  tears are turned into smiles,
    \n  dirges are turned into songs.
    \n
    \nLove is, of all magical charms, the most irresistible.
    \n
    \nLove is <\/strong>the golden key that fits all locks!<\/strong>
    \n
    \n“If I have not charity<\/strong>, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Psalm 133<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The blessings of peace and concord are commended. May they be\nsought and enjoyed by us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1-3. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for\nbrethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the\nhead, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard; that went down to the\nskirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended\nupon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even\nlife forevermore.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Countless blessings gladden and enrich the pilgrims whose feet\nhappily climb the hill of life. True joy is the companion of a close walk with\nGod. These pilgrims are dressed in a lovely robe. Their garment is love of the\nbrethren in the faith. This is the evidence of real union with Christ. This\ngrace was the admiration of the heathen of old. It was the well-known\ntestimony, See how these Christians love one another. This precious hymn\nexhibits this union as good, and pleasant, and fragrant, and fertilizing. It is\ngood, as it is in accordance with the character of our Heavenly Father, of whom\nit is sublimely said, God is love. It is good, as those who exhibit it show the\nlineaments and features of the first-born among many brethren. It is pleasant.\nWhat can be more charming than to see the smile of love, to listen to the words\nof love, and to feel assurance that we are encircled by those whose hearts are\nknit with ours! It is fragrant, for it sheds around the perfume of true\nhappiness. Ointment poured forth cannot refresh the home more than the constant\nsweetness of harmonious feeling. It is fertilizing as leading to the growth of\ngrace, and as uniting hearts in every holy word and work. Thus it is figured by\nthe holy oil which, poured upon the head of Aaron, ran in fragrant streams to\nthe lowest portion of the priestly robes. It is fruitful as the dew which\nmoistened the summits of Hermon and softened the heights of Zion’s range. Let\nus seek this grace, so blessed in itself, so blessed to all with whom there is\ncommunion. But this unity implies not tolerance of error. Two cannot walk\ntogether except they are agreed. Light can have no fellowship with darkness.\nThose who thus walk together must first have met in Christ. Oneness with Him is\nthe only true bond of union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Henry Law<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    “Beloved, let us love one another: is of God; and every one\nthat loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God;\nfor God is love.”–1 John 4:7-8<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    J.C.Philpot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If ever you have loved Jesus with a pure affection; if ever you\nhave felt him near, dear, and precious to your soul, that love can never be\nlost out of your heart. It may lie dormant; it does lie dormant. It may not be\nsweetly felt in exercise; but there it is. “If any man loves not the Lord\nJesus Christ, let him be Anathema” (1 Cor. 16:22). You would be under this\ncurse if the love of the Lord Jesus Christ were to die out of your heart. But this\nlove is often sleeping. When the mother sometimes watches over the cradle and\nlooks upon her sleeping babe with unutterable affection, the infant knows not\nthat the mother is watching its slumbers; but when it awakes, it is able to\nfeel and return its mother’s caresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is so with the soul sometimes when love in the heart is like a\nbabe slumbering in the cradle. But as the babe opens its eyes, and sees the\nmother smiling upon it, it returns the smiles, and stretches forth its arms to\nembrace the bending cheek; so when the eyes of the soul are opened to see the\nsmiling face of Jesus stooping to imprint a kiss of love, or drop some sweet\nword into the heart, and there is a flowing forth toward him of love and\naffection–this is the power of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThe\nGreatest Of These Is Love\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1\nCorinthians 13:13<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Is\nyour heart ruled, governed, and motivated by the love of Christ? Do you have\nwithin you the kind of love that Christ produces in his people! Do I?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    LOVE\nIS ESSENTIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Love\nis absolutely essential to true godliness. Paul tells us that if we have all\nother things, and have not love, they shall profit us nothing. The absence of\nlove is fatal. As you read 1 Corinthians 13, do not think to yourself,\n“Love is a very great virtue, most commendable and useful, it would be a\ngreat thing if I could obtain it.” Oh, no! We must have it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The\nHoly Spirit tells us that this love is something which characterizes all who\nare born of God. We must have it, or else we are not born of God. If I do not\nhave this love, no matter what else I may have, no matter what else I may do,\nif I do not have the love of Christ in my heart, I am a lost man; and the same\nis true of you. This love is not a condition to be met in order to get\nsalvation. But it is the sure result of God’s saving grace in Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    THE\nGREATEST GIFT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Christian\nlove is greater than all other spiritual gifts and graces. Without love, all\nother gifts and graces are meaningless and useless (1 Cor. 13:1-3). This one\nthing, love, is the fulfilling of the law of God\n(Matt. 22:36-40; Rom. 13:8-10). And love is the one sure mark\nand evidence of a saving union with the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “By\nthis shall all men know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one to\nanother”<\/em> (John 13:35).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Where\nthis love is absent grace is absent. No man is born of God who does not have\nthe love of Christ implanted in his heart as a ruling principle of life (1 John\n2:9-1 11; 3:14, 23; 4:7, 8, 16, 20; 5:1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    EASILY\nIDENTIFIED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The\nlove of Christ, or the absence of it, is a thing easily identifiable. This is\nnot some profound, mysterious point of theology. It is not some sweet-sounding,\nbut useless, emotion. The love of Christ is a gift of divine grace that is\nclearly demonstrated in the lives of God’s elect (1 Cor. 13:4-7). This love\ncauses a person to be kind, patient, content, gentle, even tempered, humble,\nself-denying, generous, honest, truthful, forbearing, and forgiving toward\nothers, both in the church and out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    NEVER\nCEASES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Love\nis preferable to all other gifts and greater than all other graces, because\nlove is the only thing that will last forever (1 Cor. 13:8-13). All other gifts\nwill come to an end. All other graces will cease. But love will go on in\nheaven. Faith will be no more, when we see him whom we have believed. Hope will\nbe no more, when we have that for which we have hoped. But love will continue\nand come to perfection when we enter heaven. Love is the only thing we have in\nthis world which we can carry into the world to come. Heaven is a world of\nlove, perfect, unceasing, glorious, Christ-like love. No one will enter that\ncity of peace and world of love except those who have the love of Christ in\ntheir hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Don\nFortner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201cChrist Is All!\u201d        Colossians 3:11 It is not possible for any mortal to comprehend the full scope of those three words, but here are ten statements that might help to enlarge our understanding of them. After you have read this brief article, carefully study each statement, asking God the Holy Spirit to seal these words […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6397"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6406,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6397\/revisions\/6406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}