Pastor Appreciation? from Newsletter

I want to use this column to show my appreciation for our “pastors” here at South Side. Before I do, let me deal with several thoughts that may already be running through your mind.

Maybe you are thinking—I thought that “Pastor Appreciation” was October. Well, it might be in the denominational world, but we are anti-denominational. If you don’t know what that means, ask me later. We should appreciate “pastors” ALL year long!

Then you may also be thinking that I am simply writing an article to appreciate myself. That wouldn’t be a very humble attitude to have! But according to the New Testament, I am not a “pastor”. And if that isn’t shocking enough to you, read on.

You may be thinking also—I thought South Side only had one “pastor”. Even if I was a “pastor”, I would not be THE “pastor”. At South Side we don’t have just one “pastor”, we have six! Yes, you read that number right—SIX! In fact, if we only had one “pastor”, we would not be biblical. In the New Testament church, there was always a plurality of “pastors”.

South Side is a people of the Book. South Side calls Bible things by Bible names; and does Bible things in Bible ways. That is why at South Side, we do not follow the popular view of “THE pastor” run church. Just because everyone else is doing it, does not make it biblical! Rather at South Side we try to go back and restore the pattern for church leadership from the New Testament. That is why we have six “pastors”. These “pastors” are the shepherds of the flock. These “pastors” are the overseers of the body of Christ. These “pastors” are, if you haven’t guessed it already, the elders of the church.

So when I think of “pastor appreciation”, I think of our group of elders. I think of how much they should be appreciated by us (and not just during the month of October).

The New Testament is very clear on the subject of the eldership in the church. These “pastors” are best described by the terms used in the New Testament.

* Elders—Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; I Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; I Peter 5:1
* Bishops (Overseers)—Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; I Timothy 3:2; I Peter 2:25
* Pastors (Shepherds)—Ephesians 4:11

All of these terms are referring to the same function! I love the way Luke describes the function of the “pastors” from Ephesus. In Acts 20:17, Luke writes, “From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.” Notice he calls the “pastors” “elders” in the text. Then talking to the same group of men (the elders from Ephesus), Luke records for us in Acts 20:28, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd (or pastor) the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” In this verse Luke records the words of the Apostle Paul as he refers to the elders as “overseers” who are to “shepherd” (or pastor) the church of God.

The Apostle Peter then uses all three terms in his first epistle to describe the elders. Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd (or pastor) the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. (I Peter 5:1–3)

With all that said, I am very thankful for all six of our “pastors”. They are very godly men. I am very honored to serve with them at South Side. I take advantage of every opportunity that I can to spend time with them. We are all very blessed to have them as our “pastors”, “elders”, and “overseers”.

Let me encourage you to show your appreciation for our “pastors” also. Here are a few things that you can do:
* Pray for them DAILY!
* Encourage them every chance you get!
* Remember, they are mere men, and do make mistakes.
* Allow them to pastor the flock—they have the desire to do so!
* Remember they are a team—a group. They are united. No one elder is the “head” elder. The chief “pastor” is Jesus (I Peter 5:4).

Lawrence, Larry, Denny, Dick, Myreon and Len: Thanks for your service for the Lord here at South Side. Thank you for leading us by your examples. We appreciate all of you men serving as our “pastors”.

Your evangelist (Ephesians 4:11),

Kevin

GIJAPA

I feel very honored to know several great evangelists of the Gospel, and their families. It was nice today to chat back and forth with Ed and Naomi Bousman. I have enjoyed their ministry with "God is Just A Prayer Away" (GIJAPA) for years. Check it out - you will like it too! http://www.gijapa.org/ (The poster above is from a 1964 Revival Meeting Ed Bousman held at South Side Church of Christ.)

I was just Folding the Side Lites!

I was just sitting here minding my own business. I was folding the Side Lites (which are going out on Sunday). I was looking back over my article on the front cover called "Pastor Appreciation?". Now if you know me very well, and if you are a good Bible student, you will realize that my article is about the elders of the church. So I am folding up a storm, when what would pop up in my email inbox but a note from a "senior pastor" from one of our sister churches.

Now normally Pat, the secretary here at South Side, would hear me groan and come check on me, but she is not here. So I thought I would do my groaning here.

What ever happened to "Calling Bible things with Bible names and doing Bible things in Bible ways"? Are the principles of the restoration plea still valid and appropriate for 2006 (soon 2007). I believe they are! I still seek to go back and restore that church we read about in the New Testament - including their "pastors" (elders) and evangelists (Ephesians 4:11).

All my blog readers will have to wait until after Sunday to get the full article from the Side Lites - I always make sure the local church gets it first. I will post it here in the blog. But lets all go back to the Bible!

Thanks for letting me groan here. I am longing for the day when the ONE AND ONLY "Senior Pastor" will appear. I believe Peter calls Him the "Chief Pastor" (I Peter 5:4). You see, when He appears, we will receive our unfading crowns of glory!

One Year!

One year ago today I preached my first sermon at South Side as "interim" evangelist. It is great to see the growth as we continue to minister together! As long as the Lord hasn't returned, let us labor together during 2007 "contending for the faith"! Thank you for a great first year!

First Snow

My chair never looked like this when I grew up in Florida . . . unless the sand from the beach covered the chair!

It was a messy night here! Rainy and icy all night - and then a covering of snow this morning. The first of the year! Schools are closed or letting out early because of the very slick roads.

As I sit here waiting for the family to come home from school, I have been enjoying some Heaven High! Hell Deep! World Wide! Shot Gun Barrel Straight preaching by Ray Bennett . . . Maybe you would like to listen too!

http://www.biblevoice.org/listen/?search=&region=&bcid=226&langid=-1&do=Search&offset=5

Have a great day - whether snowy, sunny, rainy, cloudy, or whatever, because this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in HIM!

Home!

Home! Do we appreciate our home?

At school last week, my youngest was asked what she wanted to do over the Thanksgiving break. She responded quickly by saying, "I want to stay home." There is much more behind that answer than I will share in this blog entry, but I think I can make my point.

Sometimes it is good just to be home - and I don't mean the four walls of a house! Home is where the heart is. Home is where love is shared. Home is where stability is offered. I like to be "home" also - "home" with my family.

It is also good to be home with the church. And again, I am not referring to the four walls of the building I am sitting in while I type this. Church is people! Church is where love is shared. Church is where your heart should be. Church is where stability is offered! Salvation, encouragement, discipline and many other things are offered through our church home.

And one day I will go to my home in heaven. Heaven will be a great place to be, not because of fluffy white clouds! It is because we will be at home with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Heaven will be people! Heaven will be where love is shared! Heaven is where our treasures are laid - "and where our treasure is, there our hearts are also". Heaven is where stability is offered . . . FOREVER!!! Heaven is where Salvation and encouragement and rest will be offered . . . FOREVER!!!

Come Lord Jesus, come! And if He continues to tarry, may we continue to offer "home" to our family and friends.

Excitement!

From December 2006 Side Lites . . . I am EXCITED!

Are you ready to hear about excitement? Get ready to get excited! Now I realize that I was taught in English class to use my thesaurus to find different words with similar meanings. Please pardon my use of the word “excitement” (or a form of this word).
When I think about excitement in the religious realm, I think of the Hillsboro Family Camp. Each year at Hillsboro Dan Schafer would lead the assembly in the chorus: “Get All Excited”. Dan really made use of the whole platform as he generated excitement in the preaching of the Gospel through songs. I would walk away from the evening sessions all excited to “tell everybody that Jesus Christ is Lord!” Dan would also lead us in the chorus, “I’m Excited, I’m Excited, I’m Excited in the Lord!”
Many things that have happened recently have excited me. Let me write in this column about a few of them.

First: I am excited that we have seen the Lord add to our number at South Side in the past couple of months. How could that not be exciting? South Side is a great assembly—a church strong in the Scriptures. It is very exciting to see additions to the assembly!

Second: I am excited about the growth on Sunday and Wednesday nights. As a teacher of the Gospel, I have seen, not only numerical growth, but the spiritual growth of those who attend. It is exciting to see people with an excitement for learning.

Third: I am excited about hosting two County Meetings next year. South Side will host the January meeting and I get to preach—now that really excites me! Then in May, we will host the County churches while we are in the middle of our revival.

Fourth: Which brings me to my fourth reason to be excited—our May Revival Meeting. I believe you are going to love Ray and Gyneth Bennett. Ray is not only a great evangelist, but he and his wife are wonderful Christians! I first heard Ray preach in 1988, and have loved hearing him every time. Each year he opens the Hillsboro Family Camp on Monday nights. We also had him preach every year at Lawshe when I preached there. Gyneth can really play the piano, also. And if we are really blessed, maybe Ray will pull out the harmonica! I am really excited about having an old fashioned, Heaven High! Hell Deep! World Wide! Shot Gun Barrel Straight Revival Meeting! We should have an exciting time!

Fifth: I am excited about being your evangelist. Over the past year I have grown to love preaching and teaching here at South Side. I am very excited about working with the eldership here. They are great men of God! I am blessed as the evangelist, and you are blessed as the congregation, to have these six men pasturing the flock. I hope you join me daily in praying for the eldership and thanking God that He has blessed us with them. It is exciting to work with these godly shepherds of the flock at South Side.

Sixth: I am excited about the assembly’s giving. We are blessed at South Side to have good givers. This giving is not limited to money. But our offerings for Sunday Bible School have been tremendous since we adopted the four children in Haiti. Our main giving has stayed steady throughout my first year. And enough cannot be said about the excitement that I have as I see people giving of their time and talents. So many things go on behind the scenes at South Side with unnamed servants of our Lord. This is one area where true growth is seen in the assembly.

Seventh: I could list many more things that excite me about South Side. As I look to the bottom of my computer screen, I realize that I am quickly running out of space. I did, though, want to mention the most important excitement here at South Side. I am really excited that South Side continues to be solid in the Scriptures. As I look around and see so many churches compromising in so many areas, I see South Side as standing firm on the foundations of Scriptures! We still believe that there is only “one body (one church) and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). I pray that we will always have strong leadership in the area of the teaching of Scripture. I pray our membership will always contend for the faith! We have the truth that leads to eternal life—that in and of itself, should be enough to make each of us excited! Don’t do anything to stop the excitement!

Excitedly in His service,

Kevin

Happy Thanksgiving

"I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders". (Psalm 9:1)

My family and I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. God has blessed us so much, and we really do have so much to be thankful for.

In His love,

Kevin & family

National Missionary Convention

My son and I attended the National Missionary Convention in Indianapolis, IN. He loved this view through the doors leading into the RCA Dome in Indy. That is not what we were there for, though. We both enjoyed the fellowship with many other Christians. That really, in my mind, is one of the best things about big conventions like the NMC. Here is just a small list of some of the people we were able to visit with (or see) while at the convention:

Dr. Richard Geringswald - Jamaica Christian Seminary - he wants me to bring a team down to Jamaica to do a VBS and revival
Harold Armstrong - President of Florida Christian College
Professor Glenn Borne - Retired from Florida Christian College, taught me all my practical ministry classes and Revelation and Ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church)
Wyburn and Dee Osborn - went to Florida Christian with Wyburn; he and Dee minister with Haitian ministries
Darrell and Kathy Combs - Jamaica Christian Mission - Darrell and I went to school at Florida Christian; Darrell wants me to be a board member for JCM - which might mean I will need to go to Jamaica in the future
The Jamaica Christian Mission Board - It was great to meet with some of the people I get lots of emails from with JCM!
Jim Newman - Southern Cross Ministry; Australia
Russell and Mary Ruth Newman - Jim's parents; Russell is an elder at Countryside Church of Christ (formally Lawshe)
Carl and Carol Copas - Carl is an elder, along with Russell above
Professor Twila Sias - Florida Christian College, taught my education courses and English
George and Nedra Melton - still trying to get them to come and sing at South Side
Lee Mason - Editor of the Restoration Herald of the Christian Restoration Association
Victor Knowles - Director of POEM, son of Dale Knowles who was preacher at South Side in the 1940's
Larry Owens - Director of Northwest Haitian Christian Missions; He wants to come to South Side to speak and he wants me to make a trip to Haiti (also met another couple from Cayuga, IN representing the mission)
Rick Champ and Kent Dunn - Illini Christian Ministries
Tom and Kristie Anders - Church of Christ of St Joseph
Jeff Snell - Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Lincoln Christian Seminary
Many other missionaries and friends in the Exhibit area of the NMC

I also saw, but did not get the opportunity to talk with:
The Good Twins - singing twin brothers that I saw back in 1984 (don't think they would remember me)!
Ben Alexander - Exposing Satan's Power

We had a good time visiting - the fellowship was great! 

Missionaries

You may be wondering why I have two grave stones in my blog.

Let me explain: My son and I are going to go to the National Missionary Convention and I was reminded of some of the early missionaries in the American Restoration Movement. Dr. James Barclay came out of denominationalism, as I did. He became convinced that a person needed to be immersed. He was soon baptized by R.L. Coleman in the James River at Scottsville. After the death of his mother he decided to go to Jerusalem as a missionary. One of his desires was to proclaim the New Testament faith from Mt. Zion, as it was preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). What an honor to go back and preach where the Gospel was first proclaimed!

Earlier this summer, my wife and I visited Bethany, WV. Bethany is where Alexander Campbell lived. He is also buried, along with his father Thomas, and many other family members, across the street in "God's Acres". While there, I snapped the picture above. Julia Ann Barclay is buried beside her husband James. Their grave stones are in the shape of Bibles - turned up on their sides.

I pray daily for our churches. I pray daily for our preachers. I pray daily for our missionaries. I pray daily that we would preserve and contend for the faith once delivered!

History notes above taken from the Churches of Christ by John T. Brown, Louisville: John P. Morton and Company, 1904, pp 440-441.

Dr. James T. Barclay

A Preacher's Preacher (part 2)

Here is the full article from the South Side November 2006 Side Lites:

Sometimes it is hard to be an evangelist. Some would ask, “How can that be, seeing you only work on Sunday?” That would be a nice cushy job, wouldn’t it? Hopefully you realize that is not the case here at South Side. The ol’ saying that the “work is never done” is true when it comes to sharing the Gospel. And while it may be true that there are some lazy preachers out there, this evangelist is not one of them.

That being said, that is not what this column is about. I want to use this space to share about the hard work of a preacher to . . . Are you ready for this? . . . To listen to another preacher preach.

I can already read your thoughts. I have to listen to a preacher every Sunday! What is so tough about that? Maybe you would just have to be an evangelist to understand the point of this column, but probably not. All you really need to be is a good solid student of the Bible.

I have listened to many horrible sermons in my lifetime. Now again, before you begin to run all those bad sermons of mine through your mind, realize that I am not referring to the delivery of the message. I am not referring to whether the preacher is a “smooth” speaker or not. I am referring to content! In other words: Is the preacher being consistent with the Word of God? I, personally, would rather listen to a “dry” preacher who teaches strong biblical truth than to listen to someone who is “smooth” and wouldn’t know the basic principles of the faith if they came up and bit him. Now I know that is strong language, but I am much more interested in content than delivery.

That is one reason (not the only reason) I do not support denominational gatherings, or even interdenominational gatherings. In my mind, the most important thing is not the beautiful sound of hearing 10,000 men sing “How Great Thou Art”. I am sure it is beautiful. But more important in my mind is: How was the preaching and the teaching of the Word? What was taught from behind the pulpit or in the workshops?

Again, that being said, that is really not what this column is about. By now you are thinking that I have been reading this column and he hasn’t made his point yet! Let me illustrate my point by using a personal illustration.

I have preached twice in chapel at my alma mater, Florida Christian College. Can you imagine teaching something to the very people who taught you everything you know? Talk about pressure! But I remember Doc Smith coming up to me after I preached out of Haggai (Doc Smith taught me everything I know about the Old Testament!) and he told me I was faithful to the text and did a nice job. I was preaching to a group of preachers and professors! Wow!

I was honored and humbled this year to have Richard and Betty Marshall in our services one Sunday evening. Mr. Marshall used to be my preacher and also taught me how to preach while I was at Florida Christian College. It would be easy to get a big head, but in reality, it humbles me.
For most of this past year I had the honor and privilege to be a preacher’s preacher. Robert Hodshire, and his wife Ruth, have been attending South Side for some time now. When I first met Robert and Ruth, I was told they were “stanch” Church of Christ. I thought: that is all right, because I am “stanch” Church of Christ also. I believe in the restoration ideals and principles. I live by them! So when they begin attending the Bible School class I was teaching and morning services and Wednesday evening services, I was quite honored and humbled that out of all the preachers in the area, they would come and listen to me every week.

I was honored and humbled with Robert’s comments like:
* Kevin, I don’t know if I could have said it better.
* Kevin, it is scary, you sound just like me.

Now as I reflect on Robert’s life, and consider our continued ministry to Ruth, I am just reminded that we have a big task before us. I am reminded of preachers like Robert Hodshire, Ed Harris, Roger Chambers, Lewis Foster, RC Foster, Wilke Winter, Paul Bennett, Clarence Greenleaf, Don DeWelt, JW McGarvey, Alexander Campbell . . . . And the list goes on of men who have fought the good fight by preaching the Word! These preachers have contended for the faith once delivered and have now gone on to be with the Lord. They have left us big shoes to fill. I don’t think my foot can fill even half of any one of those men’s shoes. I just pray that I can do my part in fighting the good fight and preserving the sound doctrine that they worked so hard to contend for!

I am very honored and humble to be a preacher’s preacher! I am very honored and humbled to be your preacher!

A Preacher's Preacher

It has been an honor to be a preacher's preacher for most of the last year. Robert Hodshire, and his wife Ruth, have been attending South Side, starting shortly after I begin my ministry there. Robert and I are much alike in our stance for New Testament Christianity. Robert and I both are strong Church of Christ/Christain Church preachers.

This past Sunday Robert finished the race of life. He died of a massive stroke. While we all miss Robert already, we celebrate because we know he has received his reward in Christ.

In his last sermon at South Side, Robert spoke of how "God Knows Us, Do You Know Him?" And in the sermon he mentioned how God desires the "cream of the crop". Robert, in his faithful life, was one of those who I would consider the"cream of the crop".

My prayers go out to Ruth and family. I hope we can continue to minister to her as she remains faithful.

II Timothy 4:5-8 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 

Restore - the Symposium

I just returned, along with one of my elders, from the Christian Restoration Association 2006 Symposium. We had a great time! It was a fantastic meeting. We must go back to those restoration ideals. The messages were wonderful. We must revive the passion - and that passion begins with our relationship with God! Great job CRA! I will write more later about the messages.

God's Handiwork

Fall is here! The trees are beautiful. Oh, yes, I know it means raking - we know about that with our eleven trees in our front yard!

But our God is an awesome God! Enjoy the handiwork of God! Moses starts out the book of Genesis, "In the beginning GOD". Moses knew there was and is a God! It is He who created the earth! It is He who created life! He is all powerful! He is a God of love and mercy and at the same time a God of justice.

Over the next several weeks we will be studying the names of God from both the Old and New Testaments. His names speak of His character. I pray that we can learn together as we introduce again these beautiful names.

GET TO

Sunday is my last "Gotta" sermon! Do I really "gotta" preach it? You know it is on giving! Of course I don't "gotta" preach it - I "GET TO". I consider it a privilege to preach the Gospel at South Side. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16). My family and I do appreciate the support and love we get from the assembly at South Side.

Well, I "gotta" go to bed! Yes, I "gotta" because I "gotta" get up early in the morning. But the neat thing is: I "GET TO" have a great time of fellowship with the men of the church at our Men's Breakfast! Keep the coffee pot hot for me!

You know you drink too much coffee if you get dressed in the morning and dab a little coffee on your wrists so you’ll smell great all day.

Gimmicks - What Does It Take?

The other day I received in the mail a check for $30,000. Well, at least it looked like a check. It smelled like a check! It said “Pay to the order of” and had my name in the blank! It had the amount $30,000 both in numbers and spelled out:
Thirty thousand dollars……..00/100
Wow! I couldn’t wait to go cash it! But wait! As I looked at the small print, it said “valid only when used toward the purchase . . .” and then those words I hated to read: “DO NOT CASH”! Then I turned it over and read the rest of the letter that was attached and realized quickly that this was just another gimmick to try to get me to buy something. If they could just get me to come down and look, then a sale could possibly be made.
Many Churches and para-church organizations (camps, colleges, conventions) often find themselves caught up in the gimmick game. What does it take to get people to come to church services. And if we get them there, how do we keep them? What about the children? Do we have to have right “gimmicks” to win people to Christ?
I remember telling people about Hillsboro Family Camp and how great it is to attend. They asked what do you do all day long. I told them I am fed the Word by preaching and teaching! I was often asked how I could sit and listen to sermons from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM with only a few breaks for meals. There was nothing there to entertain me but the preaching of the Word! Oh, yes, they did have some singing, but that was not the focus. The focus was upon the preaching and teaching of the Gospel!
That old saying comes to my mind, "what you win them with, is what you win them to". I love good music—but if you win people with just music, you win them to just music. What happens if the music isn’t so great? Does that mean that someone doesn’t attend services or a camp or a convention? To some in our churches it does. If the preacher isn’t a good story teller or polished or gives us good pop psychology and “positive” preaching, we are not going to attend. But a church that is simply winning people by entertaining them, is only winning people over to entertainment as the old saying goes.
I remember years ago being part of a church softball league. In order to play on the church team, a person would have to be there at least three Sundays a month. During softball season the attendance would go up. People would attend services that you never thought would even come through the church building doors. Even after hearing the gospel proclaimed “at least three Sundays” out of the month, when softball season was over, so was their church attendance. We won them with softball, and that is all we won them to. Is it possible that the only reason they even attended was to put in their time so they could play softball?
Now I may be old fashioned, but I believe that there is still power in the Gospel WITHOUT all the gimmicks! Maybe this doesn’t bring the “instant” growth like many Christians are expecting. The Gospel must remain our focus, not the gimmicks! It was the Apostle Paul who wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). He doesn’t mention any gimmicks. He simply says the Gospel! He would later tell the same Christians in Rome that faith came by hearing (Romans 10:17).
I personally believe that the preaching of the Word can still win people to Christ. Not that there is anything wrong with music or softball or entertainment, but that cannot be the focus of the church. We Christians like to have a good time together and that is all right (look at the back of this newsletter)! But the church is not in the entertainment business! We are in the business of saving lost souls from a dying world!
I do understand the concept that we need to draw people into listening range. How we do that is something that still needs to be restored in the church today. Let me suggest that the early church didn’t win the world with gimmicks. The converts in the New Testament were won because of two primary things.
1. The preaching of the Gospel (Acts 8:4).
2. The faithful committed lives of the early church (Acts 2:42).
I still believe that if you win people with the gospel, you will win them to the gospel!
Boldly preaching the Gospel, without the gimmicks!
Kevin

Looking for Lincoln

Today ten of us traveled to Springfield, IL, to search for Lincoln! Actually, we went to the Lincoln Presidential Museum. WOW! It was great. I would encourage everyone to make the trip to Springfield. There are many other Lincoln sites to visit in Springfield to enhance the trip. Lincoln's home and tomb, plus both the old and current state capitals are located in Springfield.

Lincoln was a president who took a stand on an issue and did not budge. This strong stance caused many people to hate Lincoln. The museum portrays this through the numerous politcal cartoons that showed this hatred. Lincoln did what he believed to be the right thing to do, whether it was popular or not.

This reminds me of church leaders. Elders and evangelists have to take strong stands on the Gospel and these may not always be the most popular positions. But if we are standing on the solid rock of Jesus and His Word, we have to stand firm! I pray that the elders at South Side will continue to always stand firm on the Solid Rock, popular or not! It is not the goal of the church to be popular! It is the goal of the church to be faithful. May we continue to contend for the faith that was once delivered!

It thrills me that Lincoln was immersed into Christ to have his sins forgiven!

There is a tradition among Illinois Disciples that John O’Kane, when state evangelist, discussed the state of Lincoln’s soul with him on several occasions; finally he was convicted and wished to be immersed. He reportedly knew that his wife, who had strong Episcopal and Presbyterian social obligations in Springfield, would be greatly embarrassed if it were known that a “Campbellite” evangelist had baptized him. But one night, Lincoln slipped away from the house with proper garments for baptism, met O’Kane and was immersed in the waters of the Sangamon River.

Christians Only: A History of the Restoration Movement by James DeForest Murch, p. 155, Standard Publishing, 1962.

Unity and Truth Together!

Yes, the restoration plea is about unity. But that is only part of it. This unity hinges on the second part, which is truth! The restoration plea, you see, stands only on the authority of the Scriptures. Raccoon John Smith once stated it this way in the 1800's, “Let us, then my brethren, be no longer Campbellites or Stoneites, New Lights or Old Lights, or any other kind of lights, but let us come to the Bible, and to the Bible alone, as the only book in the world that can give us all the light we need.” Notice that union and truth are together! Union not based on truth is not biblical union at all. My prayer is that we continue to come to the Bible and the Bible alone! I pray that that Bible will continue to be our source of authority! I pray that we use the Bible only to make Christians only! Let's restore the restoration plea of unity, but ONLY on truth!

What a week!

This week has reminded me of Hebrews 10:25 on how we are not to forsake our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

This week has offered opportunities for many of us to encourage one another - all the more so as we see Sunday approaching! It started last Sunday with fellowship and encouragement opportunities in both of our services. Then on Monday evening, it continued with a meal, report and fellowship at Pleasant Meadows. Tuesday evening offered a great time of fellowship by the churches of Christ and Christian churches here in Vermilion County. And then our own fellowship and Bible Study and Prayer time on Wednesday. We are not through yet! Ladies can attend the fellowship at Hanging Rock tonight, if they would like. Saturday the Sunday Bible School Classes are meeting and sharing a meal together.

Encouragement! Encouragement! Encouragement! Keep it up as we continue to see the next Lord's Day approaching!

Service matters!

What a nice evening yesterday at Pleasant Meadows. Yes, even the "cozy" ride down and back was nice. It is always great to be able to spend time with Christian brothers and sisters, even when you have to sit real close!

It was a treat to hear about all the things going on at Pleasant Meadows. It was my first trip to the home, although we support it monthly through our missions giving at South Side.

We were also reminded that our service does matter. It does not matter how small or large the task is, they are all so very important for the kingdom.

Reflecting on 9-11-2001

I wanted to reflect on the fifth year since 9-11-2001. That day I was teaching history at a Christian school in Ohio, already having started into my regular routine. My classroom was in the library and someone told me to turn the TV on because a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I turned it on briefly, and then went back to teaching, figuring that it was an accident. It wasn't too long after that when the assistant administrator popped his head in the door and told me a plane just went into the Pentagon. I said, "no way"! I turned the TV back on and it stayed on most of the day after that.

Before we left school, the whole Jr/Sr High met in my classroom/library and we had a prayer meeting. We did not know all the details yet, but knew it was enough to cause concern and a certain level of fear. At the same time, we knew we had a God that would be our strength through whatever we would have to face. We prayed for the victims. We prayed for the surviving families. We prayed for our president. We prayed for our students. We prayed for our families. We prayed for our staff.

I will never forget this day as the staff tried to comfort the fears of the students and other staff members. Even when I got home, I needed to remind my children that God is our rock - we must stand upon him, no matter what might happen. I am reminded of the words of David:

Psalm 31:1-4 - In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed; In Your righteousness deliver me. Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me. You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.

God Bless America, the land which we love!

Wednesday Evening Bible Study

I really enjoy Wednesday evenings. Yes, it is a busy day. I make the trip to Danville twice. Then if you throw in a meeting of the elders and deacons, followed by an elders's meeting . . . whew!
But I love teaching. I enjoy good Christian fellowship. I enjoy spending some time together in prayer for friends and family of the church. I am glad that I GET TO serve in this way! I hope you feel the same way!

Gotta or Get to?

I had to get up this morning to come into Danville to work on this newsletter, among many other things! I knew there were lots of things that I had to do today. For instance:

• I gotta make a few phone calls
• I gotta work on Sunday’s sermons (both of them)
• I gotta finish up my Sunday School lesson
• I gotta post the bulletin and announcements online
• I still gotta post last week’s sermons online
• I gotta work on this news letter

The GOTTA’s are piling up!
Gotta! Gotta! Gotta! Or is it “Get to”? Quite honestly, I consider my role at South Side a “Get to” position. It is not that I “gotta” do these things, it is that I get to! You could change all those “gotta’s” to “get to” above! After Wednesday evening Bible Study, I told Paula that I love teaching. Teaching is something that I am very passionate about. I “get to” teach—every Wednesday and Sunday and any time someone will let me!
Now that is my attitude about my role as the evangelist at South Side. What is your attitude about your role at South Side? Maybe you did not want to go there! But here we go anyway!

• Do you Gotta teach Bible School?
• Do you Gotta lead the singing?
• Do you Gotta work in the nursery?
• Do you Gotta serve in Junior Church?
• Do you Gotta help serve at the table?
• Do you Gotta set up for a fellowship meal?
• Do you Gotta prepare communion?
• Do you Gotta run the sound board?
• Do you Gotta greet people at the door?
• Do you Gotta . . . Ok, that is enough to make the point, I hope!

No, you do not “Gotta”! You “get to”! It is a privilege to serve our Lord and God in whatever capacity we are able to serve Him! God wants us to serve because we want to, not because we have to! He wants us to minister to others because we love him, no because we feel forced!
I personally would much rather have a Bible School teacher who feels they “get to” teach, than one who feels they “gotta”! I have always tried to look at Christian service is as a “get to” ministry.
Anything we do, no matter how small or how big the job, it all is important and is part of the work of the church.
Paul writes in Ephesians 4:15-16—"we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
The whole body (the church) is held together by what every joint supplies. Paul has just told them about four gifts which Christ gave the church. Then the Apostle says how they each have to work together for the growth of the body.
In order for these gifts to work together though, we must have the “get to” attitude about whatever we do within the assembly!
My prayer is that the morning sermon series will help to adjust any attitudes of “gotta” and help you realize that it is a privilege to serve our Lord. We “get to” serve our God and that is a HUGE privilege!
I am honored that I “get to” be your evangelist and serve our Savior with you here at South Side. Hopefully you have the same “get to” attitude!

Kevin

To view the Power Points for the sermons or to listen to the audio, click here.

South Side is Unique!

I recently taught a Sunday School class on the topic of what makes the church of Christ unique. I decided to use my newsletter space to share the outline so others, who were not able to be in the class, could have the outline. I am glad to be in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I am honored and glad to be simply a Christian, with no other labels. I hope this outline will help you share with your friends and acquaintances what makes the church of Christ unique.

South Side is a church following Biblical principles.
* Where the Scriptures speak, we speak. Where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.
* Do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names.
* Book, chapter and verse for everything we believe and practice.
South Side is a church that rejects human creeds.
* No creed but Christ; No Book but the Bible; No home but heaven.
* If creeds say less than the Bible, it doesn’t say enough; if more than the Bible, it says too much; and if it says just what the Bible says, it is unnecessary.
* Creeds do not unite; they divide.
* As far as I find it consistent with the Word of God.
South Side is a church with no denominational affiliation.
* The church practices local autonomy. This means that each local church is independent of other churches.
* There is no denominational hierarchy.
* Divisions caused by denominationalism are wrong. I Corinthians 1:10-13
* Church members prefer to be called simply “Christians” and reject any man-made label.
* The Bible only makes “Christians” only.
* Each local assembly has Christ as the Head of the church.
* Each local assembly selects its own plurality of elders (pastors) and evangelists to assist in evangelizing and equipping the local assembly. – Ephesians 4:11
* Deacons are also selected by the local assembly to serve the church in many different ministries.
South Side is a church which believes that Jesus is the ONLY way.
* Jesus said this in John 14:6.
* Peter said this in Acts 4:12.
* The Bible only presents one way to heaven and that is through Jesus and on His terms.
* The Biblical plan to salvation is plain and very simple.
* This Biblical plan can be easily summarized:
* Hear God's Word - Matthew 7:24; I Corinthians 15:1-4
* Believe God's Word (have faith in it) - Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:1
* Repent (turning away from sin unto God) - Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30
* Confess Jesus Christ as the Christ, the Son of the living God - Matthew 10:32, 16:16; Romans 10:8-13
* Be immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38, 22:16; Romans 6:3-6; Galatians 3:27; I Peter 3:21
* Live the Christian life showing love and gratitude to God for His salvation, looking forward to His Son's return - James 1:22-24, 2:20
South Side is a church that is devoted to the Apostles’ doctrine.
* They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42
* This includes weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of the death of Jesus – Acts 20:7.
* This includes the preaching and teaching of the Bible.
* This includes opportunities for Christian fellowship for growth and edification.
South Side is a church that believes in unity, but only based in the truth.
* There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6
* In matters of faith, unity; in opinions, liberty; and in all things, love.

I am glad to be unique! Aren’t you?

Kevin

I am "One of Them"

Have you ever been accused of “being one of them”? Years ago, at a Church of Christ/Christian Church preachers’ meeting, I was sitting across the table from a preacher when he asked me where I was the “pastor” at. I responded, “I am the evangelist at . . . “ In a sarcastic tone of voice he responded, “Oh, you are one of them”. I guess that I am “one of them”! And quite frankly, I am proud to be “one of them”!
One of the things that has frustrated me the most in ministry is when other evangelists cannot get the terminology right. I heard once about a “pastors and elders” conference being held at one of our Bible colleges. As I reflected in my mind about the Scriptural teaching on eldership, I thought it was redundant to say “pastors and elders” seeing that the words are talking about the same thing! Words convey thoughts and ideas and are a great way to teach.
Being practical with teaching and preaching is an important part of ministry. As I have shared many of those great Restoration principles with the congregation, some have inquired how to put those principles to work in daily life. How can we share those principles with the people we come in contact with?
I keep coming back to the fact that it starts with the words we use. Words are a simple way to teach people outside of the church basic biblical truths. One of the slogans that came out of the early days of the American Restoration Movement was, “Do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names”. This is a simple principle that can help us teach others about what New Testament Christianity is all about.
Here is a simple illustration of how this works from the church office: A salesman called the office one morning and asked to talk with the “pastor”. Pat, our secretary, politely told him that none of the pastors are available because the word pastor in the bible is referring to the elders of the church and none of them are in the building. She did not go back to the Greek language and explain how the word “poimen” is used in the New Testament for elders. She didn’t have to! Pat went on to inform the gentleman on the line the “evangelist” was in, if he wanted to talk to him. What a great opportunity to teach that basic restoration principle for calling “Bible things by Bible names”. Of course the salesman was confused as he talked with me. Towards the end of the call, he called me “pastor”. Then he tried to correct himself when he said, “I mean elder”.
Words are so important and a great way to teach. A person does not need to know the Greek and the Hebrew to do it. Neither does a person need a Bible college education to teach using words. In fact, I believe that some Bible college educations have created some of the mess we are in with bad terminology!
Here is another illustration to make the point:
Several years ago a young man, who knew that I was a preacher, came up to me and asked me where was “my church”. I looked surprised at him and responded, “I didn’t know that I had a church”. I kind of caught him by surprise because he begin to wonder if I was still preaching. I told him that I did still preach—but I preach at Christ’s church and not mine. As the elders at Bolivar, PA, would continually remind the congregation that it wasn’t their church! Jesus died for the church! The elders did not die for the church! Simple words that taught a great lesson!
Someone once got confused with a visiting song evangelist. This confused member of the congregation told one of the children to stop “running in the church”. The song evangelist, teaching using words, simply said that it was impossible to “run in the church”. He went on to explain that the church is the people and you cannot run in the people (church). Simple words teaching a simple Biblical truth.
Scott Sheridan, a preacher friend of mine in Seattle, once wrote an article titled: Sloppy Terminology means Sloppy Theology. How true that is! Scott writes:
The Church has become extremely tolerant of sloppy terminology and sloppy theology. I hear it almost everywhere I go, everything I read, people I speak with, etc. I am not talking about major issues, necessarily. Although you can hear some out-and-out heresy in some of our pulpits, that is not what I am talking about. This article deals with some sloppy terminology that good-hearted people use from time to time. Nevertheless, just because we may not be discussing major heresies does not mean that it is not an important matter.
Scott hit the nail on the head! Unfortunately, the worse our terminology gets, the worse our theology can get. We start to actually believe the things we are saying. Or we say that they are not that important anymore. Or we say that they are just words. I have been hearing this about hymns during my entire eighteen years of ministry. I can point out how unbiblical the words to a hymn are, and the response is: “it is just a song”. Sloppy terminology means sloppy theology. It definitely can eventually lead to sloppy theology! Be careful of the words you use! If you use the wrong ones, you may convey a thought that is not Biblical.
Just “one of them” with you too, I hope!

Kevin

Constitutional Lessons

OK! This article really isn’t about the United States Constitution. It is about the South Side Church of Christ Constitution and By-Laws (1979 Edition). I will be the first to admit that I have never been a big fan of Constitutions and By-Laws for churches unless they are VERY well written. I understand that many were written, though, to protect congregations from denominational takeovers of property, finances and doctrines. Some were written because their state mandated they have some as an organization.
I have to admit, though, I really like the way our Constitution starts out. And you know what I like about it the best? The best part is that Article One and Article Two (Section 1) cannot be amended in anyway! That is a good thing, because those first few paragraphs are filled with sound Biblical doctrine. Here are a few things you will find (if you ever read your copy):
First is the NAME of the congregation! The congregation will always be known as the South Side Church of Christ! I am glad that the drafters of our constitution started off with this! In recent years many churches of our brotherhood have changed their names. The only problem is if Danville all of a sudden moved south of the church building. I don’t expect this to happen, but because we cannot change the name, we would be simply known as South Side Church of Christ on the north side of Danville. That would be fine with me as long as we continue to wear His name as a congregation!
Second is the PURPOSE of our congregation! Many of our churches have sent $1000’s to the denominational world to find out what their purpose is. You don’t have to buy a book or wait forty days to find out the purpose of South Side! All you have to do is look at our constitution (and they are free)! Saves us a lot of money and time! The constitution says our purpose is to “conduct a church”. Pretty simple, huh? But what did the writers mean by that? Good question (and you didn’t even have to wait for Ask the Preacher Night to get the question answered)! In fact, I don’t have to dig and study very much at all, because they told us what they meant by “conduct a church”. Here is what they meant, in their own words:
* We will be “known among religious bodies as the church of Christ”,
* We will have “Local autonomy” (self-governing),
* Members are known as Christians only,
* CONGREGATIONAL in form of government,
* No creed or articles of faith, other than those contained in the New Testament,
* Primitive ordinance of BAPTISM by immersion,
* Primitive ordinance of the LORD'S SUPPER shall be observed on the FIRST DAY of each week,
* Independent of any denomination, State or National, Ecclesiastical or other type of religious or quasi-religious organization,
* We are not to “support the United Christian Missionary Society or any other agencies of the ‘Disciples of Christ’ denomination, in any manner whatsoever”.
WOW! That says a lot about our congregation and the ones who put together this document. The last item listed above speaks of the time period they drafted the constitution, as many of our churches and colleges were taken over by the Disciples movement. Many of our congregations placed statements like these in constitutions to protect themselves.
Third is Membership Requirements of the congregation! The writers of the constitution wanted to make sure that South Side Church of Christ always had the same membership requirements as those given in Scripture. It was not open for our own interpretation!
Invitation to membership shall be extended to all:
* To those whosoever will believe with honesty and sincerity, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,
* To those who “confess this faith before men”,
* To those who are “fully repentant”
* To those who are “subsequently immersed in water into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the remission of sins”.
Sounds like the back of the bulletin (and the other side of this newsletter where the plan of salvation is laid out)! The message has not, and will not change at South Side! It is the same message that was taught in the New Testament! This message cannot be changed!
Oh, yes, the drafters of the constitution did allow for transfers, but only to those who had followed the New Testament pattern! Good for those authors of the constitution!
* To those who “by transfer of membership by letter, or statement of membership from a sister congregation of the Church of Christ holding identical membership requirements”
* To those who “by reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership from another church where said candidate for membership has been previously immersed in water, “into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit””.

Standing firm on His Unchanging Word with you,

Kevin

You Mean I Need to Study?

At the top of this page, right under the picture of the church building, I label us as a people of the Book. When I use the word Book, I mean the Good Book—the Bible! We, as a Church of Christ, should always be striving to use the Bible as our only source of authority. I am afraid, though, that we have become lax often times. Part of the reason is that we do not know the Book as well as we should know it. We have, in many churches, raised a generation of people who cannot find the time to study the Word of God daily in their homes.
Don't allow your generation to do that! Start right now to be a student of the Word. Be like the Berean Christians who examined the Scriptures daily to make sure that what the Apostles said was true.
Let us not fall in the temptation of just praying about the text. Prayer is essential in our Bible reading and study, but Paul wrote Timothy to STUDY to find ourselves approved before God! "Be diligent (or Study) to present yourself approved by God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed - handling accurately the Word of God" (II Timothy 2:15).
We must also not fall into the temptation of replacing study with devotional time. Devotional time is fine, and essential. But, we must figure out what the passage means before we can find out what it means to me! We need time with God reading His Word just because we enjoy it. But it will never replace the need to study!
I urge you to STUDY! STUDY! STUDY to present yourself approved by God.
Like the Berean Christians, in the early days of our American Restoration Movement we were known as a "people of the Book". We should never be ashamed of that! I would rather be a "people of the Book" than be a people who will spend eternity separated from God because we do not use His Book! I plead with you to join the elders and I in this simple, basic, yet foundational principle of the Restoration movement.
We must get beyond "Well this is what I think it means" to "This is what the Bible says about it" When you have a problem with what someone says or does, use the Word of God to resolve the conflict. Do not jump to conclusions with your own opinions. One writer said that the only exercise some Christians get is “jumping to conclusions”. If we do come to conclusions on matters, make sure they are in line with the Word of God. If you are wrong; repent! We must stand on the Word of God and be a "people of the Book"!
When the history of the Restoration movement is updated let it be known that South Side Church of Christ took the Bible as our only source of authority - not just a statement printed in bulletins (if the future generations still print bulletins) but also in action! Make it the goal of your family and of the Lord's church here at South Side to be known as a "people of the Book"!
The Word of God MUST always be our source of authority. It tells us what is important and necessary.
Read it daily! Study it daily! Examine it daily! Handle it accurately daily!

Standing firm on His Word with you,

Kevin