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