April 12, 2020 ⁕ Issue 15

GARRIOTT ROAD CHURCH OF CHRIST 3601 W Owen K Garriott Rd ⁕ Enid, OK 73703

580-234-2876 church@EnidChurchOfChrist.com ⁕ www.EnidChurchOfChrist.com

This time of social distancing has given me a lot of time to think. Here is a question that I have been giving some thought to as of late and I wanted to share with you. The ques-tion is this, “Who is responsible for my spiritual growth?”

If you ask many people I am sure that you would hear them say “My church is.” I know this because I have known Christians who hop from place to place every few years, leav-ing congregation after congregation because “they didn’t grow in their faith.” They leave, blaming the congregation and church leadership for failing. If we approach this subject striving to be perfectly honest, sometimes churches need to change and admit when we are not doing a great job helping people grow.

At the same time if we are striving for honesty, sometimes that’s not the issue. The lead-ership has done what it can to create environments that help people grow. If this is the case then that brings us back to the question, “Who is responsible for my spiritual growth?”

The truthful answer is: I am. I am responsible for my spiritual growth. I have been helped by great leadership & teaching in the church over the years. But I’ve also grown under poor leadership, learned from mediocre teachers and even been sharpened in a less than ideal community. In fact, as I have thought about this idea I realized that I’ve always grown the most when I’ve assumed personal responsibility for my spiritual development and looked for others to help me (not grow me, just help me grow). I’ve grown the least when I’ve slacked off.

And just as I am responsible for my spiritual growth, YOU are responsible for your spir-itual growth. No one else is responsible for this. Our spouse isn’t. Our children are not. Not our Bible class teacher or even the elders. It would be ludicrous for me to blame you for me not growing spiritually, but isn’t that what some people do to their church leaders? The truth is that the church can help, but all we can really do is create environ-ments that help people grow. It is up to the people to choose to grow.

So, having said all of this I want to challenge you to evaluate how much personal re-sponsibility you are taking for your spiritual growth. To help you get started think of it this way: What if all the spiritual teaching that you have received from every Bible class, eve-ry sermon, every podcast or YouTube video was erased from your mind & all you had left was what you had personally studied. How much would be left? What would your relationship with God look like?

I often wonder what would happen to the church if Christians took responsibility for our own spiritual growth? I wonder what would happen if we helped each other out and prayed for each other but continued to encourage each other to take responsibility for our own spiritual growth by holding each other accountable?

I know my answer to this. For me the answer is that I believe we would look more like the church that Jesus intended us to be. Isn’t that what you want too?

—Jonathan Crowell

“WORSHIP GOD”

Worshiping God is the highest attainment of any human being. Let me remind you that all worship someone or something. The real issue in life is not if we will worship but whom will we wor-ship. I will never forget the post-game celebration after Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their first NBA champion-ship. Michael Jordan wrapped his arms around that trophy and kissed it repeatedly. You had to see it. I haven’t seen many hus-bands look and treat their wife the way he treated that trophy.

All worship. Everyone has some object of supreme interest (sports, money, sex, education, power, beauty, etc). All worship but there is only ONE who deserves our worship, and that is God!

I. Worship is for God alone.

A. The first two of the Ten Commandments speak to this (Ex. 20:3-4).

1. Have no other gods before Me. 2. Don’t make any graven images.

B. To worship God excludes the worship of other gods. God will not allow a rival. Moses writes, “for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD whose name is JEALOUS, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14).

C. Are we guilty of worshiping other gods? We Americans have a pantheon of gods that we worship. Let us identi-fy some of these gods:

1. Money, in whose name many sacrifice their fami- lies, time and energy.

2. Pleasure, in whose honor many chase endless fads and fantasies.

3. Sports, whom many honor with their time and money and their praise.

4. Beauty, whom many honor by devaluing peo- ple, who have been created in God’s image.

5. Make a list of the other gods that we worship.

D. We need to hear the words of 1 John 5:21: “Little chil-dren, guard yourselves from idols.”

E. We must be careful that we are not enticed by these ri-val gods to bow down and worship them.

F. God will not allow a rival god for He is a jealous God. 1. How would you like it if your spouse loved

someone else? 2. How does God feel when we wrap our arms

around our idols?

G. God and God alone is deserving of our worship. David wrote: “Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Psa. 100:3).

II. Who or what do you worship?

A. Who or what is first in your life?

B. God is to be first in our life. Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…” (Matt. 6:33a).

C. Rick Atchley in his book, The Sinai Summit, helps us identify what’s number one our lives by using the acro-nym FIRST.

1. Focus. What do you think about? What you think about is probably very close to your heart. (What occupies your mind?)

2. Income. Your check stubs show what’s valuable in your life. What we spend our money on is what we value. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21).

3. Relationships. What company do we keep? Do these people help us draw closer to God or fur- ther away??

4. Security. The last time you needed support, who did you turn to? A friend? God?

5. Time. Our day timers reveal a lot about us. What do we schedule in and out of our day? What we spend our time doing is an indicator of what we value. By the way, God is not interested in a one- day-a-week relationship. I must make appoint- ments to be with my Father in Heaven.

How many of you have ever seen a throne? How many seats are on it? ONE! Brethren, there is no such thing as a throne pew. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24).

Maybe you need to de-throne some gods in your life?

April 12, 2020 • Devotional • Ray Rose

MEMBERS IN LONG TERM NURSING FACILITIES: Jo Ann Harmon, Greenbrier, Room 22 Abbie Morrison, Greenbrier, Room 70 Carla Lack, Golden Oaks Nursing Home, #122 Jeanne Pitts, Kenwood Manor, Room 2 Sue Mathis, The Commons, Room 106 Virgie Lee, The Commons, Room 305 Glenda Sweetwood, The Commons, Room 306 Georgie Gritz, The Commons, Apt 1008

MAKING DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS

CARE & SHARE

Noel Lovell

Dwayne &

Margaret

McLerran

POWERFUL PRAYER WARRIORS, Please pray specifically for these

three students this week:

HOPE SWART Granddaughter of Bruce & Linda Swart

RE’ELLE CROWELL Daughter of Jonathan & Lacy Crowell.

SHILOH BARBER Daughter of Paul & Venessa Barber

In accordance with the mandate of Enid’s

leadership, the suspension of all services

and activities of our congregation has been

extended through April 30th. Please contin-

ue to feel free to reach the secretaries, minis-

ters and elders using their numbers listed in

the directory.

OUR RECORDS

Week of April 5, 2020

Bible Class...….……………....….n/a

AM Worship…...……..…...…......n/a

PM Worship…….…....….….……n/a

Contribution.…….…....………$900

Wed PM...………….……..............n/a

PRAYER LIST

Don Sullivan...He will have a procedure on at 9 am on

May 9th and would appreciate our prayers.

Billie Lunday...She had surgery to remove her bladder

on Wednesday.

Pat Senters...She was admitted to the hospital on Mon-

day with a fever and shortness of breath. They believe

the shortness of breath is due to a pulmonary embolism.

Thankfully, she tested negative for COVID-19. She is

now out of ICU and in Room 408 at St. Mary’s.

Please also continue to pray for:

Clint & Donna Petty Dwayne & Margaret McLerran

Linda Swart Kay Scott Debra Simon Chris Strate

Don Sullivan Marshall & Joy McCoy

PASSAGE OF THE WEEK: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

“Do you not know that those who run in a race

all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such

a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who

competes for the prize is temperate in all

things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable

crown, but we for an imperishable crown.

Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus

I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I disci-

pline my body and bring it into subjection, lest,

when I have preached to others, I myself should

become disqualified.”

TODAY, Abby Crockett!

TODAY, Kim Navinda!

TUESDAY, Glenda Wall!

WEDNESDAY, Jeanne Pitts!

THURSDAY, Mike Nichols!

MONDAY, Jack & Fran Goodpasture!

WEDNESDAY, Don & Margaret Langham!

EXCEL STILL MORE BIBLE WORKSHOP

April 16-18, 2020

Now an online live stream event!

$30 Registration Fee ⁕ esmbibleworkshop.com

RESOURCES FOR SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT:

The “In Search of Lord’s Way” program can be watched on Sun-day mornings via WGN America (Dish Channel 239, DirecTV Channel 307) at 6:00 am, DirecTV Channel 34 at 7:30 am, CW (Suddenlink Channel 7) at 7:30 am.

The “Gospel of Christ” program can be watched on Sunday mornings via DirecTV Channel 52 at 8:00 am.

The Gospel Broadcasting Network (GBN) is available via Roku or mobile app, or online at gbntv.org; GBN has several options for video Bible studies and devotionals.

The TRUTH.FM mobile app or website provides access to vari-ous podcasts and church radio stations, including a 24-hour a ca-pella singing station.

PTP365 is currently offering temporary free access in response to COVID-19; go to https://free365.polishingthepulpit.com

Wylie church of Christ, where Steve Minor preaches, has a live stream of their Sunday morning services at 10:30 am; it can be accessed at wyliechurchofchrist.org

West Huntsville church of Christ, where Glenn Colley preaches, has a live stream of their Sunday morning services at 9:oo am; it can be accessed at westhuntsville.org

Other resources include Focus Press and Apologetics Press.

MISSIONS WE SUPPORT:

Elio & Serafina Vergara, Panama

In SEARCH of the Lord’s Way

Lariat Creek Christian Camp

Garriott Road Prison Ministry

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE!

enidchurchofchrist.com

The bulletins are available there to download, and you will also find audio record-ings of recent sermons, as well as links to encouraging videos made by our elders and ministers.

APRIL Elder of the Month:

Doug Boyle

Bobby & Claudia Moore are doing well and getting

settled in Midland, TX. They will be missed!

If you would like to keep in touch, their new mailing address is:

PO Box 2933 Midland, TX 79702