Church News . . .
New Hope United Plans 131st Church Anniversary On Nov. 17
New Hope United Methodist Church will celebrate its 131st church anniversary on Nov. 17 with its regular 11 a.m. morning service. There will also be a 3 p.m. afternoon service. The church is located on Martin Street in Summerville.
New Hope Pastor the Rev. Robert E. “Pete” Barrett will be the morning speaker. The Rev. Bobby Church of Marietta Street UMC will bring the 3 p.m. message.
Dinner will be served immediately following the morning service until 2:50 p.m.
Rev. Robert E. Barrett and the New Hope family invites the public to come and fellowship with them.
Coat Giveaway Planned At Local Church
Life Purpose Worship Center, located Downtown Summerville, 10091 Commerce St., will have a coat giveaway on Nov. 7 from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. and also on Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. until 11a.m.
If you are need of a coat for an adult or child, come by and pick one out for free.
By TOMMY O’KELLEY
Minister, Subligna Road
Church Of Christ
EXCUSES, EXCUSES AND WORSHIP
When people are questioned about worship attendance generally there are two responses given. Some take the affirmative side and say that attending worship service is an absolute must. Others will adhere to the stance one can worship God and be a Christian without attending a worship service. For this article I want to focus on the latter response. When this response is given there will generally always be variations but what is really being offered is an excuse. Excuses are nothing more than an excuse. A meager attempt to console one’s self to a decision they have made. We need to take into consideration what God thinks about excuses anytime it comes to serving him. The one thing we need to remember about excuses is that they anger the Lord. Remember when God called Moses to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage? Moses was able to give excuse after excuse. His excuses ranged from I’m not up to the task, to they (children of Israel) will want to know who sent me and I can’t speak well, (Ex. chapters 3 and 4). When we think about these excuses, we may consider there is not much merit to Moses. But what makes his excuses less than our own or why do we gain more merit with our excuses? God was angry with Moses and we should rest assured if God was angry with him, he certainly must be angry with us. Secondly, excuses don’t change the consequences. In the parable of Luke 14:15-24, our Lord told us of three excuses. We might have thought they were good reasons, but the Lord said they were excuses. One man had bought a piece of ground, another a yoke of oxen, and another married a wife. We are amused at the shallowness of the excuses, yet the same principle is stated. The excuses did not appease the master (Lk. 14:21). The Lord’s point was because of the excuse-making, those who made excuses missed something and the Lord was angered with their excuses. Thirdly, excuses don’t eliminate the responsibility even though we like to think they do. Generally, excuses are an attempt to do away with responsibility. In Genesis 3:9-11, we read of Adam and Eve falling to the temptation presented them from Satan. We should take notice that before Adam admitted to partaking of the fruit, he gave an excuse of his action by blaming Eve. Also notice that Eve, before admitting wrong, blamed the serpent (Satan). Both Adam and Eve were found guilty of disobedience to God and again God was angered and cast them out of the garden. Excuses don’t really tell why we do or don’t do a thing, we simply manufacture a flimsy covering to try to hide the truth. Most people easily see through our flimsy layer of excuses. How much more does our Father see right through them to our heart? May we face the truth about our excuses and rid ourselves of them. May we get ourselves right with God and gather for worship in the assembly because our God deserves no less.
Until next week, this is the Scriptural Truth. Tommy O’Kelley, Minister, Subligna Road church of Christ, 706-638-1129 or 423-413-5319, email tmdok4@windstream.net or Facebook.