Weekly Bulletins

Bulletins

From this page we will post weekly bulletins to encourage and strengthen the faith in those who walk with Christ Jesus. The latest bulletins will always be posted here and an archive of past bulletins can be downloaded below (in PDF format).

Our fellowship calls these weekly bulletins "SOMETHING TO CHEW ON" because they are hoped to be thought provoking, encouraging and hopefully relevant to as many people's walk in Christ as possible.

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

Bulletin dated 18th November, 2007.

When travelling, "hurry up to wait" seems to be the password. One hurries to leave the house for the airport only to wait in traffic jams. One hurries to unload the bags at the curbside only to wait in line to check them in; one hurries through security checks and down long corridors only to wait in line at the gate to get a seat assignment; one hurries onto the plane only to wait for the plane to take off. In spite of the fact that the plane may be travelling as fast as four hundred miles an hour or more, one still sits and waits to arrive at their destination. Once landed, one hurries to get off the plane only to wait in line for immigration; then there is a hurried walk down long corridors again to retrieve the checked bags and again a long wait. After getting the bags, one hurries to get into another line to clear customs. Although this "hurry up to wait" routine is very pronounced while travelling, it really is a way of life almost every day.
One can hurry to the market to wait for a parking space; one can hurry in to do shopping and wait in line to check out, hurry to work and wait for the boss, hurry to lunch and wait to get served; hurry, hurry, hurry. Truly as Daniel said, in these last days we do run to and fro but we do a lot of waiting in between.
The time we spend waiting can affect us in a variety of ways. We can become anxious, frustrated and irritable, or we can use these precious moments to good advantage. We have to wait either way, so it only seems to make sense to use this waiting time to good advantage rather than by being upset about it.
James exhorts us saying, "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth" ... there it is, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain." Now the lesson James wants us to draw from his example is, "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is very near."
Cultivating patience helps us to wait with the proper attitude. We can see how foolish the husbandman would be to get upset because his fruit did not come up right away. Our irritation while waiting does us no good either, in fact, it can make us tired or even exhausted. Isaiah tells us that "they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
As we wait, let us turn our minds to the Lord and meditate upon Him as we pass the time. David tells us to "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:" Our minds can be centred on God while our bodies stand in a humdrum line and if, perhaps, some rude person should crowd in ahead of us, then all we do is finish the verse that David gave us, which goes on to say, "Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any way to do evil." The rude and pushy people of the world may make our waiting a little longer but we need not be upset, for those "that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth."
Our minds can be led beside the still waters and our souls restored even while we wait in a crowded line. As we rush hither and thither only to wait, let us remember what Isaiah said, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever; for in the LORD is everlasting strength.

The little boy was helping his younger sister up a steep mountain path when she complained, "This isn’t a path at all, it’s all rocky and bumpy." The older brother smiled and said, "Sure it’s a path, the bumps are to climb over."
On our journey to the kingdom, we too, can sometimes think that the path is nothing but rocks and bumps. We need to remember that "the bumps are to climb over."
It was Jesus who told us that "narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it." From the viewpoint of the little girl and the world around us, it isn’t a path at all for most are looking for the broad way "that leads to destruction."
Jesus reminded us concerning the broad way that "many there be which go in thereat." The broad way always has a traffic jam on it while the way up to the Kingdom is narrow and uncrowded.
Which way are we going? How crowded is the way we are travelling? If we find that we are moving along with the world, we need to check our road map to make sure we haven’t make a wrong turn somewhere. This can happen so easily. One can get turned around and suddenly find themselves going in the exact opposite direction to their desired destination.
In our way of life, do we find that we are going and doing pretty much like our worldly neighbours and associates? If we discover that we are going and doing, playing and eating with those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, something could be wrong. If we find that our talk is mostly about our work, our gardens, our homes, our automobiles and our sports and not about our hope and the promises of God, then it could be we have made a wrong turn. We had better pull off the road and check our bearings. Our road map is our Bible and we need to ask ourselves how often we refer to our guidebook of life. It is no use thinking we can find our own way for "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life."
Don’t worry about the bumps. We need them to climb up and over. They are essential to our development. Again it was our Lord who told us, "He that overcometh, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations." He reminds us that "in the world, you shall have tribulation; but in spite of this, we are to be of good cheer. Why? Because Jesus overcame and we can, too. Yes, our trials and troubles which might have been seen as problems are not really problems at all. They are simply opportunities for us to show God that we are climbers and these light afflictions are simply there for us to overcome and climb over on our way to the Kingdom. Viewing it this way, we can join Paul in cheerfully saying, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.