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PAIDLakeland, FL

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CHURCH OF CHRIST1807 S. FLORIDA AVE.

Flor

ida

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South Florida AvenueCHURCH OF CHRIST

1807 South Florida AvenueLakeland, FL 33803-2653

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The Headline Reads...

Addiction to Porn Invading Our Churches “In a 2006 study reported by Morality in Media, 73 percent of U.S. adults thought viewing pornographic Web

sites and videos was morally unacceptable. Yet today, it was found in a survey conducted by ChristaNet.com, 50 percent of Christian men and 20 percent of Christian women admitted to being addicted to pornography. The survey also found 60 percent of Christian women admitting to having significant struggles with lust; 40 percent saying they were involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20 percent struggling with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.”

I hope this does not apply to you, but if it does, you need to be honest with yourself because your thoughts and actions are standing before the Lord God Almighty. We all have our various struggles in life and for most people shame prevents people from speaking about it. The answer to our problem, whether pornography or anything else, is a matter of resolve. “I am resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world’s delights. I am resolved to follow the Savior. Leaving the paths of sin. I will hasten to obey.” The old song conveys exactly to remedy to our individual plagues.

What If Adults Acted Like Children?Steve Higginbotham

Last evening, my seven-year-old daughter was upset and crying over something that was rather insignificant. As I was trying to console her, I told her that this issue was nothing about which she should be crying. It was

petty, childish, and her tears, well...were more an attempt at manipulation than tears of sadness. So the adult that I am, attempted to “reason” with the child that she is. I attempted to convince her that crying

over such an insignificant issue was childish. I tried to explain to her that her mother and I deal with the very same issue she was dealing with and we don’t cry about it. I then asked her the following question, “What do you think would happen if adults acted like children?” Her response ended our conversation. She said, “They’d all go to heaven.”

I turned and looked at my wife sitting across the room. My wife just smiled and said, “There’s your article for this week.”

My little girl was right. If adults would just act like children, they’d all go to heaven! “But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).

Out of the mouth of babes...

~ Ron Thomas ~

Have the Whole Family Present Each Evening

A Friendly Church With a Vital Message Proclaiming the Unsearchable Riches of the Lord Jesus.The Messenger is published weekly by the South Florida Ave. Church of Christ meeting at 1807 South Florida Ave - Lakeland, FL 33803 Vol. 66 No. 24 06-11-13

MESSENGER The South Florida Avenue The South Florida Avenue

ELDERSDavid AndersonKenny French

Bobby Sheumaker

DEACONSJeff Bingle

Jimmy SweeneyDavid WilliamsChuck Wyatt

MINISTERRobert McAnally(863) 682-3600

ASSOCIATE MINISTERBrian Kenyon(863) 944-8565

SECRETARYVirginia Walker

OFFICE PHONE(863) 682-4702

SUNDAY SERVICESBible Study...................9:30a.m.Worship......................10:30a.m.Evening Worship........6:00p.m.

WEDNESDAYLadies Class.............10:00a.m.Bible Study.................7:00p.m.

HOME OFFlorida School of Preaching

MISSION FIELDSDub Hill...........................RussiaDon Iverson.......................IndiaRandy Judd........Malawi, AfricaGraham McDonald.....ScotlandJ. Paguaga.......Honduras, C.A.Joey Treat.........Pacific IslandsTed Wheeler..........Ghana, W.A.

EMAILSFA.church@gmail.com

WEB PAGESwww.southfloridaavenuechurchofchrist.com

www.sfacc.net

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Sun. 6:00 PM, Mon.-Thurs. 7:00 P.M.

FAMILYJuly 16 - 20

You are invited to . . .

A Study of the

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Classes for all ages 1 to 101.

for the whole

MIKE ELLEDGEwill teach the

Auditorium Adult Class

Contradicting God is Self-DestructionRoyce Pendergrass

Recently, I came across this little piece of wisdom, and I quote: “Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself but because it contradicts them.” I do not even know who made this statement or when and why it was made, but I do know that it is a “jewel” of wisdom.

The word “contradict” means to “say the opposite of what has been said”; “to be contrary to or disagree with”; “to declare untrue” or “to speak against.” We often hear someone quote two different Scriptures from the Bible and affirm that they are contradictory to each other. How foolish! God is perfect, and He did not put into His Holy Word something that would “speak against” or “say the opposite” of something He said somewhere else. Only men are capable of doing that. Men are just not willing to accept the Word as perfect, and they themselves want to change the context or meaning of Scriptures so that they can salve their own consciences about the falsehood they are peddling.

There are those who sometimes just set out to create confusion and cause others to question the validity of what is said. When Paul preached at Antioch to a Jewish audience, he made quite a stir and the Gentiles asked him to preach the Gospel to them on the next Sabbath. Following their request, we read in Acts 13:44, “The next Sabbath day, almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But, when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy and spoke against those things that were spoken by Paul; they contradicted and blasphemed.” The Jews most definitely were there just to cause trouble.

However, the Jews were noted as being troublemakers. We read in Acts 17:7ff, “Those Jews who didn’t believe were moved with envy and took certain lewd fellows of the baser sort and gathered a company and set all the city in an uproar and assaulted the house of Jason (where they believed Paul to be staying) and sought to bring them out to the people… they troubled the people and the rulers of the city.” The Jews had an agenda to fulfill their own hate and disregard for the person of Paul and others because they were jealous of the following Paul had. In order to accomplish this, they took into their company those with a bad reputation, and they were willing to blaspheme, which is to speak evil of God. What a price they were willing to pay for their anger and hate!

From the beginning, God has punished those who go against His will because, in doing so, they deny His power and authority. In the Garden of Eden, God specifically told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but because they wanted to be “as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5), they did eat. They chose to go contrary to the will of God and brought death, the consequence of sin, upon all mankind. There has been and always will be punishment for those who deny the authority and God. He has given us His Word by which to live through His Son Jesus Christ, Who “is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). This means that the message of the Gospel of Christ is never going to change. It is what it is, and we are not to be troubled by “divers and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 18:9) that are contradictory to the Word of God but which erroneously are presented to the world as truth.

God didn’t prepare one set of rules for one class of people and another set of rules for a different class. To do so, would be to create chaos, and “God is not the Author of confusion but the Author of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). He has given a singular message for all mankind, and that message is that He wants “all men to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). However, in the beginning, God gave a warning: “My Spirit will not always strive with man” (Genesis 6:3). He will get tired of man’s contradictions and lack of respect for His authority and take vengeance on those who don’t know Him. Contradicting God is self-destruction!

Sunday, June 23, 20139:30 A.M.

Song at Bible Class ...................................... Jim TurnerPrayer .......................................................David Williams

10:30 A.M. Announcements ....................................... Stacey PaulinSong Leader ............................................ Jason HendrixOpening Prayer ...................................... Fred StricklandClosing Prayer ...........................................Paul Romine

6:00 P.M. Song Leader ...............................................Paul RomineOpening Prayer .......................................Charles PaulinClosing Prayer ...............................................Jeff BingleGreeters ............................................... Phil & Dottie FifeAtt. Cards .................... Ian Enamorado & Paul SweeneyOpen & Close Building ................................Tim Croson

Wed. June 26, 2013Song Leader ...............................................Jim Turner Opening Prayer ........................................Kenny FrenchClosing Prayer .................................................. Phil Fife

SFA FAMILY MATTERS

Please meet in the library. If you cannot serve, please call Chuck Wyatt, so he can get

a replacement - 859-5231.

June 16, 2013 9:30 A.M.

Song at Bible Class .....................................Ken WalkerPrayer ............................................................. Jim Turner

10:30 A.M. Announcements ....................................... Stacey PaulinSong Leader ............................................ Jason HendrixOpening Prayer ................................... Jimmy SweeneyClosing Prayer .................................................. Phil Fife 6:00 P.M.Song Leader ...............................................Paul RomineOpening Prayer ...................................... John McShaneClosing Prayer .............................................. Jim TurnerGreeters ...............................................The Bingle familyAtt. Cards......... ........Quadarius Askew & Antonio MartinOpen & Close Building ................................Tim Croson

Wed. June 19, 2013Song Leader .................................................Ken Walker Opening Prayer .....................................David Anderson Closing Prayer .............................................Tim Croson

~ HOW WE ARE GIVING ~ . May 19 .............................................. $3,579.10May 26 .............................................. $3,489.87Jun 02 ............................................... $4,430.66Jun 09 ............................................... $4,406.64Contribution Average ..................... $4,176.842013 Weekly Budget ....................... $4,255.13

SCHEDULED TO SERVE

Kenny French ................ Table ................... David WilliamsCasey Paulin ................. Assist ................... Robert Cooper

JunePrayer List

Our Members: Joyce Burbage is in LRMC. No visitors, please. Josephine Bowman will have cataract surgery June 17th. Dick Burbage will have spinal surgery July 2nd. Sam Bolding, Jacquelin Dopwell, Duane Nelson, Margaret Coone & Sharon Washington.

Relatives: Earl Anderson, Karen Swiney, Nina Hart, Annie Beth Coone, Becky Sheumaker’s sister has pneumonia.

Shut In Members: Artis Bassett, Mary Shoemake.Others: Gene Dampier, a former member here, had a stroke,

and a heart attack. He is recuperating at his daughter’s home in North Carolina. Bonnie Hendricks (cancer). Her husband, Gary Hendricks had a massive heart attack and is in ICU at LRMC. Christina Feussner, Kathy Peel, Danny Edmonds, James Leslie Cribbs.

Upcoming EventsJune 15th - Men’s Breakfast at Central, W.H. at 8:00 am.June 16th - 20th - Vacation Bible School. Time is 6:00 pm

on Sunday, then 7:00 pm Monday thru Thursday. If you are able to help in any way, please see Kathy Sweeney.

June 28th-30th - Annual Hilltop Singles Seminar at the Hilltop Church of Christ in W.H. See bulletin board for more information.

June 30th - July 6th Central Fla. Bible Camp. You can register on line, or pick up an application from the table in the foyer. If you register early, there is a $20.00 discount.

VisitorsNathaniel and Katie Bishop & daughter, Violet. Mrs. Pam

Bonine, Dr. Debra Okolichany.

VBS Sign-Up SheetIf you haven’t had a chance to sign up to help provide food

for our VBS, the sheet is posted in the foyer.

SympathyPaul Newman Kirkland, son of Darnell Kirkland, passed

away last weekend in South Carolina following a heart attack. Please keep all of the Kirkland family in your prayers.

HEAR OUR RADIO SPOTS......This Week - “Old Age”

WONN 1230 and WLKF 1430 or on our web page.........

www.southfloridaavenuechurchofchrist.com ....