Schedule of Services:

Sunday Bible Study @ 9:30am

Sunday Worship @ 10:15am

Sunday Worship @ 6:30pm

Wednesday Bible Study @ 7:00pm

Phone: 304-337-2772

questions@padencitychurchofchrist.com

PADEN C ITY C HURCH OF CHRIST

We invite you to join us at any of our

services. You will find…

Worship that honors God through the

simplicity of New Testament worship.

A friendly welcome from our mem-

bers.

An emphasis on teaching that comes

from the Scriptures.

A love for the Lord and a respect for

the privilege to share His message.

A willingness to discuss your Bible

questions and seek answers through

God’s word.

We will not be soliciting funds from

our visitors. Leave your wallet at

home and come with an open heart

to study the Scriptures with us.

Sunday Morning:

Bible Study Prayer...Tom Martin

Announcements...Jim Culp (Job 17)

Song Leader…Samuel Price

Prayer...Scott Starkey

Scripture…Hunter Starkey

(Psalm 19:1-6)

Sermon...Brian Price

Lord’s Table... Bread: Aaron Heasley

Cup: Rick Hayes

Assist At The Table: Bob Steele Isaac Price

Jack Brisendine Jason Space Mike Bonner

Mitchell Earley

Closing Prayer…Arnold Dailey

Sunday Evening:

Songs...Zach Heasley

Prayer...Samuel Price

Scripture...Roger Smith (Psalm 119:41-48)

Sermon...Brian Price

Table/Announce…

Ron Heasley

Prayer...Larry Starkey

Wednesday Evening:

Prayer...Todd Cecil

Songs...Samuel Price

Prayer...Jeff Smith

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship

him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

(Proverb 4:10-15) “Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” Wise counsel is found in this short segment of scripture. There is a falla-cy among many that states that the on-ly way to learn is to experience some-thing for yourself. A common reply to instruction is, "you may be right but let me found out on my own." I believe this passage plainly teaches that we do not have to learn every lesson on our own. The passage relates to us the value of wise instruction. Knowledge can be gained through the instruction of the wise that may save us a lot of heartache and misery that often accompanies "learning the hard way." One does not have to walk in the paths of the wicked to understand that

it is evil and destructive. We do not have license to walk in the paths of evil under the cloak of a learning experience. The instruc-tion is simple, we are to avoid evil and we come to an understanding of what is evil not solely by experience but through wise in-struction. Let us hold fast to the instruction of the wise that we might not destroy our lives through wickedness in a misguided attempt to learn everything through experi-ence.

Paden City Messenger January 1, 2017

The Benefit of Wise Instruction

Morning Evening

The Greatest Sermon I Never Heard

Psalm 19:1-6 Romans 1:18-23 Great Silent Sermons Abel Teaches His Brother

(Genesis 4:1-5; Hebrews 11:4) Timothy learns to teach

(1 Timothy 4:12) Zacchaeus teaches persever-

ance (Luke 19:1-10) Dorcas teaches charity

(Acts 9:36-41) We teach those around us

(1 Peter 3:1-2)

While You are Making Plans

1 Timothy 4:6

Honor God

Meditate On His Word (Psalm 119:11, 47-48)

Practice His Ways

(Isaiah 2:3; 45:13)

Participate In His Service (John 9:4;

Matthew 9:37-38)

Honor Life’s Blessings

Laugh (Proverb 17:22; Psalm 126:2)

Lift (Mark 9:27)

Love (1 John 4:16-21)

I believe it would be hypocritical for any of us to say that our faith has never been shaken and that we have never forsaken our Lord. All of us have found our-selves failing in our love towards Him. From this fact we ask the question, how can I renew my interest in God? In Ezra 9:5-15 we find several helpful points that will encourage us in our service to God. We first note from the passage that we must be willing to admit our transgres-sions. Denial never leads to healing. How long would we allow our physical body to bleed before we acknowledged the problem and sought treatment. The same could be said of our soul. Often, are spiritual lives are slowly dying and denying that fact will only lead to my eventual spiritual death. The only way to heal is to first accept the fact that there is a problem. Once admitting those sins and short comings to ourselves, we then must turn to our Father and acknowledge those things before him. After admitting our faults we then must strive to improve our conduct. It is one thing to admit our sins, it is quite another to change the behavior. Once learning the kinds of things that hinder my service to God, I must strive to avoid them. Yes, I may have fallen into those pitfalls in the past, but I must now realize that God will forgive and that I must move on to better service. The reason we must admit those sins is so that they are plainly marked, to assist us in avoiding them in the future. Let us also realize that we can do better. No one is excluded. Regardless of what sins are in your past, you can have a future in serving the Lord. We also see from the text, that usually there is only a remnant of people who want to do what is right in God’s sight. We must trust in God, that He will reward those who have the courage to be part of that remnant. It will not come easy at times, but the blessings are worth it. God will give us the strength to overcome those challenges if we will have the resolve and patience to do it. Won’t you renew your interest in God today? Why wait another moment to serve the Lord as he would have us to? Why put off, what I’m sure many of us have intended to do for some time?

Renewing Our Convictions in God