ELDERS: Roger Spencer Paolo Di Luca (304) 758-4924 Evangelist rgspencer@frontier.com (304) 559-7735 paolo05@gmail.com

DEACONS:

Jr. Daugherty Gary Durig

Herb Jung

Office: 304.455.2130

Email: office@bridgestreetcofc.org

Web: www.bridgestreetcofc.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BRIDGE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST PO BOX 292 NEW MARTINSVILLE WV 26155

God’s Plan for Man’s Salvation

* * * * * * * * * * * * “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30

The Gospel Must be HEARD Rom. 10:17 John 8:32

The Gospel Must be BELIEVED John 8:24 Mark 16:16

Sins Must be REPENTED OF Luke 13:3, 5 Acts 2:38

Christ Must be CONFESSED Matt. 10:32-33 Rom. 10:10

There Must Be BAPTISM (Immersion) for the Remission of Sins Acts 2:38 1 Peter 3:21

There Must Be CHRISTIAN

GROWTH and FAITHFULNESS 1 Peter 2:2 Rev. 2:10 2 Peter 3:18

November 19, 2017

— Paolo Di Luca

Life is Not Fair, But God Is!

One of the most frustrating but necessary lessons that each person must learn in life is that life is not fair but God is. In order to make any kind of sense of the prosperity and ease that wicked people can and do experience in this life, we must develop the understanding from a spiritual perspective. Surely, we have all felt frustration and maybe even bitterness when we have seen someone get away (or pros-per) with their wrong doings. It is very irritating when justice is not served and the righteous people suffer in place of the wicked ones. Because justice is not always served, life is not fair! We are con-vinced that this is not how it should be, and it is not what a society should seek. However, unfairness and injustice happen daily. So, the real necessity for all is to learn how we respond to such situations. A very transparent portrayal of the internal struggle that deals with unfairness and injustice is given in Psalm 73. The Psalmist begins with the affirmation: “Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart” (v. 1). However, his heart is very troubled as he confesses: “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (vv. 2-3). The unfairness of life seen in the apparent success of the ungodly and evil doers brings the man of God to doubt. That distrust produces envy, which leads to disobedience and unfaith-fulness. His frustration grows greatly and he concludes: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who are al-ways at ease; They increase in riches. Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence” (vv. 12-13). Being a man of faith was tough, and it bothered the Psalmist that all of God’s refining work in his heart and life did not lead to more material blessings and an easy life as the wicked experienced. His obedience to God felt like a wasted effort. When his focus was on the ungodly doing evil things, rather than on the God of justice and the God Who loves His people relentlessly, the Psalmist’s heart sunk. He grew depressed, bitter, and angry (v. 21). But there was a turning point and an answer. The man of God entered the sanctuary of God (v. 17). This expression does not involve necessarily the bodily entrance in the Temple, but indicates that he came to trust and rest in God’s promises, God’s sovereignty, and God’s heart. God is good and just, and He is the only hope for us to be at peace de-spite all the injustice that is around us. This life is incredibly short when contrasted with eternity. In the end, all that we do here and now matters because God sees all and will render to each of us according to our deeds. Those who trust Christ will be rewarded for their faithfulness, while those who reject Christ will face the condemnation of their evil deeds in the lake of fire for eternity. The Psalmist’s troubles and struggles with his perception of unfairness and injustice in the short term were finally put to rest when he realized the end of the wicked ones (v. 17). God will deal with them and hold them accountable for all of their evil deeds because God is just. He is just to forgive those who seek redemption and just to punish those who reject it. In the meantime, we have no reason to doubt, envy, or become bitter. We have our God, the God of justice, near to us, and such is our good (v. 28). Rather than envying the wicked, ungodly people, we need to tell them of all of the wonders of our good and just God (v. 28). Our hope is our eternal glory with Christ in Heaven (v. 24), and to get all worked up about the ease of the wicked ones is just plain senseless, given their ultimate end (v. 22). Let us not be ignorant but remember that the eternal judg-ment of God is fair.

WORSHIP SCHEDULE Sunday

Bible Study 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. Evening Worship 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 p.m.

Week of November 12

Bible Study 47 AM Worship 65 PM Worship 36 Wednesday 44

ATTENDANCE RECORD:

CONTRIBUTION $1,984.00

SCHEDULED TO SERVE nov. 26 : ANNOUNCEMENTS: R. SPENCER SONG DIRECTOR: am Ju RICE pm JR. DAUGHERTY PRAYER: am H. JUNG pm M. HOOD READING: Jo RICE WAIT ON TABLE R. SPENCER D. MOSER SERVE CONGREGATION: D. MELOTT S. HOOD CLOSING PRAYER: am G. DURIG pm D. HOOD GREETERS D. HOOD’S Wednesday Invitation: November 29

Paolo Di Luca

PREPARE COMMUNION - November Sandra Reed

Bridge Street

Church of Christ 1139 S. Bridge Street - PO Box 292

New Martinsville WV 26155

Messenger

Paolo Di Luca

We are honored to have you with us today! We invite you to return this evening—6:30, and Wednesday at 7:00 for our mid week Bible study.

IN SEARCH OF THE LORD’S WAY

Every Sunday morning Channel 7 - Wheeling

“A Christian” November 27, 2017

Danielle Moore is scheduled for surgery this coming Tues-day. Please keep her in prayer. Brenda Riggs has been sick this past week. Bill Longwell remains at home recovering from surgery and subsequent complica-tions. Remember these and those on our prayer list:

How to Move a Barn In the April-May, 1989, edition of Country maga-zine, I read of the barn-raising on Herman Ostry’s farm near Bruo, Nebraska. When frequent flood-ing of a creek was threatening his barn, Ostry did-n’t build a new one, instead, he had his existing barn carried 143 feet to higher ground. And if you’re wondering what’s unusual about relocating a building, you need to know the moving of the structure was accomplished not by heavy machin-ery, but by 344 friends and neighbors. As over 4,000 people watched, the helpers lifted the barn and carried the 17,000 pound barn in just three minutes. Ostry had carefully designed a steel tub-ing latticework with handles which he bolted to the barn. Once the handles were in place, al that was needed was muscle-power. . . . Whatever you can do to help share the load-do it. Things always go better when people are “striving together for the faith of the gos-pel” (Philip. 1:22). Don’t just be a spectator at the “barn-moving.” Marlin Connelly

Mike Moore Wilda Thomas Joyce Campbell John Powell Clair & Doris Twyman Shirley Hood

J.D. Conley

Sharon Pugh Pete Day Lisa Wade Matt Lamp Charlotte Wilson Justin Morris

WEEKLY SERVICES NMHCC

Wednesday 1:30 pm

BRIDGE STREET November Calendar

Tuesday, November 21st - Men’s Leadership Class, Ladies Bible Class, 7pm at the building. For those ladies needing copies of the lessons for this week’s class, copies are available in the foyer.

Welcome to Services

Thanksgiving Day The day is cold but brisk and bright,

Families gather, their hearts are light,

Beams of happiness shed their ray,

They’re glad it is Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving Day with all it means,

Tables laden, festive scenes,

We wonder as we look around,

At the sauces and pies we see,

Are we thankful as we should be?

Thankful for our strength and health,

For the riches of untold wealth,

For the goodness of those we love,

For the sun and stars above,

For a country as great as ours,

With the freedom of its powers,

Let us bow our heads and say,

“Thank you God for this Thanksgiving Day!