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By: Gary Hutchens It has been my practice to devote one bulletin article near the beginning of most every year to look at the year gone by and consider possibilities of the year ahead. This month marks the beginning of my twenty-second year here at Sunny Slope. I continually thank God for blessing and, I believe, guiding me to work with this congregation. I laid to rest my first wife and met my present loving mate right here.
By: Gary Hutchens Just how important is it to be at services when the church meets? The beginning of a new year is an especially good time to consider this question. As Christians, we need to always be examining ourselves to make sure our lives reflect true faithfulness (2 Cor. 13:5). But right now many people are reflecting on their lives more seriously than they normally would do.
By: Gary Hutchens As we come to the end of one year and the beginning of another, it's a good time to do some self examination. Are you where you want to be in life? Whatever your life is like, are you happy with it? If you could have projected ahead ten years ago, would this be what you wanted your life to become? If your life had to remain just as it is now, for the foreseeable future, would you be satisfied?
By: Gary Hutchens During this period of time many people are giving extra attention in their thoughts and actions to God’s having sent His Son to this earth because of our sins. If this is the only time during the year that a person thinks seriously about the Lord, then it would seem to be a pretty empty gesture. Jesus said we are to take up our cross “daily” and follow Him (Lk. 9:23). The Christian walk is to be a daily walk, not an on again, off again experience. It is to be a lifestyle. But if something can stimulate people to a more spiritual mindset, as seems to happen with many during this time of year, perhaps some of them will get serious about following and serving their Lord on a regular basis.
By: Gary L. Hutchens This is a good time to think about your soul. When? Right now. Many people would think that statement probably has something to do with the holiday season. After all, a few weeks ago we celebrated the Thanksgiving Day holiday. That certainly sounds as though it has spiritual overtones, and for many people it does. They focus on all of the blessings God has bestowed upon them, and they make a special effort to give Him thanks. That’s a good thing.
By: Gary L. Hutchens The title of this article is written in the first person in order to emphasize the personal nature of this need. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate from scripture that we need each other’s help to get to Heaven. We certainly need God’s help, but we also need each other. As Christians, we need the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ to get to Heaven.
By: Gary L. Hutchens In the second chapter of his letter James presents a magnificent treatise on faith. Actually, he defines faith. In so doing, three times he identifies “dead” faith: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (vs. 17). “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (vs. 2:20). “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (vs. 2:26). Clearly, James describes faith that is not coupled with works, faith that is not active, as dead faith!
By: Gary L. Hutchens None is so blind as he who will not see, and none is so deaf as he who will not hear. The apostle Paul wrote down the formula for the development of faith: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17). Either by listening to God’s word being taught, or by personally reading the scriptures, a person has to learn- hear- the teachings of God’s word in order to develop faith in God.
By: Gary L. Hutchens I remember a friend relating a story many years ago about a man who was stopped by a policeman on Thanksgiving day for some kind of traffic violation. After some discussion the policeman asked the man if he had anything to be thankful for. The man answered in the affirmative. The policeman responded that the man had better be thankful that he wasn’t going to give him a traffic ticket. Being stopped by a policeman is not something that would ordinarily conjure up feelings of thanksgiving in your heart. But if you were guilty of some traffic violation, you surely would be thankful if the policeman let you go with just a warning.
By: Gary L. Hutchens Jesus stated, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn. 8:32). The truth of God’s word is key to the development of our personal faith (Rom. 10:17) and, consequently, to our eternal salvation (2 Tim. 2:24-26; 1 Pet. 1:22-23). It is through the truth taught in scripture that we are guided to salvation and to live a life of faithfulness before God (2 Tim. 3:15-17). In his work to bring about our spiritual destruction (1 Pet. 5:9), it is imperative that the devil find a means of silencing the truth. How can the truth be silenced?
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January 2022
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