What to do Now?

By Jeff Curtis

     Well, we have had our first Gospel Meeting of the year. I have missed Gospel Meetings for several reasons. 1) As Brother Weliever pointed out in his blog, “The Preacher’s Word,” there is the fellowship that we have with those who have the same goal of heaven in mind. 2) There is the singing, praying and worship. You may say, “Well, we have those without a Gospel Meeting.” Yes, but with a Gospel Meeting, we can have fellowship with Christians from other locations. We lift up our voices, our prayers and worship our Father with other Christians. It is refreshing, to be those of like precious faith from other locations. Four different counties were represented in those who visited. To know that we are not alone in our efforts to grow the kingdom is a great encouragement to me. 3) A Gospel Meeting is reprieve from the world. Again, we had visitors from other congregations. We had visitors every single service. This was such an encouragement to me and hopefully to each one of you.

      But, what do we do with the efforts brought about by the elders for bring Brother Weliever to be with us this past weekend? Is there more to a Gospel Meeting than just attending, singing, praying, and worshipping together? Is there work still to be done even after the meeting is over?  Absolutely! But what is it? What do we do now?

      First, we must continue to grow from the messages that were brought this past weekend. Brother Weliever brought some very encouraging lessons, and we need those. We need to continue to study on what he taught this past week.

      Second, we need to continue to invite our neighbors. We don’t need to think that the only time our neighbors need the Gospel is only during a Gospel Meeting. Do you only need the Gospel occasionally? Neither do our neighbors. We need to look at the Gospel Meeting like a B12 shot. We need to continue to work on the messages we have heard. Peter tells us; “¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Peter 3:17-18, NKJV).

     We need to continue to read and study and grow. Now that the meeting is over people may think things will get back to normal. What is normal for a Christian? Normal, is that we continue to study; “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2Timothy 2:15, KJV).

     My prayer is that we will use this as an opportunity to help not only ourselves but also the church at Eastside to grow. If we expect growth within the church, we must first grow ourselves. The meeting this past week is an excellent place to start.

    Finally, let me say something to the parents of young children. I really and truly appreciate your efforts during this meeting. I KNOW the strain put on you when a Gospel meeting takes place. Getting the kids ready, having them sit through another service. They get tired and are easily irritable, they may begin to fuss, they may even fall asleep during the services. They may have home-work, you have all this to do and still have them at the building on time for services. You are a great source of encouragement for me personally. I KNOW what it’s like to be in your shoes and so do the other parents.

     You are not only a source of encouragement, but set a godly example to your children. Teaching them that the worship of God and assembling with Saints is important. You are also an encouragement to other parents who have small children and school age children. Keep up the good work. Great will be your reward in heaven.

A Return to Gospel Meetings

By Ken Weliever

     COVID-19 has altered our lives in so many ways. And none more profoundly for pastors, preachers, and churches than the impact on our worship services.

     All of my spring and summer meetings were canceled. In fact, most churches did not even assemble in their meeting houses for several weeks. During our travels to Montana and back to Florida, we were privileged to preach several Sundays at various congregations. Yet, it wasn’t quite the same.

     Today, we’re beginning a meeting at the Manslick Road church in Louisville, Kentucky. The brethren have put a lot of thought and planning into making this meeting work. Not just in terms of the protocols concerning the health and safety of those attending, but presenting topics that meet their members’ spiritual needs.

Lord willing, we will be with 5-6 other churches this Fall doing what we love to do. Preaching. While COVID-19 will no doubt influence our personal interactions, it feels like a step to the return of some semblance of normalcy.

     In the minds of many people, and sadly even some Christians, preaching and meetings focused on preaching are outdated and old fashioned. The opposite is true. We are in need of hearing gospel preaching more than ever.

     Preaching has been a part of collective worship since the church began on Pentecost Sunday in Acts 2. Peter preached. He preached Jesus. His death. Burial. Resurrection. And ascension. He preached God’s plan for salvation. His preaching was plain. Understandable. Relevant. And directed to people who needed it.

Gospel preaching is, of course, Bible-based. It calls people to repentance. Obedience. And a personal realization of their standing before God.

     Good preaching meets the spiritual needs of the hearers. Preaching should encourage. Edify. Exhort. And embolden. Preaching should inspire. Motivate. And challenge. At times it must reprove and rebuke. Dee Bowman is fond of saying that good preaching should storm the will.

     Today around the world where Christians meet there will be preaching. May it be Biblical. Unmistakable. Uncompromising. And unadulterated by the philosophy of the world.

     Preaching. Let it be presented with power. Spoken with love. And communicated with care, concern, and compassion for struggling saints and unsaved sinners.

     Today, I’m thankful for the opportunity to be preaching. May God bless all of my colleagues who preach the Word. And may we all receive the Divine message with a willingness to learn. To change. To grow. And to be all that God created us to be.