Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins

"You Boys . . . Pay Attention!" While they were not directed to me, those words are burned into my memory as though spoken yesterday. I won’t say who the preacher was; he passed from this life many years ago. He was a very kind man, but on that morning his youngest son, Jack, was sitting with Billy Jack Jones and they were “misbehaving.” The preacher was preaching and the boys were talking and giggling. All at once the preacher looked their way and spoke these words – “You boys…pay attention!” You could have heard a pin drop. I had never seen a preacher do that, and I hoped never to see it again. That night, most of the “kids” were sitting with Mom and Dad – including me. Jack, the preacher’s son was sitting very still beside his Mom. Billy Jack was sitting by himself on the back row. I don’t think that preacher ever had to say or do that again. A preacher sees pretty much every thing that goes on in an auditorium. Ninety-nine percent of the time there is nothing to “see,” and our young people are even more attentive than some adults. But while I think back over a few years of preaching, let me tell you a few things I have observed on Sunday mornings: Two rows of adults, sitting behind a new baby in his mother’s arms, are grinning, making faces at that baby. A couple of teen-agers on the back row were just discovering romance. A husband and wife having a hand-written argument, with broad facial gestures and looks of disgust. Lots of people who are listening and “paying attention” with their Bible in their hand and a smile – or at least an interested look – on their face. I am usually more or less oblivious to crying babies, people walking in and out for “emergencies,” etc. But I can tell you this for certain – when someone gets up and walks out, nearly every eye in the congregation is drawn to them. There is a word for that – “distraction.” Whereas they were listening, now they are distracted from what is said or read from scripture. Emergencies arise, of course, but we can avoid most of them if we try. There have been a few times in which I had to say those words, or an equivalent: “Pay Attention!” But they have been few and far between. All of us – including myself when I’m not preaching or teaching – can get drowsy, distracted or lose interest. Those of us who preach must work to keep everyone’s attention, and the rest of us have to learn how to “pay attention.” It can be done if we make the effort. Weariness, pain, all kinds of things can distract us, but if God’s word is important to us we will listen carefully. Even if we have little respect for the one who preaches, we must respect the Word of God. Allow me to make some suggestions on how to “pay attention,” how to learn, even from the least talented of us preachers: First, we must want to learn. Note the Holy Spirit’s words on this subject: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:15. The word “study” includes the attitude of diligence, effort, and only when we are interested enough to be “diligent” in our consideration of God’s words will we truly learn what God desires for us. Second, bring your own Bible and look up each scripture cited. Make notes in the margin of your Bible. Look up the cross-references in the center column. Third, set aside a special notebook for your use in class or while listening to the sermon. Then use it. Fourth, make a note of “questions” when something is said that you do not understand, or something in the Bible you do not understand. Then turn in the question for us to consider and discuss. Fifth, start when your children are young and give them a notebook for special use in the class or assembly. Assign them projects to listen for in the sermon – scriptures quoted, words, etc. We won’t have to wonder why our children don’t know the Bible at age fifteen or sixteen years if we start preparing them when they are five, six or seven. You may have a better way to “pay attention” and that’s fine. But whatever we do, all of us must become better students of the Bible. Those times listening to the preacher should be times to learn. If we do not, we have wasted a lot of our time and have not been good stewards of our opportunities to learn. I have not said those words – “…pay attention..” – in a long time, because our people are interested in the Bible and in knowing what God’s will is for us. Let’s all determine today to be diligent students, to avoid any distractions for others who also want to be good students, and give our highest respect to God and His Word. Carl B. Garner

Psalm 119:46, 47, 97, 105, 130, 160, 172: “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed…I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved…O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day…Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path…The entrance of thy words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple…Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endure for ever…My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness,” “The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its histories are true, its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, practice it to be holy… It is given you in life, will be open at the judgment and will be remembered forever.” Author Not Known

The Church - The Family of God Inspiration describes the Lord’s church in various ways to help us to perceive the nature and importance of this blood bought institution. The Almighty used figures with which people were familiar in order to convey great spiritual truths concerning the church. Let us consider one of these terms to help us understand the marvelous and precious nature of the Lord‘s church. I believe one of the most meaningful and a wonderfully descriptive figure the Bible uses to describe the church is God‘s family. God is our Heavenly Father, for James wrote, “Of his own will he brought us forth [or, begat us – KJV] by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:18). Thus, Paul declared, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph. 3:14-15). God promised, “Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18). Because of this relationship with the Father, the Bible speaks in terms of the “brotherhood.” Peter says, “Love the brotherhood” (1 Pet. 2:17). Christians are called “brethren” (3 John 10), and “sister” is used to describe Christian women (1 Tim. 5:1-2). This caring family relationship is described, again in 1 Timothy 5:1-2, “Rebuke not an elder, but exhort him as a father; the younger men as brethren: the elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, in all purity.” In this family relationship in the church, Jesus – the Son of God - is described as our “elder brother.” The Hebrew writer declares, “Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end” (Hebrews 3:6). As our elder brother, Jesus makes intercession for us, “Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). The family concept is a perfect parallel to the church. This is true, first of all, because it denotes a sense of belonging. This belonging affords comfort. Ten times in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 “comfort” is mentioned in our association with the Father. This belonging also provides strength – a growing and building up of the body (Eph. 4:11-16). Isn’t it wonderful to know that we have a place in the family of God! The family concept is a perfect parallel to the church also because it signifies relationship. In the family of God we have a unique relationship with the Father and other Christians. We can approach God, as our Father, in prayer (John 16:23). In this wonderful family relationship we receive an inheritance from the Father (Colossians 1:12). The family concept is a perfect parallel to the church also because it draws a line. Not everyone is in the family of God. Our Father designated certain requirements, and if these criteria are not met, one is not a member of the family. Merely associating with the family does not make one a member of the family. We must be born into the family. We are born into the family through our obedience to the will of God. Peter says, “having been begotten again [born again – KJV], not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth” (1 Pet. 1:23). The word of God teaches that to be a part of God’s family we must be hearers of the word (Romans 10:17), believers in Christ (John 8:24), penitent (Luke 13:3), willing to confess the name of Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and be immersed in water for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). These five steps place one into the family of God. Remember, the Bible teaches God has only one family (Eph. 4:4; 1:22-23). As children of God, Christians should most assuredly bear the image of the Father. In doing so we will keep ourselves separate from the world (2 Corinthians 6:17-18), and we will “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). If we will live faithfully as children of God then we will be “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him” (Romans 8:17). Tom Moore