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each Sunday Morning beginning at 10:30 AM.

Our Online Worship Service- Click Here for Our Dec. 27th Worship Service & Live Stream

Currently, our in-person events include:

9:30 AM - Sunday Adult Bible Class.

10:30 AM - Sunday Worship Service.

7 PM - Wednesday Night Community Group & Class - Topic: Book of “Romans”(all welcome).

Our Theme for 2020- “The calling”

What Matters Most

If Jesus is your Lord, then everything you do is significant with regard to your relationship with him. He cares about your whole life, not just your church-going habits. But is there any way to know what Jesus thinks is MOST important?

Consider a related question. The New Testament can be an intimidating book, with all of its commands, doctrines, stories, and examples. Is there a way to find out the MAIN point of all that God has said and done?

A LADDER OR A TARGET?

The Christian life has often been presented as a ladder to heaven. Every rung is portrayed as being just as important as every other rung. If you miss one rung, you're lost.

This view has two main problems. First, we can?t live this way. The Christian life is not based on our ability always to do the right thing, because we can?t. The Christian life is based on Jesus having done the right thing and our trusting him. If we could always do the right thing, we wouldn?t need Jesus.

The second problem is that this is not how the teaching of the New Testament is presented. The message of the New Testament is that following Jesus is not so much a ladder as it is a target. Following Jesus involves central issues and also less important matters. Please note: even the less important things are still on the target and need to be obeyed.

Jesus said we are to be "perfect" as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48, all references NIV). He told us, for instance, that we will give an account for "every careless word" (Matthew 12:36). But Jesus also said to "seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33, emphasis mine). Everything involved in following Jesus is important, but everything is not as central.

WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT?

What is at the center of the target? Jesus said the greatest command is, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." The second greatest commandment is, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus said that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40). These are not the only two commandments, but they put into focus all the other commandments. Everything else relates to these two because everything we do, in one way or another shows either love for God and others or a lack of love for God and others.

THE MAIN ISSUES

Consider these examples of more important things. When a person becomes a Christian, the central issue is whether that person has faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Repentance, confession, and baptism are all essential to becoming a Christian; but they make sense only as they are related to faith in Jesus. Being baptized without believing, for example, would just be going through the motions.

Here is another illustration of the point. Christians would agree that the New Testament and church are important. But the heart of the gospel is not the New Testament or the church. The gospel centers on Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Jesus gives significance to the church and the New Testament. All are essential; Jesus is the more central.

THE WEIGHTIER MATTERS

It's easy to "major in the minors" in matters of religion. It's easy to go through the motions without having your heart in it. We get concerned with questions such as, "Did we get it done?" and "Did we do it right?"

But Jesus said there are "weightier matters"; justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These we should do without neglecting the specifics that God commands (see Matthew 23:23). Jesus is concerned about the specifics of what we do, but he is more concerned about our attitudes and the basic commitment of our hearts. Right actions will come when the heart is right. On the other hand, we can do "right" outward actions without ever dealing with the heart. God is not fooled by that. The person you really fool is yourself.

THE BULL'S EYE

Keep as the central purpose of your life to love God with all your being and to love others as though they were you. With these as your bull's-eye, you are more likely to fulfill God's will for your life and to have a Christian life that is the joyful journey God meant for it to be.

Blacksburg Church of Christ 315 E. Eakin St. Blacksburg Va. 24060 * 540-552-1331 * Contact: seright@vt.edu           tgilliam@comcast.net

Christian Growth

What a joy it is to become God's child! When you are baptized into Christ, you are united with the Savior. Your sins are forgiven and you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You become part of God's family and have the promise of everlasting life.

A birth, however is not the end but the beginning. A birth produces a precious child; but if that child never grows up, something is wrong.

When you become a Christian, you become a child of God; but your Father expects you to grow. He gives you the ability to grow, but you have to exercise the responsibility to pursue growth. How does a Christian grow? Let's look at some passages that tell us.

CRAVE GOD'S WAY

LIKE NEWBORN BABIES CRAVE PURE SPIRITUAL MILK, SO THAT BY IT YOU MAY GROW UP IN YOUR SALVATION, NOW THAT YOU HAVE TASTED THAT THE LORD IS GOOD. (1 Peter 2:1-3, all quotes NIV)

How do you grow as a Christian? First, you have to say no to the ways of Satan. You can't keep living like a street kid when you've become a child of the King. In addition, you have to CRAVE the milk of God's word. Do you know how desperately a baby wants to be fed when it is hungry? In the same way, a Christian (of any age) should eagerly desire to fill his or her mind and heart with God's truth.

GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE

GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESU CHRIST. (2 Peter 3:18a)

Peter gives you two more specifics on how to grow. First, you grow in grace. You are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). You are "justified freely by his grace" (Romans 3:24). You have to understand grace if you are going to understand your salvation and how to live as a person not saved by grace. Grace is not a license to do what you want. Grace "teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:12).

Second, you grow in the knowledge of Jesus. Your faith has to have a foundation of knowledge, not just of emotion of what you hear other people say. You have to be reading the Bible. You have to be spending time in classes or groups where the Bible is taught accurately. You need to learn from the wisdom of older Christians.

BE INVOLVED IN THE CHURCH

FROM HIM (Christ) THE WHOLE BODY, JOINED AND HELD TOGETHER BY EVERY SUPPORTING LIGAMENT, GROWS AND BUILDS ITSELF UP IN LOVE, AS EACH PART DOES ITS WORK. (Ephesians 4:16)

Study Ephesians 4:16-11 to get the context for this verse. It says that church leaders have the responsibility to help Christians grow. You need to seek out leaders who will do that. This passage also says that you have to be connected to the members of the body as all are connected to Christ. A severed hand or foot will not grow. It is through active fellowship with the church that you will find an atmosphere that encourages growth. This passage also says that you have to give of yourself. You grow as you live a life of service and see how the teachings of Christ make a real difference in the lives of others through you.

BE ABLE TO TELL OTHERS

THOUGH BY THIS TIME YOU OUGHT TO BE TEACHERS, YOU NEED SOMEONE TO TEACH YOU THE ELEMENTARY TRUTHS OF GOD'S WORD ALL OVER AGAIN. YOU NEED MILK, NOT SOLID FOOD! ANYONE WHO LIVES ON MILK, BEING STILL AN INFANT, IS NOT ACQUAINTED WITH THE TEACHING ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS. BUT SOLID FOOD IS FOR THE MATURE, WHO BY CONSTANT USE HAVE TRAINED THEMSELVES TO DISTINGUISH GOOD FROM EVIL. (Hebrews 5:12-14)

A good indication of how well you understand something is whether you can explain it to someone else. You should have a goal of being able to teach God's truth to others, whether in the fellowship or in evangelism or both, one on one or in a group. This passage also gives you a good definition of maturity; by constant use of God's truth, you come to know good from evil. You don't learn the truth in order to leave that knowledge on the shelf, but you grow in your understanding in order to live a more godly life.

A LIFETIME OF GROWTH

You'll never be through growing in Christ. That should not discourage you but encourage you. God's grace and truth will always be a beacon for you, calling you forward and showing you his way. May God bless you in your spiritual growth!

To study further, contact us at: Blacksburg church of Christ 315 East Eakin Street Blacksburg, VA 24060 540-552-1331

How to Become A Christian

The greatest need of your life is to have a right relationship with God. Without knowing the One who made you and for whom you are to live, nothing you do in life will matter very much. You will go through your days wondering what life is all about. You will spend your one precious life doing things that won't make any difference in the long run, regardless of how successful you may be in the world's eyes.

All Have Sinned

A right relationship with God is not something you can assume that you have. Bound up in the human soul is the capacity to rebel against our Maker. This freedom that God has given us enables you to give him willing loyalty but also risks your ungrateful rebellion against him.

Paul says that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, all Scriptures NIV). No one except Jesus has resisted the temptation to reject God and to become "master of my fate, captain of my soul" (William Henley). No one except Jesus has always done the right thing. None of us is able to be right with God by his or her own works. Just look at the world we live in, as well as your own life, to see the reality of sin.

What's the Question?

So the issue is not, as some have said by way of excuse, "I'm not good enough to be a Christian." That is a settled fact. No one is. The question is whether you are convinced that you are bad enough to need to become a Christian. Part of our rebellion is a refusal to admit the need for things to change.

The Need for Repentance

A conviction of your need, of your failure at being your own god, leads to repentance (Luke 13:3). Repentance is turning from your former course and having a desire to turn back toward God.

Even with that, you still cannot save yourself. You cannot repent earnestly enough or grieve over your sins deeply enough to merit God's salvation. God did what was needed by providing his sinless Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins. He was the sacrifice of atonement, paying by his death the debt of the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). God loves you and wants you to be at peace with him. Jesus' paying the penalty for your sins enables this reconciliation to take place.

Confessing Your Faith

You have to accept this loving invitation to reconciliation. When you come to believe the truth about Jesus, you are called upon to confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9). If you really believe in Jesus, you will be willing to state it.

Responding in Baptism

You must not only state your faith but act upon it. Time and again in the New Testament, seekers are told that they need to be baptized (Acts 2:38, 10:47, 22:16). When Paul teaches Christians in his letters, he sometimes reminds them of the significance of their baptism (Romans 6:1-14, Galatians 3:26- 29). Baptism (immersion into water in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins) is not a work that earns you salvation. Baptism is an act of faith, an embodiment of faith, as one submits in faith to the saving power of the death of Jesus, is united with Christ, is washed of his sins, and rises with Christ's resurrection power. Nowhere in the New Testament is anyone told to "invite Jesus into your heart" in order to be saved. The way to become a Christian now is the same way people in the New Testament became Christians.

You Can Be A New Person!

Tremendous changes take place when you become a Christian. You are saved from eternal destruction (Acts 2:40). Your sins are forgiven (Acts 2:38). You become a child of God (Galatians 3:26-27). You receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Do you "feel" these changes? Certainly you feel the joy of realizing that they are true, and you accept by faith that these changes are true because God's Word promises them.

Becoming a Christian is not all there is to being a Christian, but living as a Christian is not possible without first becoming a Christian.

A Call to Follow Jesus

The invitation to become a Christian is a call to follow the Savior, Jesus Christ, and to do what he says. Are you convinced of your need? Are you tired of running away and rebelling against God, of living a lifestyle that leads only to frustration and despair? God has provided a way out. That way is Jesus, "the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). To study further, contact:MINISTER: CURT SERIGHT 850-496-9880 SERIGHT@VT.EDU COMMUNITY MINISTER: TOM GILLIAM 540-808-3578 TKGILLIAM@COMCAST.NET