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TGOC WELCOMES
KEVIN PENDERGRASS
TO ITS STAFF
In the August 5 edition of our newsletter, we introduced to you Kevin Pendergrass, who was scheduled to join us in mid-August. Kevin is now "fully on board" at TGOC and anxious to get to the work at hand. [If you happened to miss the biographical information that we placed in our last newsletter about Kevin, we hope you will take a look at it.]
For the past few days, Kevin has been in the process of traveling from Tennessee and settling in here at Ardmore. Fortunately, his trip was a safe one, and he has now begun the process of "conquering the learning curve" as he strives to learn about all the things we do at TGOC on a daily basis. Now that Kevin has arrived, we would like to encourage you to invite him to visit the congregation of which you are a member in order to speak to people there about the possibility of securing new funding for TGOC. As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we truly need such additional funding, and would appreciate any help you can give us—especially since most congregations will shortly begin planning their 2009 budgets.
If you would like to contact Kevin, you may do so by e-mailing him (kevin@thegospelofchrist.com), phoning him (580/223-3289), or sending him a letter (607 McLish Avenue, Ardmore, OK 73401). We know he would appreciate hearing from you.
TGOC ANNOUNCES
PROGRAMS SEVEN AND EIGHT
IN ITS NEW
"GREAT BIBLE LESSONS" SERIES
We are pleased to announce in this newsletter the availability of the next two lessons in our newest series, Great Bible Lessons, for which Ben Bailey serves as speaker. In his lesson on "The Whole Armor of God," Ben opens with the apostle Paul's statement in Ephesians 6:10-11—"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ben then reminds Christians that we are in a daily battle against "the hosts of wickedness" (Eph. 6:12), and how important it is to win that battle.
Ben then examines in a piece-by-piece fashion the Christian's armor. First, there is the belt of truth, which ties everything else together in the list of armor that Paul provided in Ephesians 6:14-17. Paul wrote, "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth." The principle is that if our armor is going to hold, it must be girded by the belt—which in this case is truth. Second, there is "the breastplate of righteousness." A breastplate provides protection for the body's main organs which, if injured during battle, would put an end to a soldier's participation. Third, we must have our feet "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." The point is that we must take the Gospel with us wherever we go. Fourth, we are to use "the shield of faith...to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." Fifth, we must wear "the helmet of salvation." The faithful Christian has salvation on his or her side. As John wrote on Christ's behalf in Revelation 2:10, "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." Sixth and last we find the "sword of the Spirit." In Hebrews 4:12 we are told that the Word of God is "living, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Through proper use of his or her armor, every Christian can carry out God's commands, succeed in life, and make it to Heaven.
In his lesson, "The Way Home," Ben begins with Paul's statement in Philippians 3:20, which reminds us that "our citizenship is in heaven." In 2 Corinthians 5:1 Paul wrote, "We know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Recognizing that we have such a place reserved for us should cause every Christian to truly be "homesick for Heaven." But, as Ben points out, in order to get to Heaven, we must desire to go there and decide to go there. To do that, we first must be willing to abandon self. Second, we must want to find the right way—which is only through Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6). Third, once we get into Christ, we then must move toward Heaven by living faithfully all the days of our lives. In short, to make it to Heaven, we must stay focused on Heaven.
Both of these new lessons are now available on our Website, where you will find them in video, audio, and written transcript formats. We invite you to examine them for yourself, and to share them with others.
MORE BIBLE QUIZZES
NOW AVAILABLE FOR
TGOC'S "TOPICAL SERIES"
In the July 22 edition of this newsletter, we announced the addition to our Website of the first four quizzes to accompany our newly revised Topical Series of lessons. The second four of those quizzes (out of a total of eight) have now been posted. Also, do not forget that on our Website we also have Bible word-search and crossword puzzles, and that as of August 5 we have begun adding chapter-by-chapter quizzes on New Testament books (the first of which is James). We invite you to go to our Website ( www.thegospelofchrist.com/quiz ) to test your Bible knowledge by taking these new quizzes, or by working the word-search or crossword puzzles.
FROM AROUND THE WORLD
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Hyderabad, India: We pray for brother Kevin and sister Chelsea and may God give them good strength and wisdom to serve His Son Christ Jesus.
Parkersburg, WV: I appreciate the work you do. I have gained valuable material here for my Sunday morning Bible study. Thank You!
Panama City, Panama: I love this web site, quizzes, puzzles, & etc. Thanks!
Irving, TX: I am so glad I have found your wonderful website! Thanks for providing wonderful resources.
Calcutta, India: You have a great mission to take the Word of God globally. I pray may God shower grace on all humans so that the good news reaches their heart urgently. Yes, it is urgent for the saving of their souls.
Baton Rouge, LA: I have been a member of the church of Christ for 20+ years. This website has taught me alot. Thanks!
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria: Greeting in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Lessons are Very inspiring. I appreciate them. Keep up up the good work! I hope people will challange themselves to test the spirits and make sure that they are on God's side and not man's. May God bless you, your family, and all of our brothers and sisters there, unto his glory.
Columbia, TN: I am very thankful for the DVDs I have recieved from you. I was delighted to discover the study questions I can print off to go with them. Thank you for all you do.
Hyderabad, India: Greetings in Jesus' blessed name. I am an evangelist in our Lord's Church in India. I am very happy to have visited your website and enjoyed it. I would like to receive your newsletter. Thank you so much.
Fayette, AL: I just wanted to say thank you for the Gospel of Christ .com. I am a single parent and can not afford internet at home, so I try and get some of the great news at work. I do not have much time there but every little bit helps. I am struggling some what through my life. I am doing much better. I enjoy your website every chance I get.
Padova, Italy: I am so much happy when I saw your site through the WVBS website. In fact, yours is one of the sites I visit to fortify myself. I am a Nigerian and a member of church of Christ, currently residing in Italy.
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