![]() We are reminded daily we live in a world of warnings. We have warning lights and bells in our cars to remind us to turn off the lights, take off the brake, or fasten our seatbelt. Athletes are often warned during competition of infractions that if they continue to do them they will be ejected from the game. In soccer for example, if a player intentionally trips a player he is given a yellow card as a warning. If it happens again in the game the player is handed a red card and is escorted off the field. Perhaps you have walked between cars in a crowded parking lot and heard a loud voice shouting from under a vehicle Warning, you’re too close to this car. Please step back immediately! My mother gave me these words of warning as I would head out of the house on the way to school. She would say, “Before you cross the street, you stop, you look, and you listen. She was trying to keep me from getting injured or worse. God also gives us warnings for our good. God loved us so much that He sent His only Begotten Son to shed His sinless blood so we could enjoy eternal life. There are some warnings more important than others like this one: “…man is destined to die once and after that face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Clark Tatum
![]() You can make a positive difference to God’s glory as a member of the Body of Christ. I love God’s design for the church and appreciate the fact that God “so loved us.” God’s love not only bought us, but it brought us together into His family (Acts 20:28, Colossians 1:13). Here are some of my conclusions about the Christians of the first century as we try and follow their example as they followed Jesus: ·They were in love with God. ·They were involved with people. ·They believed the world was lost. ·They were so filled with the message of salvation they shared the good news of Jesus. Like the early Christians we must allow God the opportunity to work through us to bring people to the Savior, Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter what your ministry in the church is – for our ministries vary and our gifts differ, but there are two things we can all do if we desire to be co-laborers with the Lord. We can: #1 - Invest in people’s lives by showing them we care by sowing the seed. Remember we can’t grow the seed only God can do that, but we can sow it and water it. #2 - Invite people to participate in something that will point them to the love of the Savior. Remember, what we do and what we say as believers will have a tremendous impact on the attitude of the whole church and our influence for the Lord in the community. It is the greatest thing in the world to be a Christian! Clark Tatum
![]() It was a cold week of knocking doors for Christ in Sabetha, Kansas. Snow was all over the ground as a group of Christians participated in an all out effort to reach out for Christ. I still remember knocking doors in the foot of snow and shoveling snow off the driveways in hope people might be more receptive to hear about Jesus. But what I remembered most about that week was the response I got from one man. We knocked on his door and told him we were trying to share the love of Jesus in the community. His house was within sight of the church building. During our conversation he told me something I will never forget. He said, “Well, I live too close to the building to drive and too far away to walk.” The amazing thing to me was he was serious. I was stunned as I thought about the short distance he lived from the church building. I couldn’t help but think if only he knew how far Jesus traveled for him. If only he knew how much suffering and anguish Jesus experienced to help us in our time of need he might think differently. What about the long walk to Golgotha after He was beaten and ultimately nailed to the Cross? The Bible offers us hope in that God is not far from each of us (Acts 17:27). Clark Tatum
![]() A boy went to Sunday school for the first time and his teacher taught about the bondage of the Israelites. When the boy returned home, his mother asked him what his teacher taught him. He dramatically tried to explain the lesson. He said, “She told us about the Egyptians and Moses. The Egyptians were chasing Moses and the rest of God’s people. They came to the Red Sea and Moses built a temporary bridge across the water and God’s people hurried across it to the other side. Then Moses blew up the bridge along with the bad people.” The mother asked, “Did your teacher really teach you that?” The boy realized his mother was not exactly pleased with that version of the story. So he said, “Well mother, she didn’t teach it exactly like that, but if I told you what she said you surely wouldn’t believe it!” The boy heard what he thought was an unbelievable story. In time, if he continued to attend Bible class, he would learn there is evidence available to believe God’s version of any story in the Bible (Hebrews 11:1). God gives us evidence that we can check out for ourselves to see the Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21). The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus did happen (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We can believe this life changing story! Clark Tatum
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February 2025
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