About The Lee County ledger. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1978-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2019)
The “Baseball Game” Jesus The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, March 13,2019, Page 7B By Charles Harris Pastor, Beattie Road Church of Christ Suppose someone made a perfect transla tion of the official rules of baseball and sent them to a distant land. When the people there received that rule book they were fascinated and decided to introduce this sport into their land. The baseball field was laid out according to the rule book with every distance measured accurately. The strike zone was learned and soon everyone knew that “It’s one, two, three strikes you’re out, at the old ballgame”. They knew balls and strikes. They knew the defini tion of a balk, the infield fly rule and a double play. Now consider this: had they invented a new game? Or were they simply playing an old game in a new place? Now suppose that in our own land everyone lost interest in baseball. There were attempts to make it more exciting with every team making up its own rules. Soon no one had any desire to watch or play the origi nal sport. Suppose that the game stopped be ing played altogether and five hundred years passed. Then some one found the old rulebook and began encouraging others to get involved in the game. A baseball field was laid out with every distance measured accurately. The strike zone was learned and soon everyone knew that “It’s one, two, three strikes you’re out, at the old ballgame”. They knew balls and strikes. They knew the defini tion of a balk, the infield fly rule and a double play. Now consider the same questions: had they invented a new game, or were they sim ply playing an old game at a new time? In this same manner, imagine a world where Jesus introduced a new “game” called Christi anity. He gave a “rule book”, which was easily understandable, and soon the “game” was found throughout the first century world. Ev eryone knew the “rules” about salvation, the Lord’s supper, the works of the flesh, the fruit of the spirit, heaven, the return of Jesus and the daily life of Christians. Created They knew about His church, purchased with His own blood. That book was translated into many languages and the same “game” was found in many nations. Imagine people be ginning to change the “rules” to make it fit bet ter into their definition of what a “game/church” should be like. Imagine the book being laid aside with every person feel ing free to write his own rules. Soon it would be impossible to even recognize how Jesus planned for the “game” to be played. Do you know what the church at Beattie Road is about? We have taken the “rule book” and are doing all we can to play the “old game” in a new time and a new place. Come, let’s study the “Rule Writer’s” Book together. The Beattie Road church of Christ meets at 1731 Beattie Rd., Albany, GA. Our times of services are: Sunday- 9:30am; 10:30am; 6:00pm, Wednesday- 7:00pm. If we can assist you in your spiritual journey contact us at 229-435-2193 or 870- 500-5535. You can also visit us online at beat- tieroad.com. Submitted Photo Lee County Pre-K February Model Students Bottom row left to right: Eva Williamson-Musgrove, Landon Childs-Faircloth, Dametrius Westbrook-Clack, Mekhi Jackson-Thomas, Jarrod Hester-Johstono and Tatum Freeman- Atkins. Top row left to right: Weston Brown-R. Smith, Zoey Moore-Bullington, Carter Sledge- Kennedy, Delilah Mankus-Pearce, Hayden Johnson-B. Smith, Arya Paudel-McConnell and Victoria Ridley-Cox Charles Harris Soul Food from the Hood by Keith Hood Hudid swallowed Jo nah. We were in Africa as missionaries when our daughter, Emma, excitedly informed us, “Look! Here’s Hudid!” She was holding up a child’s book of Jonah and the whale. She now had a picture of Hudid and wanted us to see it, too. We deduced that Hudid was the whale. Many times Emma had sung as a child the song, “Who did swallow Jonah?” “Hudid” and “the whale did” were the same to Emma who was about four years old at the time. After all, “Andy walks with me. Andy talks with me. Andy tells me I am his own.” I was systematically reading through the Old Testament as is my cus tom. I was starting on the Book of Jonah. I got a text from Pastor Mc- Cully of Philema Road Baptist asking if I would preach for him while he was away in Guy ana doing missions work. I was glad to do it. I had preached the Book of Jonah while on mission ary tours in the United States. I thought this was a direct leading of God. So I preached it. Yesterday, I read a news article on a man from South Africa being taken in the mouth by a whale. Of all things! I am inclined to think maybe God wants me to share the story of Jonah more than just that one time and to a broader audi ence than who came to Philema Road Baptist March 3. So here goes. “Jonah” is Hebrew for “dove.” Dove is a sym bol of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. When people consider the temperament of Jonah, the image of dove does not come to mind. Nevertheless, he is the instrument through which God chose to bring deliverance to the city of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. In effect, Nineveh was the capital of the world. The As syrians were enemies of the Hebrews. Jonah got that missionary call. He was not of the Isaiah variety decrying, “Here ami! Send me!” “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” (1:1-2) From this point, I’H just set up for next week. I titled the sermon, “Loving God, Personal Friend.” Keith Hood A Humbling Experience By Shane Waller Philippians 2:1-8 (MSG) 2 1-4 If you’ve got ten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each Holiday, from Page 6B anytime soon. Throughout the years, I have learned that everybody has their own way of celebrating a holiday. Personally, I think people are too legalistic when it comes to holidays. My idea is, instead of celebrating holidays, why don’t we celebrate every day of the year. Every day has something special in it that warrants celebra tion. Celebration is remembering the right things. David understood this when he wrote, “Re member not the sins of other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet- talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be ob sessed with getting your own advan tage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. my youth, nor my trans gressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy good ness’ sake, O Lord” (Psalm 25:7). There are things in my life I do not want to cel ebrate or remember. It is the grace of God that enables him to remem ber the goodness in my life and not my sins. Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, and lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parson age in Ocala, FL. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@ att.net. The church web site is www.whatafel- lowship.com. 5-8 Think of your selves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling Specicd to the Ledger All men and boys are invited to the 4th annual Lakeside Baptist Church Man-up Men’s Confer ence which will be held on March 15th and 16th at Lakeside Baptist Church, 2806 North Youth, from page 5B Department of Behav ioral Health and Devel opmental Disabilities and NAMIWalks Southwest Georgia, this training can be offered free of cost to participants. To register for the train ing, contact admincit@ namiga.org. process. He didn’t claim specicd privileges. In stead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Food to chew on: Paul explains to us in this passage how important it is to put ourselves to the side so we can be used by God to serve others more. Jesus could have come to this earth extremely showing His power, but instead He chose to be born into this world as a normal human being. Jefferson Street, Albany Ga. Excellent speakers and singing are lined up for this year’s men’s conference. A Fish Fry (with all the trimmings) will be held March 15 from 6-7 PM. Cost is $10.00 per NAMI (National Alli ance on Mental Illness) Georgia is the nation’s largest grassroots, mental health advocacy organiza tion in the country. At the state level, NAMI Georgia works to empower 18 af filiates to create commu nities where all affected by mental illnesses find hope, help, and accep tance Jesus took on the role of us, meaning He had feelings, could feel pain, could show affection, could show emotions. The only time Jesus showed His power was His years walking in His ministry while teaching His disciples. We acci dentally get caught up in trying to “make a good impression” or meeting our own needs that we miss the opportunity at times to serve others the way God is calling us to. We must remember that Jesus could have chosen not to take the cross and display His power by person. Reservations must be made by March 13. These reservations areonly for the fish fry. To make reserva tions you may call the church office at 432-6191 (between 8:30 - 1 :30 Monday - Thursday) or go to Lakeside website at lakesidealbany.com/ men and register for the fish fry. The Conference Sched ule for Friday: Music starts 7:00 - 7:20 7:20 Rev Austin DeLoach, Pastor South- side Baptist Church in Lakeland, GA Conference Schedule sending ten thousand angels down to strike vengeance. But instead He willingly took on the cross, for you and for me. It is through know ing this that we should do what we can daily to live Christ-like. When we show a genuine interest in others we take more positive steps in maintaining unity among believers. If we say we follow Christ, we must also say we want to live as He lived. Jesus is the only example of a hero dying for the vil lain. for Saturday: Begin with coffee and donuts from 8:00 to 9:00 AM Music starts at 9:00 - 9:20AM 9:20 - 10:00 Rev Charlie Bridges, Pastor of Grove Level Baptist Church in Dalton, GA Break from 10:00-10:15 Music starts at 10:15 - 10:30 10:30 - 11 :30 Rev Rex King Pastor Mountain View Baptist Church in Thomaston, GA For more information, call De Wayne Denney at 229-347-1394. Shane Waller Lakeside Baptist Church to host Man-up Men’s Conference March 15-16
