Misc

Amazing Love
“…I will soon fence her in with thorns; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way. Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them; she will seek them, but she will not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband, because I was better off then than I am now.’
“…In the future I will allure her; I will lead her back into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. From there I will give back her vineyards to her and turn the ‘Valley of Trouble’ into an ‘Opportunity for Hope.’ There she will sing as she did when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt. –Hosea 2:6-7, 14-15

What amazing love our Savior has for His bride. To wall her in with thorns and keep her away from what destroys (Hos 2:6-7). He exposes her shame so she can see her need (2:10), and drives her into the wilderness of suffering to reveal her dependency (2:14). For it is there that the LORD demonstrates His lavish love and purchases back His bride (2:2). It is there He reverses trouble into hope (2:15), and brings about a repentance that leads to life (2Co 7:10; Hos 14:2). Because it is there that we seek the good God (3:5) who has blessed and delivered us all along (2:8; 11:1-4).

Thank You, LORD, for not leaving us in our comfort, but hedging us in with pain to keep us from death. Thank You for leading us into the wilderness to build our faith and teach us how to hunger and thirst for You. Help us to truly trust Your good and sovereign hand, as we experience Your loyal love that is better than life.

Billy Neal

Meat & Greet: Eat Meat

Saturday, October 21, 2023 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Elberton Church of God
1026 Hartwell Hwy., Elberton, GA 30635

“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other,
just as you are in fact doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Come grab a meal and meet other Christian men. Hear what God is doing in the lives of believers. See where God is at work through His children. Seize an opportunity to carry a brothers’ burdens by supporting the body of Christ in our mutual discipleship and mission.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

EAT MEAT

In Hebrews 5, verses 13-14, it says, “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.” The words from the writer of Hebrews are very similar to those in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 where Paul says, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?”

Both sets of verses provide emphasis for Christian men to eat spiritual meat, which is to say to work towards understanding the things of the Spirit and towards walking in the Spirit as opposed to living and acting like carnal (worldly) men. This is a process, but in the end, mature spiritual men are selfless and supportive of other Christian men, their families, and their ministries. On July 23, we will do just that, i.e. we will fellowship with and pray for our brothers in Christ, all while we learn of their efforts, breakthroughs, struggles and prayer requests and hear how we can collaborate as brothers in Christ and see what God does when we are united in brotherhood. Come and join us. Come alone, bring a friend, or bring your entire men’s group. Men of all stages of development (milk or meat eaters) are welcome and desired, i.e. there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, only learning and growing, loving and serving, and battling Satan together for the sake of the Lost.

$10 recommended to cover plate cost but no Christian man turned away. RSVP by noon on October 19^th so that we will have a meal for you or your group. RSVP by calling Tim Smith at 706.424.1171 or by sending an email to info@hardmanroad.org. We are looking forward to fellowshipping with you. May God bless you in the meantime.