Jesus, Lazarus, and Agape Love
Wayne Jackson
The account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead helps us to
understand the significance of agape love. Lazarus of Bethany, became
dangerously ill. His sisters, Martha and Mary sent a desperate message to
the Lord, who was some miles away."Lord, he whom you love is sick"
(Jn.11:13). The term for love is phileo, "affection."
It seems perplexing, at least from the human vantage point, that
Christ did not rush to the scence to care for him who was the object of His
affection. Rather, He delayed two days, during which time Lazarus died. Why
did the Lord refrain from going to Bethany directly? The key is in verses 5
and 6. "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When therefore
he heard that he was sick, he abode at that time two days in the place where
He was."
Here the word for "love" is agapao, "dedication." Verse 5 speaks of
the dedication or devotion that Jesus had for this family. He was interested
in the kind of faith that could be produced in them if they were allowed to
wait.
Of special significance in this matter is the word "therefore" in
verse 6. Jesus loved. . . therefore He waited. The sisters wanted the Son of
God to operate on the phileo level; he chose the higher ground and pursued
the devotion of agapao. "The highest motivation for love is not our feelings
or affections, but rather an honest, intelligent facing of the question:
"What is best for the one I love?¹ This is how God acts" (Word Meanings in
the New Testament, p.89). --edited


Why Come To Worship?
Scott Perry

When one is thankful and thinks of all the blessings that the Lord
bestows upon his offspring (Acts 17:29), both on the just and unjust
(Matt.5:45), it is truly humbling to realize that we are totally dependant
upon the Lord for everything. The Lord¹s goodness is manifested in His
provision (in abundance) of food, clothing, and shelter; though man¹s
inhumanity to man in the form of abusive governments prohibits many from
enjoying these. Having so many material blessings, however, can lead to
monotonous daily routines of our simply "going through the motions" of life
without keeping in mind why we do certain activities. Along these lines, I
submit for your consideration, why we come to worship: Christians come to
worship to remember, to grow, and to gain strength.
We gather to remember the death of our Lord whose shed blood purchased
our salvation: The Lord¹s Supper is a memorial service of his sacrificial
death in which his body and blood were given (Luke 22:19; John 10:11). We
are in communion with the Lord (Matt.26:29) and with one another (Luke
22:17). We are to meditate upon what the Lord did for us: the suffering and
pain which He endured for us. We deserved what He braved. One should not let
the worry of being unworthy to partake overcome him if he is faithful and
has the right attitude while partaking. No one is worthy, meritoriously, to
receive anything from the Lord, but let us reflect on the love God had for
us in the sacrifice of his only begotten Son.
We gather to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:
Just as the physical body grows from the food God provides, our spiritual
bodies (2 Cor. 5:1) grow from God¹s word (1 Pet. 2:1, 2). We are to desire
the word, literally "to long for" it. As a baby cries out for milk, we
should cry out for the word of God through our attendance whenever the word
is taught and further study on the matters discussed. We cannot grow
physically without physical nourishment; we cannot grow spiritually without
spiritual nourishment. How many meals do you miss? Physically? Spiritually?
We gather to gain strength: There is strength gained from partaking in the
Lord¹s Memorial. There is strength gained from studying God¹s word. There is
also strength gained from singing. Singing is a commandment to be obeyed by
all (Col.3:16, Eph.5:19). Singing is a natural outlet for our emotions; It
allows us to express our inner needs in a way that others may be encouraged.
The song service teaches and admonishes us and lifts us up for the work of
the Lord.
Why all this strength building? We build up strength to spiritually fight
for the cause of Christ. Our battle is not against other people (Eph.6:12),
but against the falsehoods propagated by the devil and his servants. The
worship of the church is not the work of the church. The assembly is for
God¹s army to reinforce, to build strength in order to carry the gospel
message to the world.


OUR RECORD MAY 19, 2002

A.M. WORSHIP 199
SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY 177
P.M. WORSHIP 144
WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY 131

CONTRIBUTION 6937
BUDGET 5570
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MEN TO SERVE
May 26, 2002

Ray Wehunt Shawn Wallace
Doug Parker Michael Wilson
Rick Wooldridge Danny Wooldridge
Sasha Babenko Ken Bittle

Evening Dave Tollett
Jim Wallace
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WEDNESDAY SONG DIRECTOR

May 29 Worship In Song
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USHERS FOR MAY

Morning Keith Golden
Evening Jason Griffin
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GREETERS FOR MAY

Mike & Joanna Moore
David & Nathan Moore
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ELDER CHAIRMAN

May Dale Morris
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VOLUME 39 NUMBER 20 May 20, 2002

OUR SICK

Eleanor White is in Room 906 of Baptist Hospital.
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RESPONSE

Baptized on May 19, 2002: Crystal Chapman.
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THANK YOU

Thanks to all for the ice cream supper honoring the graduates. A special
thanks for the Halley¹s Bible Handbook. David Moore.
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CAC SCHOOLS

Central Arkansas Christian Schools, Inc. has openings in all classes at the
University Campus (located in the Geyer Springs church of Christ). We have
classes from PreK 4 through 6th grade at this location. Please call and come
by for a tour. Our phone number is 568-6337. We are here from 8:00 AM until
3:30 PM, Monday ­ Friday.
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LADIES CLASS

The Tuesday Night Ladies Class will meet at 6:30 on May 28th. Please bring
your favorite Comfort Food. Drinks will be provided. Baby sitting will also
be available.
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SERMONS FOR MAY 26

Morning
In The "Image And Likeness Of God" (Genesis 1:26-27)
Evening
The Dangerous Philosophy Of Modernism
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MOVING

Sasha and Angela Babenko will be moving on May 25th, their new address will
be 5900 Glenhaven Place, Sherwood, AR 72120, phone 834-3936.
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SEARCH
Week of May 26
THE WAY OF TRUTH
When old Governor Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth," he being a
politician, not a philosopher, may have had no idea the "can of worms" he
was opening. His words challenged a whole new world. Do we who live in our
times of advanced (?) knowledge even know what is truth? Is it really that
important in our age? Or have we arrived at a time when "the way of truth"
is scorned?

EVENTS OF INTEREST

May 28..Ladies Class at 6:30 PM