Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
August 28, 2022

Two People Attend Church
by Terry Benton
One person is looking for a place to attend when he feels like it. He wants to be able to tell himself that “at least he attends a religious service from time to time” although he does not want to be accountable and involved as a dependable worker in the church. He is just an “attender.” And even that is on his own terms, when he has the urge. He does not help with classes, or check on members who may be sick, or commit to informing others when he is sick or going to be away. He is just a visitor who happens to have his name in the church directory. That is all that matters to him, while he does not think of whether God might have already taken his name out of the Lamb’s book of life. He just wants a place to attend. It’s like punching the clock and getting his religious time in.
The second man has a different spirit. He sees the church as a spiritual family, a family to whom he is responsible to build up and help them on to heaven. Thus, he attends and seeks to encourage these people. He gets involved in various ways and holds himself accountable to inform this family when he is going to be away. He teaches classes, checks on the sick, visits and entertains members in his home, and greets each member to see how he can lift the spirits of others. He is not just an attender. He is determined to be a worker. He loves the Lord and the church Jesus died for (Acts 20:28ff). He believes in tending and serving the needs of God’s people.
Which man best fits your pattern of life priorities? Are you more like the first man or the second? Which man do you think will hear from the Lord in judgment, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” (Matthew 25:21, 23).
Why Jesus Used Parables in His Teaching
by Clarence Johnson
In Mark 4:1-9 Jesus told the Parable of the Sower. “But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, ‘To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that “Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them” (Mark 4:10-12).
There were two basic reasons Jesus spoke in parables: (1) To make His message plain to those who wanted to know and heed it, and (2) To make it obscure to those who were not open to its truth. See the parallel passage in Matt. 13:11-17. For Jesus’ real disciples, the parables served as illustrations to help His meanings come alive and become embedded in their memories. It was sometimes necessary for them to ask Jesus to explain His illustrations, but any real disciple is more than willing to do so. And thus they came to know His truths.
On the other hand, His enemies seldom saw any more significance in Jesus’ parables than the ramblings of a story teller. They had little or no interest in His message and little patience for His stories. When they missed His point, they usually went away unenlightened and unfulfilled because they did not care enough to ask Him to elaborate or explain. They were not interested enough in His lessons to try to understand them. They were not seeking the forgiveness of their sins—and they would not find it.
Jesus’ enemies would soon seek to have Him crucified. He was willing and fully intended to die as a sacrifice for human sin, but to arouse His enemies too soon would hinder Him in other matters that must be accomplished first. This was another reason He did not go to great lengths to make His meanings clear to those who were not interested in heeding His messages.
Jesus applied the words of Isaiah 6:9-10 to those in His audience. Matthew shows that He concluded His explanation by saying to His disciples, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matthew 13:17).

Contact Information
	P.O. Box 680872 / Prattville, AL 36067
	(334) 365-5887 / (334) 868-0801
	prattmont@gmail.com / prattmontchurchofchrist.org

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The Prattmont Church of Christ is just what the name suggests, a church that belongs to Christ. We are not a denomination; we are simply a group of Christians trying very hard to practice the teachings of our Head, Jesus Christ. The New Testament offers a complete pattern for what each local church should be like—its organization, its worship, its work, etc. We are committed to following that pattern. We cordially invite you to attend our services. We would also welcome any comments or questions about this bulletin.

TIMES OF SERVICES:
Sunday
Bible Classes………...9 A.M.
Worship 10:00 A.M.
Worship/Bible Study..5 P.M.
Wednesday:
Bible Study 7:00 P.M.