Author: Bryan Gibson

Weekly Bulletin
January 22, 2023

The Cream of the Crop
by Bryan Gibson
This your invitation to be a part of the greatest assembly of people ever formed. “I will appoint them for praise and fame” (Zephaniah 3:19)—that’s how God spoke of them in Old Testament prophecy—God’s “hall of fame,” so to speak. What else do we know about them?
These people sit together with Christ in the “heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:19-20; 2:1, 4-6), where they are blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), where the riches of God’s grace are lavished upon them (Ephesians 1:7-8). Can’t beat that seating arrangement, can you? Jesus is the Shepherd and Overseer of their souls (1 Peter 2:25), and so they can say, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalms 23:1).
The vast majority of them have done little or nothing to distinguish themselves in the world’s eyes, but their names are “written in heaven,” or in the “Book of Life” (Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 21:7). So that their names do not get blotted out from that same book (Revelation 3:5; 22:18-19), they “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4). These are not sinless people, but when they do sin, they seek forgiveness, they come right back to the Lamb with repentance and confession of their sins (1 John 1:7, 9).
This assembly includes not only the redeemed “of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9), but also the redeemed of all ages (past, present, and whoever may be added in the future (Ephesians 2:14-16; Hebrews 9:15; 12:23). All the faithful among God’s people, from every corner of the globe and from every age, joined together in one assembly of people. What a truly special fellowship this is!
These redeemed people are “fellow citizens” (Ephesians 2:19) in the kingdom of heaven, a kingdom which “cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28), one which will “never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44; 7:14). “Then the sovereignty, the dominion and greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him” (Daniel 7:27). God rules over all kingdoms for the benefit of the those in His kingdom. There’s simply no better place to be, no more secure place to be.
Together, these people form the temple of God, and as such have God dwelling in and among them (Ephesians 2:19-22). And who is the High Priest of this temple? “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
O, and let’s make sure we add this one more thing. These people are heaven bound. The old song says, “Everybody talkin’ about heaven ain’t going there.” These people just described—they don’t just talk about heaven, they ARE going. We’re talking about the faithful in Christ who will “always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Who are these people? These people make up the ONE church Jesus promised to build (Matthew 16:18), the ONE body described in Ephesians 4:4. They are the church of our Lord, the church of Jesus Christ. They are the people whom Jesus has saved and will save eternally (“He is the Savior of the body”—Ephesians 5:23).
And YOU can be a part of it! Not a part of any denomination, mind you, but a part of Christ’s one and only body. These people we’ve described—they all became part of it in the same way. They were “reconciled to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:14-16) when they obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ. “What shall we do,” some asked in Acts 2:37, and the answer was clear: “repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:37-38). Those who did were added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:47); they became members of this ONE body (1 Corinthians 12:13).
“His own special people”—that’s how He describes them in Titus 2:14. And you’ve seen all the various ways in which they are so special. Wouldn’t you love to be included among them?

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.