SERVANT SPIRIT ”But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he the shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:11,12). We will never understand what it means to be a disciple of Christ until we have the servant-concept of Christianity. We have beens saved to serve. That attitude is essential for the church to grow and be what it needs to be. The sermon Sunday morning was on the Servant Spirit. I wanted to expand on that thought a little more in this article. I have in my files an article by Virgil Hale with the title “Things Not Essential To Serve The Lord.” It takes an interesting approach to the idea of God’s children be servants. Some people have the attitude if this happens and that happens, then I could possibly serve God. Sometimes people will say that they are not eloquent enough to be of service in the kingdom. “I would teach class, but I am not good with words, etc…” You do not have to read very far to see that excuse used in the Bible. Moses used that very excuse, but God had an answer for him (Exodus 4:10). The apostle Paul stated that he did not come with “excellency of speech”(I Corinthians 2:1). He was more concerned with saving souls than he was with being eloquent (Romans 1;15,16). Sometimes people will say I would serve but I just do not know enough. “If I had a better education, I could teach.” There are times when worldly education is a hindrance instead of a help. The rulers said of Peter and John, “they were unlearned and ignorant men…” (Acts 4:13). They had not studied at the schools to have the formal education, but they knew God’s word and they taught it with conviction. “The common people heard him gladly” (Mk. 12:37). Sometimes people will use money or the lack of it as a reason why they cannot be a servant of God. Wealth can be a blessing or a curse. It really depends on whether we possess the riches or the riches possess us. The poor widow who gave all that she had is an example of what we can do with little or much. (Mark 12:41-44). Who taught the greater lesson here; the wealthy who gave out of their abundance or the widow who gave all she had? The love of money can be a great hindrance to our service in the kingdom (I Timothy 6:9,10). We can be guilty of the love of money whether we be rich or poor. The Lord expects us to do what we can—not what we cannot. Lord, make me a servant! —L. Cole

"A Grave Mistake" The Associated Press ran a story last week about Hubert Martini, a man who lived in Western Germany. Before he died he wrote his own obituary, and made clear that his five siblings and their families were forbidden to come to his funeral. Martini didn't elaborate on his reasons, but did write, "I have hurt some people - and that's good." Martini's actions certainly fit the category of "grudge". Think for a moment about that word; it even sounds snarly. CollinsDictionary.com reports that it is derived from an old

French word, grouchier, which means "to grumble". It also has roots in a German word which means "to grunt". Is this how we want others to remember us? As a minister I hear of grudges occasionally. Siblings seem especially prone to this condition, perhaps because "Mother always liked you best!", or someone received a more desirable portion of the inheritance. Spouses grapple with it, too. Differences are bound to arise in marriages, but some seem unable (or unwilling) to work toward peace. Writer Anne Lamott gave her version of an old adage I've often heard: "Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die." Hubert Martini's relatives may or may not have suffered over whatever led to his grudge. But he certainly suffered. He took that grudge to his grave, and that was a grave mistake. The Bible has quite a lot to say about the subject of forgiveness, a practice that many are either ignorant of or are unwilling to adopt. In teaching on prayer, Jesus ended with these words: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." (Matthew 6:14). God's willingness to forgive us (a vital need!) is directly tied to our willingness to forgive others. One who was not willing to carry a grudge to His grave was Jesus. He had every right to grumble about His unjust treatment. Instead, He appealed to God while nailed to the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). The guilt was on His enemies' heads; Jesus would not tarnish Himself by hatred. Paul wrote this admonition: "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32). Most will admit this is one of the hardest things we're asked to do as followers of Christ. But if Christ could forgive His enemies ... Our sins effectively made us part of the reason Christ died on the cross. That puts us in a perilous condition. Like the crowd gathered on Pentecost in Acts 2:37 we ought to cry out, "What shall we do?" Forgiveness is available, Peter said; God is willing to forgive (Acts 2:38)! Let's not forfeit such a precious gift because of a grudge. Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further. -Tim Hall, Light Grams, 07/14/16

Ready or Not ... 2017 Can you believe another year is in the books? Time marches relentlessly onward without asking for either our consent or approval. 2016 isn’t even cold yet and 2017 is already three days old. Nothing you and I can do will ever get that time back. With each passing day we creep closer towards time's end. But, as always, with Jesus there is good news. 2017 will bring with it days of defeat and success. 2017 will bring with it both sadness and great joy. 2017 will bring days of suffering balanced with days of healing. 2017 will bring with it days of loss and others of enrichment. For some 2017 will bring with it a day of finality. But there will not be a single day in 2017 that you will have to encounter alone! We have One who can lift us up from defeat, comfort us in sadness and sustain us through suffering. There is One who can truly place momentary loss into eternal perspective. And not to be forgotten, we have each other, charged with the duty of sharing in life's highs and lows (Romans 12:12-15) and with bearing “one another’s burdens" (Galatians 6:2). While we are powerless to keep time from sifting through our lives like sand through our fingers, we can do something about how we spend it. While much time will fall wasted at the feet of humanity, as a follower of Christ you can use your time to God's glory and time will ultimately deposit you in His timeless glory. - David Bragg , Greensboro, NC www.bulletingold, 01/17

MONTROSE FAMILY NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS JAN 08, 2017 THOSE PRIVILEGED TO SERVE

WORSHIP----SUNDAY---9:00 AM Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . Billy Halliburton Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Clay

Scripture Reading…Col. 3:1-4 … . Austin Clay Song Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Jolley Opening Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacky Carver, Sr. Lord’s Supper-Preside: Mitchell Brooks Serve: Steve Anderson,, Brian Smith, 
 Justin Draper, Ted Russell Closing Prayer ....................................... Ben Silcox Greeter— Dallas & Paige Eddie Greeter— Roger & Cynthia Draper [Greeters, please be here by 8:40 to greet 
 before services] Count Offering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacky Carver, Sr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaleb Bush AM Sermon –Now that I am a Christian PM Sermon- Hear the instruction … WORSHIP---SUNDAY---6:00 PM Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . George Clay Song Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Jolley Scripture Reading ……Prov.1:7-9 . . . Austin Clay Opening Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaleb Bush Lord’s Supper . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . Robert Hackett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Addison Halliburton Closing Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Anderson

BIBLE STUDY WEDNESDAY---7:00 PM

Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Clay Song Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacky Carver, Sr. First Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mitchell Brooks Opening Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dallas Eddie Closing Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roger Draper Prepare Communion for January Karen Halliburton Note: If you are not able to fulfill your assignment listed above, please notify the coordinator so that he can find a replacement.

MONTROSE BULLETIN BOARD NURSING HOME:, Opal Agee, (Kindred Health Care) Pearl Anderson—Knollwood Manor, Lafayette Kasel Dillehay—Overton Co. Health Care

Those on the sick list:

Kathy Harville Jimmie Faye Cole Cindy Bennett Charlie Pinckley Arnold Rich

W. A. Gibbs Gladys Bowling Gaye Yeaman Sue Buckner

Upcoming Events: Jan. 15th. Annual Budget Presentation Jan. 22nd. Fourth Sunday Fellowship Meal Jan. 29th. Fifth Sunday and Young Men conduct services. BIBLE READING SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY

01. Gen. 1-3 02 Gen. 4-6 03 Gen. 7-9 04 Gen. 10-12 05 Gen. 13-15 06 Gen. 16-19 07 Gen. 20-23 08 Gen. 24-26 09 Gen. 27-29 10 Gen. 30-32 11 Gen. 33-35

12 Gen. 36-38 13 Gen. 39-42 14 Gen. 43-46 15 Gen. 47-50 16 Exod. 1-2 17 Exod. 3-5 18 Exod. 6-8 19 Exod. 9-11 20 Exod. 12-14 21 Exod. 15-19

22 Exod. 20-22 23 Exod. 23-25 24 Exod. 26-28 25 Exod. 29-31 26 Exod. 32-34 27 Exod. 35-37 28 Exod. 38-40; Lev.1-2 29 Lev. 3-5 30 Lev 6-8 31 Lev. 9-11