Welcome!

Welcome to Good News for Norwalk, the new weekly publication of the church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio.

I hope that you will find the material in this bulletin profitable. In upcoming weeks, I hope that you will look forward to insightful articles focused on the Scriptures and their message to you, questions to ponder while considering the lessons of the week, Scriptural passages to analyze with questions to answer, and a multitude of other thoughts to stimulate your mind and help you develop in your faith.

This bulletin will be no fewer than four pages. The final page will always be an open area, with which you can either take notes during the class or the lesson, or you can use the area to send the bulletin to a friend or someone you think may be interested in the Gospel.

If you ever have suggestions for materials that you would like to see in the bulletin, either general ideas or specific articles written by brethren, you can always let me know and I will certainly consider it!

In the end, the bulletin can only be successful and profitable if you determine to make it profitable for yourself and your faith.

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

Americanism Versus Christianity

Many Christians today are blessed to live in the United States of America. This country has been religiously tolerant for its entire history, and has one of the highest standards of living in the world. We, as Christians, are able to go about our daily lives unimpeded from many of the troubles that beset others in different countries.

For all of its blessedness and freedoms, however, America also poses a stumbling block for Christians. Many of the ideals of American society are completely contrary to the ideals of the Christian. Let us look at how becoming too deeply imbued in American society will lead to great conflict with Christ:

1. Money. The United States of America does have a national religion, and its idol is the money sign. In America, everything has a price; how many people have been led into miserable lives due to the desire for money (1 Timothy 6:9-10)?

2. Pride. The United States of America is a country full of pride, some of which is not unjustified. The U.S.A. has risen from thirteen small colonies to the leading power of the world in only two hundred years. Unfortunately, however, the pride of America has become overweaning, preventing the country to admit when it is at fault. The Christian must stay away from such pride, and act humbly (Luke 8:9-14).

3. Selfishness. America is very much a "me" country. Everyone is out for him or herself; to most, little matters except for reaching their goals and being seen as "successful." Care for others is only secondary, if that. The Christian, however, should think of himself last if he is to be considered great (John 13:12-17)!

These attitudes are unfortunately deeply-rooted into the American culture, and it is easy to fall prey to them. We, as Christians, must remain diligently on guard to follow Christ over the United States of America. In closing, we must remember that the poorest of Americans is more often than not richer than most people on other continents (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

Questions to Ponder During the Lesson

AM: The Grace of God

1. What does "grace" mean?
2. How has God shown us grace?
3. Does grace negate our need to obey?

PM: Faith, Works, and Grace: Understanding the Pauline Synthesis

1. Is Romans in contradiction with James?
2. Does Paul, in Romans, affirm that we have a role in our salvation?
3. What does Paul mean and what does he not mean when he refers to "works" and salvation by faith?

The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio

Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies!

Our location:

386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits)
Norwalk, Ohio 44857

Our assemblies:

Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am
Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm

Our Bible studies:

Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am
Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm

For More Information

If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist@norwalkchurch.org.

Please click here to return to the 2006 archive of Good News for Norwalk, or click here to return to the main page of Good News for Norwalk. Thanks!