Going Forward
by Going Backward

Many years ago, Batsell Barrett Baxter preached a sermon titled, "A Step Forward" in which he talked about the Restoration Movement and of great men who were involved in it around the turn of the 19th century. He closed that sermon with these words: "We want to be united, we need to be united: the Lord prayed that we be united: and the only possible way is in terms of going back and standing on His truths. Anything that I or anyone else might add to them is not worthy of acceptance in religion."

In our day we hear much about things that are new. We live in an age when a premium is put on what's new. Anything that is more recent than something else is assumed to be better. That may be true in the things that men make: cars, airplanes, electrical appliances, and so on. It is not true in the things that God makes. When God makes something, he makes it perfect from the beginning. There has been no improvement upon God's sunshine or rain, or seasons, or the productivity of the ground. When God makes something, He makes it right, and so it is in the realm of religion. There has been no finer system of ethics or morals than you find in Christianity. Nobody has improved on the example of Jesus. Hence, I believe it follows that no one has ever, or will ever, improve on Christ's church. God makes things right. There is perfection in what God does. The essential need of our time is that all of us simply take a step backward, for that is the only way we can go forward. When we return to the Bible, speaking where the scriptures speak and being silent where they are silent, develop a loyalty to what God says above anything that anyone else may say, when we have a "thus saith the Lord, thy servant heareth," then we are on the road which God would have us travel.

When we find, as we do in our modem divided religious world, that we are off the original God-given path, the only way to make progress forward is by going backward until we get on the right road again.

The men of the congregation will prepare a spaghetti dinner and serve the ladies of the congregation - after the evening services tonight in the annex. All members and visitors are invited to stay and enjoy the food and fellowship.

Ladies' Luncheon Devo
The Ladies Devotional and Luncheon is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday, Feb. 12^th) at 11:30 a.m. in the annex. Please prepare a little extra as we plan to carry food to the Deatons. (Frances is undergoing surgery on Monday).
Just a reminder....the church library has lots of material on just about any subject you can think of. Why not check it out for something of interest to bring to the devotional. Our topic this month is "Keeping One's Self Unspotted from the World". See you there!

Home Bible Study
The monthly Home Bible Study will be hosted by Jim and Janie Hall at their home, out east of Lake Wales on this coming Saturday evening (Feb. 17^th). Instructions and further information will be announced and posted.

Tonight
Meet with us each Sunday evening at 5:30 for prayer in classroom #3.
Our youngsters meet at 5:40 in the auditorium for stories and songs.

It bears repeating: "treat him with kindness, pet him often, feed him well and he'll never leave you: a proven formula for both dogs and husbands."