The Simplicity of the Gospel
Roger Rush

"And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God ... and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:1,4).

I recently read that a copywriter, when asked to describe Ivory soap for an ad campaign wrote: "The alkaline elements and vegetable fat in this product are blended in such a way as to secure the highest quality of saponification along with a specific gravity that keeps it on top of the water, relieving the bather of the trouble and annoyance of fishing around for it in the bottom of the bath tub during his ablutions." His boss, after reading it, crossed it out and wrote just two words - “IT FLOATS!”

Many preachers are like that copywriter. They have the ability to take the simplest of Bible verses and create the most complex theological arguments. Did you know that of the 810,697 words of the King James Version of the Bible, there are only 6,000 different words, and the average length of the word is fewer than five letters? The Bible is a highly readable, too. You might be surprised at how much you understood if you took the time to reads it. No wonder Paul spoke of the "simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Such commonly held doctrines as "transubstantiation," "Premillennialism," and "total depravity" are not found in the Bible. Each results from an elaborate distortion of the Scriptures. It is only when men twist and pervert the Bible that such doctrines are possible. What the religious world needs is a return to the simplicity of the Gospel.

Let me urge you to read your Bible every day. I promise you that you will be able to easily understand everything contained therein which is essential to your salvation. It becomes complicated only because men make it so! ❦

Our hearts go out in deepest sympathy to the family and friends of brother Charlie Tessner, who passed away last Saturday (Jan. 18).

Our thoughts and prayers are also with James Huggins and his family in the passing of his brother on Friday. Jim has gone up north for the funeral. No further details were available at print time. May God provide His peace and comfort in these times of loss and sorrow.

Lectureship Books
Bob Bauer has a case of the Florida School of Preaching lectureship books, “Do You Understand Fellowship?”, that may be purchased for $16.00. See him this week if you are interested in buying one. If you didn’t make it to the lectureship this year, the book is the next best thing. If you did, the book covers more ground than most of the speakers had time to cover.

Relay For Life
A port-of-call has been assigned to the Orange Street “Relay For Life” team. It is "Alaska". See Johnye Sims or Rita Bauer if you wish to help with the decorations. See Wanda Greene or Ora Lee Skinner if you need forms, have donations or need information.

Fellowship Cancelled
The regular last Sunday PM Fellowship meal, scheduled for tonight, has been cancelled for this month. It will resume on February 23^rd, with the annual Cupid’s Café event.

Ladies’ Work Group
There is a Ladies’ Work Group session scheduled for tomorrow evening (Monday) at 7:00 pm in the annex. All of the ladies of the congregation are invited to attend and participate.

Wednesday Night Devo
The regular 5^th Wednesday devotional service is planned for this coming Wednesday night. The young men of the congregation conduct the services for the evening and the older classes will remain in the auditorium

Change For Children
The collection cans for the Mt. Dora “Change For Children” campaign have arrived. See Lancaster or Libbie Littleton.

There are three classes of people: "those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who don't know what is happening." It's always good for a man to examine himself and see what class he is in. Many times we find ourselves lacking.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Feb 21, 22 - Orange Street coC
“Marriage Seminar” w/Garry Colley

• Feb 23 - Cupid’s Café @ Orange St.
After PM service - The men do the cookin’

• Mar 14, 15 - “Relay For Life”
See Wanda or Ora Lee for details