OceanSide church of Christ

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YOU HAVE DONE WELL!  KEEP IT UP!

Victor M. Eskew

 

            Each year, the elders of the OceanSide church of Christ decide upon a schedule of events for the congregation.  These events are put upon a calendar that is given to every member of the church here.  These events are meant to challenge us, to provide periods of service and fellowship for us, and to help the church grow.

            There are times when the leadership has to change the schedule of events.  Something may have to be dropped from the calendar.  Something might have to be added.  Too, the date of an event may have to be changed.  These changes make things even more challenging to the congregation at times.

            Sometimes, several events have to be placed back-to-back on the calendar.  These events might involve a lot of time and effort for the members of this congregation.  This is not done intentionally.  It often happens because unexpected events arise almost out of nowhere that must be taken care of.  They are a must and cannot be changed.  Thus, a burden falls on the members of the congregation.

            When the schedule gets tight, it is up to the members of the church to respond.  We may have to give extra time to be at all of the things that have been scheduled.  We may be called upon to provide food for several different events.  We may be asked to participate in an event in a very special way.  This is not always easy to do.  We can grow tired and long for the “normal” schedule to return. 

            At OceanSide, we are at that point in time when a lot of things are happening one after another.  This past weekend was just the beginning.  We celebrated the life of our dear sister, Sandy Frank, on Friday night and Saturday morning.  We had our Anniversary Sunday that included a meal after Bible Study.  The church was also called upon to make up some of our spending deficit this past Sunday.  Too, we had a program in honor of Larry and Emily Paulk who have given years of service to the OceanSide congregation.

            Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, thus far you have done well.  You have responded to the needs of this congregation in a superb way.  Sandy’s service was beautiful.  We collected about $6,500 over our budget last week.  We had tons of food for our fellowship meal.  Larry and Emily were honored in a very special way with most of the congregation present.  Yes, you have done well.  We want you to know that we are very proud of you and appreciate all of your efforts.

            Our busy schedule is going to continue throughout the month of October.  We will be putting inserts into our House-to-House publication on Sunday, October 8th.  On Saturday, October 14th, we are having our annual Family Picnic here at the building.  Adopt-A-Highway will be on Saturday, October 21st.  Then, our Gospel Meeting with brother Keith Mosher will be conducted the last week of the month.  We will most likely have a potluck meal following the morning service on October 29th.

            We want to encourage you to continue your noble service this upcoming month.  Please try to be a part of as many activities as possible.  Without you, our efforts are nil.  With you, our efforts are both encouraging and successful.  Make it your goal to do well.

            We also exhort you to try to have a good attitude as you labor and serve.  Sometimes things are chaotic.  Sometimes things are not done as we would do them.  Sometimes we have more questions than answers.  Sometimes we just get tired.  In those times, we have to remain positive.  We have to make up our minds that we will not get down.  We must remember that the things that we are doing are for the cause of Christ.  We have to be thankful that we are being given opportunities to serve others and to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

            Nothing we do for the Lord in this life will be regretted in eternity.  We will one day rest from our labors, but our works will follow us (Rev. 14:13).  They will follow us into the Judgment and will be a significant part of that day.  “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:  and another book was opened, which is the book of life:  and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Rev. 20:12).  As God evaluates our works in light of His holy Word, He will speak wonderful words to us if we have been found faithful.  We will hear those words:  “Well done!”  “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant:  thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:  enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matt. 25:21).