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Discovering the reality of
God’s presence in our lives
as friends are made forever.
TIME OF SERVICES
9:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Bible Study
10:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship
5:00 p.m.
Sunday Evening Bible Study
Wednesday Evening Bible Class 7:00 p.m.
New Hope Church of Christ
st
11025 131 Street North
Largo, FL 33774
New Hope Church of Christ
11025 131st street north
Largo, FL 33774
Website: www.newhopecoc.org
Office Phone: (727) 517-7517
Minister
Wiley Coppinger
Elders
Wiley Coppinger
David Himes
Deacon
Howard Kent
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
February 23, 2014
WELCOME to our visitors
Thank you for coming today and
sharing in the worship celebration of
New Hope Church of Christ. Please
accept this warm invitation to
celebrate with us next week.
Please fill out a visitor’s card
and drop it in the collection basket. If
you have a special prayer request
please let one of the elders know.
Activities are provided for the
younger children during worship
service. Please don’t hesitate to ask
any of our members for assistance.
Daily Prayer
God, help us to read and obey your
Word, asking guidance of the Holy
Spirit for our lives
**********
“I love them that love me; and,
those that seek me early shall find
me.”
- Proverbs 8:17
Website www.newhopecoc.org
The bulletin is posted on the website
and hard copies are in the foyer for
members who do not
have access to a
computer and our
visitors. Be sure to
check the Facebook
link for pictures and activities. We are
getting e-mails from congregations in
India and Kenya.
If you have any suggestions for
the website or the Facebook please
contact Rebecca Hicks.
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Monthly Song Practice
The first Wednesday of the month
@ 7:00 p.m. is set aside to learn new
songs and practice some old ones.
Sunday Evening Bible Study
Sunday evening Bible study is at 5:00
pm held in the Fellowship Hall behind
the main building. We will have
refreshments
and
fellowship
afterwards. Please fill free to bring a
food item to share.
Those Privileged to Serve
rd
February 23
Song Leader: Alex Coppinger
Lord’s Supper:
Lead:
Serving:
Serving:
Paul Brown
Carlos Escobar
Edgar Jeffers
March 2
Song Leader:
Lord’s Supper:
Lead:
Serving:
Serving:
nd
Howard Kent
Glenn Dove
Robert Bliss
Mark Hubbs
If you are unable to serve please
contact David Himes.
February Birthdays
Seth Brandenburg
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Volunteers
We
have
been
conducting
services at the Country Inn on
Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. for many
months now and there are only
three of us who do this. If you
would be interested in helping out
your participation would be
welcomed. Please see Wiley
Coppinger, Alex Coppinger, or
Edgar Jeffers if you would like to
join us.
If you would like help with some of
the building maintenance projects
please contact Howard Kent or
David Himes.
Church Pantry & Benevolence
During these hard economic times
we continue to have requests for
assistance. We are a small
congregation and can’t provide
cash but we can provide some
food items and essentials to those
in need.
We need canned meats and
ready to eat meals. Do not
purchase the large commercial
cans. Please be sure items have a
long shelf-life by checking the
expiration date. In addition to food
items please consider items like,
toothpaste, mouthwash, paper
towels, napkins, etc.
Your new challenge for 2014
is to bring a bag of groceries
the first Sunday of each month.
Contact Howard Kent if you
know of someone who needs
assistance.
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Prayer List
Mike Graves and Cathy Graves sister-inlaw, Nancy Woodard struggle with health
issues. Her son-in-law had a stroke.
Lucille Schilt and her son as they
struggle with life’s challenges.
Marion Coppinger’s sister and her
nephew John Boulden.
Gail’s
mother
and
the
Himes’
grandnephew, Wilson Callaway and
grandson Ryan who is still under
treatment for Lyme’s Disease.
Howard Kent’s aunt Polly being treated
for cancer. His brother is being tested for
abdominal discomfort. His nephew is
being treated for cancer
Cindy Kent’s sister Dixie. A friend of
Cindy’s niece, Devin Street. Her sister’s
granddaughter is expecting triplets and is
having complications.
Rebecca Hicks and her son Carter as
they struggle with day to day stressors.
Linda Shidell asks for prayers for Larry
Bosworth. Buck is doing better.
Vicki Anderson remains under doctors’
care for cancer.
Bill Williams struggles with breathing
problems.
Margaret Gingrich as she struggles to
control her blood sugar.
Paul & Barbara Brown as they struggle
with health problems.
Edgar Jeffers’ sister is under treatment
for shingles and a heart condition.
Mark Hubbs brother has leukemia and
has been given a short life expectancy.
All men and women in the military
especially those in foreign lands.
For anyone in need who may not be on
this list – God knows them all.
March Birthdays
Reach Out Today
Thank you for your continued support
for the "REACH OUT TODAY"
program. The children passed out
ballots for you to choose a project for
them. They have completed the
tally and their project for this year
will be in support of all the
wonderful work that’s being done
at All Children’s Hospital.
We look forward to your continued
support. Please continue to put your
loose change in the jars provided
below the display case.
2014 Activities Calendar
A copy of the 2014 calendar is posted
on the bulletin board. Copies are also
available in the foyer but if you do not
see one check with Lula and she will
make you a copy. As events are
being planned details will be included
in the bulletin. The calendar will help
you with planning your attendance
and inviting others to join us.
If you would like to add something to
the calendar please check with Wiley,
David or Alex.
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Edgar Jeffers
Mike Warner
Veronica Josef
Vanessa Miller
Matthew Brandenburg
8
8
13
15
30
th
Men & Ladies Fellowship – Mar. 8
At our planning meeting in January
we agreed to periodically have joint
fellowship evening outing. Our next
evening fellowship will be at 5:00
p.m. at Cheddars on East Bay
located at 2655 Roosevelt Blvd. If
you need directions the phone
number is 536-7770.
th
Church picnic – Mar.29
Don’t forget to make plans to attend
the church picnic at Boca Ceiga
Millennium Park. Shelter #4 has been
reserved from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
We will include more details as plans
are being finalized. If you have any
suggestions for activities please
contact Alex Coppinger and David
Himes so they can coordinate all
activities to make this a fun-filled day
with family and friends.
Elder’s Corner - Don't Confuse Me
with the Facts
Teaching the Gospel is not always
easy. Probably the most difficult
problem the Christian faces in trying to
teach the Gospel is teaching a person
who has a closed mind.
How often do we meet a person
with an attitude that shouts "Don't
confuse me with the facts, my mind is
made up!" In other words, "It does not
matter whether or not what you say is
true, I am going to believe what I
want." You could point to many
Scriptures;
you
could
provide
examples from the New Testament;
you could quote the very words of
Jesus, yet such a person will remain
unmoved. Such an attitude would be
almost humorous if it were not so sad.
We need to understand the world has
always had such people in it and learn
not to be discouraged.
How many people do you know
that will say that they know the Bible,
but rarely read it for themselves? How
many people listen to the minister or
speaker and hear “quoted” verses
from the Bible and say, “I read the
Bible” without reading it themselves in context? How many people will be
lost because they are easily led astray
as a result of not reading the Holy
Scriptures themselves?
For 120 years Noah preached
repentance to a wicked world and
warned of the impending Flood. For
120 years people slapped their hands
over their ears whenever they saw
Noah coming down the road. But then
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came the day when God shut the door
of the ark and the rain drops began to
fall. The only ones who were saved
were those who had spent 120 years
with a hammer and saw in their hands,
instead of their hands over their ears.
Jeremiah is known as the "weeping
prophet" to us today and for good
reason. His mission was very similar
to Noah's and his audience was just
as stubborn. For about 40 years,
Jeremiah preached to the rebellious
people of God to repent or face the
wrath of God. Jeremiah had good
reason to cry because his audience
not only refused to listen to him but
also, instead of putting their hands
over their ears, they made fists and
put them in Jeremiah's face.
Jeremiah
was
declared
a
dangerous fanatic; beaten and put in
stocks; his writings were burned by a
king; he was called a traitor, beaten
again and thrown in a dungeon; he
was thrown into a cistern where he
sank up to his armpits in mud; and
finally he was carried off to Egypt. It is
amazing what great lengths people
went to not hear Jeremiah.
Somehow, there are those who
believe Jesus was exempt from
prejudiced audiences. Even the Son of
God who spoke with all the power and
truth of Deity faced people whose
attitude expressed, "Don't confuse me
with the facts" There were those who
refused to listen to Christ; others
mocked Him; one occasion a mob
tried to throw Him over a cliff and
another time some tried to stone Him.
The prejudiced against Christ and His
message grew to the point that to
silence Him, His critics crucified Him.
Read Acts 28:25-27: They disagreed
among themselves and began to
leave after Paul had made this final
statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke
the truth to your ancestors when he
said through Isaiah the prophet:
“‘Go to this people and say, “You
will be ever hearing but never
understanding; you will be ever
seeing but never perceiving.” For
this people’s heart has become
calloused; they hardly hear with
their ears, and they have closed
their eyes. Otherwise they might
see with their eyes, hear with their
ears, understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.
After all the "plugged" ears
Christians run into, not only should
Christians learn not to become
discouraged, but also learn an
important lesson on dull ears and
closed eyes. Even Christians should
beware of plugging their own ears,
shutting their eyes and closing their
minds to God's Truth - the Bible.
Christians can "turn away their
ears from the truth" (2 Tim. 4:4) and
become just as stubborn and
prejudiced and even more so than
those in the world (See, 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:1-4; Titus 1:13-16). If there
is anything worse than a person of the
world with their fingers in their ears,
it’s a professed Christian with their
fingers in their ears.
The proper attitude for the Christian
is to "Prove all things; hold fast to
that which is good," (1 Thes. 5:21);
Do your best to present yourself to
God as one approved, a worker who
does not need to be ashamed and
who correctly handles the word of
truth. (2 Tim. 2:15); and "examining
the Scriptures daily, to see whether
these things are so" (Acts 17:11).
Teaching and admonishing one
another should be done with the
attitude of love: "Love is patient, love
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is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. It does not
dishonor others, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices
with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres." (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
The Christian with the proper attitude
towards others and the truth has his
fingers turning the pages of his Bible
instead of stuck in his ears!
As Christians we should keep an open
mind. If someone teaches us
something that differs from our beliefs
we should listen and compare their
words to the scriptures. Maybe, just
maybe, we are wrong and this brother
or sister is trying to save us from
eternal fire. But, never take their word
as the truth without first testing their
words!
Sermon Highlights: February 16th
By Wiley Coppinger
Jesus in Isaiah – 1
The Justice and Mercy of God
(1: 18 – 20)
Some say that the God of the Old
Testament is different from the God
of the New Testament. But Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. The Old Testament
introduces us to the character of a
changeless God. He is a God of
perfect justice who cannot overlook
sin. But He is equally a God of
overwhelming mercy who has
provided a way of salvation. That is
the Gospel message; and it is the
message of the Old Testament as
well as the New.
For 5 Sundays, we will focus on the
book of Isaiah.
This sermon starts by giving you
some BACKGROUND information
about the important book of
prophecy. (Isaiah 1: 18-20)
We know little about Isaiah, His name
means, “The Lord is Salvation.” He is
the son of Amoz (not Amos the
prophet) who may have been related
to the royal family of Judah. Some
believe Isaiah belonged to the tribe of
Levi because of his description of the
temple in Ch. 6. From Ch. 7-8 we
know Isaiah was married (to a
prophetess?) and two sons MaherSahlal-Hash-Baz
which
means
(“quick to plunder, swift to the spoil”)
warning of God’s swift judgment, and
Shear-Jashub (“a remnant shall
return”), the promise of God’s mercy.
How often does our religion turn to
empty ritualism? When we do this we
are no different than the Buddhists.
We might as well grab a prayer wheel
and start spinning it. When we lose
sight of our purpose, or religion
becomes vain and repulsive in God’s
eyes. This is why, when God showed
up for church in Isaiah’s day, he
became nauseated by all the things
the Jews did to try to worship Him.
The very things God had commanded
in the first place became a stink in his
nostrils and all because the people
did the right things in the right way
but for the wrong reasons.
The message of the book of Isaiah is
for the purpose of calling a wayward
people back to their original purpose.
The first 39 chapters are filled with
warnings about their sin and the sins
of those around them, and of God’s
promise to send a redeemer so that
God’s wayward people can be
brought back to God and His
blessing.
Isaiah’s ministry came about the
middle of five centuries (The monarch
of David and Solomon – 1011-931
B.C.) a most critical and decisive
moment in the history of the nation.
Both the warnings and the promises
are meant for us as much as they
were meant for the people of Isaiah’s
day. We should heed the warnings as
well as take comfort from the
promises of our Holy God.
The book of Isaiah is often called the
“Gospel” of Isaiah because of the
“Good news” content. It is also called
the “Romans” of the Old Testament
because it sets forth God’s case
against
sinners,
unveils
the
wretchedness of the human heart,
and reveals the way of salvation for
Israel and the world. (In Romans,
Paul quoted Isaiah 17 times) (Isaiah
1:2-3)
If you recognize that your worship is
unacceptable you may realize that
repentance may need to be
supplemented by the prayers of the
church. We want everyone to be able
to worship in spirit and truth and we
will gladly pray for you. So whatever
you need come join each Sunday as
we worship and sing songs of praises
and invitation.
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