You Will Be Like God (Part 2)
by Mike Riley
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Our Present-Day Society Dethrones God
Legally, God cannot be found in the public school system. Humanism sits enthroned. If a one-world government comes, there will be no place for the recognition of God in it. Man, in essence, wants to be God. He wants to determine and take life by abortion. Reportedly having successfully cloned animal life, he wants to clone human life, then when certain DNA and genetic codes are cracked, attention is drawn to the great discovery. Just look at our learned men. How smart they are! But the great and intricate mesh of intelligence as seen in the genetic reading points to higher and supreme intelligence. It points to God! But man, who in his mind has dethroned God, will not admit this. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are gaining acceptance, already being legally accepted in some parts of the world. Job said referring to his life, “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21 ASV), but modern man would look upon this as “his” prerogative as “he” tries to play the part of God. We are thankful for the medical profession that traditionally is devoted to life, health and healing, (but death is another thing).
Setting The Proper Priorities
All of us were made in the image and likeness of God for the glory of God (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 42:8; 1 Corinthians 10:31). That being the case, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). God must have “first” place in our lives, or “no” place. Anything that comes before God, in essence, becomes God to us (as it has taken the place of God). Therefore, if we leave God out of our lives or put Him in second place, living selfishly, we have become our own god. Perhaps not consciously, or even intentionally, we have succumbed to the temptation of Eve, “Ye shall become as gods.” How foolish!
Conclusion:
Let us be happy and content with the exalted honor and dignity God has placed upon us. Only doubts and thoughts inspired by the devil would make us feel otherwise. Man’s elevated position and dominion are first mentioned in Genesis 1:26-28, but this is dealt with more extensively in Psalm 8. Fittingly the Psalm starts out by drawing attention to God, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.” Then the writer considers man and his favored position (vs. 4-8). Finally in ending the Psalm, lest too much attention has been given to man, he returns to words addressed to God, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”
May we humbly think about our “position” and “purpose” in God’s universe (Psalm 100:3; Isaiah 29:23; Isaiah 43:7; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and respond accordingly. God has so wonderfully created us and placed us in our given domain. Why would we ever in any way want to try to usurp the position and glory that are His, or even think about doing so? God is the “Creator” (Isaiah 40:28). We are the “creature” (Mark 16:15; Colossians 1:23). God is the “Potter”; we are the “clay” (Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9; Jeremiah 18:6; Romans 9:20-21).
Let us as God’s children (clay) resolve to be more “pliable” in the Potter’s hands conforming our will to His Will (Romans 9:21; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 1:9-10; 1 Peter 1:13-14), “set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house” (2 Timothy 2:21 ESV).
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Elders
Leon Cort
Mark Craigwell
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Minister
Mark Craigwell
Assistant Minister
Denver Simmons
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Deacons
Raleigh Gallington
Anthony Johnson
Gregory Johnson
Carlfred Malcolm
Albert Martin, Jr.
Walter Maxwell
Richard Meuse
Barry Person
Jason Reid
In Memoriam
Gone, but never forgotten, our beloved brother,
James W. Wade, Sr.
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Sermon for Sunday, August 27, 2023
Title: By the Word of God
Text: 2 Peter 3:1-6
Speaker: Bro. Mark Craigwell
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Thank you to the Youth and Family Ministry and to all who assisted with and participated in Saturday's International Cookout at Houghton's Pond. The event was a great success! Pictures to come. |
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The congregation is requesting members to support its Mission Fund as we provide an educational stipend to Bro. Phillip Morrison while he attends Sunset International Bible Institute full time for the next 18 months to train as a minister. We are asking members to commit/pledge at whatever amount your heart and ability can provide for this period of time. This is a commitment over and above your regular giving and we hope all members will participate to the level of their ability and heart for God. Our target is to provide $3,000 per month and all commitments, whether large or small, are helpful and appreciated.
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Please make checks and money orders payable to Church of Christ in Roxbury and write Mission Fund in the memo line.
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Electronic donations may be made via the E-Giving option at ChurchofChristinRoxbury.org/e-giving and accompanied with a text or email to Bro. Gallington [(617) 922-4598, mrcg13@hotmail.com].
Click here to complete the pledge form electronically.
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Effective immediately, and until further notice, we have suspended the requirement for attendees to sign up in advance to attend Sunday worship. We have also suspended attendance taking at our in-person services, classes, and events. Masking remains optional.
Remember that although COVID numbers are down, COVID has not gone away, and is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Please protect yourself and those around you by adhering to the guidelines below.
If you test positive for COVID after attending an in-person church event, please notify us by email at cocroxbury@gmail.com or by text to Sis. Gloria Gallington at 617-922-5987 so that notifications can be made as needed.
For up-to-date information regarding COVID in Massachusetts, click the link below:
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Upcoming Events:
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Bedford Street Church of Christ Teachers' Workshop, September 8-9. Details under Upcoming Events
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Mature in Heart Pennsylvania Trip Payments: All payments are due by the end of June. Please see Bro. Gallington to find out how much you owe, and please submit any payments to Sis. Keitrice Johnson or Sis. Elizabeth Nagarajah. See details below.
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Roxbury Youth Rally: Saturday, September 23rd. See Youth & Family Ministry
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Roxbury Fall Gospel Meeting, October 14-18, with Bro. Greg Dismuke. Details to come.
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Don't Miss Out! Please scroll through the entire e-bulletin each week to be certain not to miss any important announcements or links. Many items are repeated each week, but there are also new announcements that you'll miss if you don't scroll through the entire bulletin.
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We will continue to offer two Sunday morning worship services to accommodate in-person attendees
The first service begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until approximately 9:45 a.m.; the second service begins at 11:00 a.m. Our weekly Bible classes for all ages begin at 10:00 a.m. We will continue to livestream the 11:00 service on our YouTube channel, and we encourage members to utilize e-giving, even when attending in person. As noted under News & Notes, it is no longer necessary to sign up in advance to attend worship services in person.
E-giving link
Livestream link
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Scan the QR code or click anywhere in the announcement above to pre-register. |
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Our monthly community outreach will resume in September. |
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Remote & In-Person
Class/Meeting Schedule
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Wednesday Night In-Person & Dial-In Bible Study
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in-person and via freeconferencecall.com.
Dial in number: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
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REMINDER: Please remember to mute your phone or computer when joining any of the above conference calls to avoid interrupting the class or service you are entering, particularly if you are joining the call after the event has started. |
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The Choral Ministry will not meet on Thursday, August 31st. Rehearsals will resume on Thursday, September 7th at 7:30 p.m. at the church building.
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COUPLES' MINISTRY MEETINGS WILL RESUME IN THE FALL via Zoom the second and third Fridays of the month at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
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This month's Women's Class will be held on Sunday, August 27, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at the church building, and via Free Conference Call for those who cannot attend in person.
Dial in: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
Or, join the class online at
"What I Did This Summer"
We invite sisters who would like to share their testimony to come prepared to do so.
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August 2023
Visitor Thank You Letters - Sis. Veronica Tejeda
Visitor Gift Bags - Sis. Sharee Farley
Baptistry -Sis. Cora Morrison
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2023 Mature in Heart Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion: Our 2023 trip is scheduled for Thursday, September 14th through Friday, September 15th to see a production of “Moses” at the Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 14th. The cost for bus, hotel, dinner and show is as follows:
- $340/person for quad occupancy (families)
- $358/person for triple occupancy (families)
- $393/person for double occupancy
- $514 for single occupancy
- $830/couple for grand king room
Sign up is open now and a $75 deposit is required by to hold a spot. The number is limited by bus capacity and hotel availability. If you have not already done so, please get your deposit in ASAP to secure your spot so we can finalize the theater seating. Seats can only be assigned for purchased tickets.
Payments can be made via our e-giving link at:
https://www.churchofchristinroxbury.org/e-giving. Please follow up any payments with an email to cocroxbury@gmail.com with the subject line "Pennsylvania Trip Payment" and your name and payment amount in the body of the email so that your payments can be properly recorded.
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Our monthly Men's Class will be held on Sunday, August 27, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at the church building.
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Young Adult Ministry (YAM) |
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Date of next meeting will be announced. |
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Monthly Ministry Meeting
1st Sunday of each month at 1:00 p.m.
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Meetings & Events
8/7 - Ministers/Elders/Deacon's Meeting
8/13 - Deacons' Meeting following 11:00 service @church building.
8/13 - Young Adult Ministry event, 1-3pm in church parking lot
8/20 - Retention Ministry Meeting following 11:00 service @church building.
8/20 - Third Sunday Fellowship at Bedford Street CoC, 3pm
8/26 - Youth & Family Ministry International Cookout at Houghton's Pond, 9am-4pm.
8/26 - Bedford Street CoC Outdoor Summer Concert, 6pm
8/27 - Men's and Women's Classes, 5pm @church building
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Ministry Meetings - Please contact your ministry coordinator for remote meeting schedules.
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- Sunday New Converts' Class, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Bible Class (children) Sundays at 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Adult Devotional/Bible Study, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Worship Service 8:30 and 11:00am in person and 11:00am via livestream on YouTube. See above for details.
- Men's/Women's Classes, 5pm (4th Sunday of the month) @church building
- Youth & Family Ministry (1st Sunday of the month at 2pm)
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Mature in Heart Women's Prayer (Tuesdays @ 10:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Prayer Meeting (Tuesdays @ 7pm) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesdays @ 6:30pm) in person and VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week New Converts' Class (Wednesdays @ 7pm) @church building
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Healing Hearts (Thursdays @6:15pm) VIA ZOOM
- Couple's Ministry (2nd & 3rd Fridays @ 7 pm)
- Women's Prayer (Saturdays 9:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (Connection info above)
- Ministers/Elders/Deacons Wives Meeting, (3rd Saturday @10 am) @church building
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Bro. John Kurpiel, minister for the Lawrence congregation, hosts an international radio program, “Soul Food,” on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11AM until 3PM. The program airs on Ignite Radio Broadcast via Mixlr, an interactive internet radio platform. Use the link below to tune in to listen, or to participate in the conversation. Always free to listen. https://mixlr.com/ignite-radio-broadcast.
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Church of Christ in Roxbury
81 Walnut Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-442-5826
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