Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: August 27, 2006
THE FOYER
Practically every public building has an entranceway. It is called a lobby in a
theater or hotel. It is called a vestibule or foyer in a church building. The word
foyer comes from the Latin word focus which meant “hearth.” The hearth in
ancient times was the general meeting place. Many can still remember the
country stores with the pot bellied stove where people gathered to talk or visit.
Some of these places still exist.
The foyer plays an important role in church buildings. In most foyers you will
find bulletin boards, tract racks, tables, materials for distribution, telephones,
food barrels, coat racks, and water fountains. All of these are found in the foyer
because almost everyone will pass through it to get to the classrooms or the
auditorium.
Many beneficial things take place in a church building foyer. First, it is a good
place for visitors to be greeted upon entering and leaving. This makes them feel
welcome. Second, it is a good place for fellow Christians to visit before and after
the worship services. Third, in this central location the bulletin, magazines,
tracts, and announcements can be displayed and will likely be seen. Fourth, it is
a good place for the preacher to greet all those who attend the worship service.
There is, however, the tendency on the part of some to misuse the foyer. Can
the Lord be pleased when brethren stay out in the foyer and talk about anything
and everything instead of attending Bible class? Is the Lord pleased when
latecomers stay in the foyer instead of going to a class? Why is it that people
will arrive at a ballgame well in advance, but cannot come just a little earlier to
be in class on time? Could it be an attitude problem (John 14:15; Matt. 6:33)?
Do we think God is pleased when we remain in the foyer talking for fifteen to
twenty-five minutes after the beginning of worship services? Would it do any
good to put out to such individuals the poor example set for visitors who arrive
late, or young people who must leave class or worship while these individuals
are “visiting?” We might as well be in our living rooms as in the foyer when
classes and worship are going on. We are still forsaking the assemblies.
Let’s use the foyer to encourage and use the Bible class rooms and the
auditorium to learn and worship (John 4:23-24). — John Grubb
“BUT” – MAN HAS ALWAYS GONE CONTRARY TO WHAT
GOD HAS SAID
1.) God told Adam and Eve not to eat — BUT — (Gen. 2:17; Gen. 3:6).
2.) Jonah was told to go to Ninevah — BUT — (Jonah 1:1-3; 3:3).
3.) Christians are commanded to assemble — BUT — (Heb. 10:25-31).
4.) We are justified by works — BUT — (James 2:24).
5.) Bible warns of hell — BUT — (Matt. 25:41-46; Heb. 10:31).
6.) Sing and make melody in the heart — BUT — (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).
7.) There is one baptism — BUT — (Eph. 4:5; Acts 8:36-39).
8.) Bible teaches “one body” — BUT — (John 17:21; Eph. 4:4).
9.) “I would become a Christian” — BUT — (Matt. 16:26; Acts 24:24-25; Mark 16:
16).
INCONSISTENT
YOU ARE ACTING INCONSISTENT WHEN YOU:
1.) Give your children the choice to attend Bible study and worship, while
demanding that they brush, bathe & attend school.
2.) Refuse to take money out of the collection plate, but willingly skip giving a
week or two of your contribution because of the rise in cost of living.
3.) Forsake the assembling of God’s saints together for a reason in which you
would be ashamed to forsake work.
4.) Wear clothes to worship you would not think of wearing to a job interview.
5.) Tell jokes in front of your friends that you would not tell in front of your
parents.
6.) Work harder in front of your boss than you do when he’s not looking.
7.) Go places that you know sets a bad example.
8.) Say things about people you would not want to say in their presence.
9.) Claim to be a Christian, yet compromise your morals when you are around
certain people.
10.) Think a good visitation program is one where everybody comes to see me.
— Selected
— Chris Kemp
IT SHOWS IN YOUR FACE
You don’t have to tell how you live each day,
You don’t have to say if you work or play.
A tried and true barometer serves in its place —
However your live . . . it shows in your face.
The false, deceit, that you wear in your heart,
Will not stay inside where it got its start.
For sinew and blood is a thin veil of lace,
However you live . . . it shows in your face.
If your life has been unselfish — for others to live,
And care not what you get but try always to give,
And you live close to God, in His infinite grace,
You don’t have to tell it . . . it shows in your face.
— Selected