For impoverished families, a brood of chicks can become a daily reminder of God's faithfulness, as their eggs provide nutritious food as well as a source of income. For $14.00, we can supply a dozen chicks, help a family set up a coop, or offer basic veterinary care. For the next two weeks, we are asking those who are able to do so to donate $14.00 (or any amount) to help these families. If you're coming to the church, there is a collection jar on the wall in the fellowship (main meeting area) hall. Jesus longed to gather the people of Jerusalem "as a hen gathers her brood under her wings" in (Matthew 23:27) and this can be as a daily reminder to the families that someone here DOES care for them. If you'd like to donate by mail, please send it to:

North Bend Church of Christ
2761 Broadway
North Bend, OR 97459
Attn:  Chick Fund Donation."   <--- Please Be Sure To Mark This On The Envelope

If you would like to donate via PayPal, please contact me at mrmagill@gmail.com and I will forward your donation to the church.

Nothing describes the relationship we have with Jesus better than the word friendship. We did not choose him, but he chose us (Jn. 15:16). As our Lord and Creator, he had the rightful power and authority to define our relationship with him. He did not call us his servants, but rather his friends. He chose to be our friend. As a friend, he protects us from evil, prays for us, and even lays down his life for us. The question is will we choose to be his friend? Will we spend time with him in conversation? Will we do the things that bring glory to his name? Will we care enough to put his interests before our own?

When we choose to be his friend, we have the blessing of joining a body of believers on this journey. Our common faith joins us together in sweet accord. These lovely companions provide us avenues to express our love of God, with one another. I am reminded of the great friendship between David and Jonathan. “Jonathan become one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself” (1 Sam. 18:1). Jonathan proved his deep devotion to David by protecting David against the attacks from his own father Saul. Jonathan said to David, “if my father is inclined to harm you, may the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away safely” (1 Sam. 20:13). This is a beautiful picture of the type of sacrificial love that the Lord has for us, and an example of the type of friendship we are blessed to have with fellow Christians.

“Lord thank you for calling us your friends. Help us to be a good friend to you in return. Father thank you for the friendship of believers who have sacrificed their time, energy, and resources for me. Lord thank you for friends in the Lord who help me grow and who I am blessed to share life with. Help us as your church to continue to build one another up. Help the world to see our love and by our love to want to know you.”

AMEN
Bryan Johnston

When the Lord called his first disciples he said, “Come Follow Me.” Each one had to decide for himself to accept the invitation. Each follower soon joined a tribe of other followers. Can you imagine the close friendship that the first followers established with each other? The Lord knew that it would take a group of friends working together to lead the world into the kingdom of heaven. The task was too great to allow for failure. The Lord would not allow his church to be overcome by fear, doubt, or weakness. Alone each one would face defeat; but together as friends they encouraged each other in the work.

The Lord had given the land of Canaan to Moses and the Israelites. They were to accomplish the task of going into the land and possess it as a fulfillment of God’s promise.Moses sent in twelve spies to explore Canaan and bring back a report of the land and the people. Ten of the twelve came back terrified saying, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are” (Numbers 13:31). But Joshua and Caleb, stayed faithful by saying, “Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid” (Num. 14:9). Despite the doubt and fear of the ten, which led to the fear of the nation, Joshua and Caleb’s joint trust in the Lord kept the mission of God alive. I’m not sure if one of them could have stayed committed in the face of insurmountable opposition, but together they succeeded in carrying out the Lord’s plan.

“Lord thank you for giving us friends in this Christian life. Lord I am so thankful to have friends who are strong for me when I am weak. It is such a joy to have a community of believers to experience life with and to carry out the Lord’s work together. Lord I pray that we will seek true friendship with the body of believers here in this place. I pray that we will make room to add more friend relationships to our circles. Lord thank for calling us to be your friend, help us to be a good friend to you.”

AMEN

Bryan Johnston

A good friend is someone who will stand up for you when others try to knock you down. A true friend will deny every lie, refute every doubt, and reject every curse. A courageous companion will uphold the credibility of one’s true character and choices. In times of uncertainty, a friend in the Lord will testify before others your faith and obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. A friend sticks by you during the transformation process of becoming more and more like Christ, and does not waver when one experiences ups and downs during the maturing process. A friend does not live in fear but holds firmly to the truth of the power of the Holy Spirit to bring full redemption and salvation in and through the life of the follower. Without a doubt, Paul’s faith, life, and writings have had an overwhelming impact on the spread of the gospel. His presentation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ continues to be a model and tool for how the kingdom is taking root today. But let us not forget his good friend Barnabas. When people were afraid of the “new” Christian Paul, Barnabas defended Paul’s confession and conversion to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the believers feared accepting this persecutor of Christians, Barnabas testified how the Lord transformed him into a preacher of the gospel. “He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord spoke to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27).

Barnabas was a good friend who stood up for Paul and had assurance in the redemptive work of Christ in Paul’s life. “Praise the Lord for friends in the faith. Thank you for friends who stand with us in our faith, they love us even when we fail and when others have doubts about us. Thank you for friends who do not give up on us during the transformation process of the gospel working through us. Thank you for friends who will rescue us when we get off the right path. May we be as good of a friend as others have been to us.”

AMEN
Bryan Johnston

    The following is a list of sermons which were originally without proper descriptions that have now been fixed, with more to come. Please click SERMON DOWNLOADS above to hear or download them: An asterisk (*) indicates a file added since the last list update.

2016-09-11 - Glenn Williams - Understanding God in Good Time and Tragedy
2016-08-28 - Norm Russell - The Detailed Story of the Prodigal Son
2016-08-21 - Norm Russell - Jesus Tells How To Treat Each Other Equally
2016-07-31 - Norm Russell -  To Serve and to Save
2016-05-22 - Norm Russell - Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

2016-03-27 - Norm Russell - The Ascension and Return of Jesus (recorded on Resurrection Sunday)

* 2016-04-24 - Norm Russell - The Decline of Our Morals And New Ways To Sin.

* 2016-04-16 - Norm Russell - The Sin Of Hypocrisy - And How to Avoid It.

* 2016-03-20 - Norm Russell - How To Avoid Squandering A Godly Opportunity

* 2016-02-21 - Norm Russell - The Humility of Jesus and Why We Need It.