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Nov. 20, 2019
eligion
God’s holiness and our hope
saiah felt undone in God’s presence (Isaiah 6) and that’s not a terrible thing. If the biblical witness teaches us anything, it is that while God is wholly approachable through Jesus, He is nonetheless holy, and we neglect this truth to our spiritual detriment. God’s holiness is often misunderstood. It is equated with purity and God is viewed as a distant, detached, intolerant deity who can’t have anything to do with us due to our sinfulness. (You have to ignore a massive amount of Scripture to end up with such a small view of God). For the tender-hearted, this kind of think-
ing can be crushing. No one needs to tell them that they sin and fall short of the glory of God—they know that! What they need is assurance that despite their selfdespised waywardness there is hope for them. And there is. God’s holiness is our hope. God’s holiness is His wholeness. He is complete and transcendent in every way. He is what we aren’t because we are fragmented and broken by sin. He is, as the song says, perfect in power, in love in purity. Rather than thinking about God’s holiness as a single attribute (like kindness or an-
By Bruce Green Teaching Minister at 10th Street Church of Christ in Opelika
ger), we need to view it as the composite of His character. His love is whole, His justice is perfect, His grace and mercy are complete. Holiness is the rainbow of God’s perfect attributes. Because God is holy, He will always do what is right, good and true. In the world’s ever-shifting sands of morality, God is the rock that doesn’t move.
Church calendar
• Pepperell Baptist’s youth program meets on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. This is an evening of prayer, Bible Study and discussion. For more information, contact youth and children’s pastor Ryno Jones at 334-7453108. • Dec. 1 - Trinity United Methodist Church’s “Hanging of the Greens” service will be held Dec. 1 and begin at 4 p.m. • Dec. 6 - First Baptist Church Opelika will be holding a “Parent’s Evening Out” for parents of children
Catch ‘On the Mark’ with D. Mark Mitchell and Jeff Sasser weekday mornings from 7-9 a.m.
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ANGLICAN Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd 2312 Center Drive Unit D #758-6749 ASSEMBLY OF GOD Bridge Church 1000 Lee Road 263, Cusseta #742-0144 AME Mount Zion AME Church West Point Hwy #749-3916 St. Luke AME Church 1308 Auburn St. #749-1690 St. Paul AME Church 713 Powledge Ave. #745-6279 Thompson Chapel AME Zion 187 Columbus Pkwy #749-8676 BAPTIST Abundant Life Baptist Church 1220 Fox Run Ave. Suite B #7064421464 Airview Baptist Church 2301 Airport Rd. #444-5148 Antioch Baptist Church 605 W. East Morton Ave #742-0696 Bethesda Baptist Church 201 S. 4th St. #745-7528 Bethel Baptist Church Hwy. 29 Sasser Rd #745-4865 Central Baptist Church 1611 2nd Ave. #745-2482 Community Baptist Church 154 N. 16th St. #745-6552 Cornerstone Missionary Baptist 500 N. Railroad Ave. #742-2008 Eastview Baptist Church 1208 Spring Dr #749-9595 Farmville Baptist Church 3607 Alabama Hwy N. #887-7361 First Baptist Church of Opelika
314 S. 9th St. #745-6143 First Baptist Church 301 S. 8th St. #745-5715 First Baptist Church Impact 709 Avenue E #741-0624 First Freewill Baptist Church 103 19th St. #703-3333 Friendship Missionary Baptist 432 Maple Avenue #742-0105 Greater Peace Baptist Church 650 Jeter Ave. #749-9487 Heritage Baptist Church 1103 Glenn St. #363-8943 High Hope Baptist Church 227 Lee Road 673 Liberty Baptist Church 2701 West Point Pkwy #749-9632 Love Freewill Baptist Church 1113 Frederick Ave. #745-2905 Ridge Grove Missionary Baptist Church 1098 Lee Road 155 #334-745-3600 Northside Baptist Church 3001 Lafayette Hwy #745-5340 Pepperell Baptist Church 2702 2nd Ave. #745-3108 Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Uniroyal Rd #749-2773 Providence Baptist Church 2807 Lee Rd 166 #745-0807 Purpose Baptist Church 3211 Waverly Pkwy #704-0302 St. James Baptist Church 1335 Auburn St. #745-3224 Union Grove Missionary Baptist 908 Huguley Rd #741-7770 BUDDHIST Buddha Heart Village 3170 Sandhill Rd. #821-7238
we build on. He won’t enable us, coddle us, humor us or insult us with “the soft bigotry of low expectations” (Michael Gerson). He will call us to be what He is - holy. God’s holiness is our hope because this is precisely what we need. What we really need isn’t the latest upgrade, the coolest app, the trendiest clothing, another selfie, another trip, or more likes—we need a holy God who can make us whole. The truth is, if God isn’t holy, then we have no hope. Bruce has written an entry level book on Revelation called The Thrill of Hope. It is available through Amazon.
Verse of the Week
with disabilities. To register or for more information, call 334745-5715. The church is located at 301 S. 8th St. • Dec. 8, 15, 18, 20 and 24 - First Baptist Church of Opelika will be holding a number of Christmasthemed performances and services to celebrate and welcome in the holiday season. For more information, call 334-745-5715 or visit www.fbcopelika. com. Events can be emailed to the Observer at editor@opelikaobserver. com.
God doesn’t correspond with the truth— He is the truth. God doesn’t submit Himself to what is right because it doesn’t exist independently of Him. What is right is what corresponds with His character. But how does all of this give us hope? It’s quite simple. Because God is who He is, when He tells us we can draw near to Him through the sacrifice of His Son, we have absolutely no doubts. When He offers us forgiveness and life, we know He’s not playing games. When He tells us He loves us, we understand it’s the real thing. This “hard side” of God is what
“David also said to Solomon his son, ‘Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.’”
1 Chronicles 28:20
CATHOLIC St. Mary’s Catholic Church 1000 4th Ave. #749-8359 CHURCH OF CHRIST Church of Christ 2215 Marvyn Pkwy #742-9721 10th Street Church of Christ 500 N. 10th St. #745-5181 Southside Church of Christ 405 Carver Ave. #745-6015 Church of Christ 2660 Cunningham Drive CHURCH OF GOD Airview Church of God 3015 Old Opelika Rd #749-9112 Church of God 114 17th Place #7496432 Tabernacle Church of God 3 Oak Court #745-7979 CHURCH OF NAZARENE Opelika Church of Nazarene 1500 Bruce Ave. #749-1302 EPISCOPAL Emmanuel Episcopal Church 800 1st Ave. #745-2054 HOLINESS Eastside Emmanuel Holiness Church 86 Lee Road 186 Opelika, Ala. 36804 JEWISH Beth Shalom Congregation 134 S. Cary Dr. #826-1050 LATTERDAY SAINTS Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints 510 Groce St. #742-9981 METHODIST First United Methodist Church of Opelika 702 Avenue A #745-7604 Hopewell United Methodist 1993 Lee Rd 136 #745-0460 Pierce Chapel United Methodist
8685 AL Hwy. 51 #749-4469 Pepperell United Methodist 200 26th St. #745-9334 Trinity United Methodist Church 800 Second Ave. #745-2632 Wesley Memorial United Methodist 2506 Marvyn Pkwy #745-2841 PENTECOSTAL Full Gospel Pentecostal Church Hwy. 29, PO Box 1691 #741-8675 Gateway Community Church 2715 Frederick Rd #745-6926 PRESBYTERIAN First Presbyterian Church of Opelika 900 2nd Ave. #745-3421 Trinity Presbyterian Church 1010 India Rd #745-4889 SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST Outreach Seventh-Day Adventist 1808 S. Long St. #749-3151 NON-DENOMINATIONAL Apostolic Holiness Church 610 Canton St. #749-6759 Auburn Opelika Korean Church 1800 Rocky Brook Rd #749-5386 Beauregard Full Gospel Revival 2089 Lee Road 42 #745-0455 Christ Church International 1311 2nd Ave. #745-0832 Church of the Harvest 2520 Society Hill Rd #745-2247 Church at Opelika 1901 Waverly Pkwy #705-0505 East Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses 1250 McCoy St. #737-1488 Emmanuel Temple of Deliverance 207 S. Railroad Ave. #745-6430 Faith Alliance Church 3211 Waverly Pkwy #749-9516 Faith Christian Center 600 S. 8th St. Faith Church 3920 Marvyn Pkwy #707-3922 Family Life Christian Center
601 S. 7th St. #741-7013 Father’s House Christian Fellowship 214 Morris Ave. #749-1070 Fellowship Bible Church 2202 Hamilton Rd #749-1445 Ferguson Chapel Church 310 S. 4th St. #745-2913 First Assembly of God Church 510 Simmons St. #749-3722 Garden of Gethsemane Fellowship 915 Old Columbus Rd #745-2686 Grace Heritage Church Opelika #559-0846 Holy Deliverance Church 831 S. Railroad #749-5682 Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1250 McCoy St. #737-1488 Living Way Ministries 1100 Old Columbus Rd #749-6241 Move of God Fellowship Church 1119 Old Columbus Rd #741-1006 Connect Church 2900 Waverly Pkwy #749-3916 New Life Christian Center 2051 West Point Pkwy #741-7373 New Life Independent Church 10 Meadowview Estates Trailer 741-9001 Opelika’s First Seventh Day 2011 Columbus Pkwy #737-3222 Power of Praise, Inc. Church 3811 Marvyn Pkwy #745-6136 Shady Grove Christian Church West Point Hwy #745-7770
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