1. Welcome to the assembly of the 160th Ave. Church of Christ!
We gather Sunday at 9 AM (class), 10 AM, 5 PM, & Wednesday at 7 PM
Check the bulletin for various announcements

2. Pray for Ben Calderon (Conway, Arkansas)

3. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. (Psalms 51:15 NKJV)

4. Cain & Abraham: Two Attitudes Toward Individual Commitment
Am I my brother’s keeper? (Cain, Gen. 4:9)
We are brethren (Abraham, Gen. 13:8)

5. Am I My Brother’s Keeper? We Are Brethren
Comfort (exhort, urge)
Edify
Warn
Comfort (console)
Uphold
Patient
III. Comfort each other
A. exhort, encourage, urge
B. needed because they were viewed as turning the world upside down Acts 17:6
1. Do people who know what you believe view you that way?
2. Does that make it easy?
C. When we assemble at God’s throne, we comfort each other, but there is also the need for individual expressions of comfort---
D. Which is your attitude: Am I... or We be...
IV. Edify each other
A. lit to be a house-builder
B. All in Thess were in the process of building faith---some turned from idols, some from Judaism
1. We all began building our faith at different places
2. During the seasons of life (born, die, gain, lose, love, hate), we have sometimes grown and sometimes failed in the faith (work, family, this church).
C. When we assemble to stir each other up, we edify each other, but there is also the need for edification that comes from you, not another, not with another.
V. Warn the unruly
A. unruly = 2 Thess. 3:6 does not walk...
B. In Thess, unruly could range be believing the lies of false religion to drunkenness to refusing to work to meet the basic needs of life---the same sins that are in our past and still pursue us.
C. When we meet to worship, we warn each other, but can that replace the face to face, heart to heart warning offered by someone the unruly knows and trusts?
VI. Comfort the fainthearted
A. the other 3x this “comfort” is in NT, it is family-related comfort and sorrow
B. Pressure from, sin in, or tragedy in the family can begin to wear anyone down
C. When gather before God, we are comforted if we are applying the songs and deeds of worship to these trials, but there is also the need for someone to look us in the eyes with comfort.
C. Which is your attitude: Am I... or We be...
VII. Uphold the weak
A. Romans and 1 Corinthians show that past beliefs sometimes unnecessarily bother our conscience (we know right but feel wrong) and limit us in ways God does not limit us.
1. Then, it was often dietary restrictions or observances associated with days once considered holy.
2. Even today, past beliefs can make us feel the opposite of what we know
C. When we come together as a church, we uphold each other, but that is no substitute for the strength that comes from private, very personal, conversations we share with each other—which only happen when we spend time together and develop a deep trust.
VIII. Be patient with all
A. Paul expands on this in Eph. 4:1-3---unity of Spirit in the bond of peace
B. How many occasions require patience?
1. When people have different expectations
2. When I am worn down
3. When the same problem re-appears (in me or in others)
4. When different personalities clash
5. When people respond to the same thing in different ways
C. When we meet with God together, we are reminded of His patience with us and we must learn to imitate God on all of the above occasions.
D. Which is your attitude: Am I... (I don’t want to be bothered anymore) or We be...
1 Thess. 5:11, 14

6. Cain & Abraham: Two Attitudes Toward Individual Commitment
Am I my brother’s keeper? (Cain, Gen. 4:9)
We are brethren (Abraham, Gen. 13:8)

7. What is your attitude toward Christ and His word?
"He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.
(John 12:48 NKJV)