Disciples - Brett Hickey 10/23/06

Being a good to see you here tonight.

So encouraged by your interest, in spiritual things, and your

support of this gospel meeting. And we're looking forward to

studying the word of God together tonight, I invite you

to turn with me to Matthew chapter 16 verse 21 through 27.

Matthew 16:21–27

As I read to you, the words of an old hymn, you're very

familiar with It goes like this. Must Jesus, bear, the cross

alone, and all the world go free.

No, there's a cross for everyone and there's a cross for me.

The consecrated cross. I'll bear Till Death Shall Set

Me Free and then go home. My crown to wear For, there's a

crown for me. This beautiful song was inspired

by the passage that we're going to read now and it is this idea

that we would like to explore and to talk about in some detail

tonight. And see if we can't better

understand how we can be disciples followers in the

truest sense of our Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 16 beginning

with verse 21, From that time. Jesus began to show his

disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things

from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be

killed and be raised the third day, then Peter took him aside

and began to rebuke him saying far be it from you Lord this

shall not happen to you but he turned and said to Peter get

behind me Satan you're an offense to me for you are not

mindful of the things of God, the things of men.

N. Then Jesus said to his

disciples. If anyone desires to come after

me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me

for whoever desires to save his life, will lose it.

But whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it for what

profit is it to a man? If he gains the whole world and

loses his own soul or what will a man give in exchange for his?

Soul for the son of man will come in the glory of his father,

with his angels. And then he will reward each

according to his words. Matthew, 16 is a incredible

chapter, many wonderful and exciting.

Things happen in this chapter. But when it comes to our

everyday living, there is no fought expressed or no series of

thoughts, expressed that is more important for us in serving God

and in reacting and interacting with our Brothers and Sisters in

Christ as well as those out in the world.

In the passage we're going to notice tonight.

Matthew 16 verse 24, A couple touching experiences over the

Matthew 16:24

summer inspired me to explore this passage a little bit more

carefully and see if I understood it as well, as I

thought, I needed to while our family was leaving a minor

league baseball game and Nashville.

We Came Upon a man who was carrying a teenage boy over his

shoulder. His face was facing us and even

Liz's kind of an awkward way for I believe the stadium, the

situation, his face look of on his face was one of extreme joy

and and happiness. Of course, this led to some

interesting conversations with our family as we walked Walked

towards our vehicle. Then a short time later, Joey

and I were in Missouri. And one of the elders there,

Oscar Morris took Joey and I to a fascinating Museum that was

dedicated to George Washington. Carver, who is a famous

scientist and inventor many facts about Carver's life

inspired all, but there was one particular detail that hit me

and has stuck with me. And that was that this man's

favorite song. This man who persevered under

incredible adversity, was this song that we referred to before

the prayer? Must Jesus bear the cross alone.

This man Carver was a victim of appalling, racial animosity in

the museum. It, it depicted some of what

happened, explain some of the things that he went through and

some of the things that that he witnessed, in fact, his

description of some of these were every bit as brutal as some

of the things we've heard of from Hitler's Germany and Saddam

Hussein's Iraq. Well both of these It's is

triggered the thought of the love of the Bible.

The love of the Bible that Jesus has demonstrated and that that

love is not just something that we're supposed to enjoy for

ourselves, but it's something we're to reflect and particular

this passage. If anyone desires, Matthew

Matthew 16:24

16:24, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself.

Take up his cross and follow me. Have you ever wondered how this

must have sounded to the apostles?

The first time these words graced the savior's lips?

I think it probably hit them a lot harder than it does to us

after all. We've heard it so many times and

we've sung this idea and it doesn't carry.

I think the same meaning as it did when they first heard it

because when the apostles first heard it, they lived and the

environment in which they understood.

Would something that I just became aware of.

Recently that in Jerusalem, there would be hundreds of

crucifixions that year. And now Jesus was saying, I'm

going to be one of them. And unless you're willing to

take up your cross and follow me, you really can't be my

disciple. Well, whether or not we are

living out this teaching is one thing, but it certainly not if

we're not living it out because it's so difficult to understand.

And grasp, Jesus is saying basically three things here.

Number one, If you want to be my disciple, if you want to follow

me, you're going to have to deal with yourself.

By denying self, you're going to have to deal with others and the

circumstances of Life by taking up your cross and then third

simply just follow me walk the way I walk.

Talk the way I talk and such a simple sentence, how hard could

that be? How hard could it be to live

live that out in her life? Let's go back and let's look at

it piece by piece. If anyone desires to come after

me when he's talking to people who were thinking, That's when

he said that. Well, of course that's us.

We want to follow you, we wouldn't be here.

We wouldn't be going with you from place to place if that were

not the case. But Jesus was saying, do you

really want to be my disciples? Is that really what you want to

do? Are you sure you want to come

after me? How far are you willing to go?

And here we are two thousand years later but we need to

imagine as if G is when he mentions these words was

speaking directly to us because they certainly do apply to us

then Jesus gives three ways in which we can test the intensity

of our desire to follow him. And isn't what Jesus is saying

here? Just another way of packaging,

the spirit of the greatest of Commandments, and Matthew, 22

verse 37 through 9. We've sung a little bit about

that tonight. You shall love the Lord, your

God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your

mind, and all your strength. And your neighbor as yourself.

One thing's for sure. I cannot truly love God, and my

neighbor without denying myself. A lot of times, we think, Well,

yes, I love God, yes, I love my neighbor, but we don't really

spend a lot of time focusing on the idea of denying ourselves.

And when we talk about denying ourselves, what do we mean?

It's really pretty simple. If anyone desires to come after

me, let him deny himself. What do you mean?

He means saying no to me saying no to the flesh saying no to my

wants saying no to my wishes. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the

Christian Life? Was just about saying, no, but

it wasn't so much saying, no, to me.

It just meant saying no to other people be pretty easy for that,

was that if that was all, there was to it.

And that's one of the things we learned to do earliest, and one

of the things we do, most often, as a little child, isn't it?

You learn to say, no, we learn to say no to everybody else and

everything else that everybody else wants us to do.

But, you know, the Christian life is not about that.

Now, there are times when we've got to say, no, there are times

when we have to say no to others.

There are times we have to Say no to immorality.

There are times that we have to say no to worldliness to alcohol

to drugs to in modesty and the list goes on and on if things

that we shouldn't say, no. And the in occasions when we

must say no to others. But here this is not saying

that. He's not saying deny others.

He's saying deny yourself, tell yourself no.

I'm telling myself no would be hard enough if I just lived in a

vacuum for what. Interacting with other people, I

was just isolated from everyone else.

If I had to say no to too much food, no to too much spending

know, the too much sleeping, too.

Too much entertainment or recreation?

No, to losing my temper to retaliating and so on.

But no, God has placed us purposefully in a World where we

have to interact with others. And one of the things that God

wants to see as we interact with others.

Are we willing to say? No, to ourselves?

The world says, say yes, say yes.

Never say no to yourself. Never tell yourself.

No. Jesus says, you gotta say, no,

you gotta say no to yourself. McGarvey on this verse, says,

the disciple must learn to say no to many of the strongest

Cravings of his Earthly nature, the cross is a symbol for Duty,

which is to be performed daily at any cost.

Even that of the most painful death, the disciple must follow

Jesus both as his teaching and example Barnes ads.

Let him not seek his own happiness, as the Supreme

object, but be willing to renounce, all and lay down his

life. Also, if required.

Twist talking about here. Don't think about that much

doing. Another great doctrine of Christ

is found in Matthew 6, verse 33. And when he issues for this

Matthew 6:33

statement, really what it is is just a positive restatement of

Matthew 16:24 seek first, The kingdom of God and his

Matthew 16:24

righteousness. Same message, isn't it?

We should follow him that we should do what he did, and make

sure that we don't allow other things to clutter up our mind

and clutter up our lives. Clutter up our priorities that

the issues of the kingdom and issues of righteous living must

take precedence in John 6:38. Jesus said, that's the way I

John 6:38

live. Yeah he took on a body, he took

on flesh and he said no to self John 6:38.

John 6:38

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will,

but the will of him. Who has sent me, and then of

course, we have the ultimate teaching method.

These Jesus doesn't say, this is what I'm here to do, and this is

how I'm going to live, but he shows us by his example.

As he agonizes in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Luke. 22:42 hear the words. He went a little farther and

Luke 22:42

fell on his face. And prayed o my father.

If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

He didn't want it. He didn't want to drink that

cup. So we prayed if it's possible,

take it away. Nevertheless not my will.

But thine be done. No word, more aptly describes,

Jesus and self-denial. And we want to be like Jesus,

don't we? We got a we're going to be like

Jesus, we've got to say no to self.

Frankly, I was surprised as I look through the New Testament

and what the apostles had to say that?

How many times I've overlooked this teaching by the apostles

themselves? Emphasizing self-denial speaking

of perilous times Paul writes in second Timothy 3 verse 2 for men

2 Timothy 3:2

shall be lovers of their own selves.

He makes that like it's it's about the worst possible state

that man could be in loving themselves.

This is not to say that we should have an attitude of

self-loathing that we can't stand ourselves.

Remember, Jesus says love thy neighbor as thyself, but the

idea here is according to Thayer, too intent on one's own

self interest and that can slip into our hearts.

It's a very surprising ways sometimes that can happen to us

even when we're discussing something that is right and

we're willing to stand up for something that's rides.

We're not going to say no to our self.

And we hide sometimes behind truth and behind.

Right? Jesus says, you got to be

careful there. Avoiding this Pitfall will

demand a high level of self-awareness and aggressive

self-regulation, Stephen Covey. And one of his books talks about

the idea of the, the difference between man and animal is our

ability, when something shocking, something revolting.

Something upsetting happens to us.

The difference between us and the Animals.

The animals programmed, he's going to react and we react very

fiercely there between us, and the animal is we're able to as

he puts it. Push the pause button.

Push the pause and just for that Split Second.

We have a moment to thank what's the what's the right response

here? What's the right reaction?

But too many times. I know I am thinking self self

is going to get his opportunity, I'm going to say and I'm going

to do what I want to right now, but that didn't fit with the

tenor of the New Testament. And that doesn't match up with

the life that Jesus live. And that doesn't fit with what

Jesus is teaching here about discipleship in Matthew 16:24.

Matthew 16:24

Paul puts it this way in Galatians. 2:20, I have been

Galatians 2:20

crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but

Christ lives in me and the life, which I now live in the flesh, I

live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself

for me. She was supposed to be about is

shrinking, this me shrinking? This me and allowing Jesus to

fill up my life and Jesus response and reaction.

To be expressed in me. Augustine was probably the most

famous for century Christian writer.

Soon. After his conversion, he was

walking down the street in Milan.

Italy where he met a harlot who made known in his previous life,

she called out to him. But he wouldn't answer.

He kept right on walking Augustine.

She cried, it is. I without missing a beat and

with the Assurance of Christ in his heart, he replied.

Yes. But it is no longer I because of

Jesus Augustine denied himself. He was crucified with Christ and

we must do the same. Jesus says, if we're going to be

his disciples, it's no accident. That in the list of the

qualifications, for The Elder, the bishop, the pastor that we

talked briefly about last night in the qualifications, we find

this idea of self talk to you about in both ways in the

positive and the negative Titus Chapter 1 Verse And 80 says, not

Titus 1 · chapter mention

self Wills. But self-controlled.

So easy to read it. So hard to live out there.

In describing self-control says, it's the virtue of one who

Masters his desires and passions of course, self-control is

listed among the fruit of the spirit that demonstrate the true

maturity in the faith that we're all striving for you.

Think about this self-control, this is one of the major themes

that was preached, you know. Paul goes before Felix in Acts

Acts 24 · chapter mention

chapter 24 and we just read about three things, three main

points in his sermon. Now, as he reasoned about

righteousness self-control and the judgment to come Felix was

afraid and answered go away for. Now, when I have a convenient

season, I will call for you. No doubt self-control was one of

the issues that was a stumbling block for him.

They are says Self-willed. It's being self policing and

arrogant, Vine says it denotes. One who dominated by

self-interest and in considerate of others arrogantly asserts his

own will. It's the opposite of gentle.

Then he quotes trench one who's so far overvaluing any

determination at which he has himself.

Once arrived at, he will not be removed from, you know what it

means. It means when you come up with

some thought or some idea, you're so set in your ways in

that there's no amount of Truth and reasoning scripture and

Sound Logic that will in that enable you to be moved away from

us. now, this type of self will Behavior.

We can see it in the drug addict.

We can see it in the terrorists in the atheists.

Those who have been blinded by doctrinal error, but we need to

realize That can happen to us. We can be enticed with this just

as well. Again he says if any man come

after me let him deny himself Paul Associates this with a

number of fleshly frailties. the root of disobedience is really a

self-seeking spirit in Romans 2, verse 8, to those who are

Romans 2:8

self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,

indignation and Wrath That's how you follow Satan.

Not the Savior self-seeking Colossians 2 verse 23.

Colossians 2:23

He talks about will worship or as the new King James puts.

It self-imposed religion. Strong defines that as worship,

which one prescribes and devises for himself.

Conjuring to the contents of nature of the faith, which he

ought to be directed to Christ. It just like we talked about

last night when we can see what the pattern is.

We can see what the New Testament teaches, but we say,

no, we Art tearing it up. I want to do it my way.

At self First Timothy 2. Verse 9 says that women Adorn

themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and

sobriety. That word sobriety is also

translated accurately self-restraint when it comes to

dress the men and the women of the world.

What happens they show? Absolutely.

No self-restraint. God's people can't be like that.

We've got a show, demonstrate, self-restraint, and Matthew 23

Matthew 23:25

verse 25. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees

Hypocrites, for you cleanse, the outside of the cup and dish, but

inside you are full of extortion and It was all about them.

James 316 for where Indian self-seeking exist, confusion

and every evil thing or their second, Peter 2 10.

Those who walk after the flesh are daring and self-willed

itself over and over again, the keeps us from reaching full

maturity consider Jesus own explanation of Self-denial.

And the next verse Matthew. 16 verse 25.

Matthew 16:25

He says, for whoever desires to save his life, will lose it but

whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it in Mark 9.

35, if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all.

And servant of all what's either saying here, what he's doing.

He's turning the conventional wisdom of that day and of this,

on its head and our competitive World.

Everyone feels like they've got to win, they've got to win in

everything. They've got a win in the

educational realm. They got a win in the

occupational realm. They've got to win in

everything. but Jesus says here, now you can win, you can win as

a Christian by losing Losing all those things that don't really

matter by losing yourself for me.

Let's move on in the verse If any man will come after me, let

him deny himself. Take up his cross.

And follow me. Again, try to imagine what that

was like hearing. If you're one of those who that

was hearing it in the time when yeah, they were putting people

on the cross. They were doing that to hundreds

of people every year, right there in that area.

You mean that's gonna happen to us what Jesus was talking about

here. Of course, was not literal cross

bearing figurative language. He was going to show them the

way in the literal form, but we do have a cross to bear and it

just stands to reason that the more selfless we become, the

more badly will be able to Bear our cross when Jesus Took up the

actual cross beams, that he would later be nailed to.

He was suffering already from pain, from exhaustion,

dehydration from the beating, he taken He could have cancelled

the crucifixion and call for the Angelic rescue.

We sometimes sing about, but he bore the cross, he bore it, and

he bore our sins in a sense. Really?

When you think about it, Jesus bore with Peter, When Peter

denied him three times, how do you endure that?

How do you bear that burden? Jesus bore with Judas when he

betrayed him with a kiss, how do you not retaliate when you're

one of your closest friends? Does something.

So heartless and so cruel. Jesus bore the chief priests he

bore with Heron. He bore with Pilots.

He bore with a soldier's when he was reviled, he was reviled, not

again. As the old song says, he bore

it. All, he bore it.

All that I might live. So much Jesus bear.

The cross alone. Know we all have our crosses to

bear. The question is, am I running?

From those crosses. Or will I take up my cross?

Well, I take up the crosses that Jesus puts in my path.

Martin Luther once aptly said a religion that gives nothing

costs. Nothing and suffers nothing is

worth nothing. But if there's one danger that

we face today as Christians, living in these United States is

we want to live a life, a Christian Life.

We want to call ourselves Christians were not call

ourselves followers of Christ, but we don't have to, we don't

want to have to endure anything. We don't want to have to endure

any discomfort. Don't want to have to endure any

inconveniences for the cause for the kingdom, we want it easy.

And the Christian Life, as easy as it.

As it is in the United States does require some cross bearing

when reaching the preaching of the Cross is foolishness to the

world, First Corinthians 1:18 is because it involves denying self

1 Corinthians 1:18

and bearing burdens Matthew 10:38, he who does not take his

Matthew 10:38

cross. And follow after me, is not

worthy of me. It's a separation separation for

him, the saved in the loss. It's not natural, it's not

something you get excited about. We associate the cross with pain

and suffering, that's part of it.

But when I read take up your cross, I think it's also

something heavy. Think of something inconvenient,

something I'd rather not do Kaufman rights.

The cross is the acceptance for the sake of the will of God of

some burden or burdens otherwise avoidable.

You see, we get to a place. sometimes in the day, sometimes

in the night where there is a choice and something

inconvenient is put in front of us, you know what sometimes

inconvenient Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday night of a gospel

meeting after A Hard Day's Work and really be just a little bit

easier to go home, wouldn't it? And to bring to get the children

ready and come to services. Little less convenience.

We know it's the thing to do. The pay, it'll pay dividends

down the road. After a complicated delivery, in

1962, Rick Hoyt was born with his umbilical cord around his

neck. Oxygen, deprivation left him in

a vegetative state. The doctor suggested

institutionalizing him, but the voids were committed to raising

their son as normally as possible at age. 10 Cutting

Edge, technology allowed Rick to communicate a cursor, would move

across the screen filled with rows of letters.

And when The cursor. Highlighted a letter that Rick

wanted, he would click a switch with just the slightest movement

of his head. He was able to communicate the

first words that he communicated were go Bruins.

He'd been following just as closely as the rest of the

family. The Boston Bruins, who were then

in the Stanley Cup finals, the family didn't know, they didn't

realize. Five years later at age 15 Rick

asked his dad here, he is with this great burden that he had to

carry himself, but he asked his dad, to put him in a wheelchair

for a five-mile benefit run for a local athlete who has recently

paralyzed in an automobile accident, even though Rick's dad

dick was not a long distance Runner.

He agreed. Rick's words.

The sun's words more than made up for their next to last

finish. He said, Dad When we were out

there, I didn't feel like I was handicapped.

At that moment dick the father dedicated his life to pushing

Rick in a wheelchair in Long Distance, runs big then.

Learn how to swim and trained to compete in triathlons.

Imagine this. You know what Triathlon is?

It's a 26 mile. Run on top of that, it's

112-mile bicycle race and above that.

It's a two point. Four mile swim.

How's it going to do that? Well, and then we go on the bike

race. Rick would be rigged to the

front of the bicycle. When it came to the swim, he had

to learn to swim. Dick would tie a rope around his

waist and the entire to a very thin boat behind him and which

he pulled his son, he would swim Over and over.

This became his life. As of June of last year, the

father-son team competed in over 900 races, including 64

marathons and 206 triathlons. You may be wondering.

Yeah. But when we talk about taking my

cross bearing, my cross carrying my cross, is that actually

include carrying others or bearing with others.

Other people. Let's see.

First Corinthians 13, 7, says, charity, or love beareth all

things, believeth, all things, hopeth all things, endureth all

things. Well, every man shall bear.

His own burden, according to Galatians 65, in the sense of

everyone must give an account of himself to God.

And though, we should always cast our burdens to the Lord.

Paul also said three verses earlier.

In Galatians 6, verse 2, Bear one another's burdens and so

Galatians 6:2

fulfill the law of Christ. It's quite an endorsement isn't

it? And so fulfill the law of Christ

genuine discipleship taking up. Our cross means that we're

expected to bear. Burdened hearts.

The burden health of others burden, family's burden

finances. 80 Robinson is word picture.

Says of this word, it means to keep on bearing.

Its, when one's load is about to press one down then, give help

and carry, that's what Jesus did.

That's what he wants us to do. So idea of taking up, our cross

must be preceded with a certain amount of selflessness

self-denial because it puts the needs and desires of others

above. My own story, is told of a

preacher, who met a man in his 30s man named Sandy know, Sandy

was combined to a nursing home by a terrible disease called

Ataxia. The Ataxia would have did to

this man. It lets his whole body shaking

uncontrolled the he had no control We're even with

medicine. So severe was his shaking, they

was further combined to either his bed or a wheelchair.

Few people invested enough time in Sandy to learn how to

decipher the mumbled syllables that he struggled to form in a

meaningful sentences but the preacher got to know him and was

eventually able to study with him and communicate with him.

And they had Bible studies and eventually he was converted from

religious error. From the Christian church.

There were challenges though and getting sanity to church.

He wanted to come but the preacher had to lift Sandy into

his vehicle which involve lifting 180-pound man, but also

managing to Corral these unshakable limbs in such a way

that he wouldn't hurt him as he was trying to get him in the

vehicle. Incontinency was a distraction

sometimes for the other folks at church and not everybody seemed

to be real happy that that he was there.

The man passing Sandy, the Lord's Supper would have to

steady the cup for Sandy to minimize the amount of grape

juice that would would spill some people were probably

thinking Don't you just leave that fell at the nursing home?

But preachers, first visit after Sandy's first Sunday to commune

can see hot tears streaming down Sandy's face, as he stuttered

and stammered a little bit more than usual and eventually was

able to get his message across. I never thought I'd be able to

take of the Lord's Supper again. Taking up our cross.

Need lifting other people's burdens means, helping means

looking and listening, and being ready to help others when they

have a need. And that means investing time.

That's what Jesus was talking about Fred Craddock denomination

of preacher said, concerning bearing one another's burdens.

He said Jesus wrote one big check on the cross and when you

write a big check you get noticed of Jesus didn't do that

to get noticed. And Jesus wrote the big check,

but he wrote a whole bunch of little checks.

Awesome. And with you and me.

We'll probably never write the big check when it comes to

denying ourselves and taking up our cross.

We can write those little Jacks and when we do, we're

demonstrating, yes, we are Disciples of Christ.

We can bear one another's burdens sometimes by weeping

with those who weep by praying with those who are in pain by

waking up in the middle of the night, and bringing a brother or

sisters name before the Lord in prayer during the day.

Because we know, They need it. We can listen patiently and

sympathetically as they pour out, their heart, with an

encouraging word, with little, as little as a warm embrace, a

handshake sometimes. Just a smile and a hello.

But sometimes we might neglect, could make all the difference.

And folks, these little things, these little things, these are

God's work. There Jesus in you.

We let our light shine. We do this.

This is following Jesus. I hope we can all look for the

Sandy's around us. The Sandy's in this congregation

or in your congregation look for the burdens to Bear crosses to

carry. If anyone will come after me,

let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.

That's the last of it, follow me. you know, if we're able to

do the first part, Deny yourself.

Just say no. To our our childish, immature

cells, a little bit more. We're able to say, yeah, I'm

going to take up a cross. I'm going to do some things that

come my way that I could say no to I'm going to do those things

for somebody. We do those two things.

You know what? Last part of this.

Will be great, you won't it? All over me.

We can do that. Hope to see meaning that the

study has been helpful for you. Remind you, this is so

fundamental. This is so basic to

Christianity. The idea we're so familiar with

it. But it slips slips from our

mind, slips from our Behavior. This is what being a Christian

is all about. We can't follow him.

Unless we're willing to deny yourself and take up a cross. if

we understand what Jesus meant in Matthew 16:24 and we're not a

Matthew 16:24

Christian, We understand that and we're willing to deny

ourselves and take up our cross and we've heard the Plan of

Salvation. We believe that Jesus Christ is

the Son of God. Are we going to be hesitant to

say before men, to make that statement?

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, when we be

ashamed or willing to do that, we say no.

I can't turn my back on those friends.

I can't turn my back on my family.

I've got to just keep walking this walk.

No, not if we know what Jesus says, not if we know what Jesus

demands are. Will deny ourselves will take up

that cross will turn our back on religious are.

We'll turn our back on. Our pride will turn our back.

On that worldly lifestyle. We thank you for listening to

our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.

Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional

information or you would like to receive a free Bible

correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at True

Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.

Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and

Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.

We would love for you to be our honored guest.