Central Church of Christ West Plains

12/06/2025

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah spoke these inspired words of prophecy (Isaiah 9:6) over 800 years ago, and Luke recorded for us the fulfillment: For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11).
Another year has come and is now about past. As we approach the Christmas season, let us remember that we have much to be thankful for. First, we have a Savior who endured the cross and all it entailed so that we can be immersed in the love and grace of almighty God (I Peter 2:24) and be called His children. This is indeed the reason for the season. So, let us open our eyes and see that the fields are already white for the harvest (John 4:35), and may we never shirk our responsibility to share the message of the cross with a broken world.
Secondly, we have an awesome Church family that surrounds us. This means that we never have to bear any burden alone because there are always brothers and sisters who rejoice when we rejoice and weep when we weep (Rom. 12:15). May we always be there to love one another, as He has loved us (John 13:34).
Third, we have the Word of God that comforts us and guides us in paths of righteousness. Let us endeavor to write it on our hearts (Heb. 8:10) and live it out in our daily lives (Phil. 2:5). May it be the instruction from which we build our faith (Rom. 10:17) and the encouragement that brings us closer to our Savior and to one another.
Fourth, we are blessed with far more than we need. So, let us be generous to those less fortunate, especially little children, while remembering the words of our Savior “I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
Finally, we have a wonderful country that affords us the opportunity to worship God and profess our faith freely and without fear of harm. Let us never take it for granted. May we be sincerely grateful to the sons and daughters of America who wear our nation’s uniform and are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to protect our freedom to worship. Let us say special prayers (1 Tim. 2:1) this season for those who are serving overseas and will not be enjoying this Christmas with their own families. And let us pray especially that those mothers and dads, husbands and wives, sons and daughters whose loved one has given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom find peace in our Lord and Savior.
In the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). So, during this season of laughter and joy, let us remember who we are, and whose we are, and may we let our lights so shine before men that they see our good works to the glory of God.

Wishing you all a wonderful and safe holiday season and a very Merry Christmas!

11/11/2025

Even though we are Christians, life is filled with challenges to our faith. Since sin entered the world with the failure of Adam and Eve in the garden, we are surrounded with pain, sickness and death. We see this even within our own congregation as our brothers and sisters face circumstances which humble us in tears at the foot of the cross. The apostle Paul felt the weight of these challenges as well. But, he left us with incredible words of encouragement to help us face what life brings to our doorsteps. Perhaps these words will be an encouragement. They are taken from Phil. the third chapter:

10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

So in the midst of our own challenges, let us not forget to press on toward the higher goal for which our Lord and Savior took hold of us. Let us forget those things which are behind us, and fix our eyes on that time and that promise which is guaranteed to us in Christ Jesus, that being the time when God shall wipe away all tears (Rev. 21:4).

10/31/2025

Central Church of Christ will be accepting food donations on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 3 in November.

Our Community Food Drive is rolling! Be sure to check the QR code (tinyurl.com/yvnj4zza) for the most up-to-date information. We will continue to add and update this link, so check back periodically!

We want to give a special thank you to each of the organizations around town that have volunteered as drop off sites. We appreciate you!

If your organization would like to act as a drop-off site or if you have an event or effort that you would like to see on this list, send us a message!

10/04/2025

A sad reality of life is having to say goodbye to dear friends and loved ones. It hurts. It engulfs us with emotion, often leads us to ask “why”, and sometimes even fills us with anger. In our humanity, we often see our loss through the lens of a life cut short, goals and dreams left unfulfilled. But, in the midst of sadness, there is much for Christians to celebrate when a faithful brother or sister, husband or wife, son or daughter departs this life for an eternity of comfort and joy beyond measure in the presence of our loving God and savior, Jesus Christ. The aged Apostle Paul captured this sentiment well in his words to the young evangelist, Timothy. “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (II Timothy 4:6-8). So, when life necessitates that we grieve the loss of one close to our heart, may we be ever comforted knowing that they fought the good fight, finished their race, and through it all, kept their faith. And may we all live life such that we can look forward to the crown of righteousness that our Lord will joyfully hand to us as he welcomes each of us into his eternal glory.

Mike Spurlock

06/21/2025

Japanese fighter planes had routinely destroyed American bombers in the South Pacific because there was no way for the American bombers to refuel. These Japanese planes took off from one particular island that the Japanese held. It was called Iwo Jima. It stood between Japan and the rest of the South Pacific, a pork chop shaped hill two miles by five and a half miles, but only 750 miles from Tokyo. If secured, it would bring American bombers within range of all of Japan….but there was a massive problem. The Japanese general in charge of Iwo Jima had instructed his troops to construct a complex network of tunnels and fortifications underground. They could not be seen from above. On February the 19th, 1945, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Marine Divisions began the invasion at Iwo Jima. The deadliest place in the invasion would be the left flank because it was those American marines that would have to take the highest point of the mountain, Mount Suribachi. In fact, General Holland McTyeire "Howlin' Mad" Smith of the Marine Corps, in charge of the three marine divisions, said before the invasion started that medals should be given now before the battle to those on the left flank because of what they will suffer and endure for the cause of freedom. The battle was not to be brief nor easy. It took 36 days of mud-soaked fighting. There were 25,000 American casualties, 7,000 dead soldiers. On the fifth day of the Battle of Iwo Jima, five Marines and one Navy corpsman raised an American flag on top of Mount Suribachi. It became the most famous photograph of World War II, and if you go to Washington DC today, out near Arlington near the National Cemetery, you will see the monument to the United States Marine Corps. They picked this moment in all of their history, the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, as their iconic memorial. On the monument beneath the flag are these words, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue.” Ordinary people sometimes do extraordinary things. So an ordinary young teenage boy, 19 years of age, from the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, was one of the six. He would never leave the island. Three of the six would be killed in the next five days. It was a hill worth dying on because it broke the back of the Japanese military and paved the way for America to plant the flag of freedom for the world to see. In a marvelous lecture at Pepperdine years later, Ross Thompson of Atlanta, Georgia, said these words: “There is no such thing as cheap grace. Someone must become our grace.” Our Lord and Savior became our grace on the cross of Calvary on a Friday some 2000 years ago. It was a hill worth dying on for Him, and He made the decision to die on that hill while alone in Gethsemane, engaged in fervent prayer with His Father, and in the mental anguish of eminent death. And now, he calls on ordinary people to do extraordinary things if we agree that His cause is a hill worth dying on. So, will we engage in the battle to secure the hill of faith, or will we not. He has left the choice to us. What is your hill? Money we don’t need, fame, the praise of men? Or is it the challenge to spread the gospel to all who will listen? A hill worth dying on….we all pick our hill. So, what is a hill worth dying on to you?

06/14/2025

As we approach Father’s day, many of us will have very special memories of our Father, especially if they have already departed this physical life. I too have those memories. Some of my favorite are the times when Dad and I were hunting, fishing, or doing farm work. He was a cowboy at heart, a horse whisperer to me, but physical injury ended that for him. Desperate for a way to support his young family, and after enduring an extensive back surgery at the V. A. hospital, he managed with a 4th grade education to go to barber school and become a licensed barber. Many times on Sunday morning, after he had worked a 60 hour week in the barber shop, we would go to the river, sleep in the bed of his old truck and go trout fishing on Norfork river on Sunday morning. But, it is not the trout we caught, nor the hotdogs we ate from the campfire, it is the fact that we left the river by 8:00 AM so we could attend Bible class and worship service with the congregation for which he served as an elder that I remember most. He was all about priorities, and he lived the example of the priority of his faith first. When almighty God created us, male and female, He had a specific objective in mind. A family in which the men, the fathers, were spiritual leaders. I remember as a young child, sitting with my Dad and learning my first bible scripture…John 3:16. I remember us running errands on Mondays, his day off, and going to visit people from church who were experiencing life’s difficulties. I remember him sitting on the front porch, listening to people’s problems, crying for them and praying with them. I remember his prayers for my mother when she was diagnosed with a rare malignant tumor. Dads: we have an incredible responsibility and a God-given responsibility to lead by example. This side of eternity, it is never too late. May we prayerfully, and diligently seek His strength to live up to the challenge He has put before us.

05/27/2025

Life is a series of choices we make, either intentionally or by default by not making a choice at all. Even Jesus was faced with choices. As he began his ministry in the last 3 and a half years of his life on earth, he made choices as to how he would interact with people, how he would show the Father’s love to others, and whether he would forgive or condemn. He made his most crucial choice while alone in the Garden of Gethsemane as his disciples slept. After fervent prayer, he chose to accept the will of the Father and go to the cross to pay for the sins of all humanity. He made the choice while on the cross to forgive those that put him there, and to forgive a common thief who had confessed him and asked to be remembered when he came into his kingdom. For us, his example is not only humbling, but also instructional. So, as we face hard decisions that impact ourselves and those we love, let us follow his example of prayer, and let us be content in accepting the will of the Father, even when it is contrary to our own. What makes this doable for us is realizing that it is not this life that matters most, but the one that will follow this one. Here are some encouraging words from the aging Apostle Paul recorded for us in Phil. 3: 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. These are powerful words to live by. So, let us live as the apostle lived, let us forget what is behind us, and press on toward the goal of eternity with our Lord in heaven.

05/11/2025

Perhaps the most powerful force of nature known to man is the power of a mother. Mothers heal skinned knees, they find lost toys, and they mend broken hearts while wiping away their own silent tears. Mothers always sacrifice of themselves when there isn’t enough, and somehow, they find a way to get the impossible done when others have long given up and gone to bed. Yes, there is a reason that God gave us mothers, and it is no surprise that when Isaiah wanted to emphasize God’s love for Israel he likened it to a mother’s comforting presence: "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem." [Isaiah 66:13]. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, let’s not forget to take the time to remember “Mom” and to say thank you for all the tireless work they have put into getting us where we are today, and especially for the countless things they have done for us which have gone unnoticed and unappreciated. Today is your day Mom. Enjoy it!

05/02/2025

The shortest verse in the Bible reads quite simply, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). It should not surprise us that our Savior was, and is, touched by the same circumstances of life that so often bring tears to our eyes. At this particular time, He was weeping over the death of Lazarus, whom He had come to love so dearly. Isaiah, moved by the Holy Spirit, said Jesus would be a man of sorrow, and would be acquainted with grief (Isa. 53:5). Throughout scripture, we see love and compassion coming from Jesus and directed to those who were distraught and downtrodden. A Samaritan woman at a well, a woman caught in the very act of adultery, a thief knocking on the door of death because of his life of crime, a disciple who would deny Him, even though he said he never would. There is no greater comfort to a Christian than knowing that when we weep amid life’s circumstance, He feels our pain and weeps with us. Knowing that we never weep alone allows us to see more clearly through tear-washed eyes how deeply He loves us. May we let the mind that was in Christ Jesus be always in us, may we always love as He loves, and may we weep for one another as He weeps. And may we always see before us the time when there will be no more tears (Rev. 21:4).

04/19/2025

The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For by my side, the Saviour He will stay
I labor on in weakness and rejoicing
For in my need, His power is displayed
To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley He will lead
Oh, the night has been won, and I shall overcome
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven
The future's sure, the price it has been paid
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And He was raised to overthrow the grave
To this I hold, my sin has been defeated
Jesus now and ever is my plea
Oh, the chains are released, I can sing, "I am free"
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

Taken from the song, "Yet not I, but through Christ in me.