This is the first in what I hope will be a continuing series. What I am intending is to present a "teaching bulletin", as opposed to a news bulletin, for the church. For the moment, this bulletin is my own creation. Although I work and worship under the leadership of the elders of the Riverside church of Christ in Albuquerque, they are not responsible for the content of this publication. This is not the bulletin of that congregation. On the other hand, if they or anyone else points out any doctrinal errors in anything I publish, I will be quick to correct such errors in print.
Ultimately, the purpose of this, and any, document purporting to teach God's word should be just that--to teach God's word and not the traditions of man. It is an awesome responsibility, but one I accept willingly and eagerly. I, of course, will require the help of others to ensure that only the word of God is taught. In addition to correcting any errors that may creep into what is published here, I ask that you pray. First of all, pray that I may present that which will be needed by people, both to encourage believers and to teach those who need the Lord. Secondly, each time you read one of these bulletins, pray for understanding and guidance. Also, anyone who wishes to submit an article for consideration is encouraged to do so. This would save me the time required to write articles sufficient to fill a bulletin each month.
If anyone does submit an article, though, I reserve the right as editor to reject submissions for any reason. Additionally, I insist on the right to edit each submission for spelling, grammar, and length. Most importantly, I reserve the right to edit submissions for scripturalness. If there is anything in another person's proposed article that is unscriptural, I will make appropriate changes. However, if I have to make material changes to an article, I will, of course, give the author the opportunity to accept those changes or withdraw their article from consideration.
Finally, I would like to explain my choice for the name of this bulletin. Messiah, of course is the same as Christ. The use of the word "minutes" has a double meaning. Hopefully, a few minutes will be all it takes to read the articles. But minutes, in its other sense, speaks of a record of a meeting. In studying God's word, we meet with the Messiah. I hope this will serve to record the minutes of some of those meetings.