[Nehemiah 8:1-12; Acts 8:26-39]

INTRODUCTION

A.  Long ago, when God’s people returned from captivity, they needed to be reminded of what God’s word said to them so that there would not be a repeat of those terrible years. After the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, the people were called together and met in the open square in front of the Water Gate and it was then and… Continue reading

Jesus once told a parable about two brothers whose father had asked both to go work in his vineyard. The first son told his father he would not go, but later regretted it and went. Jesus went on to tell of the other son who told his father he would go but did not, then Jesus asked the audience which one did the will of his father (Matt. 21:28-32)… Continue reading

[John 8:12]

INTRODUCTION

A.  Have you ever bought something that you really wanted, only to take it home and have it break down on you or not work like it should? Isn’t that irritating? How about the times we have built friendships with other people, trusting them with our most private secrets and confiding in them when we were in need, only to have them betray our trust or fail… Continue reading

ISSUES FACING THE CHURCH TODAY

[Neh. 13:23, 24]

INTRODUCTION

A.  As we saw in the initial lesson on Issues Facing the Church Today, we can never assume that many [or any] of the things that we are going to talk about in this series of lessons will never “happen here” or affect us as members of this church. As has been said already, some of the things listed and which… Continue reading

Early in February of this year, I stepped onto the bathroom scales and I really didn’t like those numbers that popped up. Actually, I had seen them a few times before, and I didn’t like them then, either. But this time I decided to do something about it. I had seen an “app” advertised on TV for the iPhone/iPod Touch that would track calories, so I thought I’d give… Continue reading

[1st Corinthians 14:1-40]

INTRODUCTION

A.  As we have seen in previous lessons from the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul has had to address the spiritual immaturity of the brethren at Corinth, which is the cause of many troubles among them. In our last study, we considered Paul’s words to them about the thing they should have been pursuing [love] and how that should have affected their… Continue reading

[Esther]

INTRODUCTION

A.  More and more, it seems that anyone who dares stand with God and Christ stands alone. That is not to say there are not any who claim to be with Christ, but that there are few true disciples who will stand with Him through difficult times, when the vast majority of the world opposes us, excludes, and persecutes us, and when no one else… Continue reading

It is Sunday morning. I’m up at 5:30, as usual. I go downstairs, walk to the front door and wait on the dog to stretch and shake himself before he comes over to me. I open the door, letting him go out first, and then I follow. He goes over to the grass and sniffs around, finds some strange scent and moves to another place and begins investigating any… Continue reading

INTRODUCTION

A. In times of trouble, to whom do we go? When we were children, we probably ran to our parents, or to a big brother (if we had one). As we got older, we still may have trusted in our parents to some degree, but maybe found someone big enough to give us some comfort. As adults, we call on the local authorities such as policemen… Continue reading

DISTRACTION DEFINED

Definition

“a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else”
“diversion, interruption, disturbance, interference, hindrance”
Dis (Not) + Traction (Being drawn together) = Being drawn away from something.

Causes

Lack of ability to pay attention
Lack of interest in the object of attention
Greater interest in something other than the object of attention
The great intensity, novelty or attractiveness of something other than… Continue reading

Imagine that you are walking down a city street and you notice a man who seemed to be looking intently for something. Most of the time, he is looking down at the sidewalk, occasionally you see him digging through trash receptacles, and every once in awhile he lifts his head, seems to be getting his bearings, and then thoughtfully puts his hand up to his chin as if… Continue reading

[Phil. 3:1-21]

INTRODUCTION

A.  The most important thing to understand in spiritual matters is the matter of salvation. And, unfortunately, there are many ideas about what God’s plan for man’s salvation truly is. Some are now teaching that God has saved us, and we can just sit back and do nothing; others believe that they can be saved without Christ, relying on their good deeds. Others teach… Continue reading

ISSUES FACING THE CHURCH TODAY

[Matt. 5:32; Matt. 19:9; 1st Cor. 7:1-16]

INTRODUCTION

A.  As we saw in the initial lesson on Issues Facing the Church Today, we can never assume that many [or any] of the things that we are going to talk about in this series of lessons will never “happen here” or affect us as members of this church. As has been said already… Continue reading

Near the end of last week, a national automobile dealers’ organization warned that the new CARS program [known as the "Cash for Clunkers"] might run out of money before the weekend and that any potential deals might be unfulfilled and/or without reimbursement and warned dealers they might want to hold off processing deals through the program or they would get stuck with the difference - up to $4500 per… Continue reading