Almost anyone you ask, I think, knows something about God, or at least they have a concept of there being some kind of God somewhere. But how many people in the world truly KNOW God? How many… “Christians” truly know God? Whenever something bad happens, inevitably someone will say: “how could God let that happen”? Or when a person’s sin is taken into account… Continue reading

[Isaiah 40:31]

INTRODUCTION

A. If you are a believer in Jesus as the Christ, then you are a disciple; a disciple is one who follows the teachings of another. You are also called a servant, and a servant is one who has a master; your master is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Paul described himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus” (Rom. 1:1) and… Continue reading

The apostle Paul wrote, in the second letter to the Corinthians, about those who had criticized him and questioned his authority as an apostle and to simultaneously exalt themselves. Apparently, these critics assumed that if they could get other worthless men to vouch for them, that was proof enough that they were worthy and that others should listen to them instead of the apostle Paul. But Paul’s… Continue reading

[James 2:19]

INTRODUCTION

A. Within the circle of individuals and groups who claim to have faith in Christ, there is a great disagreement on what it means to be saved by faith, or if that is even a correct means of describing our salvation. Some say that we are saved by faith only, while some say just the opposite - that we are not saved… Continue reading

[Rom. 13:1-7; 1st Pet. 2:13-17]

INTRODUCTION

A. In the current political society, there is an obvious lack of respect for those in authority, no matter who is in charge. [Show overheads with political cartoons.] Some of these things have been published in national newspapers and across the Internet, and some of these things are making the rounds in e-mails - some of them from my… Continue reading

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about two-thirds of all individuals imprisoned after conviction of a crime, and later released after serving some portion of their sentence, are convicted of another crime and imprisoned again. The ten-dollar word for this is recidivism, which basically means “a tendency  to  lapse  into  a  previous  pattern  of  behavior,  especially  a  pattern  of  criminal  habits.” [The American  Heritage  Stedman’s  Medical … Continue reading

[2nd Corinthians 7:2-16]

INTRODUCTION

A. As Paul continues his to address the brethren at Corinth, he takes the time to address his previous letter and how it was received. Having already studied that letter, we know why it might be a cause for concern and doubts. Paul had written to rebuke their worldly thinking because they divided themselves over who had either taught or baptized… Continue reading

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

INTRODUCTION

A. As we have hopefully seen in the lessons covered so far in this series, leadership is something that must exist within each local church and in our lives if we are to be spiritually productive disciples and servants. As was noted in the letter to the Ephesians, Christ established within the church to be the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers… Continue reading

Houses of horror are not limited to those fun and scary facades that are fabricated to provide a spooky atmosphere at a certain time of year. While young, we love to be pushed to the limits of our fright quotient, but as we age we care less about the privilege of paying someone else to scare us out of our wits. Unfortunately, in some of our best neighborhoods there are… Continue reading

INTRODUCTION

A. If you have been a Christian for very long, you are aware of the many blessings God has given to those who are in Christ - the saved. If you know anything about God at all, you must be aware that God is one who watches over and cares for His people, and will not let them be destroyed, though they may certainly… Continue reading

INTRODUCTION
Since today is Mother’s Day, I want to take a minute to thank the mothers who are here this morning for the tireless work you do in bringing up your children to know the Lord and for the great example of godliness that you are to everyone around you.
A mother understands the great importance of raising her children so that they can grow to be healthy, strong… Continue reading

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn [known to most of us as simply Rembrandt] made an etching of the crucifixion of Jesus, titled “The Three Crosses.” It is said by some art critics that Rembrandt put himself in the painting, standing at the edge between darkness and light, to show his conflicted view of where he stood with Christ. Whether or not that is true is debatable, but the… Continue reading

[2nd Kings 17:5-18]

INTRODUCTION

A. The history of man’s unfaithfulness to God is plentiful. Time after time, the record within God’s word shows a history of God’s mercy shown towards them with deliverance from their oppressors, followed by a period of faithfulness and the eventual beginning of a digression that led then away from God once again and to the point God withdrew His protection… Continue reading

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

INTRODUCTION

A. As we have hopefully seen in the lessons covered so far in this series, leadership is something that must exist within each local church and in our lives if we are to be spiritually productive disciples and servants. As was noted in the letter to the Ephesians, Christ established within the church to be the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the… Continue reading

Scripture teaches us to be like children. Scripture also teaches us to not be like children. Some may point to this and declare the Bible to be inconsistent and contradictory, but such claims come from ignorance and/or misunderstanding; the explanation is found when we understand the context of the commands. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Let Us Be Like Children. Once, when the disciples asked Jesus… Continue reading