Month: July 2007

The Disciple of Christ must love God, love his brethren, and love the lost. Anything less is unacceptable.

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

The phrase is used numerous times in scripture, indicating the importance of listening to, heeding and obeying Christ and His word.

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

Jesus Christ was murdered. His killers perpetrated a great crime on humanity. The question is, who killed Jesus? Was it the Romans? The Jews? You and I?

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

God has standards, or measurements that He demands we follow as we seek to please Him in our service. If we submit to His standards, rather than seeking to establish our own, we will secure for ourselves standing with Him.

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

In Philippians 2:12-13, the Apostle Paul exhorted Christians to “…as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” The text clearly shows that man has an obligation regarding his own standing before God. Though we are saved by grace, this does not excuse us from honest and diligent effort to obey God. He saves us, but we are sadly mistaken if we believe that He will save us without any effort on our part. Those who are unrepentant sinners will only suffer loss.

In the New Testament, there are two instances where a disciple is referred to as one who is “full of faith.” Stephen (Acts 6:5,8) and Barnabas (Acts 11:24) are the two men mentioned. The Holy Spirit chose two men who personify the apostle’s admonition to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Stephen suffered martyrdom because of his unflinching proclamation of the gospel of our Lord. In Acts 11, we are told that as a result of Barnabas’ preaching “a great many people were added to the Lord” (vs. 24). Barnabas continued steadfastly in his work, and was a great help and companion to Paul in his ministry.

Continue reading “Working Out Your Own Salvation” →

It is apparent that we are living during a time of immorality and ungodliness. Worldliness has always held sway with the majority, but we are certainly in a cycle of excessiveness.

In Genesis 6:5-6 we are informed of an ungodly time, much like our own. “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” That is not to say that there are only 8 righteous souls on the earth (the number spared in the flood). However, the evil nature of society is certainly similar to that of old.

The pagan society of Paul’s day was similar. Paul stated that “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). Their foolishness led them to all types of debauchery, and Paul maintained that those who practice such things are “worthy of death” (vs. 32).

This past week I typed in the word “scandal” into an internet search engine, and came up with a sampling of the pervasive ungodliness that exists in our world today.

• An NBA referee (Tim Donaghy) is being investigated by the FBI for both betting on and fixing NBA games in order to appease gangsters because of his gambling debts. The scandal is perhaps the most disturbing in decades in professional sports.
• Some British politicians are presently embroiled in a scandal involving unethical campaign financing schemes.
• A Catholic Cardinal in Los Angeles apologized last week to the hundreds of people affected by the sex scandal that has rocked the Catholic church. The church in L.A. is scheduled to pay $660,000,000 in reparations to victims.
• Louisiana Senator David Vitter spent last week in seclusion after a raid on a prostitution ring in Washington D.C. turned up his phone number. He has acknowledged what he calls “a serious sin.”
• In China a scandal surfaced last month after about 400 distraught parents posted a plea on the Internet about their children who had been sold into slavery in China’s northern Shanxi province and neighbouring Henan. It is estimated that over 1,000 people, many of them children, have been victimized by these crimes.

These are only representative of the literally hundreds of scandals that have been reported on in the news the past several weeks. They show a lack of integrity, conviction and morality that exists in the world today. Sex, gambling, corruption and man’s inhumanity to man are the norm rather than the exception. In fact, such are so common that it is probable most of the examples above are unfamiliar to most of the readers of this article.

In the face of such ungodliness, Christians are admonished by the Holy Spirit to, “become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I [Paul] may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain” (Phil. 2:15-16).

AOTS Number 70

Satan’s greatest weapon against us is deception. As we grow familiar with sin, it becomes possible to deceive ourselves into thinking is isn’t a big deal!

To listen to this Podcast, click here .

To subscribe to the AOTS feed, click here .

AOTS Number 69

A wonderful poem by Jane McWhorter shows how excellence in striving is beneficial in all walks of life.

To listen to this Podcast, click here .

To subscribe to the AOTS feed, click here .

AOTS Number 66

Abraham Lincoln is a wonderful example of a man who persevered through many defeats. God expects perseverence by His children.

To listen to this Podcast, click here .

To subscribe to the AOTS feed, click here .

AOTS Number 67

A wonderful illustration comparing Sodium and Chlorine to Love and Truth. You need to hear this!

To listen to this Podcast, click here .

To subscribe to the AOTS feed, click here .

AOTS Number 68

If you spend 75 years attending Bible classes and worship services, every Sunday, that equals 22 months of your life. What are your priorities?

To listen to this Podcast, click here .

To subscribe to the AOTS feed, click here .

In 1 Corinthians 12;12-ff, the apostle Paul indicates that we as Christians are diverse members of the one body. With Christ as head, we each do our part to edify the body as we give heed to Him.

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

It is important that a local church grow spiritually and numerically, but it is equally important that such growth be the byproduct of submitting to God’s will. Collectively and individually we have responsibilities we must fulfill as a precursor to growth.

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

LOS ANGELES – The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will settle its clergy abuse cases for at least $600 million, by far the largest payout in the church’s sexual abuse scandal, The Associated Press learned Saturday.

Attorneys for the archdiocese and the plaintiffs are expected to announce the deal Monday, the day the first of more than 500 clergy abuse cases was scheduled for jury selection, according to two people with knowledge of the agreement. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the settlement had not been made public.

The archdiocese and its insurers will pay between $600 million and $650 million to about 500 plaintiffs — an average of $1.2 million to $1.3 million per person. The settlement also calls for the release of confidential priest personnel files after review by a judge assigned to oversee the litigation, the sources said.

The settlements would push the total amount paid out by the U.S. church since 1950 to more than $2 billion, with about a quarter of that coming from the Los Angeles archdiocese.

By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer

Analysis:

The Catholic church has been embarrassed by this scandal, as alarmingly large numbers of Catholic priests, (each of which has taken a vow of celibacy), have been exposed as criminally promiscuous. Priests have been convicted of charges of sexual harassment, rape, and pedophilia (with both boys and girls).

Continue reading “In The News: LA Church to Pay $600 Million for Clergy Abuse” →

The account of Saul’s conversion is unique in many ways because it involves not only his conversion, but also his appointment as an apostle. However, Saul had to do what all have to do in order to receive the forgiveness of his sins.

Sermon Audio: Click Here .