Month: February 2009

The King James translation supplies the term “strange” to reference profane or immoral things. The lesson relates four uses of the term for discussion: Strange Gods, Strange Fire, Strange Woman and Strange Doctrines.

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

The Bible uses the term heart metaphorically, to refer variously to: the seat of our understanding, will, devotion and conscience. It is a beautiful figure of speech, that contains many lessons for the Christian.

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Sermon Audio: Click Here .

(Note: This short article was written by a member at West Side, Tommy Davis. As the article is brief, in the bulletin I added the quotes from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I commend Tommy’s article to you. Stan).

One of man’s greatest leaders said something that made me think. Being a Christian, I tried to put the saying in perspective.

President Ronald Reagan said:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”

What will you do to keep the greatest nation on the earth from perishing? If we use worldly wisdom, our response would be to join the US Armed Forces! After all, America is the first country in history to have the power to conquer the earth and yet restrains itself. It is the only country in history to conquer other nations to free them from tyranny (and then let them rule themselves again). We are the good guys!

Continue reading “America – A Godly Nation?” →

The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9, establishes the authority a preacher has to receive financial support as he labors in the word. Paul did not take advantage of that privilege, lest his motivation be suspect. He did not preach for money, but to save souls. Our motivation too must be to save both ourself and others.

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

During time of War, and other tribulations, there are spiritual dangers that face both the individual Christian as well as congregations. The Christian should be aware of these dangers, as well as his responsibility to live a faithful life before God in spite of such trials.

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

On Tuesday an envelope came in the mail at the church building. The return address from the envelope was:

The WORD of the LORD
P.O. Box 1483
Mesa, AZ 85211-1483

The two pages, printed on front and back had the following heading:

The
Word of the Lord
to
His Church in the Wilderness; and to All the Nations of the Gentiles
BEING THE WORDS OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD

At the end of the pages, which are apparently a sample of a longer work, was a paragraph stating that “a copy of this book containing the Word of The Lord given by revelation to this generation” could be obtained by mailing a self addressed 7 X 10 envelope with $1.52 in postage to the aforementioned address.

There was no other identification, and a quick internet search turned up nothing. There is nothing in the material to identify who it is who claims to have received a further revelation from Jesus Christ. There is also no evidence to support the contention that these words are the words of Jesus. Unlike the signs and wonders that were performed in the first century to confirm the words of our Lord (cf. John 20:30-31; Hebrews 2:1-4).

Continue reading “In The News: “Word of the Lord”” →

Rehoboam lost his kingdom (1 Kings 12), because he listened to ungodly companions. The preacher warned his son of ungodly influences in Proverbs 1:10-19. Christian young people should be aware that “evil companions corrupt good morals.”

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

The Bible is the best selling book of all time. It is the divine mind of God revealed, and should be respected, revered and studied diligently by men. However, in a recent survey, 64% of all Americans said they do not read their Bible because they are too busy. What kind of attitude do you have, as a Christian, toward God’s word?

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

A photograph of Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps was recently revealed, showing the talented swimmer smoking marijuana from a large pipe or “bong” at a party. The picture was taken by cell phone camera, and has led to a national furor as the seriousness of his inappropriate and illegal behavior is debated.

First it should be noted that Phelps is doing nothing different than millions of other Americans. A good portion of our society sees little wrong with smoking marijuana, and advocates often compare the practice with the use of alcohol. Such comparisons are legitimate, at least with regard to the morality of the practice. Both substances are drugs, and the use of either is indefensible for Christians (cf. Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Peter 4:1-3).

Continue reading “In The News: The Michael Phelps Bong Imroglio” →

These are 13 actual questions asked by a Baptist church preacher. His name is David Martin, and he is referred to as the “Pastor” of the Solid Rock Baptist Church, in Bartlett, TN.

The questions appeared in an article written by Martin, entitled, “Common Sense Questions A ‘Church of Christ’ Preacher CANNOT Clearly Answer.” To view the article click here. (Note: This link only gets you to their home page. You will have to look for the article. The site uses frames, and does not allow for a direct link to the article).

While it is doubtful we could answer these questions to his satisfaction, these questions are similar to those commonly asked of us by those in the denominations.

We should “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15).

An examination of these questions will challenge us to study; and will doubtless increase our faith. The design of the series is to elicit discussion and encourage home study.

Right click on each item to save it to your hard drive. Resources include Word Documents, PDF Files, and Audio files in the mp3 format.

(Note:  We had some problems with our recording system during the series, and missed several lessons, so not all the audio is available.  We apologize for this).
Suggestions for Study (Word)
Suggestions for Study (PDF) Continue reading “Class Series – 13 Questions” →

(The following article was written by Justin Carrell, a member of the West Side congregation)

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man” (James 1:13, KJV).

In class last Wednesday, we briefly discussed the middle of James chapter one; particularly verses 13 and 14. This passage is often confused. The reason is the same as we mentioned in class. God creates tempting things. However, the passage says that God does not tempt anyone. How do we reconcile these two things?

Continue reading ““Tempted” VS “Tempted”” →

In the first three chapters of his epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul gives an overview of man’s need for, and God’s supply of redemption. Two things emphasized: 1) The power of the gospel; and 2) The universality of sin.

Sermon Audio: Click Here .

While a man can covet just about anything, and thus sin against God, the primary point of this lesson is to avoid the sin of covetousness as it relates to material things. Achan (Joshua 618-19) is given as an example of one who coveted the “accursed things.”

Sermon PowerPoint: Click Here .

Sermon Audio: Click Here .