Category: Subject Index

A few days ago I came across the written thoughts of a young Christian who took issue with the idea of making New Year’s resolutions, at least with regard to a person’s efforts to serve his Lord.

He made some good points, emphasizing that we should resolve today and every day to serve God acceptably. This, of course, is true. I certainly would not suggest that anyone wait until January 1st before beginning an effort to serve God. (If you do that today, you would be waiting for 360 days!)

However, the first month of the year remains as good a time as any to take stock of your spiritual standing, and to determine to do better than you have in the past. With that in mind, I would encourage you to consider what you did last year in the following areas, and to contemplate what you could do to improve in 2013:

• Making prayer a habit. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• Reading and studying God’s word (Psalm 1:1-2)
• Diligently attending worship (Hebrews 10:24-25)
• Achieving focus and zeal in worship (John 4:24)
• Expressing interest in brethren (Philippians 2:4)
• Walking with Love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
• Placing Christ first in life (Galatians 2:20)
• Sharing the faith with others (1 Peter 3:15)
• Living a transformed, holy life (Romans 12:1-2)
• Practicing benevolence (James 1:27)
• Practicing hospitality (Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9)

Surely each of us, no matter what efforts we have made in the past, can do better this next year as we seek to serve our Lord!

Invitation delivered by: Josh Jackson

Josh uses the Paul’s epistle to the Romans to talk about the road to salvation. He emphasizes the need for salvation, how salvation is obtained, the need to remain on the road, and how that can be done.

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Invitation delivered by: Chad Gallman

Chad Gallman uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to emphasize both the mercy and grace of the Heavenly Father, and the necessity of a sinner to “come to himself” to receive that mercy.

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Sermon preached by Brantley Gallman:

Guest speaker Brantley Gallman used the text of 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 to explain the type of life any human should aspire to. It is the Christian life, described by Paul as a life that is quiet, minding one’s own business, and working with one’s own hands.

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The apostle Peter here establishes the legitimacy of his desire to share with them the gospel message, by pointing out the veracity of the message itself. This was not mere hearsay he was repeating, not myth, but eyewitness testimony! Peter had himself witnessed the things of which he wrote.

How did Peter know that his Master was “our Lord Jesus Christ”? Among other events, he was present on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured before their very eyes (cf. Matthew 17:1-9). Peter heard with his own voice the words of the Father in heaven, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (vs. 5).

Peter was a witness of other events affirming the Lordship of Jesus. He was an eyewitness of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:5). In fact, he proclaimed to the Jews on Pentecost this very proof, “This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:32).

It doesn’t matter that much of Peter’s epistle is taken up in an exposé of false teachers and scoffers rather than a retelling of the simple gospel of our Lord. He was defending the faith, and equipping his readers to make their “call and election sure” (1:10).

As everyone knows, the ancient Mayan calendar ended on December 21, 2012, and the world did not end. Now, the Mayans were not predicting the end of the world, but that didn’t preclude a lot of foolish people predicting its demise, based on the calendar.

In fact, such foolishness has a long history. I recently came across an internet article which recounted 11 different predictions of earthly destruction (at the least), none of which came true. Here is a concise listing, with a couple of points at the end:

Continue reading “In the News: Foolish Predictions” →

Invitation delivered by: Chad Gallman

As we contemplate the holiday seasons, and those less fortunate, Chad reminds us of the importance of acting with love and selflessness toward God and man.

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Invitation delivered by: Justin Carrell

Justin reads the lyrics of a song titled “At the Rumor Mill” to establish the spiritual damage done to those who both listen to and spread gossip.

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Paul exhorts us to “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6). Among other things, 5 things stand out that the Christian should never worry about: 1) Being forsaken by God; 2) Feeling Useless; 3) The future; 4) Bothering God with prayer; and, 5) Feeling unforgiven.

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Lesson 6 of 8 in a series on Awesome Texts.

The Apostle Paul affirms that with the Lord’s help, all necessary things can be accomplished. To obtain victory in Jesus, we must meditate on those things that are noble and praiseworthy.

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Invitation delivered by: Josh Cox

Josh points out that more and more in our day and our society Christians are beginning to suffer for their faith. While Americans live in a tolerant society, there is no promise that religious freedom will continue. In John 15:18-19 Jesus warned about the inevitability of persecutuion. Are you prepared for such persecution?

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Much of the religious error and problems that exist do so because men are not willing to accept the Bible as it is written. The problem can be present among God’s people as well as those caught in denominational error.

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Lesson 5 of 8 in a series on Awesome Texts.

In 2 Corinthians 4 and 5 the apostle Paul indicated that as children of God, though we are hard pressed on every side and in every way, we can persevere and gain victory with the help of our Lord. Our focus is not on the present, but on our future home with God.

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In the previous chapter, Peter had indicated that we are to purify our hearts through obeying the truth, revealed in God’s will for man. In our text, he continues the thought, calling for the Christian to remove evil from his character, (malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking), and to replace it with God’s word. The Christian’s desire to know God’s word is to match the desire of a baby for his mother’s milk.

The word of God is here described by Peter as “pure” (NKJV). The KJV renders it “sincere.” God’s word is not harmful as long as it remains unsullied by the impurities men supply. Even in passages such as these the importance of doctrinal purity is evident. Be wary of those who seek to minimize the importance of such purity.

The pure word of God, when ingested, results in growth. By ingested we mean studied and applied. By growth we mean Christian maturity. Babes in Christ become full grown when they, “by reason of use [of God’s word], have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). This desire for God’s word is a byproduct of His extended Grace. In fact, the totality of our life and faith is motivated by His gift to us (cf. Titus 2:11-12).

Invitation delivered by: Jonathan Hinds

Jonathan uses the parable of the marriage feast in Matthew 22 to indicate the proper response to the invitation of God.

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