Category: Subject Index

Invitation delivered by: Dennis Craig

Dennis uses the text of Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses near the end of a generation’s wandering in the wilderness, to discuss the frailty and duration of our life on earth.

Audio

Last Tuesday was Valentine’s Day, originally a Catholic holiday celebrating the burial of a Roman bishop by that name on the Via Flaminia, (one of the most famous roads in ancient Rome), on February 14 in or around A.D. 296. Of course, the holiday, like many others, has become secularized in our time. It was not until the 14th century that the day had any link to the romantic love that is currently celebrated by cards, candy and flowers.

While we should be aware of the sectarian history of the holiday, I find nothing wrong with observing the day in a secular way. It is interesting, however, while hearing so much criticism about the secularization of Christmas (which started as a pagan holiday), or the observance of Halloween, most seem to have forgotten that Valentine’s Day had a religious origin.

Continue reading “In the News: St. Valentine’s Day and Love” →

In the first portion of his letter to the Galatians, Paul emphasized that his apostleship was authorized by God. He asserts the fact in verse 1, and argues the assertion in verses 11-17.

When a careful study is made of Paul’s actions from the time of his conversion, his claims are corroborated. After Paul was converted, as recorded by the historian Luke in Acts 9, he immediately began to preach the gospel of Christ in the synagogues (cf. Acts 9:20). Though the book of Acts does not record the trip to Arabia, it does note that “many days were past” (9:23), and emphasized the preaching done in Damascus. So, as Paul wrote, he did not “immediately confer with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus” (vs. 16-17).

Why is this significant? First, Paul did not need the apostle’s blessing to begin or accomplish his ministry. The charge he obtained was directly from the Lord (cf. Acts 22:15). Second, the message he preached was not of his own devising, but was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 9:15,17; 22:14, Galatians 1:11-12).

(Note: At the time this was written, the Saturday quarterly singing had not happened. We recognize that life is a vapor!, and that we have no promise of tomorrow. After all, the Lord could come at any time. Nevertheless, I desired to emphasize the significance of the event, and have it published the day following. This accounts for the language of the first paragraph).

Last night we had a wonderful opportunity to come together, and spend 90 minutes praising God in song. Singing is such a blessing and opportunity. All who were there were blessed in their worship. Why do we sing? The Psalms tell us why!

We sing because God is righteous: “I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High” (17:1).

We sing because God is generous. “I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me” (13:6).

We sing because God is powerful. “Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power” (21:13).

We sing because God is merciful. “Sing praise to the LORD, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning” (30:4-5).

“Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding” (47:6-7).

Using the text of 1 Kings 12, and examining the events which led to the rebellion against Rehoboam, we see his culpability in the division of the kingdom, and make applications to our own lives.

Audio

Powerpoint Slides

Invitation delivered by: Joshua Jackson

We take baths each day to cleanse ourselves physically, and yet so many are unwilling to wash in water to cleanse ourselves from the filth of sin. Why is that? Baptism is necessary for salvation.

Audio

The sermon, based on a sermon chart by Steve Hudgins, seeks to answer the following questions that appear in the Bible: 1) “Where Art Thou”; 2) “To Whom Shall We Go?”; 3) “Lord What Will You Have Me to Do?”; 4) “What Must I Do to be Saved”; and 5) “What Doth Hinder Me?”

Note: In addition to the audio link, there is a link to a zip file which extracts to a self-contained Prezi presentation. Also, there is a link to a handout that was included in the sermon as a hardcopy reminder of the material.

Audio

Prezi Zip File

Sermon Handout

Invitation delivered by: Joshua Jackson

Joshua exorts us regarding the need for continual diligence and attention as we live each day as Christians.

Audio

In the first verse of our text, Paul establishes a wonderful promise of God as a steadfast principle. If we suffer for the cause of Christ, we are guaranteed the consolation that comes with that relationship. In other words, the suffering is worth it because of the hope we enjoy.

Paul illustrates the principle by noting the “trouble” he had suffered in Asia. This seems to be a reference to the mob scene in Ephesus recorded in Acts 19. Paul and his companions were in mortal peril on that occasion, and it seems that Paul left the area in fear (cf. Acts 20:1).

That fear of persecution remained, as such suffering is inevitable for the faithful child of God (cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). However, Paul took comfort in the trust he placed in God. God is able to raise men from the dead, and so surely would be able to deliver Paul, if it be in accord with His will. So Paul believed, “He will still deliver us” (vs. 10). As such, he coveted the prayers of the Corinthians in his behalf, that their prayers for him and his companions would effect God’s protection in their ministry.

I am sitting in my office, waiting for a call from a service manager about our broken printer. Yes, that printer which broke down back on January 22nd. I called on the following Tuesday morning to schedule a service call, and have been given the runaround since.

It is actually a humorous story. We originally bought the machine from a local company called Denitech rather than online. The reason was the salesman’s desire to “do me a favor” in the hope that if we wanted more expensive equipment in the future, we would contact him. We chose this particular printer because it had a 1 year warranty (rather than 90 days), and because Xerox equipment we used previously proved to be dependable.

Continue reading “In the News: Printers and Accountability” →

Last week I engaged in an online discussion on a contentious topic that has polarized elements of our society. It is a political hot potato, but the discussion concerned the Christian’s response, based upon what the scriptures teach, so I took the time to respond.

My point here is not to argue the topic, but to note the response in the forum. My posts, though polite, were not well received. I argued from scripture. In response I was called ignorant, bigoted, prejudiced, and a few other adjectives that are not appropriate to repeat in this space.

Participants had an opportunity to “vote” on whether they found any particular post to be helpful to the discussion. The aspersions on my character and intelligence were roundly applauded, and few responded positively to what I had to say.

This is not surprising, but I believe many Christians are really not aware of just how unpopular the truth of God is in our society. We are in a distinct minority with regard to our views on morality and God, and it is very conceivable that this nation will one day no longer tolerate our free expression of God’s truths. Physical persecution is certainly possible on the horizon.

John recorded this warning from our Lord, “A servant is not above his Master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

The sermon follows the path of all men, from birth to death to eternity, in chart form.

Note: In addition to the audio link, there is a link to a zip file which extracts to a self-contained Prezi presentation. Also, there is a link to a handout that was included in the sermon as a hardcopy reminder of the material.

Audio

Prezi Zip File

Sermon Handout

Friday night the Castleberry girl’s basketball team won a game with the most exciting finish you can imagine. They were playing Mineral Wells, and were shorthanded. One of their players had blown an ACL ligament the previous week, and was out for the season. Their best player had a virus, and though she was playing, was struggling physically. None of their shots were falling, and they were down 12 points to start the fourth quarter.

The deficit continued until about halfway through the quarter, and then all of a sudden the shots started falling. The girls knew they had to win to keep their hopes of going to the playoffs alive. They dug down deep, and narrowed the deficit to one point. With 2.6 seconds left, Castleberry had the ball out of bounds. Josh (my son is the coach) drew up a play, and their best player banked home the shot for the win. The stands erupted, the girls (and Josh) went crazy, and everyone cheered.

Continue reading “In the News: Last Second Shot!” →

John 4:25-26

At the end of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4, the woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus’ response was His most direct self-affirmation to date in His early ministry, as He said, “I who speak to you am He.”

Other words and phrases had earlier been used, by Jesus and others, that intimated His position. The first example, of course, was the angel’s words to the virgin Mary, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).

Continue reading ““I who speak to you am He”” →

Paul, in greeting the Corinthians in his first epistle to the church there, identifies himself as an “apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God.” This was his common greeting, necessitated by the Judaizers who constantly attacked his legitimacy as an ambassador of the Lord.

The letter is written to “the church of God which is at Corinth.” This is not a proper name for the church, but rather a phrase designating ownership. The church belongs to God. The church consists of those who have been called out of the world, separated through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. As such, it is proper only to refer to it as belonging to God, or Jesus (cf. Romans 16:16).

The Greek word ekklesia, from which the English term “church” derives, denotes sanctification. The church is called out, or separated from the world. This is accomplished when an individual, by calling “on the name of Jesus Christ”, is cleansed from sin. He is reconciled to God, and is rightly called a saint. This sanctification, as pointed out here by Paul, is accomplished in Jesus Christ. His sacrifice makes us holy, and separates us from the world.