Sound Teaching

What is the one baptism of Ephesians 4:5?

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Matthew 10 describes the limited commission given by Jesus to his disciples, and the persecution they could expect in their preaching. Our Lord indicated in the text that the fear of God should trump any fear of man, and motivate them to fulfill their duty.

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Podcast Number 30

An examination of the Bible text reveals how different the Lord’s church is from the denominations today. If a congregation of Christians follows the pattern of the New Testament, then and only then it can be known as the true church of Christ.

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“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner — not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

In this context, the apostle Paul explains the difference between living in the world, and living “of” the world. It is obviously necessary for the Christian to interact with worldly people. Ungodliness is everywhere. When you go to the grocery store, the clerk might be an adulteress. Your child’s teacher might be guilty of covetousness, your banker might just be an extortioner, and the plumber may be a drunkard!

Continue reading “In the World, Not OF the World” →

Podcast Number 29

The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 7:1 admonishes Christians to purify themselves from filthiness,
and perfect holiness. This lesson describes and explains how this can be accomplished.

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There a number of passages that come to mind that bear on the subject of this short article:

“And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24).

“Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God” (1 Peter 2:18-20).

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

In the news Saturday was a notice that the National Basketball Association’s Players Union has filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board concerning unfair “business practices” by the NBA.

Continue reading “In The News: NBA is Unfair!” →

An individual’s attitude has a direct bearing on his words and actions. In this lesson, three negative and three positive attitudes are examined that impact our lives.

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In this sermon the conscience is defined, and the four types of conscience identified in the scriptures are discussed.

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Podcast Number 28

The Text of Acts 8, which details the sin of the former Sorcerer Simon, argues that it is possible for a Christian to forfeit his soul through sin. This contradicts the Calvinistic tentant, commonly described as “Once saved, always saved.”

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God is omnipresent, and intimately aware of the lives and conduct of His children. He cares for us, but His approval is conditioned upon our faithfulness. Each day we should live our lives as if Jesus is right there beside us, because in reality, He is.

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The lesson covers the topic of the Lord’s Supper by discussing it’s meaning, as well as what constitutes a proper observance of the supper. A good general lesson about the Lord’s Supper.

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Billy Norris writes of a tragic event that resulted from “drifting”:

“Two young men were fishing above a low dam on a river near their hometown. As they were concentrating on catching fish, they were unaware that they had drifted until they were not far from the water flowing over the dam. When they realized their situation, the current near the dam had become too powerful for them to keep their boat from going over. Below the dam the water was dashing with strong force over great boulders and through crevices in the rocks. Caught by the swirling waters under the rocks, they never came to the surface. After days of relentless searching, the divers finally found one body, and then, two or three days later, the other.”

(Gospel Guide)

The illustration above is a sad one, but serves to establish our premise that it is dangerous to drift along in life, unaware or uncaring of the consequences.

Continue reading “The Danger of Drifting” →

A recent Google search (News division) of the word church resulted in the find of the following headlines:

Church to Participate in Christmas Open House
Building on the success of last year’s event, Sutter Creek Methodist Church is planning to provide a festive and religious dimension to the festivities. (Sacramento Ledger Dispatch)

Durham Church Plans Fair Trade Bazaar
All sales will assist in improving the quality of life for people half a world away. (Seacoastonline.com)

Church To Hold Holiday Tea
Mark your calendar and call for your reservations for the annual Holiday Victorian Tea and Boutique to be held at the Presbyterian Church in Garden City. (Garden City News)

Yummm! Annual Pie Social and Church Fair set for Dec. 1,2
On the second floor in the Education Wing, a Kid’s Fair is held offering kids the chance to play a game, do a craft or get their nails painted.
Tewksbury Advocate

Church Leaders Plan To Build Family Center
Two long-time city churches have merged and will build a multimillion-dollar family center on U.S. 19 that is expected to draw new parishioners from throughout Pinellas County. (Pinellas Park Beacon)

Ham and Beans on the Menu at Church Supper
The Union Congregational Church of Madbury will sponsor a ham and bean supper on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Madbury Town Hall. (Seacoastonline.com)

Contrast the preceding activities: Open house, Bazaar, Tea, Pie Social, Family Center and Church Supper, with the actions of the first century church. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). While the first century Christians enjoyed each others company, it was an individual thing, as Christians broke bread “from house to house.”

In fact, Paul admonished the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 11, “Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in?…” (vs. 20-22a).

The church of the Lord is not a social club. It’s purpose is to save the world through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. While it is fine and dandy for Christians to participate in Pie Socials and Holiday Teas, such things are not the work of our Lord’s church. No soul was ever saved by a Family Center. Preach the Word! It is the gospel that saves!

Podcast Number 27

A comparison of ancient Babylonian traditions regarding a worldwide flood, and what the scripture teaches in the book of Genesis, gives external evidence regarding the historicity of the actual event.

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(Gospel Meeting: Mark Mayberry) Ninth in a series of nine lessons based on 1 John 2:15-17. “He who does the will of God abides forever.” In this lesson, we have described what the will of God demands of the child of God.

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