Church Blog (Page 6)

Christians should believe in BOTH Thanksgiving and in Thanks-Living. Our saying of thanks should genuinely be accompanied by our thinking, feeling and expression of it too. Maybe the following Scriptures will be a marvelous incentive in helping us to better possess the attitude of gratitude. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Psalm 103:2) What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? (Psalm 116:12) Give thanks to the LORD, for…

All it takes is one generation. One generation was there and witnessed the awesome power of God in parting the waters of the Red Sea. One generation witnessed the backing up of the Jordan River when entrance was granted by God into the Promised Land. One generation followed Joshua all of his days. One generation knew Joshua and the mighty works of God and they served the Lord. However, one generation later, there arose a generation who did not know…

Our Gospel Meeting with Jeff Jenkins begins on October 27. We want non-Christian guests to see and feel the relationship to be found in God’s family. And we want members of sister congregations to find love, trust and peace here too! The word fellowship carries with it the idea of a common bond and commitment in Christ to the will, work and walk of God. There is a profound sense of identity (“a common bond and commitment”), belonging (“in Christ”)…

Our gospel meeting with Jeff Jenkins is almost here! It occurs on October 27-30. Perhaps to some people gospel meetings are nothing more than a tradition or formality. It appears that some are willing to discard such efforts, to nail the coffin shut, because they believe gospel meetings serve no real purpose today. Perhaps it isn’t wise to do away with such special efforts so hastily. Could it be that the lack of support by brethren for gospel meetings and…

Few matters can be more important than what God’s word says about salvation. When one considers the richness of what the New Testament has to say about this theme, all a person can do is express awe and wonder at the matchless mind and marvelous provision of God! Who and what saves according to the teaching of Scripture? • God the Father (1 Peter 1:3-4). • Jesus (Luke 19:10; 1 Timothy 1:15). • The Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11). •…

Give thought for a moment to the word, ‘consider.’ Consider carries with it the idea of contemplation, focus, or thinking upon a certain subject. The word is found many times throughout the Bible, notice just three examples of when we find this word and the need we see to pause and do some thinking. Consider the wondrous works of God – Job 37:14-24. Pause to contemplate how great He is! These words were spoken by the youngest of Job’s ‘friends,’…

How does brotherly love really work? How does it work in situations of extraordinary tension and difficulty? The book of Philemon is a model of Christian friendship, of forgiveness, of both tact and diplomacy on one hand and of contact and straightforwardness on the other. Philemon is all about “the fine art of Christian relationships.” Keywords include “accept” and “receive,” “appeal” and “encourage, “grace” and “joy” along with the word “love.” Here are just a few of the incredible relationship…

There are a number of times in the gospel accounts that individuals are found begging Jesus. They came to Him with strong imploring. They came with a strong desire for Him to do certain things for them. Consider some great lessons we can learn by looking to occasions when people came begging Jesus. Begging Jesus to leave Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the miracle of Jesus healing the man who was possessed by a multitude of demons. In combing…

Everyone has priorities and values; the real question is – in whom or what do we place them? It’s so easy to believe like a theist and to live like a deist. It’s easy to believe in the real and personal God of Scripture yet to live our life, at least at times, as though He ’s distant, aloof, uninvolved and uncaring. In thinking like this worry can run rampant. Worry is a subtle temptation for so many of us,…

In several years of preaching, there is an area that I have come to enjoy very much – premarital counseling. If you had told me when starting this would be something that would bring so much joy and satisfaction, I most likely would have laughed out loud. However, I find it to be very rewarding and, as it turns out, a very good thing for my own marriage. Julie and I almost always sit down for a number of one-hour…

Parents may not fully realize it now, with the constant demands, joys and challenges (and sheer exhaustion!) of parenting, but those little ones really do grow up all too quickly. We want and desperately need God’s help in blessing our children. An earlier article (2 weeks ago) first dealt with this theme. Here’s some additional suggestions for praying for the little ones in your life. 1) Pray that wisdom and biblical discernment would be their constant friend (Proverbs 2:3-5; Philippians…

Don’t you love easy questions? Sometimes we are hammered with difficult questions that can take time and much thought to contemplate and respond. Jesus asked an easy question in John 5:6, “Do you want to be made well?” It was a question posed to a man who had been plagued with an infirmity for a period of 38 years. Can you imagine suffering for that long and someone coming and asking you if you want to be well? It’s seemingly…