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Sentence Sermons
Manner of dress is important
Evolution Easte
Baptism Bible
Study Helps Giving
The Perfect Church The
Tower of Babel
Lessons From Jonah Hearing
Problems
Two
Reasons Why Women Are Not To Be In Roles Of Public Leadership In The Church
The
Roman Road, where does it lead? Confessing
"Give
Me An "Acts" and "2 38's"!"
Christian
Example
Does My Baby Need to
be Baptized?
Introduction
to the Church of Christ
Emergency
Phone Numbers
The
Old Paths
Is
The Church That Jesus Built A Denomination?
No
Games With God
The
Evolution of Denominations
Lessons
From Certain Disciples
When One Is Baptized
Faithless Futility
Things That Are Not
In Hell
Someone With Skin
On Him
Immaterial
Keep
Your Fork
Sacrificing
Our Children
Doubting
Thomas
So What Does The
Next Generation Think?
The Key to Obedience
God's Wings
Respecting the Silence
of the Scriptures
Deliverance From
Evil
Fathers
Who Failed
The
Judgement of God
A
christian
The
Bible and Personal Ethics
Those Who Thirst
Grandma
and the cake
Some
Interesting Facts About the Bible
I
Want A Church That Meets My Needs
Impatient
Christians
One day a 6 year old girl was sitting in a classroom. The teacher
was going
to explain evolution to the children. The teacher asked a little
boy: Tommy
do you see the tree outside?
TOMMY:Yes.
TEACHER: Tommy, do you see the grass outside?
TOMMY: Yes.
TEACHER: Go outside and look up and see if you can see the sky.
TOMMY: Okay. (He returned a few minutes later) Yes, I saw the sky.
TEACHER: Did you see God?
TOMMY: No.
TEACHER: That's my point. We can't see God because he isn't there.
He
doesn't exist. A little girl spoke up and wanted to ask the boy
some
questions. The teacher agreed and the little girl asked the
boy: Tommy, do you see the tree outside?
TOMMY: Yes.
LITTLE GIRL: Tommy do you see the grass outside?
TOMMY: Yessssss (getting tired of the questions by this time).
LITTLE GIRL: Did you see the sky?
TOMMY: Yessssss
LITTLE GIRL: Tommy, do you see the teacher?
TOMMY: Yes
LITTLE GIRL: Do you see her brain?
TOMMY: No
LITTLE GIRL: Then according to what we were taught today in school,she
must
not have one!
"FOR WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT" II CORINTHIANS 4:7 Pass it on
in peace!
Smart little girl isn't she?
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Our manner of dress is important!
(comment by Wm. Hoyt Nelson: We live in a time when great imphasis is placed upon casual dress. Current fashion is designed to have the individual be as "confortable as possible" and thus casual dress becomes more and more acceptable. However, I am constrained to look at "manner of dress" a little differently. I think when we gather to pay homage to the Almighty God grave consideration should be given to the activities at hand. We need to offer the best that we have and the best we can afford with a proper attitude to God. Thus, I share this article with you. It comes from "Heaven Word", a publication from the Jacksonville State University Christian Student Center.)
It was Thursday night and I sat alone in the guard room of our local jail. My Bible class had finished early and I was waiting on the other groups to finish so we could leave together. Every person wishing to visit someone in jail must pass through this room. As I waited I glanced over the signs which were posted to give visitors various warnings and cautions. One sign caught my attention because it was posted at least four different times in key lovations. All of the other signs were posted only once. Obviously this was a message they wanted to make sure all visitors understood. What message do you think a jail wanted to make sure it got across to its visitors? It wasn't about bringing anything that could be used as weapons. The sign read as follows.
Sitting in a church house on Sunday doesn't make one a christian
any more than sitting in a chicken house makes one a chicken. Andrew
Connally
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The Tower of Babel
Have you ever noticed that many seemingly insignificant Bible stories have great value for modern day Christians? For instance, the Tower of Babel. The men of Babel decided to build a great city and tower. According to the Bible, they did this for two reasons. First, they wanted to make a name for themselves. Second, they did not want to be scattered abroad. There are three important things that we can learn from this short story.
First, we noticed that they wanted to make a name for themselves. There was no effort to give God the glory. Aren't we often guilty today of attempting to make names for ourselves rather than glorifying our Lord. We often hold in high esteem people who have accumulated great wealth or knowledge but fail to give those who proclaim the gospel the same. In our own lives, we often measure success in the same way. Would it not be better to measure our success by what we have accomplished for the Lord ? Which is better, to acquire great wealth, fame, or education or to be simply known by our deeds as a godly and upright person?
The next thing that they desired was to stay together in one large group. This is a direct contradiction to God's will. From the beginning God had commanded man to be fruitful and multiply so that the earth might be filled. Again, after the flood, Noah and his family were instructed to do the same. So, it seems that these men were attempting to disregard this command. As we all know, God confused their speech and they were scattered throughout the earth. The lesson for us is that in the end God will have his way, even though we may have our way for a time. The people of Babel were very successful for a time and probably thought all was well; but God did have it His way. When we are judged at the end of time, it will be by the word of God. We may feel good now BUT…..God will have his way and we will be judged according to how well we followed His way as recorded in His Holy Bible.
I believe that we have an example of this in the New Testament. As you recall, our Lord gave the great commission, to go into all the world and preach the gospel. When the church was established, it appears that all the Christians, or at least most of them, stayed in or around Jerusalem. They were enjoying the fellowship of their brethren and all seemed well. However, persecution came and they were soon scattered abroad and went everywhere preaching the gospel. I believe that largely because of this persecution, Paul could later proclaim that the gospel had been preached to every creature under heaven.
The last lesson that I gleaned from this Old Testament story is on a positive note. When God came down to observe their work, he saw unity of language, spirit, and ideas. All of this unity was being misapplied but notice God's remark that "nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do." Even God seemed to be impressed at their cooperative spirit.
We can make many applications to this portion of the story, but I will only use two important examples. If each congregation of the Lord's church had this kind of unity and purpose, just think of all the good things that would be accomplished. Just think what it would be like to work in such an environment. It would certainly never be boring, probably harder to become discouraged, and also much more productive than any church work that we have done in recent years. Think about that one, really seriously.
I think that we should also apply this sort of unity to our homes. This is a good reason for choosing a Christian mate. All of the things mentioned concerning the church would apply in our homes. If each member had this unified spirit, chores would not seem as much of a burden, mothers and fathers would have more time to spend with their children, and most importantly all would have more time for their spiritual needs. They could all enjoy the great fellowship and work of the church mentioned in the paragraph above. Now, I ask, isn't it amazing how beneficial a short Bible story can be?
I think I shall never see
A church that’s all it ought to be;
A church whose members never stray
Beyond the strait and narrow way;
A church that has no empty pews
Whose elders never have the blues;
A church whose deacons always “deak”
And none is proud, and all are meek;
Where gossips never peddle lies
Or make complaints or criticize;
Where all are always sweet and kind
And all to others faults are blind;
Such perfect churches there may be,
But none of them are known to me.
But still, we’ll work, pray and plan
To make THIS ONE the BEST we can!
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WHAT WILL YOUR CHECKBOOK TELL ABOUT
YOU?
Some time ago I read about a man who has written many biographies.
He noted that it was easy to find out what a man said and what he had done,
but when it came to finding out what kind of man he really was, the biographer
was up a stump. Then he discovered that the surest way to get the truth
was to look at the stubs of old check books. What a man gives his money
for--that tells the tale.
Why not stop before you read any further and get out your check
book for the past year? What does it say about you? It might say:
1. "This man cares more about entertainment--football, hunting,
fishing, golf, tennis and movies than he does the Lord."
2. "This man cares more about his personal appearance--clothes,
grooming, haircuts, etc., then he does the church."
3. "This man cares more about civic interests--clubs, community
projects and the Red Cross than he does about the lost."
4. "This man cares more about vacations and traveling (just look
at those gas bills) than he does about the expansion of the Kingdom of
God.
5. "This man cares more about temporal security--bonds, stocks and
investments than he does about treasures in heaven."
Would you be ashamed if suddenly your check book began to blab the
truth about you to all your friends and neighbors?
-G. K. Wallace
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PageBible Study Helps
Here are some suggestions and things to remember in reading and
studying the Bible:
1. The Bible is one book although it is made up of many books: 39
in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Bible is not a textbook
of science, history, geography, physiology, etc. However, it uses these
in the development of its theme and purpose, which is the redemption and
salvation of man through Jesus Christ.
2. The Bible has two major divisions: the Old Testament (Genesis
through Malachi) and the New Testament (Matthew through Revelation). these
are clearly distinguished (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 8:8-13; 10:9-10). We
now (since the cross) live and serve under the New Testament (Colossians
2:14; Galatians 3:19-28).
3. The Bible has three major periods of history: The Period of Promise,
from creation to the giving of the Law of Moses (Genesis 1 - Exodus 20);
The period of Judaism, from the giving of the Law of Moses to Acts 2, the
day the church was established; and The Period of Christianity, from Acts
2 until Judgment Day. (Note: The first written law to man was the law given
to the Jews at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. These three periods
are clearly distinguished in Galatians 3 by Paul.)
4. The Old Testament is subdivided into four parts: Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy);
History (Joshua-Esther); Poetry (Job-Song of Solomon); and Prophecy (Isaiah-Malachi).
5. The New Testament is subdivided into four parts: The four accounts
of the Life of Christ written to convince men that Jesus is the Son of
God (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; note John 20:30-31); The Book of Acts,
a book showing how to become a Christian; the Epistles, outlining how to
live the Christian life; and the book of Revelation, a book of signs and
symbols written primarily to comfort God's people.
6. In Genesis 12:1-7, there are three promises made to Abraham by
God. God promised that he would make of Abraham a nation, give to his descendants
the land of Canaan, and that through his seed all the nations of the earth
would be blessed. The entire Old Testament is the development of the "land"
promise and the "nation" promise. The New Testament is the fulfillment
of the "seed" promise. Abraham's descendants through Isaac became the nation
of Israel. God gave them the land of Canaan. It was through this nation
that the Messiah (Jesus Christ) would come. The "seed" promise involves
Christ, the church, and the Gospel (Galatians 3:16; Genesis 22:18).
7. The Bible is the greatest book in the world. The Bible is the
only book in the world that can give a satisfactory explanation of God,
the
world, man, sin, salvation, life here and even hereafter. There are no
experiences in life for which the Bible does not furnish information.
"Be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is."
Ephesians 5:17. "Search the Scriptures" John 5:39; Acts 17:11
~Randy Kea, Forest Park Church of Christ, Forest Park, GA
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HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY PEOPLE GET CONFUSED ABOUTBAPTISM???
The word "baptism," "baptize," and "baptized" collectively appear
in the Bible 91 times. Certainly, even if only mentioned once, we would
understand it must be a topic of great importance. Unfortunately, the topic
of baptism is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied that you’ll
find in the Bible. Many would say the Bible is too difficult to understand
on this topic. This is not true because "God is not the author of confusion
but of peace..."(1 Cor 14:33 NKJV). Without adding any commentary, please
consider what the following verses really say about baptism:
(Mark 16:16 NKJV) "He who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe will be condemned.
(Acts 2:38 NKJV) Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every
one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 22:16 NKJV) 'And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized,
and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'
(1 Pet 3:21 NKJV) There is also an antitype which now saves us;
baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a
good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
Did you notice all of these verses plainly teach that baptism "saves,"
"remits (forgives) sins," and "washes away sins?"
One other important point which might help make the connection between
Christ’s death and baptism. Why did Christ die? To shed his blood for our
sins (Heb. 9:22, Heb. 10:10). Where can I contact this saving blood of
Christ? In his death, which Paul states is accomplished in baptism. "Or
do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism
into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4).
Answer this important question? Are you washed in the blood? The
answer is "no" if you haven’t been baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
Shall we gather at the river???
Jason Moon
Church Street Church of Christ
Lewisburg, Tennessee
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Lessons from a Preacher With a Bad Attitude (Jonah)
In the Book of Jonah, we have the story of a preacher, Jonah, who has what we might call a bad attitude. The word of the Lord had come unto Jonah telling him to go and preach to the great city of Nineveh. But Jonah did not want to preach to this city. We do not know the reason but perhaps he was afraid of these people and their great wickedness. Nineveh was probably the capitol city of Assyria. It is now known that these people were probably the first to use crucifixion as a form of punishment. They had also devised methods to literally skin one alive by removing small portions of skin until the whole body was skinned. Of course, without skin the person would slowly dehydrate and bleed until death occurred. They were thought to be the first to pluck out the eyes or cut out the tongues of their enemies. They were also an inventive people with great wealth. We are told that the excavation of this ancient city revealed that they had indoor water and even swimming pools. But for whatever reason, Jonah did not want to comply with God’s instructions and attempted to run away from God by boarding a ship that was sailing to Tarshis, which was in the opposite direction.
God sent a mighty tempest against the ship. The seamen prayed to their gods and cast the ship’s wares overboard in an effort to save themselves. But Jonah lay in the sides of the ship, sleeping as if nothing was happening. The ship’s master awoke him and told him to pray unto his God. Jonah confessed to them that he was the cause of the problem and said that he should be thrown overboard. The crew prayed to God that they not be held accountable of innocent blood and finally cast Jonah overboard. Then the seas calmed.
Let us stop here for a moment and simply reflect on this portion of the lesson. First notice that God gave clear instruction but Jonah deliberately made up his mind to disobey. Don’t many today make this same mistake. I am told that there are over 1800 religious bodies in the United States today, but Christ said that he would build his church, indicating only one church. He also stated that he was the way, the truth and the life, indicating only one way for man. Yet, man has devised some 1800 ways. Are not all these ways leading away from God just as Jonah attempted to do? If all of man simply to what the Bible says, would we have one way or 1800 ways? Think about it, doesn’t each of these groups have differences? If not why should they exist? Are you running from God or are you willing to take His Word and make application to your life? Even though Jonah deliberately ran from God and knew that he was running from God, one can be moving away from God by following false teaching. 2 Peter 3:17
I think that another important lesson from this first chapter of the Book of Jonah is that we should have a nonbiased attitude toward those around us. By that I mean, we should not show partiality to one person or group of persons. For some reason, Jonah seemed to feel that the people of Nineveh were not worthy of salvation. Do we not see this today in our society and our congregations? Do we always treat a poor person the same as a wealthy man? Do we give those of other racial and ethnic groups the same importance we give those of our own heritage?
In chapter two, we find Jonah in the belly of the fish, it seems composing a psalm unto the Lord. We can see that he has faith in God to deliver him from this horrible situation. Many times our faith is strongest in time of need or distress. Jonah seems to know the goodness of God and God’s willingness to forgive. I am reminded of the parable of the Prodigal Son. Recall how that the father saw the son a far off and ran to meet him, fell on his neck and kissed him, had the best robe placed on him, placed a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet, and even killed the fatted calf that they might have a feast. Such was the case with Jonah. God receive a penitent Jonah from the belly of the fish. The lesson here is that no matter how desperate the situation, even in the belly of a fish, our God is willing to accept us back if we repent.
In chapter three, the Lord again tells Jonah to go preach. This time Jonah obeyed and had great success. All the people of that great city repented, wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes. Notice here that the people received the word of the Lord and turned from their wickedness. Compare this to those in Acts 2:41 “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” Notice the similarity, both groups received the word of God and both groups had a form of salvation. The city of Nineveh was saved from destruction and those on Pentecost were saved from their sins. I think that it is important to note that a receptive heart is just as vital to us today as it was in the time of Jonah. We must adhere to God’s word in all that we do.
One would think that Old Jonah would be the happiest preacher alive after restoring a city of perhaps three million people but such was not the case. He was very angry and complained to God that he knew that God would forgive the Ninevehites if they repented. God even showed him via the gourd plant how that he had more compassion for the gourd than he had for the whole city of Nineveh. This situation should never exist. However, doesn’t the same thing happen from time to time today. Do we truly rejoice when “lesser people” come to Christ? I believe that it is very easy for us to fall into this same trap today. It is vital for us to always be alert to our attitudes. It is vital that we truly go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. That would include the very wicked, the very poor, as well as all races.
To me, it is clear that there are four different attitudes which Jonah possessed. First he was rebellious and ran away from the presence of the Lord. Second, he was penitent and was moving toward the Lord. Third, he was doing the Lord’s will. Fourth, he was unhappy that the Lord’s will had been obey by the Ninevehites. I can see myself personally in at least three of these attitudes. I believe that everyone fits into one of the categories above, don’t you? If so, which category best describes you now?
I realize that this may have been a rambling discourse on the Book of Jonah. There are probably many more lesson that we might learn from this Inspired Book. I want to thank you for reading this lesson and would be extremely grateful for your comments and thoughts about this study.