The Harshness of Gentle Parenting (Ephesians 6:4)
WatchNotesDownloadDateTitle
- Oct 15, 2023The Harshness of Gentle Parenting (Ephesians 6:4)
The Harshness of Gentle Parenting (Ephesians 6:4)
- Oct 15, 2023The Church Sends The Missionaries (Acts 13)
The Church Sends The Missionaries (Acts 13)It is common in our modern era for missionaries to use mission boards to help them get to their field of service. It is an application of the Biblical pattern of many churches working together to fund and support Christian workers who are going out to plant new churches in faraway places.When used properly, mission boards can be a great blessing by collecting and distributing the funds for the missionary and providing much-needed advice and practical assistance. But mission boards can be misused, and one of the primary ways a board can go wrong is when that board becomes the sending agency instead of the local church.God has chosen to use the local church in this age to be the organization that distributes the gospel around the world. Souls are evangelized, edified, and equipped for service through the ministry of the local church. And it is the local church that has the privilege of confirming God’s call on a person's life and sending them out to accomplish God’s specific will for their life.The church cannot rely on outside groups to do their job. They cannot delegate their responsibility to a para-church organization. The church must supply and then send the workforce for worldwide evangelization.
- Oct 8, 2023Children Obey Your Parents (Ephesians 6:1-3)
Children Obey Your Parents (Ephesians 6:1-3)
- Oct 8, 2023The Church Supplies the Missionaries (Acts 13)
The Church Supplies the Missionaries (Acts 13)Where do missionaries come from? They certainly do not grow on trees. Nor should they come from Bible Colleges or Christian Schools. God’s plan is for missionaries to be cultivated through the ministry of the local church.We find this pattern clearly demonstrated in the New Testament. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were ministering in a local church when God moved through that assembly to direct them to go out and plant churches from city to city. In Acts 15, Silas was chosen to travel with Paul because of his good testimony among the brethren. In Acts 16, Timothy was recommended to the ministry of missions by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. In each of these instances, local bodies of believers played an instrumental role in supplying Missionary’s.The purpose of the local church is to evangelize the lost and edify the believer, so that the work of the ministry can continue on. Part of that work is taking the gospel to foreign and remote regions. While it is not God’s will that every believer be a foreign missionary, it is certainly God’s will that some be. It is the responsibility of the church, then, to train and encourage believers to be willing to go wherever God would have them go to share the gospel with whoever needs it.We cannot rely on parachurch organizations to supply the workforce to accomplish world evangelization. It is the duty of the local church to supply missionaries.
- Oct 4, 2023The Fundamentals of Growth (2 Peter 1:3-4)
The Fundamentals of Growth (2 Peter 1:3-4)Pastor Peter had a burden to see believers grow and become mature. His second epistle was written specifically to encourage Christians to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God, while warning them that there were those who would corrupt their faith and hinder their growth.
Before Peter begins to discuss the specifics of spiritual growth, he lays some very important theological groundwork in 2 Peter 1:3-4. Such an important topic requires one crucial, foundational understanding. Spiritual growth cannot be accomplished with God’s help. The kind of “spirituality” that is achieved independent of God is, by definition, self-righteousness. This is the kind of religion that Jesus warned against, when He said, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20)
God has called all Christians to reject self-righteousness and to let God work in us to make us what He wants us to be. We can grow in grace, but we must grow God’s way to else God will not get the glory that He should get from our lives. - Oct 1, 2023The Mission of The Church, A Biblical Philosophy of Missions (Acts 1:8)
The Mission of The Church, A Biblical Philosophy of Missions (Acts 1:8)The Mission of The Church, a Biblical Philosophy of Missions.
- Sep 17, 2023I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care (Malachi 1:1-2)
I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care (Malachi 1:1-2)
- Sep 17, 2023A Father’s Faith (Mark 9:14-29)
A Father’s Faith (Mark 9:14-29)Nothing feels quite so awful as seeing your child suffer and knowing there is nothing you can do to stop it. If you have ever been in a situation like hat, then you understand the utter helplessness that one feels in that situation. Suppose, then, that you took your child to an expert who was supposed to be a specialist in fixing your child’s problem, but even they could not solve the issue. Your disappointment would be doubled, and you would be on the verge of despair. If you can imagine such a scenario, then you can begin to imagine how the father we meet in Mark 9 must have felt. His son was possessed by a devil and there was nothing he could do for him. He brought his son to Jesus’ disciples to be cured, and there was nothing they could do for him. He was on the verge of despair when Jesus arrived. When he asked Jesus to heal his son, Jesus responded by saying, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” That was not the answer the man was looking for, and in desperation, he cried, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Jesus did help that man’s unbelief. He healed the son, and that man’s faith grew that day because he learned that faith is not just believing that God can do whatever you need, but He is the only one who can do whatever you need, and He will meet your needs when you have Faith in Him.
- Sep 10, 2023Prophesy (Daniel 19)
Prophesy (Daniel 19)
- Sep 10, 2023The Cost of Discipleship (Mark 8:34-36)
The Cost of Discipleship (Mark 8:34-36)How hard is it to be a follower of Jesus? In an effort to persuade people to accept Christ as their Savior, we can mistakenly give people the idea that there is no cost involved in being a disciple of Jesus. The reality is that it is not easy to be a follower of Jesus. It costs something to be a disciple.In Mark 8:34 -36, Jesus gave His disciples a lesson on the cost of following him. He made it clear that the process of being a disciple is costly. There must be a denial of self, a decision to bear the burden of discipleship, and a daily commitment to keep following.The payoff, however, is more than worth it. If we willingly surrender our lives to God and the ministry of the gospel, then we are actually saving it. If we try to save our lives for ourselves, then we will lose it. For this reason, following Christ should be a priority over pursuing material gain or earthly pleasures.As high as the cost of discipleship is, the penalty for not following Jesus is even higher. Jesus said He would be ashamed of those who were ashamed of Him. Whether you follow Jesus or not, you will pay a price, but the cost of following Jesus is well worth it.
- Sep 3, 2023Mans Solution to Mans Problems (Judges 21:1-25)
Mans Solution to Mans Problems (Judges 21:1-25)Judges 21:1-25
- Sep 3, 2023Beware of the Leaven (Matthew 16:1-12)
Beware of the Leaven (Matthew 16:1-12)We are constantly surrounded by things that would kill us if they could. There are many creatures and organisms that are deadly to us if they attack us. There are chemicals and substances all around us that are potentially fatal. The world’s most deadly toxin, according to many scientists, is so poisonous that just one nanogram per kilogram of body weight is enough to kill a person. For this reason, we take reasonable precautions to protect ourselves. We cook our food to kill any potential germs that would make us sick. We wear bug spray to keep parasites from attacking us. Most of us do not go swimming with sharks. We are very good at protecting our bodies from things that would harm us. But what about our souls? Are we careful to guard against things that are potentially harmful to our souls? In Matthew 16, Jesus warned His disciples to be on guard against the evil influences that surrounded them. The language He used, however, left them wondering what He really meant. He said, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” They thought at first that He might have been referring to real food. But what Jesus was really talking about was the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. Their false doctrine was like leaven because just a small amount would permeate a large loaf. We cannot afford to let our guard down when it comes to false doctrine. Any belief that contradicts scripture must be avoided at all cost, because it will eventually taint many other beliefs and behaviors.
- Aug 30, 2023Ruth’s Second Redemption (Ruth 4:1-12)
Ruth’s Second Redemption (Ruth 4:1-12)Ruth’s first and most important redemption took place in Ruth 1. But there was another redemption that Ruth was blessed to experience, and how she came to experience that redemption is a beautiful illustration of the eternal redemption the God accomplishes through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The story of Ruth’s second redemption is wonderful to tell, but not as nearly wonderful as the story of our eternal redemption from sin.
- Aug 27, 2023They Knew Not That Evil Was Near Them (Judges 20:34)
They Knew Not That Evil Was Near Them (Judges 20:34)
- Aug 20, 2023The Process of Sanctification (Ephesians 4:20-24)
The Process of Sanctification (Ephesians 4:20-24)
