Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. Rom 16:16
Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. Rom 16:16
Built to Last.
By Edison Boggess
Today is Father's Day and I would
like to wish all ourfathers a happy Father's
Day. I am thankful for my father and all the
love and support he has shown me. When we
moved the other week, I dropped off some
yard tools since we would be unable to use
them at the apartment. One ofthose tools is a
chainsaw, one that I find to be rather
remarkable. I find it to be remarkable because
it is over 50 years old and originally belonged
to my grandfather. My dad remembers it
being old looking when he was a kid and yet
last.
it still runs! It truly was a tool that was built to
Recently, there has been a debate on
the validity ofthe Bible in the 21st Century.
People will claim that it is outdated, that it is a
text that does not apply today. Perhaps they
abandon it all together, or perhaps they
choose to change it to fit to their modern
sensibilities.
When in these situations, I often turn
to Hebrews 4:12. "Forthe word ofGod is
living and active, sharperthan any two-edged
sword, piercing to the division of soul and of
spirit, ofjoints and of marrow, and discerning
the thoughts and intentions ofthe heart." The
Bible is described as "living and active" that
is not something that lost validity a 1000
years ago. The Bible still applies today; its
principles can be taken applied into even
modern problems. So, let us turn to the word
ofGod, even in the modern today. It is built to
last
Simple Christianity: I Corinthians 2:1-5
Simpler Times.
A.
We live in a complicated world.
b. Is religion something that should be simple or complicated?
e. Let us see what Paul says...
11. Lofty Speech is not Required.
III.
a. Paul did not use "superior" language.
1:18-21).
b. Paul was nothing like the worldly teachers (I Corinthians
e. The Gospel does not need lofty speech or wisdom.
d. We do not need lofty speech.
Because Our Faith Should Not Rest in the Wisdom of
Men, but the Power ofGod.
a. Since these things are not required, we should not rely on
men.
17).
b. The Corinthians had a problem with this (1 Corinthians 1:10-
c. There are three reasons why we should notfollow men
1. It takes away the power ofGod (Acts 12:22-23).
2. We risk falling away into false teaching (Colossians 2:4).
3. Humans will fail; God will not. (Galatians 2:11, Hebrews
13:8).
IV. We Only Preach Jesus Christ Crucified.
a. Jesus is our only savior and so we only proclaim him (Acts
4:12).
b. All we need to know and preach is Jesus Christ crucified.
c. Ifit is not related to that, then it is over-complicating our
faith.
d. We must avoid over-complicating the simple message
(Matthew 23:4).
e. We do not want to be a stumbling block (Matthew 18:6).
V. Salvation is Only a Simple Step Away
Waiting On The Lord
By: Carl Pollard
No one on this planet enjoys waiting. It is something that if we can help it, we do our best to avoid at all cost. Especially in our society today, patience is few and far between. We don’t enjoy waiting. And yet, each and every one of us has to wait.
We wait in traffic, at school, in a drive through, at the DMV, at the doctors office, and husbands wait on their wives. In life, there’s a whole lot of waiting to be done. As Christians, our main focus is on the second coming of Christ. Guess what? We’ve got to wait for that, too!
Sometimes I struggle to remember that it is a good thing to wait on the Lord. It isn’t easy. It goes against the grain of our fast-paced culture. But, there are benefits to waiting on God. In times of waiting we will find growth. Isaiah 40:31 says, “but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”
Ornithologists, or as I like to call them, “bird nerds,” say that birds have three methods of flight. Flapping is keeping their wings in constant motion, like a hummingbird, to counteract gravity. Flapping keeps them in the air, but it is a lot of work. Second is gliding. Here the bird builds up enough speed, then coast downward a while. It is much more graceful than flapping, but unfortunately it does not get the bird very far. Reality in the form of gravity sets in quickly. Gliding is nice, but it does not last. The third way is soaring. Only a few birds, such as eagles, are capable of soaring. Eagles’s wings are so strong that they are capable of catching rising currents of warm air – thermal winds that go straight up from the earth – and without moving a feather can soar up to great heights. Eagles have been clocked at up to 80 m.p.h. without flapping at all. They just soar on invisible columns of air.
Now what Isaiah said makes a little more sense. The time will come when those who wait on the Lord will soar with wings like eagles. If we will put our trust in almighty God, He will carry us much higher than we could go flapping on our own. Waiting on the Lord Increases our strength.
Acts 1:4, says, “And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father,” I wonder what was going through the minds of the apostles as they waited in Jerusalem after their Messiah left. He was their teacher, they were now all alone facing the religious leaders without Jesus there with them. Jesus says, “stay in Jerusalem.” This was probably the last place these apostles would’ve wanted to be. But they obeyed, and they waited for what appears to be around ten days.
And nothing…until the day of Pentecost. Then, their waiting was worth it. They received a gift from God!
Sometimes God asks us to wait. We wait so that our trust will deepen. We wait so that we are reminded of God’s control. We wait so that God can work. Wait on Him, and you will find strength!