What is Freedom?
Freedom is not doing anything with no limits. Like a captain using a chart, we find true freedom by abiding in Christ's word (John 8:31-32) and serving in love.
Category: Bulletin Articles
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Heat
Like heat that is useful when directed well, fiery trials test and refine us. Genuine faith is more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:7). Has our faith held up?
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Are Americans Losing Their Faith?
A survey found 52 percent of Americans do not believe Jesus is God. Righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34), and we can still choose to follow Jesus.
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Football and The Church
My kids do not love football because they did not spend time playing it. The same is true of God, the church, and the Bible. We must spend time pursuing godly values.
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Heat
Heat is useful when properly directed, and so are the fiery trials of life. God uses them to prove the genuineness of our faith (1 Peter 1:7). Has our faith held up?
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Should We Prevent All Negative Consequences?
Suffering is not morally evil in itself; it depends on its purpose. God permits suffering to improve us, and all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).
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Anything You Say to Spread the Gospel Helps
You do not have to be a great evangelist; you just have to try. Even a clumsy effort to share the gospel beats silence. Jesus rejects the lukewarm (Revelation 3:16).
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Marriage is Approved by God. Fornication is Not.
Marriage is a sacred, one flesh union approved by God (Matthew 19:4-6). Fornication is not. God provides marriage to avoid sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 7:2-4).
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Living in a Rubber Room (Part 3)
Is love worth the risk? Rejecting the possibility of having love in our life is just another “rubber room,” a place where we will be protected from emotional pain, but at the loss of real relationships, which everyone actually desires most in this world. When we refuse to love others, we also fall into a profound self-absorption, a selfishness from which we will never recover. But to learn to love, we must risk suffering, and to risk suffering, we need a world that is not safe, sanitized, and preventative of all harm.
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Living in a Rubber Room (Part 2)
Why did God make us free? Freedom is necessary to love (Galatians 5:13). A computer can be programmed to say "I love you," but real love requires a free choice.
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Living in a Rubber Room (Part 1)
Why is there suffering? God made us free to choose, and suffering results from sin (Genesis 3:14-19). A world without consequences would be a "rubber room," not freedom.
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The Reality of Satan
Satan is real. The devil is the adversary of God and His people, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We must not compromise with him or believe his lies.
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Is There Justice in this World?
God is a God of justice (Deuteronomy 32:4), yet injustice happens in this fallen world (Ecclesiastes 3:16). True justice is found only through faith in Jesus.
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The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov contrasts "all things are lawful" with "every man is a debtor to all." Paul teaches that we owe everyone a Christlike life (Philippians 2:4).
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Racism in the Bible
Jesus broke down the prejudice of His day (John 4:9), and God confronted racism in the church in Acts 10. Racism opposes the unity God desires (Ephesians 2:11-22).
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The Sting of Death is Sin
The sting of death is not death but sin (1 Corinthians 15:56). When we are forgiven in Christ, death has no sting, only blessing (Revelation 14:13).
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Are You Worthy?
We cannot earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), yet God paid the price of His Son's blood for us (1 Peter 1:18-19). As far as the Father is concerned, we are worthy.
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The Invisible God
God is invisible on purpose (1 Timothy 1:17). He calls us to walk by faith in what we cannot see. Will we trust the visible self or the invisible God (Matthew 16:24-25)?
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Salvation by Grace or Salvation by Works
Some say all religions are the same, but doctrine makes a difference. Are we saved by grace or works? A system of earning salvation encourages immorality, not morality.
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A World of Distractions
We live in a world of distractions. Put others first, practice self-control (1 Corinthians 9:27), and spend time in Bible study and prayer to keep our focus on God.
