Contending Lawfully
“And if also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have contended lawfully” (2 Timothy 2:5). Human beings have probably been playing games since time […]
Tag: Life
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Did Christ Go to Hell?
The scriptures teach plainly that Christ went to paradise after His death. In Luke 23:43 we read these words: "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Jesus clearly told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise. One thing we know from the scriptures to be true is that paradise is not hell, and neither is hell paradise.
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What is the Gospel?
What is the gospel? It is 1) the Good News, 2) the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus, 3) the Power of God to Salvation. Each hearer will be able to answer the question, “What is the gospel?” I want to communicate that the gospel is God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ.
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You Are Special! God said so
When God brought the children of Israel out of bondage, He instructed Moses to tell them this: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My […]
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What is Freedom?
What does it mean to be free? Some say that freedom is being able to do anything with no limits. I do not subscribe to that definition because, if followed […]
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Clean Hands or Clean Heart?
What does it mean to be defiled? The Pharisees had one definition. Jesus had a different definition. In this lesson, we will examine 1) the meaning, 2) the manner, and 3) the menace of defilement. Each hearer will be able to explain that defilement originates in the heart, not from some external source. The aim of this lesson is to communicate that Christianity teaches personal responsibility.
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Obey the Lord
In this lesson, we will discuss the command to obey the Lord. We will look at 1) What the command means, 2) Who is responsible to follow it, and 3) Why we must obey it. Each hearer should be impressed with the absolute necessity of obeying the Lord. I hope to communicate with each person what obedience means.
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Are Americans Losing Their Faith?
At the end of August, buried among the headlines of riots and viruses, a three-thousand person survey found that 52% of those that responded did not believe that Jesus was […]
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The Bible Doctrine of Inspiration
In this lesson we will look at the bible doctrine of inspiration: the evidence for inspiration; the nature of inspiration; the function of inspiration; and the scope of inspiration; some misunderstandings of inspiration. The objective of this lesson is to help everyone understand what the Bible doctrine of inspiration is and implies and to help all respect God's authority.
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“A Beautiful Life”
In this lesson we will study the song “A Beautiful Life.” This song emphasizes that the true beauty of the Christian is in 1) serving others 2) pure living, 3) recognizing our mortality. Each hearer should understand that life is fleeting and we need to make the most of every day to do good to others.
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The Story of Ed the Altar
From Joshua 22 we learn about 1) Fellowship, 2) Falling Out, 3) Fact Finding, and 3) Fairness. We should follow the example of the Israelites when resolving our problems as well.
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Keep the Unity of the Spirit
We must keep the unity of the Spirit by 1) Speaking the Same Things 2) Not have division, 3) Have the same Judgment. Each listener should be able to explain how to have unity. Each Christian should be committed to maintaining unity by doing these things.
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What is a Christian?
A Christian is a person who 1) Believes Christ, 2) Obeys Christ, 3) Is Faithful to Christ. Each person should understand that it isn’t enough to claim to be a Christian, one must live that way.
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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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God Has Spoken in a Way We Can Understand
God has spoken in a way we can understand because 1) God knows how to communicate, 2) The Bible is written in a language we can understand, and 3) Jesus gives us his example so that we may follow. Each person should know that he/she can understand and obey the Bible.
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Living in a Rubber Room (Part 1)
“Why is there so much suffering in the world?” the atheist asks. The believer responds, “Because God made people free to choose between right and wrong, and all suffering is […]
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What is Reality?
What is reality? God is real. People are real. Relationships are real. Each listener will know the biblical answer to the question, “What is Reality?” We will focus our thoughts on what is real as opposed to what is not.
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The Lord Hears When We Pray and Provides (Psalm 4)
The Lord hears when we pray and provides 1) Relief, 2) Relationship, 3) Righteousness, and 4) Refuge. Each Christian should learn to trust in the Lord and turn to him to prayer in all circumstances of life. The aim of this lesson is to help each Christian recognize the power of prayer through the Psalms.
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Paradise Reclaimed
Revelation 22 pictures paradise reclaimed and offers a path to it. In this chapter we find 1) A Reward for the Faithful 2) A Watch for the Living, 3) A Warning for the Wicked. The hearer should understand that God is working to restore us to His original plan and we must obey him to get there.
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The Brothers Karamazov
I recently read the book The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is an impressive literary work that touches on religion, law, psychology, and philosophy. The author sets forth […]