The Three L’s of Liberty: Law, License, & Love
Posted in Sermons by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Categories: Choices, Salvation, Romans, Galatians
The biblical concept of liberty may be analogous in some ways to political or humanitarian liberty, but is also likely different from them in others. This lesson seeks to help us understand not only what "liberty" means in the N.T., but also how it is achieved, and what it requires of those who attain it.
Lady’s Man, Man’s Man, My Own Man, or God’s Man?
Posted in Articles by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Categories: Choices, Growth, 1 Samuel, 1 Kings
Most churches are composed of more women than men. This is due, in part, to the general tendency of women to live longer than men. But even among the younger populace of congregations, there are again usually more females than males. I’m not exactly sure why this is so, but for whatever reasons, women generally seem to be more accepting of the gospel and spiritually-minded than men. While this is certainly a commendable reflection upon the fairer sex, it surely doesn’t bode well for the male of the species! So, what can be done to improve the spiritual-mindedness of us guys? Consider three representative types of men: the Lady’s Man, the Man’s Man, and the My Own Man.
“Double, Double Toil and Trouble”
Posted in Sermons by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Categories: Commitment, Faith, Fidelity, 1 Peter
The title is taken from the chant of the three witches as they stir the cauldron in Act IV, Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” The rest of the line is “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.” I’m certainly not advocating Bill Shakespeare’s fictitious concept of witches and cauldrons producing problems in our lives, but do you ever feel as if you’ve received more than your share of difficulties? Or to switch metaphors, that “Murphy’s Law” was written about you? Does it seem as if anything possibly could go wrong, it does? Then perhaps this lesson will help.
“Right” but not “Radiant”
Posted in Sermons by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Categories: Church, Fidelity, Acts, Ephesians, Revelation
The church at Ephesus stands unique among all of those mentioned in the New Testament. No other church can be followed through the text quite so completely. We see its beginning (Acts 18 -19), its growth and development (Ephesians), and its atrophy, warning, and prescription (Rev.2). There is simply not other church which can be so openly laid bare for examination in the Scriptures. As such, there are many lessons to be learned- we will only scratch the surface in this study. Specifically, we will attempt to understand exactly what was the "first love" which the Ephesians had left. (Some 25+ years ago, I heard Bro. Larry Bilbo describe the church at Ephesus as "Right, but not radiant"- that apt description has stuck with me from that day till this.)
