The promise that Jesus will walk with us is found throughout the Bible. One of the most well-known passages is found in Matthew 28:20, where Jesus says to his disciples, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This promise comes at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus has been resurrected from the dead and has given his disciples the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations.
Continue reading “Jesus walks with us.”Bright and shiny light bulbs! What an invention the light bulb. Every time I need to see what is in the darkness I can flip that switch and that bulb shines brightly. Yet is that bulb actually shining? Nope, actually the bulb is just protecting the filament that has been carefully placed within the bulb that causes it to shine.
Continue reading “The Element Within!”In today’s bulletin, I want to talk about my beliefs on church activity. Now, let me say right up front that this has drastically changed over the years. There was a time when I believed that a church was failing in its responsibilities if it wasn’t always busy doing something. What we were doing didn’t matter as much as long as the church was doing something. That all changed when I learned the phrase, “Holiness doesn’t equal holiness.” That truth drove me back to the Bible and Jesus as my example. I saw that Jesus was always busy but even then, what he was doing mattered more than simply being busy. He always prioritized people over busyness and if he was interrupted he took the time to see the person and their needs. Just as important, he always took time for himself, rested, and encouraged his disciples to do the same.
Continue reading “Patience, family, and church work.”Today we will wrap up our introduction to the last book of the New Testament. Over the past couple of years, we have covered every book of the Bible and hopefully it has been a blessing to you. Last week, we dealt with the introductory topics like authorship, dating, history, and purpose. Today we’re going to look at the 4 major themes of the book.
Continue reading “An introduction to Revelation part 2”The book of Revelation has always been one of my favorite books in the entire Bible. I have often been asked why and perhaps the reason lies in its focus. Revelation was written near the end of the first century in a time when Christians were being persecuted and dying for their faith in Jesus. To encourage and challenge them to greater faithfulness, Jesus gives John this series of visions to explain our suffering and more importantly remind us of our ultimate victory. Throughout the book the message is always the same: No matter what happens in this life, in the end faithful Christians will stand victorious with Jesus. True to that purpose, this book has always given me hope and courage to keep serving Jesus and His people.
Continue reading “An Introduction to the Book of Revelation”With today being Christmas day, I want us to reflect on the true message of Jesus, the gospel, and Christmas. Some might be wondering what I am thinking but bear with me and hopefully it will make sense. I have heard the phrase “Keep Christ in Christmas” more times than I care to mention and yet is this really the purpose of Christmas or Christ.
Continue reading “The true message of Jesus, gospel, and Christmas.”At just 219 words, 3 John is the shortest book in the entire Bible. The size and them of 3 John is like 2 John. Both letters were written by the apostle John who is called “the elder” (v. 3). The sense of appreciation for their “children walking in truth” (vv. 3-4) also resonates in both letters. And, of course, both letters include warnings against church leaders who would deceive and abuse the church members.
Continue reading “Introduction to 3 John.”All four gospels describe John as a fisherman from Galilee, son of Zebedee and brother of the apostle James. The book of Acts also tells us that he is a leader of the church in Jerusalem.
Continue reading “Introduction to 2 John.“Eph. 3:14-19.
I am certain that you, like myself, are praying for the growth of the Lord’s church here and throughout the world. Regularly, I am praying for growth especially in the ways that the Lord wants us to grow but what is that. True growth is so much more than simply metrics like attendance numbers or contribution amounts. Real growth is growing in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). It is growing in our understanding of and imitation of Jesus (Eph. 4:15-16) in our daily lives.
Continue reading “A prayer for growth.“
Central Haywood Church of Christ 