Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
We’re nearing the end of the year, which has a lot of people looking for ways to improve their lives and make changes for the better. As Christians, we always need to be doing this – especially from a spiritual standpoint. When Paul wrote to the brethren in Philippi, he talked about pressing on toward the goal. What does that mean for us? We’re going to touch on some points in our episode today.Continue Reading
Shortly before His death, Jesus instituted a memorial to help His disciples remember Him and the sacrifice He was about to make on the cross (Matthew 26:26-29). This memorial was later referred to as “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20).
In the first century, Christians “gathered together” to observe this memorial “on the first day of the week” (Acts 20:7). This memorial consisted of the bread which represented Jesus’ body and the cup (fruit of the vine) which represented His blood that was shed on the cross (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Paul also emphasized to the brethren in Corinth that when they would “come together to eat” (partake of the Lord’s Supper), they were to “wait for one another” (1 Corinthians 11:33).Continue Reading
Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | RSS
In this season, we’re discussing some lessons from Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus.
“Hold fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13, NKJV). This was Paul’s instruction to a young evangelist. Like most other instructions we read in the New Testament, it is just as applicable to us today as it was to Timothy in the first century. But not all of these instructions are emphasized much today. It is not common to hear a denominational preacher talk about the New Testament pattern. There are some in the Lord’s church who do not like to talk about it much either.
In fact, if you emphasize the pattern, some will label you as a legalist or a Pharisee. But we know we must follow the pattern because that is what Paul told Timothy to do. So let us see what the Bible says about holding fast the pattern.
Article: Hold Fast the Pattern
Mentioned in this episode:
If you found this episode to be useful, please share it with others. Also, if you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a rating on iTunes or Stitcher. This also helps others hear about the podcast. Thanks.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep” (Psalm 127:1-2).
The psalm was written by Solomon – king of Israel and builder of the temple. He understood the need to rely upon God in building God’s house, in protecting the city, and in his labor.
Continue Reading
Our goal must be to “retain the standard of sound words” found in the New Testament (2 Timothy 1:13). Part of retaining the standard is having elders to oversee the local congregation. To have this, we must develop, identify, appoint, and then work with the elders in our respective local churches. May God bless us as we seek to follow His pattern in this regard.
Continue Reading
As we begin this study, we are going to consider why elders are needed, what it is that makes elders special, and why Christians should desire to have elders in the local churches of which they are members. We will also briefly examine the work of elders as it is described in the New Testament.
Continue Reading
Daniel Austen Sommer (1878-1952) was the son of the gospel preacher Daniel Sommer. In 1916, D.A. Sommer debated J. Roy Wright of the Christian church. The debate dealt with several issues, including instrumental music in worship and missionary societies. In his first speech, Sommer pointed out something that he and Wright had in common.
Continue Reading
Peter issued this challenge to all Christians: “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). However, many Christians feel unprepared to do this; therefore, many conversations that could potentially lead people to the truth never get started.
This book will help equip all Christians to start engaging in spiritual conversations with those around them by providing simple answers to some basic Bible questions. Being ready to give an answer does not mean having an answer to every possible question at the drop of a hat. Instead, it means being able to give a ready answer to questions that are fundamental to our faith that can open the door to further discussions and studies with those who are interested. By studying the material in this book and becoming familiar with the Scriptures cited in each answer, Christians will be better prepared and have more confidence when they discuss their faith with others.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
If you have further questions about using any of the material on this site, please contact me.