"Matters of the Mind (Sins of the flesh #2)" - Amy Lawrence
As we all survive this thing we call life, our experiences and the choices we make during our experiences mold our minds and thus our characters. I think we all can agree that the mind is a powerful thing.
Why Do People Suffer? - Ben Bailey
Look around and you will see that we live in a world plagued by suffering. The amount of people dying with such dreaded diseases as cancer, and AIDS is at an epidemic high. Many people around the world are literally starving to death right now. Others are in the midst of emotional and psychological turmoil and suffering. As we see the suffering that occurs in our world, we are naturally made to ask the question, “WHY?”. Why does human suffering occur?
"For God So Loved..." - Russ Vickers
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
The Blessing of Being a Christian - Ben Bailey
Being a Christian is the most blessed life one could ever live! Jesus said, “I came that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). What a true privilege it was to have been called Christians first at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Today, it is not less of a privilege and blessing to be a Christian. Notice a couple of blessings that come from being a Christian.
"I am with you always" - Russ Vickers
Sometimes we get out of bed in the morning and things do not always go according to plan. I saw on social media this morning a woman who complained about the traffic here in town. For many of us, this is a reality. There are other things that could happen to us. It could be that you did not sleep well the night before.
Prayer: Who, Why & How - Ben Bailey
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous main avails much” (James 5:16). Since prayer is such an important part of the Chrisitan life, it only makes sense the more I know about prayer the more it can benefit me and those in my prayer life. Here are some basic details Paul gives Timothy about prayer in 1 Tim. 2:1ff…
"Matters of the Mind (Sins of the flesh #1)" - Amy Lawrence
It matters what we think. Proverbs 23:7 states, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” Thought leads to action, action to character, character to behavior. Scripture often metaphorically describes the heart as the center of thought and intent, Heb. 4:12. There are so many things in this world battling for our attention, our heart, and our mind.
"Hey I Know You!" - Joey Ferrell
Many times, we all may run into someone that we either haven’t seen for a while, or maybe even someone that we don’t actually now well at all and the statement is heard “hey, I know you.” Sometimes we may know them well and just haven’t seen them in a while…or sometimes we really don’t “know” them at all.
The Precious Blood of Christ
The Holy Spirit says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins” (Heb. 9:22). The Old Testament Levitical system was a very bloody system (Lev. 1-5). For every sin of every kind there was a blood sacrifice to be offered (Lev. 4:1-12). Yet the Scripture records that the blood of all those bulls and goats could never really take away sin (Heb. 10:3-4). How thankful we should be that Jesus was willing to shed His blood once for all for sin so that the sin problem would have a permanent solution (Heb. 10:12). Notice just how important the blood of Christ is to our salvation.
"Standard - A Study on the Value of Truth" - Amy Lawrence
Our ability as a nation to recognize truth has diminished over the years, though. As time marches on, and as society is and has always been wont to slowly evolve toward chaos, truth becomes subject to manipulation in order to suit current ideas. In this study, I’d like to answer the question Pilate asked Jesus: What is truth?
True Religion: Separating Fact from Fiction #fakereligion
When watching television, reading the newspaper, or listening to the radio sometimes it is hard to separate fact from fiction. Of course, the only way to do this is to analyze the facts and the source to ascertain if what is said is true. The same is true four some people’s religion. Some people talk a good talk but do they have true religion. James deals with true religion and teaches us how to separate fact from fiction in James 1:26-27.
"A Preacher Factory" - Joey Ferrell
“A question was asked recently regarding the loss of several good men who preached the gospel - ‘who is going to fill their shoes...’ It is a valid question. Is your congregation working to be a preacher ‘factory’ or are we lining up for a funeral of the local church?”
Holiness - A study on Dedication - Amy Lawrence
Because God is holy, so is His name. To speak the name of the Most High as a curse or in a way that is flippant or derogatory toward the Almighty God is so dangerous that scripture pointedly warns against it.
What Must I Do To Be Saved? - Ben Bailey
The most important question ever asked is “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30, 2:37). Everyone who believes in God must ask this question at one time in his or her life. Truly, no other source is better able to answer this question than the word of God, for it is able to save and sanctify the souls of men (James 1:21; Jn. 17:17, 8:32). Therefore, what does the Bible teach one must do to be saved?
"It's natural...but it'll kill ya!" - Joey Ferrell
That’s some pretty serious stuff right there!!! It’s natural…but it can kill ya! That is basically what they are saying here. Why on earth would anyone want to do that?
Will The Lord Find Faith on Earth?
When the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). This question Jesus asked arose from a discussion of persistence in prayer. This question of the Lord is designed to provoke an evaluation of our faith. The Apostle Paul said, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5). How can we make sure the Lord finds faith when he comes?
Pearls - Amy Lawrence
used to think pearls were for older women. (It’s because I only saw them on women older than myself, and it might also have had something to do with the fact that I thought 30 was old.) Because of this perception, I wouldn’t wear pearls.
"Pilgrims in a Foreign Land" - Joey Ferrell
It was because we did not fit in with the “customs” of the area, or at least what is promoted as the way to have a good time at least. We were different.
Are You Ready for the Judgment Day?
The Bible clearly teaches that God has a day prepared when He will judge all men. To the idolatrous people in Athens, Paul declared that God “…has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). For many people this will be the saddest day of their life. They did not prepare spend their life preparing for this day. As a result, they will be lost (Matt. 25:1-10). To others, this will be the most wonderful day of their life. They spent their life preparing for this day and were ready to go to Heaven (Matt. 25:23). For The Day of Judgment to be a happy day for us we must understand the nature of this day. Let us consider several biblical characteristics of The Judgment Day.
"Daisies" - Amy Lawrence
There is no shortage of photographs of women (and sometimes even men) that have dedicated a great deal of time, money, and pain to make themselves appear young and “beautiful”.