February 5, 2014

The Importance of Faith

FaithThe Scriptures tell us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is the trust in God as the “rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is the determination to obey the Lord (Romans 1:5; 16:26). Faith does not come by God miraculously giving it to us through some direct, divine action. Rather, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

We might understand from the above passages what faith is, what faith does, and what the source of faith is; but why does this matter? What is the point of believing God, trusting God, and obeying His word? Why is faith important?Continue Reading

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January 20, 2014

Audio: A Snake in the Fire

After the shipwreck on the way to Rome, Paul and the others ended up on the island of Malta. They were there just three months, but Luke’s account of their stay provides us with some important lessons about miracles, assumptions, and the preaching of the gospel. All of this began with Paul being bitten by a snake and shaking it off into the fire. This sermon examines the lessons taught to us in Acts 28:1-10.
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January 16, 2014

William Hayden: “I Did Not Mean to Believe Him; But I Could Not Help Believing Him”

As was common among the early figures of the Restoration Movement, William Hayden (1799-1863) had to leave the denominational errors and Calvinistic theories that he had previously been taught. In the following excerpt, Hayden describes the first opportunity he had to listen to Alexander Campbell.
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November 18, 2013

Courage Today

Take Courage

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1-3).

The Hebrew writer mentioned the “great cloud of witnesses,” referring to the heroes of faith he had just discussed. Some of the examples we have considered in our study are in the list of the faithful in Hebrews 11. Because we have this “great cloud of witnesses surrounding us,” we must do three things:

  1. Lay aside every encumbrance and sin, and run with endurance (Hebrews 12:1).
  2. Look to Jesus and to His example (Hebrews 12:2).
  3. Do not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:3).

In other words, “take courage” (John 16:33) – trust in the Lord and follow Him as He desires, no matter what the consequences might be.
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November 4, 2013

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: The Courage to Trust in God

Take Courage

The example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shows us the courage needed to put one’s complete trust in God. Of course, other men in the examples we have already noticed have trusted in God, but the example of Daniel’s friends is different – they did not receive special, direct revelation (as least not as far as we are told in the Scriptures) like many other Old Testament characters. Therefore, their example is very helpful for us today.
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October 30, 2013

How to Find the Way of Escape

Esc key

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he told the brethren that temptation is “common to man.” In other words, it is to be expected. Unfortunately, all of us have given in to temptation at one time or another. Paul wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

However, even though we have sinned in the past, that does not mean that we must do so again in the future, giving in to the same temptations over and over. We need to learn how to find the “way of escape” so that we might keep ourselves from sin. In this article, we will discuss what the Scriptures teach about how to find the way of escape.
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October 14, 2013

David: The Courage to Fight

Take Courage

The next example in our series is David who had the courage to fight. There are several examples in David’s life of him courageously fighting against his enemies (and God’s enemies). But for our lesson, we will focus on his fight against the Philistine giant, Goliath.
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