Togetherness is a characteristic seen in the Lord’s church throughout the book of Acts. Let us briefly consider the examples of the church gathering together and see what lessons we can learn.
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April 6, 2016
The Church Gathered Together
December 7, 2015
The Psalm of the Word (Part 21): Reverence
Princes persecute me without cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your words.I rejoice at Your word,
As one who finds great spoil.I hate and despise falsehood,
But I love Your law.Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous ordinances.Those who love Your law have great peace,
And nothing causes them to stumble.I hope for Your salvation, O Lord,
And do Your commandments.My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.(Psalm 119:161-168)
In this lesson, we will focus on the idea of reverence. If we fear God, we should hold His word in the highest regard. This will necessarily lead us to respond in a certain way toward His word.
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September 21, 2015
The Psalm of the Word (Part 10): Life
Your hands made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.May those who fear You see me and be glad,
Because I wait for Your word.I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.O may Your lovingkindness comfort me,
According to Your word to Your servant.May Your compassion come to me that I may live,
For Your law is my delight.May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie;
But I shall meditate on Your precepts.May those who fear You turn to me,
Even those who know Your testimonies.May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,
So that I will not be ashamed.(Psalm 119:73-80)
God is our Creator – the giver of life. Understanding this fact should cause us to serve the Lord and do so in a certain way. Let us notice the connection between God being our Maker and our Master.
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September 7, 2015
The Psalm of the Word (Part 8): Portion
The Lord is my portion;
I have promised to keep Your words.I sought Your favor with all my heart;
Be gracious to me according to Your word.I considered my ways
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.I hastened and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.The cords of the wicked have encircled me,
But I have not forgotten Your law.At midnight I shall rise to give thanks to You
Because of Your righteous ordinances.I am a companion of all those who fear You,
And of those who keep Your precepts.The earth is full of Your lovingkindness, O Lord;
Teach me Your statutes.(Psalm 119:57-64)
The theme of this lesson is David’s statement, “The Lord is my portion” (Psalm 119:57). What does this mean? And how is it connected to the overall theme of this psalm (the word of God)? Let us consider these questions.
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August 3, 2015
The Psalm of the Word (Part 3): Companionship
Deal bountifully with Your servant,
That I may live and keep Your word.Open my eyes, that I may behold
Wonderful things from Your law.I am a stranger in the earth;
Do not hide Your commandments from me.My soul is crushed with longing
After Your ordinances at all times.You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed,
Who wander from Your commandments.Take away reproach and contempt from me,
For I observe Your testimonies.Even though princes sit and talk against me,
Your servant meditates on Your statutes.Your testimonies also are my delight;
They are my counselors.(Psalm 119:17-24)
People value friendships, family relationships, and being part of a community. But often, God’s people will be strangers and outcasts. His word provides comfort and guidance when we feel as the psalmist did – as “a stranger in the earth” (Psalm 119:19). In this lesson, we will consider the idea of God’s word providing companionship for us.
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July 29, 2015
Ten Years
“So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting” (Ecclesiastes 11:10).
Every hour, day, and year that passes is forever lost. Once time has passed, we can never get it back. Jesus said it is impossible to “add a single hour” to our lives (Matthew 6:27).
Within the last year, I have hit three different ten-year milestones in my personal life – the tenth birthday of my oldest son; ten years working with the church in Morgantown; and, with this article, closing out the first ten years of Plain Bible Teaching. This has led me to reflect upon how much can happen in a decade. So in this article, we are going to focus on five different ten-year periods in the Bible and see what lessons we can learn.
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May 19, 2015
“How Will They Preach Unless They Are Sent?”
After telling the Romans, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13), Paul proceeded to tell them of the critical role of preaching in salvation.
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14).
When Paul, the apostle who authored these words by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, needed to be saved, it was a preacher – Ananias – who was sent to tell him, “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). Jesus, despite appearing to Paul (then called Saul) on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6), did not grant salvation to him there, nor did He speak from heaven to tell him what was required of him. Rather, Jesus said, “Get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do” (Acts 9:6). Ananias was then sent to speak the Lord’s plan of salvation to Paul (Acts 9:10-12).
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