Proverbs
Before we look at the Prophets, we need to discuss several other books, namely the books of Poetry. We will begin with the book of Proverbs, a book that is filled with wisdom that mostly comes from Solomon. The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young…
The Church is a Family
As we look at the Church in Acts 2 and following, we see a very tight-knit community. They are marked by: Constant fellowship The Church was constantly together. They were daily in each other’s homes. They were constantly gathering for worship and fellowship. They were a distinct community. Sharing of possessions The Christians freely shared their possessions. This was done without any compulsion. It is clear from Acts 5:4 that this sharing of needs was completely voluntary. They gave to…
Kings and Chronicles
David, the man after God’s own heart, has now been established as king. He has been told that the line of the Messiah will come through him, and that His kingdom will last forever. And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and…
The Heart of Christian Community (John 17:20-24)
The second characteristic of the Christian church that we see in Acts 2 is community or fellowship. Almost instantly the people of God united together as one in hospitality and service. What brought about this change? A heart changed by the power of the Gospel. Fellowship cannot truly take place until the heart is changed. In John 17, we see Jesus praying and describing what His followers would be. The Church is One Jesus Christ only has one bride. The…
Saul and David
And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh; And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said…
Every Believer is to be a Theologian
In Acts 2 we read that there was a dramatic change that took place in each believer. Remember that these were all Jews who knew the Old Testament Law very well. Upon being converted to Christianity they came to realize that they had missed the whole point of the Law, Jesus Christ. This resulted in a continued hunger for the Word of God among the believers. They continued in the Apostle’s doctrine. From this we learn that: Every believer is…
Samuel
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21: 25 As the time of the judges comes to an end, the nation of Israel is the midst of great moral decay. The Patriarchs, the priests, and the judges have all failed to bring the nation of Israel out of their sin and back into right standing with God. God now raises up a deliverer for the nation…
The Lord’s Day Gathering
Paul addresses many problems with the Corinthian church throughout 1 Corinthians. In chapter 14 he addresses their aberration from what was normative in New Testament churches particularly in the area of tongues. Although this passage mainly deals with speaking in tongues, we can find the normative pattern of worship that the early church observed during their Lord’s Day gatherings. The gathering was primarily of believers Paul clearly expected the gathering to be primarily of believers. He did acknowledge that there…
Ruth
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued…
A Christian Response to the Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage
Jesus here warns His followers about trying to correct the sins of others when we ourselves are in sin. He says that the measuring stick we apply to others will be applied to us. In light of the Supreme Court ruling, Christian’s first response should be: 1. Repent We must repent for our own sins before we will be able to see clearly how to advance the cause of Christ in our land. We must repent of our own: Rejection…
The Judges
The children of Israel have conquered much of the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership. After his death, a pattern of sin, judgment, repentance, and restoration emerges. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years…
Church Family
This week was Antioch’s homecoming and guest speaker Dr. Randy Williams shared about the family that we are a part of as children of God.