LET THE BIBLE SPEAK.

What Kind of Heart Do You Have? Intro. 1.  The gospel is designed to penetrate hearts to change lives, Acts 2:36-37; Jas. 1:21-22; Rom. 12:1-2. 2.  We decide what kind of heart we will have; the nature of one’s heart is not predestined or unalterable, Matt. 13:14-15; 22:37.   a.  On the one hand, God told the exiles of Israel that He would give them a new spirit…a heart that responded to Him, Ezek. 11:19-20.   b.  On the other hand, God expected each individual to choose to have a “new heart”, Ezek. 18:30-32. 3.  Matt. 13:3-9: Jesus taught a parable about the gospel and the heart that continues to be relevant to us.   a.  This parable gives discernment and understanding to those who have hearts ready to “hear” (receive) truth, 13:10-12, 16-17; Mk. 4:13.   b.  The dull, hard heart will not listen, learn and live, Matt. 13:14-15. 4.  “Therefore hear the parable of the sower” (13:18– Attend to, consider, perceive what is about to be said). What kind of heart do you have? I.  THE

Fathers Are Still Relevant! By R.W. McAlister     It seems that as a result of the growing "feminist movement," some in our society downplay the role of the man in the family and some think that a father is really not needed, but that simply isn’t true.     In many cases, the welfare check has replaced the father. Every family functions at its best when both the father and the mother are present and are both contributing to the family’s growth. According to God’s Word, the man is to be the head of the family. As Paul said, I Corinthians 11:2-3 “ Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God .”     When a dad follows His God given role, he will learn to be the spiritual leader in the family. He will be the head of the wife, understand that he must in turn be subject to

Dancing Study to show thyself approved. Let us reason together on the inside page. Hopefully, from time to time on this "Inside Page" of our bulletin, you will come and let us reason and study together topics of mutul interest. The "Inside Page" is not where you will find news and announcements. Rather we invite you to get out your Bible, read what is stated here and then compare and see if these things are in harmony with Scripture. --James S. McDonald, Jr. Modern dancing in all of its forms is sinful and leads to other sinful practices. It is true that the devil, who knows more scripture than many "Christians," has rightfully said, "Well, what book, chapter, and verse says, 'Thou shalt not dance?"' Of course, there is no such statement, but the Bible, nevertheless, has much to say on the subject. Let us study this subject together. What has led to much confusion among many people is the fact that the Bible mentions

Faithful Sayings of a Christian                As the Apostle Paul writes to the young evangelist Timothy, he reminds him of several faithful Christian sayings that he must never forget.  These sayings are designed to encourage Christians never to forget where they came from and where they are going.  Notice what these statements are.              “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief”  (1 Tim. 1:15).  The Christian must never forget that Christ came to save all sinners (Luke 19:10).  However, on a more personal lever the Christian must remember that Christ came to save me—a chief of sinners (Rom. 3:23; Ezek. 18:4; Isa. 59:1-2).              “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.  For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:9-10).  Christians must

75 BIBLICAL TRUTH ABOUT ALCOHOL 1) Genesis 9:20-26 - Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble. 2) Genesis 19:30-38 - Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to immorality 3) Leviticus 10:9-11 - God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy. 4) Numbers 6:3 - The Nazarites were told to eat or drink nothing from the grape vine. 5) Deuteronomy 21:20 - A drunken son was stubborn and rebellious. 6) Deuteronomy 29:5-6 - God gave no grape juice to Israel nor did they have intoxicating drink in the wilderness. 7) Deuteronomy 32:33 - Intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps. 8) Judges 13:4, 7, 14 - Samson was to be a Nazarite for life. His mother was told not to drink wine or strong drink. 9) 1 Samuel 1:14-15 - Accused, Hannah said she drank no wine. 10) 1 Samuel 25:32-38 - Nabal died after a drunken spree. 11) 2 Samuel 11:13 - By getti

GREAT GODLY WOMEN   Bill Boyd         There were many great women in the New Testament church. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is mentioned for the last time in  Acts 1:14   and with her were other women who were important in the life of Jesus. In Acts 2 Peter quotes Joel reminding us that “daughters” and “handmaidens” would receive gifts of the Spirit, and we see this in the four daughters of Philip in  Acts 21:9 .  Acts 5:14   says  “believers were the more added to the Lord, both men and women,”  and when Philip went down to Samaria they were baptized  “both men and women” ( Acts 8:12 ).  Acts 8:3   and  Acts 9:2 tells us that women in the church endured persecutions along with the men. Dorcas was distinguished for her good works and almsdeeds, and Peter raised her from the dead ( Acts 9:36-42 ). John Mark’s mother, Mary, hosted a prayer meeting in her home in  Acts 12:12- 17   and at that gathering was a damsel named Rhoda.  Acts 16:1   and  2 Timothy 1:5 honors Lois and Eun

HOW TO TREAT YOUR WIFE   Don’t shout at your        wife when you are        talking. It really        hurts her.        Proverbs 15:1   Do not speak evil        of her to anyone.        Your wife will become        who you call her.       Gen. 2:19   Do not share her love       or affection with another       woman.       It is called Adultery.       Matt. 5:28   Never compare your        wife to another woman.        If the other woman was        good for you, God would        have given her to you.       2 Cor. 10:12   Be gentle and        accommodating. She        has sacrificed so much        to be with you.        It hurts her deeply        when you are hash        and irritating.        Be tender.        Eph. 4:2   Hide nothing from her.        You are now one and        she’s your helpmate.        Let there be no secret        you are keeping        from her.        Gen. 2:25   Do not make negative        comment about her        body. Sh

HOW TO TREAT YOUR WIFE   Don’t shout at your        wife when you are        talking. It really        hurts her.        Proverbs 15:1   Do not speak evil        of her to anyone.        Your wife will become        who you call her.       Gen. 2:19   Do not share her love       or affection with another       woman.       It is called Adultery.       Matt. 5:28   Never compare your        wife to another woman.        If the other woman was        good for you, God would        have given her to you.       2 Cor. 10:12   Be gentle and        accommodating. She        has sacrificed so much        to be with you.        It hurts her deeply        when you are hash        and irritating.        Be tender.        Eph. 4:2   Hide nothing from her.        You are now one and        she’s your helpmate.        Let there be no secret        you are keeping        from her.        Gen. 2:25   Do not make negative        comment about her        body. Sh

8 Rules for Bible Study Introduction "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Here, Paul tells Timothy how important it is to study God's word. This leads to an understanding of what God wants from us so we can be approved in his sight. The following is a list of rules that should be followed when studying the Bible so that we can divide the word of truth correctly. 1. Be objective -- seek the truth. If we read the bible with preconceived ideas, or with the purpose of proving our own beliefs, we will not find the truth. Paul warns us of the consequences of not seeking the truth: "And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe

15 things African pastors have used to conduct 'healing' hivisasa.com Oct 26, 2018 2:00 AM A pastor steps on a woman's abdomen in a 'healing process'. [Photo/Nation] With seeking spiritual healing being the only option to turn to when all known medical interventions have failed, many have had to go through a lot of pain, suffering and psychological torture at the hands of pastors who use comical antics in ‘curing’ medical conditions.  Salvation Healing Ministries’ Victor Kanyari has been by far the most widely known ‘healer’ whose methods were but a fantasy that worked on a select group of people only.  His ‘healings’ were stage-managed, well planned and executed in the presence of the congregation. Let’s have a look at some of the methods used by the ‘spiritual healers’ from Kenya and the rest of the continent as well. 1. Use of Potassium Permanganate This was a method put to use by one of Kenya’s most cunning spiritual leader Victor Kanyari. In a 2014 inv

The Blessings of Prayer   by Heath Rogers Why do we pray? (Do you pray?) Do we look upon prayer as a tiresome obligation, a “get out of jail free card” to be used when we get in trouble, or some kind of cosmic wish list? The Bible teaches us that prayer is a great blessing, and a means of receiving all the blessings that we need from God. Consider the following examples of why we pray. 1. For Forgiveness of Sins.  David expounds upon the joy of forgiveness in Psalm 32.  “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered”  (v. 1). Indeed, there is no greater blessing than to know that God, out of His mercy and grace, has forgiven us of our sins; knowing that our souls, once blackened by sin, have been washed clean. David goes on to say that this blessing came to him through prayer:  “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin”  (v. 5). Praying for t

THE CHURCH JESUS LOVES by Owen D. Olbricht Does Jesus love the church? Is the church important to Him? Is there a church that Jesus loves? If there is, what church does He love? In order to answer these questions other questions should be answered. 1. What is the church?   Many people use the word church to refer to a building by saying: "The church burned." "The wedding will be in the church." "The funeral was held in the church." The word ekklesia (literally, called out), which is translated "church," never means a physical building but rather refers to a congregation of people. Saul persecuted the church by putting men and women in prison (Acts 8:3). These were the disciples of the Lord (Acts 9:1) who were called Christians (Acts 11:26). 2. Who built the church?   Jesus said, "I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18). In later books of the New Testament we read about the church, which must mean that Jesus had built His c

THE CHURCH JESUS LOVES by Owen D. Olbricht Does Jesus love the church? Is the church important to Him? Is there a church that Jesus loves? If there is, what church does He love? In order to answer these questions other questions should be answered. 1. What is the church?   Many people use the word church to refer to a building by saying: "The church burned." "The wedding will be in the church." "The funeral was held in the church." The word ekklesia (literally, called out), which is translated "church," never means a physical building but rather refers to a congregation of people. Saul persecuted the church by putting men and women in prison (Acts 8:3). These were the disciples of the Lord (Acts 9:1) who were called Christians (Acts 11:26). 2. Who built the church?   Jesus said, "I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18). In later books of the New Testament we read about the church, which must mean that Jesus had built His c

QUALIFICATIONS OF PREACHERS By  Mike Riley Much is said regarding the qualifications of elders, but what about the qualifications of preachers? Many of the admonitions to preachers and qualifications of preachers are found in Paul’s discourse to Timothy and Titus. The following is a partial list: 1)  “Charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables, and endless genealogies….” (1 Timothy 1:3-4). 2)  “….war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience….” (1 Timothy 1:18-19). 3)  Pray for those who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2). 4)  Put the brethren in remembrance of the things Paul speaks of in 1 Timothy 4:1-6. 5)  Ignore worthless fables and focus on godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). 6)  Be an example of the believers, “in word, in conversation (manner of life), in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). 7)  “Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:13) and make application to yourself of

Who Is a Christian? By  Wayne Jackson    The term “Christian” is found three times in the New Testament. It is employed initially in conjunction with the ministry of Barnabas and Saul in Antioch of Syria. [T]he disciples were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Later, when pressed with evidence for the validity of the Christian system, Herod Agrippa II said: Almost you persuade me to be a Christian (26:28). The King James Version suggests a man who is wrestling with his conscience. Others feel that the ruler’s remark is cynical: “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (NIV). Perhaps the truth is somewhere between the two. The king’s comment may reflect a  respectful evasion . Finally, Peter writes: [I]f any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this name (1 Peter 4:16). Some—especially those who are enamored with humanly devised religious titles—contend that the name Chris