LET THE BIBLE SPEAK.

Diagnosing and Treating Your Spiritual Heart Symptoms. By Tom Moore INTRODUCTION A. The spiritual heart is widely misunderstood in our day, and of our major problem with regard to being sound and faithful has to do with heart problems. 1. Many are dying spiritually each day because of moral heart disease. 2. Great process, though, has been made in understanding the disorders of the physical heart. 3. Yet while great leaps and bounds have brought us to a point to where bypass surgery has about the same risk as an appendectomy, the moral center of man’s being has been shrouded in myth and fiction. B. The spiritual heart , like the physical heart, is constructed of four chambers. 1. All four chambers have a distinct function and each must be kept in proper working order to ensure a healthy heart. 2. Your physical heart has four chambers. The upper two are called the “atria” – the lower two are called the “ventricles”. 3. The four chambers to th...

"YOU CANNOT HIDE THE TRUTH.... SEE WHAT QUR'AN SAYS ABOUT JESUS " : 1.Jesus was born of a virgin.( Qur'an 19: 20-22) 2.Jesus was faultless. (Qur'an 19:19) 3.Jesus was a great healer of the sick ( Qur'an 3:49, 5:110) 4.Jesus is Sign.( Qur'an 19:21, 21:91) 5.Jesus is a Mercy. (Qur'an 19:21) 6.Jesus is a witness. (Qur'an 5:117) 7.Jesus can create and give life. (Qur'an 3:49) 8.Jesus is the Messiah. (Qur'an 4:171) 9.Jesus is the Word of God. (Kahma Allah) (Qur'an 4:171) 10.Jesus is Spirit of God ( Ruh Allah) (Qur'an 4:171) 11.Jesus was taken to heaven by God. (Qur'an 4:158) 12.Jesus will come back again. (Qur'an 3:45, 43:61) There is no controversy. JESUS is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Now, can you  hide the truth any longer? NO!!!

Kingdom /Church Dave Hart John 3:3-5 and Acts 2:38, 41, 47, 1Cor 12:13The kingdom and the church are entered the same way Heb. 12:22-24 the church and Heb. 12:28 the kingdom interchangeable. Saved the best for last Mat. 16:18-19 When did the kingdom/church begin. Dan 2: 31-45 Head of God – King Nebuchadnezzar Breast and arms of silver– Medo-Persians The belly and thighs of brass – Greece Legs of Iron and feet of iron mixed with clay – Roman Empire (63 BC – 476AD) Verse 44 gives a time frame that Gods kingdom would be set up during the Roman Empire Isa 2: 1-3 speak of the kingdom being set up in the last days and it is to have it beginning in Jerusalem. The kingdom was not set up while Jesus was on the earth. Mat. 3:1-3 John said the kingdom was at hand. Mat. 4:17 Jesus said the kingdom was at hand. Mat. 6:9 Jesus prays for the coming of the kingdom. Mat. 10:7 Jesus sent the 12 out and told them to preach that the kingdom was at hand. Mark ...

presented by Stephen R. Bradd In our prior feature lesson we started talking about the need to apply the things we learn from God's word in our lives everyday. When studying a passage of Scripture, we need to be asking ourselves: "What do these truths mean for my life?" We must remember that we don't study God's word merely to acquire knowledge. We study the Bible so that we may put into practice what we learn! It's not good enough to be a hearer and not a doer (James 1:22), but that's all you are  if  you don't personally make the effort to implement God's truth in your life. Our lesson today is the conclusion to our previous feature lesson. In regards to any moral issue, the first step in making a proper decision is to possess a thorough knowledge of God's word. But, proper knowledge alone will not always lead to the correct action unless the individual is fully committed to the Lord's way. People often know that something is wrong, bu...

presented by Stephen R. Bradd In our recent feature lessons we've talked about the importance of having a proper attitude toward the Bible as well as some important qualities in being a good Bible student. Both of those lessons were preparing us for this lesson and the one to follow. You see, our goal is not to simply believe that the Bible is God's word. Our goal is not to just be good Bible students. Those things, although important, will not help us much in and of themselves. Our goal ought to be to faithfully apply God's word in our lives on a daily basis.  Just gaining knowledge and properly interpreting the Scriptures is not enough! There were those in Jesus' day who called Him Lord, yet they must not have really meant it. How do we know? Because they didn't  obey  Him! Jesus asked them in Luke 6:46 - "But why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?" Jesus' message is still the same for us today: "Don'...

presented by Stephen R. Bradd What is your attitude toward the Bible? Is it just another book or genuinely inspired? If it is inspired what exactly does that mean? One afternoon a boy was caught by his mother tearing pages out of one of his books. His mother reprimanded him and told him to stop immediately. "Oh, don't worry Mom," the boy replied, "this book isn't worth anything!" This story illustrates a very important truth:  Humans handle books according to how valuable or worthless they consider them to be.  It is true that some books are more valuable than others--especially to certain individuals. For example, I'm not going to place a great value upon a book on basket weaving because I have no use for it. It is of no use to me or to any immediate member of my family. Thus, if you gave me a book on basket weaving, it would probably find its way into a box in the attic. Or, I might take it with me on our next family camping trip and use the book t...

presented by Stephen R. Bradd In our prior feature lesson, we stressed the need of understanding what inspiration is and emphasized that we must believe the Bible to be inspired of God. Today we will consider eight qualities that a person must have if he is going to be a good student of God's word. Most of these qualities relate to the attitude and desire of the individual. If a person has the right attitude and desire, then he can understand the Bible properly and be a good student of the Scriptures. That is not to say that the process is easy, but it is within the reach of anyone who pursues it passionately. As we ponder these points, ask yourself: Do I have these qualities or am I lacking in one or more ways? Am I a good Bible student or just dabbling in the word sporadically (as if it were a casual interest)? 1. A GOOD BIBLE STUDENT BELIEVES THE BIBLE CAN BE UNDERSTOOD.   Sadly, many folks sit down with their Bibles with their mind already made up that they simply can't...

presented by Stephen R. Bradd Yesterday we considered Nehemiah 2:17 and saw a sterling example of constructive leadership. Nehemiah spoke 1  with the Hebrew people  frankly 2 , telling them about the problem that  disturbed 5  him. He  challenged 4 them to work  with him 3  to solve the problem (namely, the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall). From this passage we gleaned the following five truths pertaining to strong, helpful leadership:  1. CONSTRUCTIVE LEADERSHIP IS COMMUNICATIVE.  2. CONSTRUCTIVE LEADERSHIP IS CANDID.  3. CONSTRUCTIVE LEADERSHIP IS COLLABORATIVE.  4. CONSTRUCTIVE LEADERSHIP IS CHALLENGING.  5. CONSTRUCTIVE LEADERSHIP IS CONCERNED. Let us now contemplate five more principles pertaining to constructive leadership. Nehemiah 2:18 says - "And I [Nehemiah] told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So they said, 'Let us rise up and buil...

presented by Stephen R. Bradd Are you a leader or a follower? In order to be pleasing to God, most of us need to be both. In certain relationships, we must lead; in others, we must follow. For instance, when it comes to my relationship with my family, I need to be the leader. I need to guide my wife and children in the way of truth and righteousness. I have a God-given responsibility to lead. On the other hand, when it comes to my relationship with the Lord as a Christian or my relationship with the government as an American citizen, I must be a follower (except, of course, where the government would have me do that which is contrary to the will of God; Acts 4:19; 5:29). We presented two lessons on leadership recently and I'd like for us to revisit that theme today and tomorrow, focusing specifically on constructive leadership. Essentially, we'll be considering ten points from the narrative in Nehemiah 2 which serve as a wonderful example of strong, helpful leadership--leade...

presented by Stephen R. Bradd Yesterday we read from Exodus 18 where Jethro advised Moses to select some men to assist him in guiding the nation. Jethro set forth six qualities that the men selected should possess (Exo. 18:21,22). We have observed thus far that: 1. GOOD LEADERS ARE ABLE.  2. GOOD LEADERS MUST FEAR GOD.  3. GOOD LEADERS ARE PEOPLE OF TRUTH. Let us now examine three other characteristics of good leaders that Jethro suggested. 4. GOOD LEADERS HATE COVETOUSNESS.   It is not enough for a leader to avoid being covetous; he must hate it! This greedy, lustful condition is condemned throughout the Scriptures numerous times (e.g., Exo. 20:17; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5). Good leaders will hate covetousness and will labor to remove the sin from the hearts of those who follow them. 5. GOOD LEADERS ARE AVAILABLE TO THE ONES THEY SERVE.   To be a leader is not to hold an "executive" position where commands are issued with no personal contact, involvement, or con...

presented by Stephen R. Bradd In Exodus 18, the children of Israel were traveling toward Mount Sinai where they would receive the Law (which included the ten commandments) from God. It is reasonable to suggest that there may have been as many as two million people making this journey (cf. Num. 1:46). Moses is working extremely hard to provide leadership and spiritual guidance for all the people. In fact, it appears that he was in the process of wearing himself out! Exodus 18:13-23 reads - "And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses' father-in-law [Jethro] saw all that he did for the people, he said, 'What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?' And Moses said to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come ...

by Eldred Stevens (deceased)  (Note: The following lesson was presented once by the late brother Eldred Stephens at the Preston Road church of Christ in Dallas. In response to requests, he printed the outline below. It still deserves careful study by every Christian family. Brother Stephens lost his life in a plane crash a few years ago while returning from a brotherhood lectureship.)  1. It is a delightful way to obey a scriptural command (2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Peter 1:5;  2 Peter 3:18; 1 Tim. 4:13; John 5:39).  2. 1 have a great desire to emulate first century Christianity (Acts 2:41-47; 4:23,24;  12:12; 17:11).  3. I have three children (Pro. 22:6; Deut. 4:9; 6:7; Eph. 6:4).  4. I like to be with my brethren (Rom. 12:10; I John 4:7,8; 3:14).  5. I want to do good, to abound in good works (James 4:17; Eccl. 9:10; Rev.  20:12,13; 14:13; 2:2.9.13.19; James 2:16).  6. I want to be consistent (Titus 116).  7. I must protect and m...

       Is that not the message that the apostle Paul preached to the people in ancient Athens? As he preached to them about the one, great, true God of heaven, Paul told them, “ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent ” (Acts 17:30). It is upon this last statement that we now want to focus our attention.      Yes, God commands all men in all places to repent. What does that show us about God? First of all, it shows us  God’s authority . He, as the Creator and Giver of life (Acts 17:24,25), has the right to command people what to do. You know as well as I do that some people strongly dislike authority. They despise the idea of anyone ever telling them what to do. For some, they carry that same attitude from other areas of life into the realm of religion. They make no secret about it: they do not care one bit for God “trying to run” their lives, and the...

Dan Jenkins  Sunday, 07 September 2008 1. To obey the command of God to study the Bible (2 Tim. 2:15; 2 Pet. 1:5). 2. To grow in knowledge (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18). 3. To grow closer to God and increase faith (Rom. 10:17). 4. To become a more effective teacher (Heb. 5:13-6:1). 5. To be with Jesus and let Jesus be your teacher (John 6:45; Eph. 4:20-21). 6. To be with and associate with the best people on earth (1 John 4:7-8; Heb. 10:24-25). 7. To become stronger (Psa. 119:165; 2 Pet. 1:5-11). 8. To feed my soul (Jer. 15:16; Psa. 119:103). 9. To find answers (Psa. 119:99; John 7:17). 10. To overcome sin (1 John 5:4; Matt. 4:4). 11. To gain wisdom (2 Tim. 3:15; Psa. 119:130). 12. To follow the example of the godly (Heb. 13:7). 13. To set a good example for others (Matt. 5:13-16; 1 Tim. 4:12). 14. To satisfy my love and desire to learn the Word of God (Psa. 1:2; 19:7-10; 119:72, 97). 15. To pre...

By W. Frank Walton "The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says" (1 Corinthians 14:34). What is the silence Paul enjoins upon women? Is it absolute in every situation or is it qualified in a certain situation? This article will show that women keeping silent is in leading the assembly. The silence is qualified. She is not to speak beyond the point of being in subjection to male leadership. "Keep silent" (Greek, sigao) means absolute silence, to hold one's peace, to not make a sound. Yet, women are commanded to sing in the assembly, thereby teaching others (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19). Also, if a woman desires to obey the gospel, she is to make "the good confession" (cf. Rom. 10:9-10), which may be in "the presence of many witnesses" (1 Tim. 6:12). If "keep silent in the churches" is absolutely unqualified, a woman could not sing, nor confess...