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I plead with Euodia and Syntyche to be of one mind in the Lord. Yes, I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Philippians 4.2-3. Conflict is inevitable. Jesus taught about how we must conduct our lives. He taught the body to be different than the world. So, the ways that we deal with conflict cannot follow…

The word “sinner” is most often used in the Bible to describe a person who is given to a life of sin and is unforgiven. For example, Peter contrasts the “righteous” with the “ungodly and the sinner” (I Peter 4.18). A sinner is someone who is lost in sin, not having been washed by the blood of Jesus. The apostle Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5.8). In this sense, a true…

The word of God is powerful, and active (Heb 4.12-13). It’s power is described as a double-edged sword in that passage. A sword is special, and powerful. In the 1st Century, the sword was winning and conquering lands. It was able to be used to take the life of another, even with potential protections in place, like a shield. The aspect in particular view is the fact that it is able to “penetrate.” Like a metal sword could easily penetrate a man’s flesh, so the power of the word of…

How many times have you been given a project or a place to go and stopped to look at the instructions? For some, they read every part of the instruction manual before they even begin the project. Those same people map out their path from point A to point B before even cranking the car. Others, like myself, tend to move through the instructions as the project is taking shape or take advantage of GPS systems to travel alongside the map in real-time. The rest of you outlaws…

“‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.’” (Acts 10:34-35) These words, spoken by Peter, carry a heavy responsibility for us as Christians. There is no room in the heart of someone who claims Christ for prejudice, racism, or anything of its type. We have all heard sermons or classes taught from this chapter and have nodded our heads when these words are read because we are relieved to know that God is…

“And He [Jesus] went with him…” (Mark 5:24a) This morning we are going to be looking at how Jesus gives hope to the hopeless. In the account found in Mark 5, two people come to Jesus in two totally different ways. One, a ruler of the synagogue, came to Jesus boldly, imploring Jesus earnestly to come and heal his little daughter who was at the point of death. The other hid from Jesus and nervously touched the hem of His garment as He passed by. In…

What did we miss about the assembly? What did we miss about congregating together as the Lord’s body? Why do we feel drawn to be in the same physical location with those who proclaim to be Christians like us? At what point did we decide (over the course of the last several weeks) that we were eager to get back together? For me, it has been a difficult past few weeks. The church has never been about the building and has never been about architecture, pews, lights, carpet, tile,…

The church historian Eusebius (A.D. 260-340) relayed a report by Dionysius (A.D. 200-265), a bishop of Alexandria, saying in part: Most of our brethren showed love and loyalty in not sparing themselves while helping one another, tending to the sick with no thought of danger and gladly departing this life with them after becoming infected with their disease. Many who nursed others to health died themselves. The best of our own brothers lost their lives in this way-some presbyters, deacons, and laymen-a form of death based on strong faith and…

Paul wanted the Corinthians to remember some of the terrible moments from a history of rebellious Israel, and learn from that. “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you…

“Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.” Written in 1950 by Ira Stanphill, this song has tremendous meaning in our world today. At the time of its writing, Stanphill was dealing with the aftermath of his wife choosing a life of sin and adultery over a solid marriage built on faith in God. In the days after, he would begin humming a tune, then singing words from his own pain to…

God put a river that was watering the garden of Eden (Gen 2.10). He provided water to the living things, making sure they had exactly what they needed. But when sin happened, it brought consequences, even in respect to the way water was able to be received. Now storms and torrents would come, and rain would fall. In Genesis 6-8, God brings a flood that destroyed all living things on the earth. Later, when people would disobey what he commanded them, God brought no…