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  • 21Mar
    by Drew in Sermon Encore.

    Sunday night we discussed “Commonly Misused Passages.”  These are Scriptures that well-meaning brethren have used out of context.  The conclusions backed up by these passages may be true, but the end doesn’t justify the means.  As Christians, we must handle the word of truth “rightly” (2 Tim. 2:15).

    Here’s a list of the ten Scriptures we discussed:

    “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” (Ps. 90:10).

    “Holy and reverend is thy name” (Ps. 111:9, KJV).

    “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24).

    “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Is. 14:12).

    “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Prov. 29:18, KJV).

    “Prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12).

    “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Mt. 18:20).

    “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself” (Rom. 14:7).

    “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thes. 5:22, KJV).

    “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17).

    Sunday night I misspoke, saying you could add your own thoughts in a comment with this post.  At the time I didn’t realize that comments have been permanently disabled on our website.  Sorry for the confusion!

  • 10Nov
    by Drew in Sermon Encore.

    Sunday morning’s sermon fed off of the momentum of our Teacher’s Workshop with a lesson on “Renewing Our Commitment to Bible School.”  Bible study is a Christian imperative, and Bible school is an important aid to following this imperative.  If you aren’t attending Bible classes on a regular basis, why not challenge yourself to start this Wednesday.  Remember, learning is an important part of Christian maturity! (Heb. 5:12-14).

    Sunday night we started a series entitled, “My Prayers in the Psalms.”  This series is based on the idea that the book of Psalms is a collection of model prayers that relate to struggles we face today.  If you are struggling with your prayer life, read the Psalms and look for a prayer that suits your condition.  Once you have found it, pray the relevant Scripture until the words become your own.  This is putting the Bible to practical use in our prayer lives.

    The first lesson in this series on prayer was “A Prayer for Longevity” from Psalm 52:8-9.  Many Christians struggle for endurance.  In this psalm, we find David praying for longevity and making the following three pledges:

    1.  I will trust in God’s mercy.
    2.  I will be grateful.
    3.  I will wait on God.

    Work these pledges into your personal prayers this week.  See if they lead to endurance and stability.  By listening to David’s secret to longevity, all of us can gain more endurance for our walk with Christ.

  • 03Nov
    by Drew in Sermon Encore.

    We had a great number for Friends & Family Day yesterday, a record attendance of 310!  Thanks to everyone who invited friends, prepared food, and made this a wonderful experience.  If you invited a friend, make sure to follow up this week with a phone call to see what your guest thought about the services.  Invite him or her to come back.  Who knows, Friends & Family Day could be someone’s first step to becoming a Christian.

    Using “David’s Six Friends,” I encouraged the audience to look for friends with the following qualities:

    1.  Someone who has the kind of soul that you would like to have
    2.  Someone who would make a good investment
    3.  Someone who loves you
    4.  Someone who is loyal
    5.  Someone who can keep a secret
    6.  Someone who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for you

    Because the election is this Tuesday, Sunday night we discuseed some matters pertaining to “Before and After the Election.”  For a summary of my thoughts on this matter, you can go to my blog, Truth & Repose.  Also, make sure that you are prepared for the election by viewing a sample ballot.  Here’s one for the Jefferson County/Birmingham area, and here’s one for St. Clair county.  Hopefully you know by now where each presidential candidate stands, but if you are still unsure, go here for summaries of their political platforms.  An explanation of the amendments up for adoption to the Alabama Constitution is here.  You may want to fill out a voter’s guide that you can take with you to the polls tomorrow.

  • 27Oct
    by Drew in Sermon Encore.

    Last night was our monthly “Questions & Answers” session.  Here’s one I didn’t have time to address during the evening worship hour:

    “Please discuss the resurrection of the saints that occurred when Jesus died.”

    The resurrection that is mentioned in the question is related in Matthew 27:50-53.  Matthew is the only gospel writer who mentions it, and he places it directly after the death of Jesus Christ. Continue reading »

  • 22Oct
    by Drew in Sermon Encore.

    Last Sunday morning we discussed “Putting Christ Back in Our Worship.”  One thing that was not addressed is the degree to which the problem implied by the title of this lesson exists.  Is Christ truly absent from worship services in churches around the country?  More to the point, is he absent from your worship? Continue reading »

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