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Twelve men housed in the Geneva County Jail, Geneva, AL were baptized into Christ this morning. Today’s group makes 19 baptisms this year resulting from a weekly Thursday evening Bible study effort by men of the church, as well as participation in Bible correspondence courses offered by the church. To God goes the glory.
Terry Gardner and Tom Childers have been posting well-known preachers’ births on the Facebook group, “Friends of the Restoration.” Here’s today’s post.
Preachers born this day (August 31st) include: A. Alsup (1843-1907, one of Ligon’s men); William Franklin Ledlow (1877-1932); Clem Z. Pool (1893-1975); Thomas Howard Sherrill (1899-1980); and Ira Lutts North (1922-1984). Not a preacher, but an important person who is still with us is the remarkable Helen [nee Mattox] Young.
Perhaps you might know of other worthy saints born on this day, well known or not? Feel free to mention them in the comments section.
Lord, please keep travelers safe from any hurt, harm and danger this Labor Day weekend, in Jesus' name.—
United Prayer (@unitedprayer) August 31, 2012
Success doesn't always appear publicly. It often stays in the shadows, holding up the hands of others, bearing their burdens.—
Your Day to Shine (@yourdaytoshine) August 31, 2012
Here’s another road sign I saw on my travels:
A Christian life without good deeds is like a garden full of weeds.
It’s one that Christine (Tina) Berglund would probably appreciate, and it goes very well with Titus 3:8 – “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.”
Another Bonhoeffer quote, which one might quibble with a bit in its expression, but the sentiment certainly demands an amen.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). Thus the law of Christ is a law of forbearance. Forbearance means enduring and suffering. The other person is a burden to the Christian, in fact for the Christian most of all. The other person never becomes a burden at all for the pagans. They simply stay clear of every burden the other person may create for them. However, Christians must bear the burden of one another. Only as a burden is the other really a brother or sister and not just an object to be controlled.
This quote was taken from the devotional series, 40 Day Journal Dietrich Bonhoeffer on BibleGateway.
I can see why some might not care for the wording (4th sentence), but I think I understand the point. In which case, I won’t fuss with it.
Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV) says, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech (begging from the heart) you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing (forbearing KJV) with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
The BBE translates verse 2 as, “With all gentle and quiet behaviour, taking whatever comes, putting up with one another in love;.” I believe this captures the meaning quite well since the “lowliness, gentleness and longsuffering” proceeds it.
I believe it refers to the silliness that we sometimes get caught up in with personal opinions, quirks and other personality traits. Not things that are wrong, but things that can become a “burden” so to speak.
I’ve done this several times to help “keep the peace” – and there’s a good chance some brother/sister in Christ has done this for me :)
A generic picture of bread like that The Missus makes
Is it because Thursdays have been a day off of sorts that the mind today doesn’t want to get into gear for writing? After several attempts, I turned to other concerns, like eating some zucchini-nut bread and drinking some hot tea. No special concentration needed for those.
• Our home Bible reading group was not large last night, but Titus 3 seemed to have good effect on us all. We five adults, three of whom are disciples, were impressed by the call to live, not as pagans, but as the people of God, thanks to his mercy. Amazing little letter, Titus.
• Some Christian friends are coming either tomorrow or Saturday to spend a few days with us. This out-of-state couple are recent empty-nesters, like ourselves, and long-time friends. After so many years, it’s an easy friendship, no special effort needed to keep up conversation or to entertain. (I’ll not be online as much during their stay.)
• For my birthday last week, a friend gave me a book on writing style in the Portuguese language. He knows how much I write, and how much I like writing. He made a big disclaimer that he was giving me the book, not because he thought I wrote badly, but because he knew I always wanted to improve and grow in the craft. But I confess that I picked up the Brad Thor thriller that his wife gave me before the writing book.
• Speaking of writing, in an undiscovered corner of the Internet, I posted day before yesterday what I thought was one of my best pieces of poetry. Like sermons and Bible classes, it’s often the case that what the writer or speaker considers the best is not always the readers’ or listeners’ favorite. And, vice versa, the items one might wish to fall away into history forgotten can become among the most admired or preferred. Who’s to judge who’s right?
Never has the devil been so successful than he is in this modern age. Man is convinced that he has progressed beyond the Rock of Ages and has thrown the inspired principles of morality to the flames of political correctness. The Ten Commandments are not even recommendations today and things formerly holy are trampled underfoot as profane. Marriage is no longer the sacred union of a man and woman; but is redefined to accommodate the corrupt and perverse. But the Almighty once declared to Job that there are boundaries and limits. God said, “Thus far you shall come and no further.” The sun is setting on these times and judgment peers from around the corner. Let it be shouted to a unhearing throngs, the fierceness of God’s wrath is not weakened or abated, but stands ready to strike. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
I agree 100% with you Ed-It is even being accepted in the church by my brethren
People are saying as long as it is consentual it is alright-who are we to judge is what they say
Christ said by their fruits you shall know them
Please assist me that information: when did the devil and its messengers cast out from heaven?
I see lots of church “road signs.” Some are alright. Some are worthless. Some are worthwhile. The other day I probably saw the best one I’ve ever seen as far as the point goes. I don’t know if this is a quote or what, but it made an excellent statement in a quick way.
Jesus is the Bread of Life, not the cake for special occasions!
It would make an excellent study title for John 6. Something to think about.
Related Article:
One might bicker if it is indeed the first duty toward one’s Christian family, but the point is well worth passing on from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
The first service one owes to others in the community involves listening to them. Just as our love for God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for other Christians is learning to listen to them. … We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them. So often Christians, especially preachers, think that their only service is always to have to “offer” something when they are together with other people. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people seek a sympathetic ear and do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking even when they should be listening. But Christians who can no longer listen to one another will soon no longer be listening to God either; they will always be talking even in the presence of God.
Quick Bible Truths for Wednesday:
Back then, we knew what we believed. Now, our faith is so full of nuance, concessions, and exceptions, that we have no message
http://quickbibletruths.com/full-of-nuance
Do you agree with this sentiment?
Not entirely, but I have observed that it does have an element of truth. Did we really KNOW what “we” believed, or was it just a matter of repeating what another said without really knowing the truth of what “we” were repeating? It has taken me a LOT of TIME to come to know many things (perhaps I am dull and it just takes an extra long time with me), but I have noticed that many people speak like they know but on further questioning their “knowledge” is rather thin. Do they really know then?
I agree.
I agree, also. Many things that I “knew” were things that I had been told. I believed what I knew.
Yes, I believe that applied to me also, Barbara. Fortunately I changed my approach and used the following pattern (Jeremiah 11;18; Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1, 6) – similar to others on TFR.
I would change the statement slightly to say, “we have interposed into our faith so much nuance, so many concessions, and exceptions, that we have no message.” Faith in Christ has always been (and is) the same as it was in the apostles. Yet, people consider themselves people of faith, but are filled with doubt, willing to make concessions to the world and weary of standing for the truth that the message gets lost.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in a moment. Scientists are convinced that the destruction resulted from an asteroid hitting July 29th, 3123 BC. When the ruins of Ninevah were excavated in the 19th century a library of cuneiform clay tablets were discovered. Only recently has the writing one of those tablets been translated. Mark Hempsell, researcher from Bristol University, managed to crack the code and provide the tablet’s meaning. In 2008 Fox News announced that it contained an eyewitness account of, quote, “a white stone bowl from heaven approaching, vigorously swept along” and the destructive path would have passed along the site of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, God chose to destroy those cities on the plain, one thing is certain, when a people becomes so full of iniquity that wickedness not only prevails but is reveled in, judgment is sure to come. This is Just-A-Minute with Ed Boggess
Sounds good but everyone is always trying to find a natural cause for unnatural or supernatural happenings. ie, What did Saul of Tarsus see on the road to Damascus? I believe that Jesus Christ appeared to him, not a passing “shooting star” or a exploding volcano etc. Oh well interesting story! As a child, I thought that God dropped an A-bomb on them!! However I was only 8 yoa at the time the first A-bombs were dropped!
http://believingprayer.com/2012/08/24/o-boundless-love/
I don’t often post links to my writings here, but once in a while I figure your patience can endure my self-promotion.
by Hugh Fulford
There was a time when all preachers in the church of Christ were known as “book, chapter and verse” preachers. By this it was meant that they endeavored to “speak as the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11), and to prove every point they made by the Scriptures.They shunned the religious doctrines and commandments of men, they refused to preach their own opinions, and endeavored instead to set forth the will of God about any and every matter of which they spoke. I am thankful that we still have many such preachers, men who wish to be known simply as gospel preachers, men who can back up what they proclaim by a “thus saith the Lord.”
Unfortunately, “book, chapter and verse” preaching has sometimes been wrongly characterized as “proof texting.”Proof texting is an abuse and misuse of scripture.It ignores the larger context of a verse and uses the verse to “prove” a preconceived notion or point of doctrine. As someone has observed, a text taken out of context is a pretext. Every passage of scripture must be understood in the light of its larger context, including the total teaching of the Scriptures on a particular subject. For example, all the verses ascribing salvation to faith in Christ must be understood in the light of all that the New Testament teaches with respect to what one does in response to the saving grace of God. (More …)
Amen and Amen!
Here is an actual “news” headline from 8-17-12 – “Texas School District Eases Up On Dress Code, Allows Male Earrings, Visible Tattoos”
The headline reveals how this nation’s school system is letting us down! It reveals how the average school has a social hub mindset for children on the forefront while education concerns are actually on the back-burner. Although the story didn’t say it, I have no doubt that complaining parents was one of the reasons that the ”dress code” was eased up on. Tattoos? These are children!!! Reading, Ritting and Rithmatic have obviously been exchanged for Revealing, Regressing and Rotting leadership both from parents and school districts.
As I’m sure most of you have heard, Neil Armstrong is dead at the age of 82.
The man who made it all the way to the moon wasn’t able to get away from death. No matter where we go, death finds us all. One thing that I can say that I appreciated about Mr. Armstrong is that he was willing to mention mankind’s Creator. While I can’t say I know much about his personal beliefs, I can say that just about the only thing I hear coming from NASA’s mouth today is all about searching for the origins of life – i.e. evolution garbage. Again, I don’t know what Mr. Armstrong’s true position was, but I think it would be great if a man in his position would acknowledge the awe of outer space in a way that points to its Creator.
Here’s a portion of my sermon yesterday about having a passion for our salvation. I thought some of you might be able to use it for a sermon idea:
There’s no such thing as a person who’s saved that wasn’t lost beforehand! Problem is from time to time some people forget who they need to be in Christ, while some of us forget who we used to be before Christ. Every one of us has a B.C. time in our life that we need to remember.
We sing the 1st stanza of Amazing Grace, but do we really believe it? Did God’s grace save an angel, or did it save a wretch? If we expect to be passionate about who we are we’ll have to remember who we were! We were sinners, lost, enemies of God, deserving punishment and bound for Hell.
Some may want to deny this, but we do so at our own peril! Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost – not the found (Luke 19:10). Fact that some of us may want to deny this explains why we might have no passion about our salvation!!!
How can we expect to be passionate about something if we don’t realize how bad we needed it? If we can’t realize how bad we needed it, then one day we will, but it might too late. Remember what Paul said about himself – 1 Timothy 1:15. Too many Christians look at their past like they were the least of sinners instead of the chief.
Forgetting who we were causes us to be someone who doesn’t care about others. It leads to spiritual snobbery! It leads to hypocrisy, hard heartedness and even hatred of others! It leads to self-righteousness, self-justification and self-condemnation! It leads us and others almost anywhere expect to Jesus.
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32 - NKJV)
“Experience is a teacher, not the best one, and the tuition is high.”
Many people will agree with the experience is the best teacher quote without knowing the entire phrase. The Norwegian Proverb actually says, “Experience is the best teacher, but the tuition is high.” I agree, the tuition is high but experience is not the best teacher. For instance, as a child, I learned not to lie by lying. That lie cost me a very sore bottom. I learned obedience by being disobedient and again it cost me a sore backside; as you can see I needed lots of instruction. But God doesn’t intend for His children to learn through experience.
The Bible is a book of prevention; if one is willing to listen. God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit so they would not die (Gen. 2:15-17). Galatians 5:19-21 says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,envy, murders,drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Here, God tells us plainly that we cannot go to Heaven engaging in these acts.
God affords us unlimited opportunities to repent and come back to Him but sometimes the consequences of our actions prevent us from utilizing those chances. Nadab and Abihu were priests and sons of Aaron. They’d seen the proper ways to offer sacrifices and work in the tabernacle many times, but in Lev. 20 they took matters into their own hands. They offered profane fire to the Lord, fire which He did not authorize. They didn’t get another chance to correct their actions because God sent fire to devour them. For these young priests experience taught them a fatal lesson.
While God won’t send fire to destroy us today when we sin, we need to learn His word so that we can save ourselves the extremely high costs of learning from experience. The costs could be anything from shame, disease, a marred reputation or even death. Experience is not the best teacher, God’s word is and if we’d trust that He knows what’s best for us we could save ourselves a lot of heartache and stick around to make use of those innumerable chances He offers. What lesson can God’s word help you learn in order to avoid experience’s costs?
In Christ, Steve Preston
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For the past couple of weeks, I have been reading, “The Witness of Preaching,” by Thomas Long for a homiletics class at Heritage Christian University. I’ve two questions that may interest the preachers on this blog. In Long’s book, he characterizes preachers in three ways: herald, pastor and storyteller/poet. Which kind of preacher are you? Do you believe a preacher could be all three in some way?
Me = Herald. Often times I feel like I play the pastor role, but herald is the most comfortable for myself. I know some preachers (one specifically) who fits all three very well, but I think it’s rare across the board because of personality traits.
Good questions, John.
Maybe a mix of herald and storyteller/poet? I think there’s a place for all three types as a good mix: the herald, to announce the will of the Lord; the pastor, to show concern for God’s flock; the storyteller/poet, to match the telling with the wonder and the marvel of the story.
I agree with you both. In my first homiletics classes, preaching was defined as heralding a message for the king.That’s what I learned to do, but as you both said, there are elements of all three that I’ve noticed in my preaching. Personally, speaking only for myself, I would not wish to be pigeon-holed into just one characteristic. When I first read this in Long’s book, I thought of Stafford North’s defined, exemplified, applied type of sermon and how all three fit into that kind of sermon. Things can be defined scripturally, exemplified by stories from the Bible and applied with personal knowledge of people in the congregation (a pastoral flavor, if you will). Thanks for your viewpoints. While it may be difficult for an old man like me to keep and open mind, I’m going to try to do just that.
I like what you said here and how you interfaced it with North’s types. Very nicely done.
Thanks. I’ve had a real love-hate relationship with Long’s book, and I’m far from agreeing with him on much of what he says, but he makes some sense, too. It’s easy to throw the baby out with the bath water, but there is an opportunity to learn.
Alexander Campbell had completed a tour of eastern Virginia. In the May 1856 issue of the Millennial Harbinger he delivered a report of his tour. In the course of the report, he made an important statement which should serve as a reminder to us, including myself, when we pursue various works under the theme of “Systematic Theology”:
I also added, that I was led by parental authority to memorize much of the Christian Scriptures, and especially the Epistles of Paul; and pre-eminently, that to the Romans and that to the Hebrews. These were my systematic theology, or, rather, my doctrinal Christology, to which I owed more than to all my memorizing of the creeds and catechisms of the present Scotch orthodoxy. To this faith I pertinaciously adhered, and on it alone I founded all my future prospects, in time and eternity.
– Alexander Campbell, Millennial Harbinger, Volume 6, Number 5, May 1856
A very good reminder indeed. Thanks for sharing this, DR.
Good thoughts, Dr. Kenny. Thanks for sharing. Hope to see more in the near future.
I found this short outline the other day while cleaning out my work truck. I honestly don’t know if I heard this somewhere or if it’s one I made from scratch because I often find old idea ”scratchings” that I’ve written down on little pieces of paper all over the place. It’s only a very short and rough outline but I think you should be able to apply the verses and the needed information to make it a full sermon or class outline.
The “Fall” in the Garden:
Adam and Eve Fell for it (The Lie)
Adam and Eve Fell in it (The Snare)
Adam and Eve Fell from it (The Relationship)
That is a good one – I like it.
Henry Ford’s Model T changed the world. He would produce 15 million of them from 1908 to 1927, eventually for a cost of less than $300 (in 1925), making modern transportation available to the common man. The engine had 20 horsepower. It could reach a top speed of 45 miles per hour. And it was started by a hand crank.
But one thing about the Model T: if you wanted one— if you wanted to join the revolution—you had to be willing to go backward! Uphill anyway. The gas tank was located under the front seat, and because it fed gas to the engine only by gravity (and because the reverse gear was more powerful), the Model T frequently had to be driven up steep hills backward. It was the price you paid to own the “Tin Lizzie.”
Sometimes, to make progress, we have to be willing to go backward; that is, we have to be willing to humble ourselves.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6
Taken from Billy Ray’s Illustrations
“Thoughts For Today to Brighten Your Day” by Glenn, Mercedes and Lauren Hitchcock
Bro. Marshall Keeble used to talk about repentance meaning “backing up.” He’d say, “Why, I wouldn’t even own a horse that wouldn’t back up!”
Good one, Chad! Reinforces well the illustration above.
If you took the Evangelism University course over a year ago, I’d appreciate it if you’d take two minutes to take this poll. One click will do it.
Found on Facebook. From times gone by, from the looks of it, but truths eternal.
I was told that if I didn’t like homosexuality, then I hated homosexuals and wanted them to die.
So, I went to a restaurant with a buffet and selected the foods I liked and put my plate back at my table.
I went back to the buffet and screamed, “I hate you! I hope you die!” at all the foods I didn’t like. The owners quickly called the police.
I guess I don’t understand the entire hatred concept after all.
C.M.Callan is discussing. 
Abel nghuushi, and 
Bernard Barton are discussing. 
Barbara A Oliver, and 1 other are discussing. 
Jim Eckerberg is discussing. 
C.M.Callan 1:52 pm on August 31, 2012 Permalink |
We too have had success with our jail ministry. It is so good to hear of others doing the same. This is an area we need to put more emphasis on. Praise God for your efforts.
C.M.Callan 1:57 pm on August 31, 2012 Permalink |
we too have had success with our jail ministry. Praise God ffor you effo rts and success. We need more empheses on the jails and prisons in our out reach.