The following is actually “borrowed” from an illustration Dan Shipley once used in a sermon. As you will see, it is intended to help someone get over the huge hurdle of feeling that if they obey the truth, they have learned they will be condemning some loved one who did not obey it.

I can only try to understand how hard it is for someone who has to deal with that issue, and I know Satan has used it countless times to keep someone from obeying the gospel.

The illustration went something like this...

Suppose you are running a business where you…

IT'S NEVER JUST A PIANO
(Mike Thomas)

I live 150 miles from where the first instrument was brought into worship services of groups that would be known as churches of Christ. The actual melodeon is on display at Midway University (Kentucky), and I hope to make it over one day to see it if for no other reason than to be reminded of the great chasms that come when brethren rely on human opinion instead of the Scriptures.

Whenever a church decides to use mechanical instruments in worship, they…

A preacher may be a very effective pulpiteer and he may have…

View Full Content Source:

The post Q&A: Lord’s supper, modern day prophecies, why was Jesus baptized? appeared first on South Seminole Church Of Christ.

The post Hitting Rock Bottom appeared first on South Seminole Church Of Christ.

The song Jesus, Name Above All Names is one of my all-time favorites. Its greatness doesn’t come from a catchy melody or intricate wordplay. Rather, its greatness comes from its elegant simplicity. Many songs want to preach a sermon set to a tune, but Jesus, Name Above All Names presents the various names of Jesus without any additional commentary. This format provides me, as a singer, the freedom to explore a different aspect of Jesus every time I sing the song, making the experience new and different each time.

The title of this song comes from Philippians chapter two. While I don’t think…

The first point we should emphasize is that a certain amount of leisure time is right, proper, and even needful. Our Lord realized this, and instructed his apostles in this regard during a particularly busy period of work. Notice: "And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into…

THE CROWN OF VICTORY
(David Dann )

 

The apostle Paul compared the life of a Christian to the successful completion of an athletic contest, saying, "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown" (1 Cor. 9:24-25, NKJV).

Please notice that the reward awaiting…

View Full Content Source:

The post Pursuit of Happiness appeared first on South Seminole Church Of Christ.

The post 8 positive precepts for the new year appeared first on South Seminole Church Of Christ.

The book of Lamentations is not exactly the most “upbeat” book in the Bible. In fact, it’s quite depressing…because in it, the author laments bitterly over Judah’s lost condition in Babylonian captivity. Yet, sad as it is, the writer also has something positive to say! He emphatically affirms, “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (3:22-23). You might recognize these words from a song we often sing about our God entitled “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”! Despite all his mournful lamentations, the writer must also confess…