Historical Posts
Is Homosexuality Acceptable to God? audio
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Introduction
With all the hype surrounding A&E’s “Duck Dynasty,” it would be helpful to see exactly what the Bible teaches regarding the issue of homosexuality.
It is widely accepted in society, but is it accepted by God, to whom we must give an account?
Body
I. God’s original plan for mankind.
A. In the beginning, God made two sexes: male and female. He did not make male and male, nor female and female (Genesis 1:27-28). The reason? They were to go forth and multiply! Reproduction can only occur with members of the opposite sex! When God saw that man was alone, He made a helper comparable to him. Did He make another man? No! He made a woman (Genesis 2:18-24).
B. God commanded the children of Israel not to have relations with members of the opposite sex (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13). It is an abomination before the LORD!
C. Jesus often taught people the words of His Heavenly Father concerning marriage. He put His seal of approval on the fact that God joins men and women in marriage (Matthew 19:4-6; Mark 10:6-9).
D. The apostle Paul taught the Ephesians the relationship Christ has with His church, as a husband has with his wife. He affirmed the same words of Jesus that a “man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh (Ephesians 5:31).” He taught the Romans that we must follow God’s design. If not, He will allow us to continue to live in sin with dire consequences (Romans 1:21-32). This is “shameful!”
II. God punishes those who do not follow His plan.
A. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were known for their exceeding wickedness, including sexual immorality (Genesis 13:13; 18:20,23,25). Men tried to commit immortality with the men that stayed in Lot’s house; these same men told Lot to leave before God destroyed those cities (Genesis 19). Later, Peter and Jude remind us of these examples so we will not suffer the same destruction (2 Peter 2:6-7; Jude 7).
B. Another similar instance occurred in the land of Gibeah. Men came to the house where a certain Levite was staying, and wanted to know him carnally. He would not give in, but instead gave them his concubine. Her death came as a result (Judges 19).
C. Paul reminds us that those that practice homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
Conclusion
God clearly disapproves of homosexuality, but makes it possible to not continue practicing it! Just as the Corinthians, we can be washed by the blood of Jesus Christ after repenting (1 Corinthians 6:11).
It is good to know God’s law, but one must use it lawfully. Paul taught Timothy that God gives His law to sinners to know right from wrong, and the gospel to save them (1 Timothy 1:8-11). Notice that sodomites again are mentioned as sinners in this context.
Content by Richard Dillon
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Making Melody in Your Heart to God – audio
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Introduction
Tonight is a night that many have looked forward to for a while. It is our “singing emphasis” night! We should all be in a joyous mood.
James tells Christians, “…Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms (James 5:13).” The nature of human beings is to sing when happy; how much more when we sing to the One who makes us eternally happy?
Body
I. We sing to God.
The apostle Paul clearly instructs us to “sing…and make melody in our hearts to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19).” Similarly, he tells the Colossians to “sing with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians 3:16).”
God has done so much for us. In fact, He created us (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 100:3), and designed us so that our hearts have the opportunity to be pure in His sight.
A. Note that we make melody in our hearts.
Just as Christ offered Himself a sweet-smelling aroma to God (Ephesians 5:2), so do we. To those that are being saved and those who are perishing, we are the fragrance of Christ to God (2 Corinthians 2:14-15). A melody is a sweet sounding savor, just as God commands us to be for Him. God is pleased when our hearts are dear to Him in praise of song.
B. Note that we sing with grace in our hearts.
We are saved by the grace of God through our faith (Titus 2:11-15; Ephesians 2:8). Our singing to God should express thankfulness for the spiritual gifts in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3). The apostle Paul often is thankful for the grace of God that came upon him (1 Corinthians 3:10; 15:10), and extends that grace toward others. For example, he told the Galatians: “Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen (Galatians 6:18).”
II. We edify one another.
Paul directs us to “speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19).” Similarly, he told the Colossians to: “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16)…”
We must remember that God is our audience and that we are singing with fellow Christians! How encouraging it is when we all come together to sing praises to God. The psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs uplift us as we describe the goodness of God.
The words of each song speak of God’s goodness toward man, man’s responsibility to God, and man’s relationship with man. Each message in song is edifying to us all.
Conclusion
I pray this evening that God has been pleased with our worship, and that we all have been edified. Let us all be encouraged to spread the word of Christ and His blessings.
Content by Richard Dillon
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Jeremiah 01:05 The Sanctity of Life – audio
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(Abortion Sermons presented in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013)
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Text: Jeremiah 1:5
Introduction
A. For forty years we have lived with the silent, and sometimes not so silent, holocaust in our midst as the lives of 55 million innocent and unborn children have been killed, plucked from their journey to enter this world.
1. Who were they? Who would they have become?
2. The unmarried graduate student who gave birth to hi-tech guru and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, may well have aborted this child had her pregnancy occurred in 1973 rather than 1955.
3. This past week former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, recovering victim of a crazed gunman, visited, along with her husband Mark Kelly, Newtown, Connecticut, site of the latest horrible shooting incident.
4. In their public remarks, they expressed concern that our society has become “desensitized to acts of violence.”
a. Appropriate words, I think, that certainly should be considered in the broadest possible sense in our effort to grasp our willingness to tolerate, even nurture, the open and flourishing presence of evil in our society.
b. It takes a deadening of the soul to permit this, a state of being “desensitized.”
c. We know it because when those senses are awakened, our indifference and willingness to tolerate evil is pushed back.
d. When William Wilberforce fought to abolish the slave trade in England, he moved a boatload of the elite into proximity of a slave ship to smell the stench. Their senses were awakened and a major step forward was achieved to end the horror.
e. Reformed slave trader John Newton composed “
5. If there is good news, it is that, slowly, America seems to be coming to its senses regarding destruction of unborn children.
a. A Time Magazine cover story announced “40 years ago abortion-rights activists won an epic victory with Roe v Wade: They’ve been losing ever since.”
b. But in noting that ultrasound has reduced the willingness of Americans to tolerate abortion, author of the story Kate Pickert misses the key point when she writes, “Thanks to prenatal ultrasound, Americans now understand what a fetus look like and that babies born as early as 24 weeks can now survive.”
6. Ultrasound is sensitizing a desensitized American public that has been willing to tolerate this horror over these forty years.
a. Wars are not won overnight. Victory is achieved battle by battle.
b. Wilberforce did not stop slavery, but he stopped the slave trade.
c. Lincoln’s first aspiration was not total abolition of slavery in America, but making it illegal in new entrants to the Union.
7. A battle before us now, as the American soul awakens to the evil of abortion, is to end the waste of US taxpayer funds, which now provide almost half the budget of the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood.
B. The very basic fundamentals of human life begins with Genesis
1. We are a part of God’s eternal plan – Ephesians 2:10
2. Notice what God told Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1:5
Body
I. OUR PRESENT DAY HOLOCAUST
A. On September 11, 2001 over 3500 lives were extinguished do the bombing of the world trade towers in New York. In that crowd of people there were potential doctors, scientists, preachers, future leaders whose lives were taken due to evil terrorists.
B. What did not make the headlines on September 12, 2001, the very next day, was the 4000 lives that were extinguished by what is called pro-choice. It happen again on September 13, 14, 15 etc. Each day since 1973 approximately 4000 unborn babies are aborted each day, 28,000 each week, 112,000 each month, 1,460,000 each year.
1. One September 11, 2001 Terrorist killed over 3500 people, and the outcry for justice was heard around the world.
2. But, 4000 unborn babies are being taken every day, and I see no weeping, no anger, and no outcry for justice.
3. The penalty for killing an unborn eagle in this country is a fine of up to $5000 and up to five years in prison. But, the killing of an unborn baby is not considered a crime at all, as long as the mother approves.
4. One in four women have had an abortion and one in ten women in a church have an abortion.
5. AMERICAN WAR CASUALTIES
– REVOLUTIONARY WAR 25,324
– CIVIL WAR 498,332
– WORLD WAR II 407,316
– KOREAN WAR 54,246
– VIETNAM WAR 56,655
– GULF WAR 293
– WAR ON THE UNBORN 31,000,000 since abortion was legalize in 1973.
Over 6 times the number of casualties in all the wars combined.
C. Psalm 139:13-16 – For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
1. Within 21 days the baby’s backbone, spinal cord, and nervous system are forming and a small heart is present and beating.
2. At one month arms and legs are present. There is a head with rudimentary eyes, ears, mouth, and brain. The digestive system has begun. The baby is still only one-fourth of an inch long, but he is ten thousand times larger than when he began.
3. At 2 months the baby is fully formed. He reacts to stimuli such as tickling. He will try to grasp a tiny instrument with his tiny hand. He “swims” or moves about in the amniotic fluid. He has fingerprints.
4. By the end of the 3rd month, as one observer notes, “he can kick his legs, turn his feet, curl and fan his toes, makes a fist, move his thumb, bend his wrist, turn his head, squint, frown, open his mouth,” swallow, and breathe.
a. The lack of value for life today is the result of godlessness. Many of our universities and schools have taught our young people that human beings are nothing more than highly organized, animated slime.
b. Our children are taught that they are cosmic accidents, nothing more than time + chance + matter. Our society has rejected the belief that HUMANS HAVE INTRINSIC DIGNITY BECAUSE THEY ARE CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
1. The Psalmist tells us – Psalm 127:3 – Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.
2. Did you know that you are God’s crowning creation?
3. Did you know that you’re the greatest thing that God every created
4. You Were Created in God’s Image.
5. Do you know why you’re so valuable to God? Because you look just like Him!
6. Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in His own image.
7. Don’t you ever convince yourself that your worthless. Don’t you ever buy into the lie that no one loves you.
8. You:
– are not an accident.
– were not mass-produced.
– are not an assembly-line product.
9. You were:
– deliberately planned.
– specifically gifted.
– lovingly positioned on this earth by the Master Craftsman.
10. Psalm 100:3 – Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
II. ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
A. Story – “It Matters to This One”
A young man was walking along the seashore. Far ahead of him, he saw a another man walking towards him. He paused every few steps, stooped down, throwing something into the sea.
The young man hurried forward, his feet awkward in the sand, as he tried to catch up with the man. As he came closer, he saw that it was an old man, and the reason that he would stop every step or two was to pick up a starfish and fling it into the ocean. It was only then that the young man noticed the thousands of starfish that littered the beach for miles, stranded there by the tide.
The young man rather was rather curious. What the old man was doing seemed so pointless, and he couldn’t wait to catch up with him to tell him so. The young man came near the older man.
“Why are you doing this?” he gasped. “You can’t save all of these starfish! It’s useless! What does it matter?”
The old man paused for a moment, looking down at the crusty starfish he’d just picked up. He turned it over slowly, then answered. “It matters to this one,”
III. TWO POSSIBLE OPTIONS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD FOR AN UNWANTED PREGNANCY:
A. Raise and Love the Child.
B. Adoption.
C. Neither one is a good option, but they are the only answers to a bad situation.
D. ABORTION IS MURDER (A sin to correct a sin!!!)
Conclusion
1. The good news is that you can have forgiveness.
2. The good news is you can have help from brothers and sisters in Christ
3. God loves you. Do you love God?
4. Jesus says if you love me keep my commandments – John 14:15
Content by Donald W. Treadway
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The Challenge of Evangelism
Introduction
- The church faces many challenges. There is the challenge of restoring New Testament Christianity in a religiously pluralistic society – John 14:6. There is the challenge of making our homes what God wants them to be – Psalm 127:1. There is the challenge to remain holy – 1 Peter 15-16. But the supreme challenge we have as Christians is to take Jesus Christ to the world – Mark 16:15-16.
- To meet the challenge of evangelism every Christian must be serious about doing their part to assure everybody hears the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must have the zeal to teach the world the Word of God as the first century church did – Acts 19:8-10; Acts 8:3-4.
- If you had a medical emergency, your loved ones would feel a great urgency to get medical attention immediately to help. The world today has a great spiritual emergency and needs Christians to respond to keep them from spiritual death through the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All Accountable Men and Women are Lost and Need Forgiveness
- Christians must see the urgency and the need to save lost souls that are dying everyday. Every soul that has transgressed God’s commandment is lost and separated from God – Isaiah 59:1-2. And anyone separated from God needs forgiveness – Romans 3:23; 6:23. Your soul and everyone else’s soul is valuable and worth all the effort to save!
- At the Day of Judgment, all accountable men & women that do not know God or have not obeyed the gospel of Christ will be eternally punished night & day forever – 2 Thessalonians 1:-7-9. In 2 Peter 3:9, you learn that God does not want us to perish, but wants all to come to repentance. Which should encourage each of us to reach out to lost soul and plant the seed of the Word of God that they might obey Jesus to be saved?
- If you are not committed to the teaching and preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and feel you are not accountable to do your part to teach Christ to the lost, it is not likely you will be evangelistic. May we all have the spirit of the Apostle Paul, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”– 1 Corinthians 9:16
God Has Only One Plan of Redemption to Save Man
- God has a plan for the redemption of man; God has one plan, one way, and one church to save men & women from their sins – Matthew 7:13-14. That one way is Jesus Christ, and His church that was purchased with His own blood – John 14:6. Salvation is only in Jesus Christ and not through other men or churches – Acts 4:12.
- It is important for all the world to know the truth because error and false doctrine fills the world, and the only thing that can liberated those in the bondage of sin is the truth – John 8:31-32. Did you know many people’s worship to God is in vain because they do not have a proper relationship with God and they’re practicing false doctrines of men – Matthew 15:8-9.
- If you have neglected your Christian responsibility of teach the Word of God, why not come today and rededicate yourself to His service – James 5:19-20. If you’re lost, Christ died for yours sins, and God raised Him from the Dead. Why not come today.
Content by Harry (Andy) Anderson Jr.Return to the Home Page
How Do People Respond to the Gospel? Acts 02:41-42
Text: Acts 2:41-42
Lesson Aims
- For the Christian to gain knowledge of how differently people will respond to the gospel.
- To be prepared with joy, to be set for the defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ – 1 Peter 3:15
- Gain understanding that the Word of God is a powerful force and when it is proclaimed and you will have various responses to it – Hebrews 4:12
Read These Lesson Texts
ACTS 4:1-4 (PRIESTS, CAPTAIN OF TEMPLE, SADDUCEES & PEOPLE);
ACTS 13:4-12 (SERGIUS PAULUS); ACTS 26:1-29 (PAUL, FESTUS, AGRIPPA,)
(1) Grieved/Believed
(2) False prophet Bar-jesus not happy / deputy believed
(3) Paul obeyed, Festus didn’t believe the message of Paul, King Agippa almost persuade to be a Christian.
How Do People Respond When Hearing the Message of Salvation?
READ PARABLE OF SOWER EXPLANATION, MATTHEW 13:18-23
(SEED RECEIVED BY THE WAY SIDE)
Some hear the Word of God, may not understand it fully, or the devil plants thoughts of doubt and disbelief in one’s mind of What God says through traditions, worldly values, or false doctrine.
Others hear the Word of God and receive it with joy but they are not rooted and grounded enough in the Word of God to grow properly. Ass a result, when it is time to put your faith in God into action they fall away through trials and suffering.
(SEED RECEIVED IN STONY PLACES)
In (Acts 5:1-11), Ananias and Sapphira are examples of Christians who were not rooted and grounded in the truth. Therefore they followed temptation and paid the price.
A number of people hear the Word of God, yet their love for money and the world causes them to be with odds with God – James 4:4.
(SEED RECEIVED AMONG THORNS)
These worldly vises choke the Word of God – Matthew 19:23-26; I Timothy 6:6-10
(SEED RECEIVED IN GOOD GROUND)
There will be some people who receive and obey the Word of God and will endure temptations to the end. As a result, they will obtain the crown of life that God will give them (James 1:12). (SEED RECEIVED IN GOOD GROUND)
How Much Effort?
How hard is it to become a Christian, according to the New Testament pattern?
Compare this to becoming a denominational member!
How Do People Respond…
Do people accept that repentance and baptism are necessary elements of accepting God’s salvation?
Repenting of your sins is not an easy task to embark on but is necessary. If you want to have a right relationship with God and draw closer to being saved, you must be willing to repent – Acts 17:30-31; Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38
Repentance signifies to change one’s mind or purpose – 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
This change of mind occurs when you learn that your behavior or actions are contrary to God’s Word. As a result, you work at aligning your life to God’s standard to the best of your ability. Therefore, your change of thoughts leads to changes of action – Acts 26:9-11
What is the common response to the necessity of repentance in God’s plan of salvation?
Why are people not willing to lose their life to save it? – Mark 8:34-37
Baptism is required
Baptism is necessary for your salvation just as the other works of faith are necessary for salvation such as:
– Confession of Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:9-10)
– Hearing the gospel message (Romans 10:17)
– Repenting of past sins (Luke 13:3)
– Having faith in God (Hebrews 11:6)
How do people respond to the Word of God when it clearly says baptism is one of the necessary components for one’s salvation?
See Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:28; Acts 22:16; I Peter 3:21, plus all of the 9 examples of conversion in the book of acts include baptism!
Metanoeo (verb): “to perceive afterwards” (meta, “after,” implying “change,” noeo, “to perceive;”
2 Corinthians 7:10 …Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation
Baptizo (verb): “to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk) to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one’s self, bathe to overwhelm”
Romans 6:1-4
Notice that all nine of these conversions recorded in Acts included Baptism
1. Pentecost – Acts 2:36-39
2. The Samaritians – Acts 8:5-13
3. The Ethiopian Eunuch – Acts 8:26-40
4. Saul of Tarsus – Acts 9:1-22; Acts 22:3-16
5. Cornelius – Acts 10:1-48
6. Lydia – Acts 16:13-15
7. Philippian Jailer – Acts 16:22-34
8. The Corinthians – Acts 18:1-8
9. The Ephesians – Acts 19:1-5
Content by Harry (Andy) Anderson Jr.Return to the Home Page
The Lord’s House – powerpoint
The Lord builds the Church and the Family.
The-Lords-House PDF
The-Lords-House PPTX
Content by Richard Dillon
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The Thief on the Cross – Luke 23:39-46
Text: Luke 23:39-46
Where do we read about the thief on the cross?
Mark 15:32 says that those who were crucified with Jesus reviled Him, but the only passage to tell us all the details is Luke 23:39-46.
What law did the thief live under?
Since Jesus was still alive, he could only be under the old law, or Law of Moses (Hebrews 9:15-17). He could not have been a Christian.
Had the kingdom of God come yet?
The Thief asked Jesus to remember him when He would come in the kingdom (Luke 23:42). Thus, speaking in a future tense, the kingdom had not yet come. Jesus promised He would build His church and give Peter the keys to that kingdom (Matthew 16:13-19), and after Christ ascended into Heaven Peter unlocked that kingdom on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1-2).
Did the thief on the cross repent?
According to Luke 23:41-42, he certainly did! We all must repent if we want to be saved (Luke 13:3-5).
Did Jesus have the power to save him?
Remember that Jesus has all authority (Matthew 28:18-20), and thus He may save whomever He wishes as He wishes. He proved this when He saved the paralytic. Not only did He show his power to heal him physically, but could forgive his sins (Luke 5:18-26).
It must be noted, however, that Jesus gave them different instructions than He does with us today. These individuals all lived under the Old Law, and Jesus gave the Great Commission (commanding us to believe and obey the gospel) after His resurrection (see also Matthew 27, Matthew 28, as well as Mark 15 and Mark 16).
Editor’s Note: There is not much discussion about the other thief. Let us repent and recognize Christ like the one discussed above.
Content by Richard Dillon
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Order in the Church – 1 Corinthians 14:40
Text: 1 Corinthians 14:40
Introduction
When Paul was writing to the church at Corinth, he addressed some problems concerning their worship to God. He told them, “let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). A world without order would lead to chaos. There would be much confusion as no one would know what to do.
An Orderly Creation
God created the world in an orderly fashion (Genesis 1:1-27). Hence, He is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). We must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and if we all do that there will be order and not confusion.
Order in Worship
One specific problem the church at Corinth had was the way in which they observed the Lord’s Supper. Paul reminded them of how Jesus used it to remind them of His body and blood (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). When they partook of it, they were to examine themselves and remember the sacrifice Christ made; yet, some took this for a common meal. They were being worldly in this, as Paul said they should not do. After addressing this problem, Paul said he would “set the rest in order” when he came (1 Corinthians 11:27-34).
An Orderly Account
3. The Bible is written in an orderly fashion. It is divided into two testaments (old and new) that takes us from God creating the world to His law given through Moses, speaking through the prophets, birth and life of Christ, history of the church, guide to living the faithful Christian life, and then to things that would shortly come to pass according to Revelation. Luke tells Theophilus he was writing an orderly account to set in order things that happened to Christ (Luke 1:1-4).
An Orderly Work
4. Paul had an important job for Titus. He left him in Crete to “set in order things that were lacking” (Titus 1:5). One can only wonder what was missing in the church there, and what problem may have needed to be corrected.
Order in our Lives
Is anything out of order in your life? Have you obeyed the gospel by being baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38)? If so, are you living faithfully as you should (Revelation 2:10)?
Is there anything you need to set in order with God, yourself, or with anyone else?
Content by Richard Dillon
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Qualification of Elders – Titus 01:05-09
Text: Titus 1:5-9
Paul gives Titus instructions to appoint elders in every city, and even gives their qualifications (Titus 1:5-9). Most of these qualifications should be characteristics of all Christians, but they are required for elders. They are:
1. Blameless. We should live our lives in such a godly way that we cannot be at fault for anything. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23), yet Christ did no sin (1 Peter 2:21-24). It is only through Him that we can become blameless (Colossians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 1:8).
2. Husband of one wife. Christ gives many instructions concerning the family in the New Testament. There is to be one wife per husband (1 Corinthians 7:2), and each has commandments from the Lord (Ephesians 5-6).
3. Faithful children not accused of dissipation. If a child is taught the way to go, when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). However, a child shouldn’t live a reckless life or destroy his lifestyle as the prodigal son did (Luke 15:11ff.).
4. Faithful children not accused of insubordination. Children should not be disobedient to their parents or reject their authority (Ephesians 6), as Christians should be subject unto God, our Heavenly Father.
5. Steward of God. A steward must be faithful in all things (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).
6. Not self-willed. We should not be thinking of ourselves, but strive to please God as Christ did (Philippians 2:4; Romans 12:3; Luke 22:42).
7. Not quick-tempered. As humans we get angry, yet should not sin (Ephesians 4:26), even as Christ did (John 2:13-16).
8. Not given to wine. We should not be filled with wine, but with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
9. Not violent. If possible, we should live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18).
10. Not greedy for money. Money is necessary to survive, but the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
11. Hospitable. When we do things for others, we do so to Christ (Matthew 25).
12. A lover of what is good. We should think of things of good report (Philippians 4:8); even Christ went about doing good (Acts 10:38; Hebrews 13:16).
13. Sober-minded. We should live as with a purpose, striving to get to Heaven (Revelation 2:10).
14. Just. We must know the difference between right and wrong, and thus do right (James 4:17).
15. Holy. God often said “Be ye therefore holy, even as I am holy (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 11:44,45).
16. Self-controlled. It is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23), and should be added to our faith (2 Peter 1:5-8).
17. Hold fast the faithful word. By studying God’s word (2 Timothy 2:15), we can know the truth (John 8:32; 17:17). Thus, we can show some where they’re right; prove others wrong, and help all get to Heaven.
Content by Richard Dillon
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