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Saul Becomes Paul...Well, Not Really
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Chris Stephens |
10/21/2009 7:01:15 AM |
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Scripture: Acts 13:9 "Then Saul, who was also called Paul …"
Observation: I can't count the number of times that have heard people refer to the conversion of Saul of Tarsus where they add the commentary that this is when "Saul" became... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
10/20/2009 9:14:41 AM |
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Scripture: Acts 12:2 "He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword."
Observation: James was one of the first disciples to be called by Jesus (Peter, Andrew, James and John were all called at the same time). James is the first of the 12 to be martyred for... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
10/13/2009 8:11:59 AM |
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Scripture: Nehemiah 9:17b "... But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love…"
Observation: This is part of Nehemiah's prayer for the people. His statement about God's character is not wishful thinking, and not... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
10/12/2009 7:32:43 AM |
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Scripture: Nehemiah 8:7-8
"The Levites … instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
10/10/2009 7:21:36 AM |
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Scripture: Nehemiah 4:14b ... “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”
Observation: I love the book of Nehemiah - most task-oriented Christian leaders... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
10/8/2009 6:35:54 AM |
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Scripture: Luke 21:5-28
(6) …there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down
(9) …you [will] hear of wars and tumults
(10) …nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom
(11) There will be great earthquakes, and in... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
10/7/2009 6:39:02 AM |
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Scripture: Ezra 7:6b, 9b-10
"... The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.
... for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in... More >>
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Lara Morris |
8/4/2009 10:33:23 AM |
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Scripture: 2 Chronicles 33:10-12- "The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon. When he... More >>
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Lara Morris |
7/10/2009 10:21:09 AM |
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Scripture: Hebrews 7:25- "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."
Observation: A clear and simple statement of who Jesus is- the Gospel is it's most basic form. But there is also something here that we... More >>
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Wesley Underwood |
6/29/2009 2:45:57 PM |
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Scripture:
Titus 1: 7 – 9
7Since an overseer[b] is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8Rather he must be hospitable, one... More >>
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Jonathan Fowler |
6/25/2009 5:47:09 AM |
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A friend called me last week to tell me his marriage was over. He had been living in a secret adulterous relationship (unbeknownst to me) for almost a year and his wife had just found out about it. Less than a week later I got a call from a woman who used to work with me in... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
6/10/2009 11:47:54 AM |
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"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God." Ephesians 6:5&6
- Paul's specific address here is to slaves serving in people's... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
6/8/2009 2:13:29 PM |
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"Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others." Ecclesiastes 7:21&22
- This passage is a reminder to not take yourself so seriously, and to have a good temperament towards... More >>
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Lara Morris |
6/2/2009 11:10:30 AM |
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Scripture: "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way." Romans 14:13
Observation: The early Christians were in the habit of creating certain standards that identified the Christian lifestyle. These... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
5/21/2009 2:23:56 PM |
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"Therefore, you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things." Romans 2:1
- In the verses before this, Paul goes through a laundry list of singful things that the... More >>
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Jonathan Fowler |
5/7/2009 7:08:49 AM |
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Psalm 51 is a famous psalm because it is the record of reaction from David after the Prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba, but it is also cool because it is an interesting study on what Sin can and will do to people in its insidious subtle way.
One Observation I made was... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
5/6/2009 1:03:59 PM |
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"Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have broken rejoice." Psalm 51:8
- David writes this psalm in the midst of his anguish of his sin with Bathsheba. Up until this point, David had led a really successful kingdom and had been a king of high honor as well as man of God with... More >>
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When you say nothing at all
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Matt Archibald |
4/29/2009 12:41:53 PM |
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"Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns." Matthew 14:13
- Jesus withdraws for a bit in order to mentally process everthing he heard concerning John the Baptist's... More >>
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Wesley Underwood |
4/28/2009 12:36:02 PM |
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Scripture:
Matthew 15:15-20
15Peter said, "Explain the parable to us."
16"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them. 17"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these... More >>
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Wesley Underwood |
4/23/2009 10:10:30 AM |
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Scripture: Matthew 10: 1 - 4
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil[a] spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
4/22/2009 12:21:44 PM |
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"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Matthew 9:36
- Jesus saw people hurting, and being able to discern the spiritual depth behind them, felt compassion rather than getting upset or overwhelmed.... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
4/21/2009 3:14:13 PM |
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"This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah 'He took our ilnesses and bore our diseases.'" Matthew 8:17
- It makes me wonder if Jesus actually felt the diseases he healed. If he took them up into himself and really became afflicted with the disease. It's amazing that... More >>
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The Right Source of Strength
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Chris Stephens |
4/20/2009 7:57:07 AM |
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Scripture - 1Samuel 23:16 "Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God."
Observation- Jonathan wanted to encourage his friend David in David's time of great need. But Jonathan did try to encourage David with Jonathan's strength or with David's own strength. Rather, he... More >>
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The Proximity of Possibility
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Jonathan Fowler |
4/15/2009 8:37:34 PM |
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Scripture: 1 Samuel 14:6 "Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." (NIV)...
Observations: So Jonathan... More >>
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Unlikely People, Unlikely Means
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Lara Morris |
4/15/2009 11:20:15 AM |
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Matthew 1:3,5-6,16- "...by Tamar...by Rahab...by Ruth...by Bathsheba...Mary, by whom Jesus was born..."
Observation- At first glance, this list of people appears to be just that- a list of Jesus' ancestors. But a closer look reveals something else going on. First, there are five women mentioned-... More >>
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The Lord Looks in Your Heart
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Wesley Underwood |
4/14/2009 9:27:38 AM |
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Scripture 1Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance of his height for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Observation: This is the story when... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
4/13/2009 2:36:47 PM |
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"There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong manman, or any valiant man, he attached him to himself" 1st Samuel 14:52
Observation: It doesn't surprise me that Saul would have drawn to himself people who were like him. Saul considered... More >>
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It seemed like such a good idea...
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Matt Archibald |
4/8/2009 2:31:34 PM |
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"As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that all the earth resounded." 1st Samuel 4:5
-The Israelites were losing to the Philistines, so they had their own idea of bringing the ark of God with them into battle. Even the... More >>
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Jonathan Fowler |
4/6/2009 7:18:32 AM |
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Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Let's settle that question once and for all.
Luke 8:14 says, "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature."... More >>
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Lara Morris |
3/31/2009 10:28:22 AM |
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Scripture- "Love never ends." - 1 Corinthians 13:8a
Observation- What is there to say? Love, the greatest of all "virtues," the perfect love of Christ, NEVER ends. It is eternal, it is forever. Without it, there is nothing.
Application- What a powerful statement in a culture that often... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
3/26/2009 1:36:18 PM |
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Scripture: Psalm 44:17-19
17All this happened to us,
though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant.
18Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals
and covered us over with deep... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
3/20/2009 7:25:25 AM |
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Scripture – Joshua 7:10-11a 10The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep.”
Observations – The armies of Israel had just been routed by a lesser... More >>
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Jonathan Fowler |
3/18/2009 8:25:07 PM |
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There are probably thousands of messages that could be preached on this chapter of Joshua alone and particularly in the area of leadership for God! Invariably when I have taken on new, significant, leadership roles in my life for the Lord, I have within a short time circled back around... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
3/11/2009 10:29:57 AM |
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Scripture: Galatians 2:20-21 "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the song of God, who love me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for it righteousness could be... More >>
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I'm Not Making This Stuff Up!
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Chris Stephens |
3/10/2009 3:55:40 PM |
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Scripture - Galatians 1:11 "I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up."
Observations - This seems to be a timeless objection to the gospel message, that it is merely fabricated. But, as Paul points out, our faith is not a clever... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
2/12/2009 3:02:39 PM |
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Scripture: Acts 19:1-3 ...Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." So Paul asked,... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
2/3/2009 2:28:01 PM |
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Readings: Exodus 35-36; Acts 10
Scripture: As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. "Stand up," he said, "I am only a man myself." Acts 10:25&26
Observation: Peter, when given the chance to be boastful and... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
2/2/2009 7:36:51 AM |
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Readings: Exodus 33-34; Psalm 16; Acts 9
Scripture: Exodus 34:21
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”
Observations: God is giving the Law to Moses – rewriting the two... More >>
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Chris Stephens |
1/27/2009 8:44:40 AM |
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Readings: Exodus 17-20; Acts 3
Scripture: Exodus 18:17-18, 20-21
17Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. …20Teach them... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
1/23/2009 4:52:21 PM |
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Scripture: "But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said." Exodus 8:15
Observation: This particular verse comes after the second plague that Egypt is going through. Pharaoh, who was not letting the Israelites go... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
1/22/2009 4:27:42 PM |
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Scripture: "When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" Luke 22:49
Observation: At their most desperate hour, as their teacher was being taken away, the only thing the disciples could think to do was to solve this... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
1/21/2009 1:47:37 PM |
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Scripture: "Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? Psalm 88:12
Observation: I love the raw emotion displayed here by Heman, the writer of this psalm. The entire psalm is a cry for help. It's a psalm where Heman feels like he's been... More >>
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Matt Archibald |
1/15/2009 3:01:20 PM |
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Scripture: "I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." Psalm 7
Observation: This is truly a psalm of deliverance. David is in a time of great distress, and pretty much through Psalm 7, he asks the Lord to deliver... More >>
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