Words From Our Preacher

(Kudos to my brother, Clark Sims, for stimulating these thoughts with his lesson Sunday.) There’s no mistake in the title. I want to talk about the prodigal sheep. He’s the brother who finds his way back into God’s service after years of inactivity and without any help or encouragement from the brethren. Like the prodigal son of Luke 15, this wanderer “came to himself” and came home. Unlike the sheep of Matthew 18 who was sought by his shepherd, no one came looking for him.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). Christians must stand strong against those forces that would condemn us to eternal damnation. Instead, we befriend culture while knowing that “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4). Those who support and encourage sin and sinful

Not much. The American church was not and is not persecuted Notwithstanding a few rare and extreme cases, the government has maintained a hands-off policy toward the church. Some pseudo-church organizations have been discomforted but the church for which Jesus died has been left alone. The mission of the church is not to place manger scenes in the courthouse square nor to place copies of the 10 Commandments in public places. The mission of the church is to save souls (Luke 19

Guillen-Barre is a slowly progressing illness that paralyzes people beginning in the feet and sometimes moving all the way into the chest and neck. It’s terrifying to feel your muscle control slipping away and wondering whether your breathing will soon stop. In most cases GB reverses itself and patients make a full recovery but they are forever changed by the brush with a permanent infirmity. As horrible as physical paralysis is, spiritual paralysis is far worse and, I would

Correction: 7 billion souls. When one stops and thinks that each Christian is given the task of bringing the good news to others the task seems enormous. But God gives us nothing beyond our reach. The Great Commission texts of Matthew 22:18-20 and Mark 16:15-16 are doable. The Lord would never have given the command if the results were beyond our reach. It may be that we need to stop looking at the great forest and look instead at the trees. Most of us have 2 neighbors within

Have you ever noticed how much sinners look like the man in the mirror? I’ve been struck by the similarities of sinners to Christians. I shouldn’t be. Christians are sinners too. The difference lies in the “no condemnation” statement of Romans 8:1, 2: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Note that the freedom from condemnation comes only for

You know someone that needs Jesus. Their life is a mess and chaos reigns every day. You fear their eternity yet they slumber through life with little thought for the Lord and his salvation. Can this person be reached? Are they beyond the love of God? Should we surrender? The Love of God Extends to All Sacrificial love flows from God’s throne. Every action Jehovah has taken is targeted toward the salvation of lost men. He is driven by love. The death of Jesus was the evidence

Man’s Work is Futile Peter, James and John toiled all night for nothing. Not a fish was caught. Certainly they were doing their best and using the best techniques they knew. Their lives and the lives of their family depended upon their work. Yet, they came up empty handed. When we depend on our own knowledge and abilities in evangelism, we will also come up short. Man does not have the ability to save souls. We create programs and ministries and we design training programs to

Adding souls to the body of Christ is vital. It is not an option and it cannot be ignored. Every Christian has a responsibility to teach others the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-19) is clear: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of t

Churches try all sorts of ways to attract people to their services. Some focus heavily on music and large scale productions while others have turned to large youth oriented carnivals and rallies. Still others spend large amounts on advertising and market research. Of course many still rely on the ICP’s (incredibly corny phrases) posted on the sign out front. But when  the music stops and the carnivals close, have any been brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus? Only God knows

The gospel of God (Romans 1:2) is the best news anyone has ever heard. It is a declaration of freedom to a world bound up in sin and its consequences. It is a message of freedom. It is an expression of love from the source of love. Indeed, words fail to describe its breadth and magnitude against the affairs of mortal man. Although the gospel reaches deep into the heart and mind of our Creator, its message is stunningly simple: “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners

It can be painful to reach out to someone caught up in sin. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, they reject us and our plea for Christ. It’s doubly hurtful when that person is a dear family member; maybe a son or daughter who has gone astray draws even further away after our pleadings. Their rejection causes us to plead even more earnestly and they draw even further away. It becomes a cycle of encouragement and rejection. A preacher once reminded me that not even Jesus saved

Two men, who do not know one another, are walking through the fishing department at Bass Pro. As they shuffle through the lures and examine the latest gear they begin to talk…about fishing. A young woman is at Barnes and Noble looking at the latest fiction offerings. Another woman approaches and they begin to talk…about the book’s author. Two strangers step out of a Chinese restaurant at the same time and see that it has begun to rain. They quickly begin a conversation…about

I am blessed to be in Muscatine, Iowa this week to teach the adult class for their Vacation Bible School and then to preach for them on Sunday. I was with the brethren there some years ago and was warmly received by them. I look forward to seeing them again. I also have a string family connection in Muscatine. My cousin Clyde Evans and his family are all located in that area so I will get to see them soon. Muscatine is a small city on the banks of the Mississippi River just o

A dozen Christians from Eastern Shore made the 30 mile jaunt over to the Bellingrath Road church of Christ last night to support the evangelism efforts and their current Gospel Meeting. Preaching last night was Bill Davis, a former ordained minister in the Assemblies of God church. Davis left the AOG in February of this year and is now attending the North West Florida School of Biblical Studies in Milestone. Bill’s message was entitled, “The church of Christ is the church tha

Change is certain and often unexpected. Most like the stable daily lives that we lead and are perfectly happy to avoid any change. However we should notice that change very often represents and opportunity for growth. Change is constant and may prove helpful to us. Change also brings opportunities to teach the gospel.  Paul and Barnabas said the Lord had opened a “door of faith” in their preaching (Acts 14:27). Jesus told the Christians in Philadelphia that he had opened a “d

Let’s call it what it is — an excuse. It’s the idea that we can’t teach anyone the Gospel because we don’t have any good contacts. We reason that we just don’t know anyone and therefore we are somehow exempt from the Great Commission. That’s not what Jesus taught is it? So much with having no contacts uh? So what’s the problem? The problem is not a lack of contacts, it is a lack of action. Think about the impact you alone could have if you touched only two people with God’s w

Jerry Davidson tells me that a new container of clothing and supplies will be shipping this month for the church in Guyana.The items are then distributed through the church to those in great need throughout the country. Preparing to distribute medications in Guyana Your donations make it possible for those in Guyana to have useful items which they could hardly buy themselves. Their gratitude is evident each time you visit with them. Students receive intense Bible training at

Evangelism occurs in many ways. Sometimes a teacher and student sit across from one another with an open Bible between them. Sometimes people listen to recordings or watch videos which teach the Gospel. Phylis Gill and Karen Dees grade Bible Courses At Eastern Shore, we have an active Bible Correspondence Course program. Well over 1,000 people have studied the Bible through the courses we offer. Most enter the program through our website or through personal requests from stud

Yesterday I wrote in a [cref 31 post] that we need to keep two things in mind always. We need to check if our deeds are always in line with what Christ wants and to constantly examine how we evangelize to see if we are doing the best we can. Since that post talked about conforming to Christ’s command to evangelize, I though I would talk now about how we accomplish effective evangelism. As always, your comments are welcomed. Our world is changing and we must be prepared to mee