INTRODUCTION Needing a flight reservation for an upcoming business trip, Dalton picked up his office phone to make a toll-free call. Wrong number. The recorded voice of a sensuous woman offered the services of “girls who know how to have a good time.” When this very thing had happened one afternoon about six months ago,…

Compassion moved the heart of Jesus when he saw the people following him. The crowds “were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). To the disciples Christ said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (vs.…

Is the church of Jesus Christ established in AD 30 hopelessly buried in the dust of antiquity? Many church-goers think so. However, Jesus promised that he would build his church and that “the powers of death” would “not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). If the Lord has kept his promise, then the church built in…

[Note: In this message the historical and archeological information about Ephesus comes from William Barclay, Thomas Constable, T. Alton Bryant, and others.] Introduction Ephesus was dying. It was the most important city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Its harbor opened into the Cayster River, which, in turn, emptied into the Aegean. But even in…

David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then, to protect his evil secret, arranged for her husband’s death. Month after month dragged by, but the king showed no sign of remorse. Finally, God sent a faithful friend, the prophet Nathan, to confront David. Knowing that the king could execute him for speaking out, Nathan said, “By…

In his letter to the Romans, Paul discusses the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s children. He says that “we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death…

“Husbands,” Peter says, “in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Pet. 3:7, NIV). This teaching came to mind several years ago when…

Most churches maintain a membership list. It makes church-goers feel good to know that they belong to a group whose professed goal is heaven. However, a piece of paper in a church office filing cabinet is no indication of God’s favor. The only membership list that matters is in the hand of God. Thinking of…

Introduction: Labor Day weekend Americans enjoyed the holiday that annually marks the end of summer. People visited relatives, camped at the lake, watched the first college football games of the season, grilled hamburgers. But Kim Davis spent the weekend in jail. Davis is a Democrat, an elected official in Kentucky, the Rowan County clerk. She…

Written by Eric Welch [Eric is the preaching minister of the Hamburg Pike congregation in Jeffersonville, IN.] You wake up in the morning and sit at the computer before going to school. You get to your Facebook page and notice that you have a friend request from Satan. He really wants to be your friend.…