Classes - Benchley church of Christ

DW

May 12, 2019

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  • How do you tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian?

  • Philippians 2:15

  • We must teach the truth.

    • I Corinthians 1:21

    • Acts 17 – The philosophers rejected Paul’s teachings about a crucified Savior.

    • I Corinthians 15:1-8 – This is the story of the gospel!

    • People don’t necessarily believe this story today.

    • I Corinthians 15:12-19 – If Christ was not raised, the Bible is a lie!

    • I Corinthians 2:1, 12-13; 4:1-2

  • We must actually obey.

    • Romans 1:5, 28-32

    • Romans 5:1; 6:3, 19 – We can put sin behind us!

    • Romans 9:6-8

    • Romans 11:22 – God will bless you with His kindness if you obey.

    • Romans 16:25-27

  • We must develop love.

    • Luke 6:27, 32

    • Romans 5:6-8

For further study, see also:

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Classes - Benchley church of Christ

Acts 9:1-43
DW

May 12, 2019

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  • Acts 9:1-43

  • Acts 9:1-9 – It is possible to be sincerely wrong. Sincerity does not equal truth! In modern times, Jesus does not intervene directly like He did in the case of Paul. It is our responsibility to study and find truth.

  • Acts 9:10-19 – Ananias obeyed God despite the threat Paul posed. He was able to see beyond Paul’s problems. We should be able to overcome our doubts and extend love to others like Ananias.

  • Acts 9:15-16 – See Ephesians 3:8; Acts 25:11; 17:1-2.

  • Acts 9:20-30 – See Galatians 1:15-24. Paul evidently made a trip to Arabia at some point here. When we become loyal to Christ, earthly relationships are bound to change.

  • Acts 9:31 – Descriptive phrases about the church:

    • “enjoyed peace”

    • “being built up”

    • “going on in the fear of the Lord”

    • “and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”

    • “continued to increase”

  • Acts 9:32-43 – These miracles were undeniable. The conditions were not faked, and the healing was instantaneous!

For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.

Classes - Benchley church of Christ

Luke 11:1-30
JJ

May 08, 2019

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  • Luke 11:1-30
  • Luke 11:2 – We cannot pray “thy kingdom come” in the same way now because Jesus’ kingdom has already come (Acts 2). We can still pray that God’s kingdom will come into the hearts of those who have not accepted it yet.
  • Luke 11:5-13 – God rewards persistence in prayer.
  • Luke 11:21-23 – The strong man here may be referring to Satan. “Someone stronger” would then be God, who overpowers Satan and casts out the evil spirits.
  • Luke 11:24-26 – When we cut sin out of our lives, we must fill the space with good and leave no room for evil.

For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.

Sermons - Benchley church of Christ

JM

May 05, 2019

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  • Psalms 1:3, 1-2 – To be blessed like this man, we must delight in the law of the Lord and avoid sin.
  • Review: parables
    • Earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.
    • Figurative language (extended metaphor)
      • Luke 18:1-8, 9 – Parable of the persistent widow.
      • Illustrates a point, should not be erroneously or over-applied.
    • Told to many, understood by few.
  • The parable, explained
    • Luke 8:11 – Seed is the word of God.
    • Emphasis is on the hearts of men and how they interact with the word of God.
    • Hearing the word is common in all four scenarios.
  • The path
    • Matthew 13:18-19
    • Path: hardened heart
      • Example: Pharaoh (Exodus 7:13, 22-23)
      • Matthew 13:15
    • Hears, but no understanding.
    • No possibility of faith developing (Luke 8:12)
    • Application:
      • Personal Bible study
      • Bible class this morning
      • Words in the songs we sang
    • Is your heart closed and incapable of accepting God’s word?
  • The rocky ground
    • Enthusiasm and some growth, but no perseverance when trials or tribulations come.
      • Example: Peter (Matthew 26:30-35, 69-75)
    • Important for new converts to grow their faith
      • Matthew 13:12
    • Jeremiah 17:7-8
    • What to do in times of tribulation?
      • James 1:2-4
  • The thorns
    • Mark 4:18-19
      • YLT: “cares of the world” translated as “anxiety of this age”
    • Competition for limited resources (time, energy, etc.)
      • Example: Demas (II Timothy 4:10)
      • Example: growing grass under a shade tree
    • Stunted growth » no fruit
      • No fruit = no purpose (Matthew 21:18-19; Luke 13:6-9)
      • Results from spiritual laziness (Proverbs 24:30-34)
    • Importance of regular pruning
      • Example: cutting cable bill or streaming service
      • Example: taking a less demanding job
    • Application:
      • No good fruit = no purpose (Matthew 3:10)
  • The good soil
    • Acts 2:37, 41-42 – Our hearts must be prepared to receive the word of God.
    • Hears + understands » fruit
      • Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15
    • God expects us to understand His word.
      • Matthew 15:10; Ephesians 5:17
    • God expects us to bear fruit (grow spiritually)
      • Galatians 5:19-23; Matthew 3:8; Hebrews 5:12
    • Suggestion: Pick someone who is bearing spiritual fruit and emulate what they are doing.
  • Matthew 13:9

For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.

Classes - Benchley church of Christ

Acts 7:51-8:40
DW

May 05, 2019

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  • Acts 7:51-8:40
  • Acts 7:51 – Stephen accuses them of resisting the Holy Spirit. The terms “Holy Spirit” or “Spirit” were often used interchangeably with the message from the Spirit, or the prophet carrying that message.
Reference to the “Spirit” Another way of saying it
“You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them” (Nehemiah 9:20) “You…admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets” (Nehemiah 9:30)
“the Holy Spirit foretold” (Acts 1:16) “Scripture…by the mouth of David” (Acts 1:16)
“You…are always resisting the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:51) “argued with Stephen…the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:9-10)
“God who gives His Holy Spirit to you” (I Thessalonians 4:8) “word of God which you heard from us” (I Thessalonians 2:13)
“just as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you…’” (Hebrews 3:7) “saying through David… ‘Today if you…’” (Hebrews 4:7)
“the Holy Spirit also testifies…’This is the covenant’” (Hebrews 10:15) “The words of Jeremiah…this is the covenant…” (Jeremiah 1:1; 31:33)
“let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7) “John…’Write in a book’” (Revelation 1:9-10)
  • Acts 8:5 – Philip went to Samaria to preach. Race and skin color made no difference to him. Race means nothing to God, and it shouldn’t mean anything to us!
  • Acts 8:19-24 – This is a good example of what we should do if we have been baptized and then sin. We should repent and pray. This also directly contradicts the Calvinist view of “once saved, always saved.”
  • Acts 8:27 – Candace was the title for the queen, like the title Pharaoh. The eunuch was evidently a proselyte who had traveled quite a long way to worship in Jerusalem.
  • Acts 8:16-17 – Spiritual gifts were given by the apostles laying hands on them. Everyone who was baptized did not receive the Holy Spirit just because they were baptized.
  • Acts 8:5, 35 – Preaching Jesus implies teaching baptism!
  • Acts 8:37 – Those who study manuscript evidence tells us that there is little reason to believe that Acts 8:37 was in the original since it was not in most of the ancient manuscripts. It appears to be a case of “scribal gap-filling” (Philip Comfort, New Testament Text and Translation Commentary, p. 363). Erasmus included it in his Greek New Testament (1500s) based “on a marginal reading in codex 4.” That became part of the Received Text (Textus Receptus), which is how it came to be included in the King James Version. But even if this verse wasn’t part of the original inspired text, it doesn’t change our understanding of the necessity of confessing our faith (Romans 10:9-10).

For further study, see also:

Questions or comments? Join our Discord server for further study.

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