When it comes to various laws in the Old Testament, people have many reactions. Some Christians want to carry them over to today while others are embarrassed to even read them, let alone enforce them. Non-Christians are quick to point out inconsistency and the archaic nature of these laws as evidence that society has left Christianity behind. Just what are we to make of these laws and what do they teach us about God’s nature and His plan? Answering these questions is something Christians must get right if we want to avoid being dismissed by our culture and if we want to be sure we are truly living in obedience to God.
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Early bird gets the worm. Rolling stone gathers no moss. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Such is the prevailing wisdom of our culture. A good work ethic is often thought of as the mark a good person. Even as Christians, we celebrate this trait—and we are right to celebrate this. So why is it that God calls us to a day when we forgo all of that and instead do the opposite? The Sabbath is designed to be a time where we intentionally rest or minds and bodies, recognize our creator and His design, and remember what He has done? Is that what your Sabbath looks like?
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When obedience is only about “trying hard enough.” We can usually make ourselves do whatever needs to be done, especially if the reward is big enough. When it comes to following God’s commands about loving others, we find that we just can’t seem to try hard enough. What is it that makes God’s law so hard for us to keep? It all comes back to our hearts. Our problem isn’t just our external failure, it’s our internal desires.
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In the giving of the ten commandments, God establishes a framework for His relationship with us that asserts both his authority and his expectations. Through those commands, God graciously shows us a path forward that removes us from being our own authority of our life. In doing so, God is not removing our path to happiness, but showing us where true joy is found.
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The Ten Commandments are some of the most well-known pieces of scripture in the world. They are displayed, debated, and dismissed, but what role do they play in our lives today? Are they absolute authority or irrelevant and archaic? Much more than a list of rules, the Ten Commandments reveal our hearts and the nature of God himself. Our obedience (or lack there of) reveal our nature too.
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It can be easy for religion to be nothing more than a list of to do’s. If you do them God will be satisfied, but woe to us if we come up short. While obedience is a part of the Christian life, it may not fit where you think it does. Because obedience isn’t the ticket to God’s goodness, it’s the response to it- and that makes all the difference.
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Collecting rocks can be a fun hobby. The problem with a rock collection is that those rocks will always just be, well, rocks. They might be pretty and unique, but they’re still rocks. The Bible tells us that we, as Christians, are kind of like rocks (“living stones”), but we were never meant to exist as individual rocks. We were meant to be more like bricks, because bricks can become something more than just bricks. They can become a house. If you want to grow as a disciple, that’s a good place to start- viewing yourself more like brick than a precious jewel.
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As culture continues to shift and turn against the Christian faith, being a disciple will consist of widespread challenges not experienced by many of us. According to Peter though, it isn’t the challenges from outside of us that we need to be most concerned with- it’s the ones that come from ourselves. We must be vigilant of our own sinful desires before we consider the sins of others. Even more to the point, we must recognize that the challenges we face aren’t just setbacks, but instead they are tremendous opportunities.
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Family is, for most, the most precious thing we have. We don’t hesitate to sacrifice and move mountains for our families. Yet when we see what Jesus had to say about family, it can be hard to understand. How can you be a disciple of Jesus when he tells us to hate our families? How could he even say that all? The lesson Jesus is teaching us about family frees us to pursue Him and allows our families to thrive in their proper place.
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A GPS map can be a valuable tool on any journey. All you need to know is where you are and where you’re going, and it can take care of getting you the most efficient and most effective path to get there. As we begin our series “You Are Here” we take a look at our starting point and where we want to go, but we acknowledge that where the Spirit is leading us is rarely efficient.
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Pastor Tony is back and wrapping up our “If I Could Tell You One Thing” sermon series. What would you say if you only had one chance, if your life could only be remembered for one thing, if your kids could only take one lesson from your life, what would it be? Pastor Tony shares why his “one thing” is the truth that we desperately need Jesus, but when we have him- he is ALL we need.
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Do you fear man more than you fear God? It’s a hard question to answer. While anxiety and stress are multi-billion dollar industries that dominate the world of marketing and only attempt to fix the symptoms, the Bible teaches that when following Jesus there is another way. Providence elder Tony Runyan’s story is closely linked to the anxiousness of people pleasing. How God changed his life and can change yours is the topic of part six of IF I COULD TELL YOU ONE THING.
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How do we view God when bad things happen? How do we cope when things don’t go the way we want? How do we relate to the brokenness of the world around us? Providence elder David Crowe has seen his share of pain and firmly believes it was God who helped him through it all. He graciously and carefully explains how God’s Word speaks to the hurt we feel in this, part five of IF I COULD TELL YOU ONE THING.
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“I never knew you; depart from me.”
There may not be a more scary verse in the whole Bible. It seems many will stand before God and be shocked it was not Jesus they were trusting, but rather themselves. We often struggle with the when and the where we are saved, but we’re not meant to dwell on such things. Rather, we should ask ourselves – what do I believe? God’s Word teaches that a true faith, saving faith, is more than just head knowledge, more than just a decision, more than a feeling or a memory. Providence elder Bobby Lemons shares how God’s kindness led him to see this and more in part 4 of our summer series, IF I COULD TELL YOU ONE THING.
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What is the most important commandment God gave us? Jesus didn’t hesitate to give His answer. But why do we so often struggle to love both God and people? How we answer that question is more than a little important. Providence elder Jonathan Mixon shares his story in part 3 of If I COULD TELL YOU ONE THING and explains his passion for the local church and how God led him to see why these two commandments are undeniably connected.
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