In Acts 10 we are introduced to Cornelius.  Prior to this chapter he is unknown.  We quickly learn that he and his family are Gentiles in Caesarea.  He is a centurion in a group called the Italian Cohort of the Roman Army.  We learn he is a devout man, he and his household feared God, he gave many alms and prayed to God continually.  He did all this as a Gentile.

    Cornelius was God-fearing but needed to be taught.  He needed to know more.  He was sent a vision by an angel of the Lord.  The vision told him…

There is a common belief in the religious world today that sinners are saved at the moment they are convinced by the gospel and come to believe in Jesus. Since salvation is not of works but of faith, sinners must be saved as soon as they believe and give their lives to Jesus. The reasoning seems sound, but what do the Scriptures say?

Some years ago, I was studying with some co-workers, and I asked the question, “When was Saul saved?” Many denominational preachers will talk of Saul being saved on the road to Damascus. Is that what happened? We looked…

1. People with self-control master their moods. To be godly, you must control your mind (Phil 4:8; Col 3:1-4). Rick Warren has written, “Most of what gets done in the world is accomplished by people who do the right thing even when they don’t feel like it.” Again, this takes us back to the definition of self- control: “overruling your emotions because of a higher goal.”
2. People with self-control restrain their reactions. Many people make excuses because they do not…

What is the value of self-control? Self-control is that which enables us to hold our tongues when we are tempted to viciously put someone in his place once and for all; or when we know a juicy bit of gossip that would be entertaining to the group and would turn us into the "life of the party"; or when an occasion almost demands that we betray a confidence that must not be betrayed under any circumstances.

Self-control is that which enables us to control our passions when another is provoking us to anger; that keeps the clinched fists in the pockets…

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When I think of Abraham in the Old Testament, I think of a faith I can only strive to attain. God asked Abraham to go to a mountain and offer his son Isaac, who he had waited so long to have, as a burnt offering. I can’t imagine what Abraham was thinking in those moments and the dread he potentially would have been feeling on his journey. Nonetheless, Abraham trusted in God and told Isaac, when he questioned where the lamb was, “The Lord will provide.”

Earlier in Abraham’s life, God had made a covenant with him and gave him three…

“I’m in a hurry to get things done…” These well-known lyrics, written by Roger Murrah and sung by Alabama, describe the fast pace of modern American life. We want to go, go, go … and under normal conditions, which is exactly what we do. However, due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, many aspects of “normal life” have come to a screeching halt. The “shutdown” that we originally thought might last only a few days has dragged on for over two months. People have grown increasingly…

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From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Luke 12:48

The elders have chosen “Eager To Do Good” as our theme for this year, and both Paul and Noah have presented some powerful words for us to hear on this subject. Years ago, I saw this little mathematical equation used to demonstrate how we should think about “doing good”:

Ability + Opportunity = Responsibility

This is a wonderful way to think about what Jesus was trying to explain in the parable of the One Talent Man. Jesus is…

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