flynn034

Loving Devotion The world has lost another good man. His name was Warren Cornelius. He lived 96 years on this planet, and he filled those 96 years with lots of love, hunting, fishing, and storytelling. He was one of the best storytellers, ever. Warren lost the love of his life 10 years ago. Her name was Dorothy. They were married for 65 years. Warren had a way of "enhancing" or "embellishing" his stories to really make them captivating to his hearers. He used vivid details as he told his stories about hunting, fishing, or interacting with other people. But there is one story about Warren that needs no embellishment to make it more interesting, because it's true and it demonstrates true love. Warren's loving wife, Dot (as he called her), had Alzheimer's disease in the last years of her life. For as long as he could, Warren kept his dear wife at home and cared for her. When it got to the point when he couldn't, he painfully took her to live in ...

  “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who h...

GOD’S PATTERN - AS REVEALED THROUGH PAUL:     Thus, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:37: “If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment.” What Paul did and what Paul taught are to be our pattern and we are to copy, imitate that very pattern.     When it comes to the name of the church - we have the inspired pattern to call ourselves: Church of Christ, Church of God, Body of Christ, House of God, and a handful of other designations.     Relative to the organization of the church - preachers are not “pastors” or “shepherds” and they have no authority in the congregation, except what is inherent in the word they teach and preach. That pattern calls for a body of elders, never just one, that shepherd and guide the church as a shepherd provides for his flock. The deacons are not decision-makers over the whole congregati...

  Thought for the Week   Psalm 39:1--I said, "I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard  my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence." (NASB)   What great advice this is for all men, especially for every child of God. We live in a world of words and should understand that the words we choose to use can build up or they can destroy. Words spoken can bind us closer together or they can put a great divide between us. Words spoken can change our whole way of living.   A word spoken naturally and relative to the circumstance at hand has the power to bring into someone's life a measure of encouragement that will lift their spirit. They may be words that will inspire that individual to greater heights of service to the Lord or they may be just what is needed to bring comfort and peace to a troubled soul. So much depends on the right word, spoken at the right time in the right way. Hear Solomon as he says, "Lik...

In chapter 4, Paul uses Abraham as an illustration on the importance and the power of faith. Abraham is perhaps the most apt person for this illustration, as he is known as the father of faith! Paul uses Abraham’s example to further elaborate on his point that we cannot be saved by the works of the Old Law, since it is written that Abraham was counted righteous by his faith, and not by his works (v. 3; Genesis 15:6). Furthermore, this commendation was said of Abraham before he was circumcised, and not after (v. 10). No amount of works we do can help to clear our debt of sin. It is only by the grace of God that our sins can be removed. Hence, David wrote “ Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered ” (v.7; cf. Psalm 32:1). We are blessed because of a loving Saviour we have found in Jesus Christ! I hope by this point in the book of Romans we have not been carried away that we can be saved by faith alone, as is taught in most denominations ...

Annie Johnson was born to Eldon and Jean Johnson on Christmas Eve of the year 1866 in Vineland, New Jersey. Just three years later, Annie's mother died after giving birth to another baby girl. Mr. Johnson took Annie and her sister to board with the widow of an old army comrade who had been killed in the Civil War. The widow had two children of her own and had limited means. She begrudgingly cared for the Johnson girls for two years. There was a neighbor, however, that adored the Johnson girls. Though she was not a blood relative, the girls would call her "Aunt Susie." Aunt Susie was a school teacher that boarded with the Flint family near the school where she taught. Aunt Susie spoke so much about the Johnson girls that the Flints looked into their situation and adopted them into their family. Mr. Johnson, who was suffering at the time with an incurable disease that would soon end his life, was very pleased to allow this loving, God-fearing family to adopt his dau...

     Some of the thoughts for this article were derived from the good discussion that the men had recently on leadership.      When we think about leadership in the church, most of us have the natural tendency to think about what the church or certain individual Christians should be doing. It just seems that it is much more difficult for us to perform self-inspection and ask, “What should I be doing?” Or, “What would make me a stronger Christian or better leader?”     There are certainly things that are beyond our control, but at the same time I never remember Jesus praying to His Father and saying anything like, “Well Father, I would have accomplished Your Will, but these apostles kept slowing me down.” Or, “I would have served You better, but the Pharisees kept opposing Me.” Jesus simply did what He needed to do in spite of others who were not so committed or cooperative.    ...

A Little Help with the Imagery of the Book of Revelation ·        144,000 is one of the many symbols in Revelation. o    144 is a multiple of 12. o    12 represents God's people: 12 tribes of Israel and 12 apostles. o    1000 is the number of completeness. o    So 12 x 12 x 1000 = 144,000 which is the number representing all of God's saved people. o    It is never intended to be taken literally. Otherwise they could only be Jews of all but one tribe, as in chapter 7, and only virgins, as in chapter 14. The beasts are the Roman Emperor and his henchmen – bent on enforcing Emperor worship.   “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” is another symbol. It just means that though Christians were killed for their faith - by the Romans - they lived forever with Jesus. In other words, complete victory. Another symbol. It’s saying the same thing, in a different s...

“WHEN THERE ARE NO WORDS” – JUST BE THERE Charlie Walton and his wife answered the door to a policeman bearing the worst news parents can hear. Two of their sons had been found dead.  A friend, home from college, was found with them. I didn’t know the Waltons, but had worked with the other young man’s mother and taught his younger sister. Stunned doesn’t begin to describe what each of us felt in the emergency faculty meeting called the following cold December morning. Walton later wrote about the experience in When There Are No Words, a book that “describes that terrible moment when you want to say something to console a friend or loved one and no words seem appropriate ” (from the back cover). I recommend it, or something like it, because unfortunately, even “when no words seem appropriate,” we usually feel something needs to be said. Often, those we comfort remember it, but not always in a good way. So, we are wise to r...

A job transfer brought them to our area where we were one of only a couple churches within a reasonable driving distance of their home.  They soon placed their membership with us and proved to be good additions – well-versed in Scripture, active, and generally present for our services. But, they didn't attend Sunday Bible classes. His background was in a congregation that saw Sunday school as an unauthorized addition to New Testament teaching. From conversations with him, I learned that the group's stance had to do with an understanding about dividing up the church on the Lord's day. They continued their practice for some time as they worked with us before eventually changing their view and practice. Because of our conversations, I knew why they didn't attend Sunday classes.  I didn't know why the other 35% (on average) of our group didn't. I did suspect most of them would have objected had our elders considered discontinuing Sunday school. What was the differen...

A Grand Welcome Many children throughout the U.S. began school this past week. There probably weren't very many students who received a welcome like the students and faculty of Davis Elementary School in Montgomery, Alabama, on their first day of school last Monday. Around 300 athletes from Faulkner University, a Christian school in Montgomery, lined the sidewalks and the halls of Davis Elementary to welcome students and faculty with smiles, high-fives, claps, and cheers. This is the third year that Faulkner athletes, including cheerleaders and members of the golf, football, soccer, basketball and volleyball teams, as well as the Eagles' mascot, Baldwin, have provided the welcome to Davis students, parents, and teachers. "It's so neat to see the motivation and the enthusiasm on the kids' faces and of the parents," said Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson, Vice President of Student Services at Faulkner. "Seeing our athletes out here is a blessing and it gets everyone...

  Esther 4:1--Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not imagine that you in the King's palace can escape any more than the Jews."   An edict has been issued by King Ahasuerus to kill and annihilate all Jews in one day. Mordecai has appealed to Esther to intercede with the King on behalf of the Jews. Esther appears to be somewhat reluctant to do this so Mordecai reminds Esther that it would be false thinking to harbor the idea that she would be safe in the King's palace. In this temporal realm it is dangerous to  hold false ideas in our hearts. It is even more dangerous in the spiritual realm.   The day is coming for each one of us when we will lie down in the sleep of death, shedding these earthly bonds as we go out to our eternal home (Heb. 9:27; Eccl. 12:5). Multitudes of people, perhaps including a good number of the brethren, are embracing the false idea that on that day some extraordinary changes are going to take place, changes they are not ...