Posts by Christian Worker (Page 2)
If I Could Start Again as a Christian – Troy Spradlin
Have you ever considered your life and thought, “If I could start all over again, I would …”? I believe we all do that at some point or another, perhaps quite often. It is natural to allow retrospect to dictate what might have been if given the chance. Usually, we apply this thought to something unkind we may have said or done to someone, a bad decision we made, or the outcome of a certain direction in life. So, what…
From the Director’s Desk (January 2024) – Trent Kennedy
Some Christians love to be spoon-fed long after they pass the newborn stage. Correspondingly, some preachers love to keep spoon-feeding Christians even when they should have matured long past that stage (cf. Heb. 5:12-14) We all understand that if a thirty-year-old is still being spoon-fed, something has not developed correctly. At times, this can happen because of mental or physical handicaps. However, if we were to see a grown man being spoon-fed and coddled by his mother, a grown man…
Two Basic Rules for Reading the Bible – Steven Lloyd
Another hallmark of the literary approach to the Bible is its emphasis on the unity of books and passages. Literary critics look for literary wholes. A pioneer in the literary approach to the Bible rightly commented that ‘no principle of literary study is more important than that of grasping clearly a literary work as a single whole.’ A literary approach to the Bible is thus characterized partly by attention to unifying patterns in biblical texts. (Words of Delight, p. 21).…
Shortcuts for Bible Study – Kevin W. Rhodes
Anyone who studies the Bible has longed for tips that could reduce the effort needed to exegete a passage, prepare a lesson plan, or write a sermon. When an especially difficult passage or topic comes along, the time crunch feels truly oppressive, mocking your efforts and exposing your weaknesses. The expectation for the preacher to know every answer exacerbates the problem, pressuring ministers to find an answer more quickly than wisdom warrants. However, pride and impatience can rear their heads,…
Building Your Devotional Life – Neal Pollard
Maybe you have resolved repeatedly to become a better, more faithful Bible student, person of prayer, or simply one who truly desires to build a closer relationship with God. While a lot of that will be personal and peculiar to you as an individual, you may lack direction about how to get started or give yourself the best chance to succeed in that goal. Perhaps these few suggestions can prove helpful to strengthening your daily connection with your Creator. Adjust…
From the Director’s desk (December 2023) – Trent Kennedy
Jesus trained his apostles. Moses trained Joshua. Elijah trained Elisha. The list could go on, but the Bible is clear that the task of training men to lead, to preach, and to minister is an important one (2 Timothy 2:2). The primary training ground for leadership is the home, but the church has a great role to play in furthering this cause. It is our belief that the Southwest School of Bible Studies can help local congregations in this endeavor.…
“And When He Gave Thanks….” – Justin Gonzalez
Jesus the Christ is the supreme example that all men should follow. Paul said “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Paul understood that Christ is the example to be followed in all things. John writes that the Christian should abide in Him and “walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). When looking to Jesus for our example, in order to do as He did and live as He lived, we see His use of…
“Justified in the Spirit” – Trent Kennedy
Jesus Christ is exhorted in First Timothy as our hope (1:1), our Lord (1:2), as the epitome of grace, faith, and love (1:14), our Savior (1:15), our mediator (2:5), and the one who will come again (6:14). This epistle and the New Testament certainly proves that He is worthy of our praise, adoration, and honor. In the short, Spirit-inspired song of praise through the pen of Paul (1 Tim. 3:16), there is a phrase that draws the present-day reader’s attention:…
The Purpose of Gospel Preaching – Clay Bond
These words, spoken so long ago, reflect what God wants more than anything. His desire is for His creation to hear His spoken word which is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). In our age, God has designated Gospel preaching to be the means by which His…
Are You A “Dissembler”? – Carl B. Garner
Abraham Lincoln often told a story about a young man who murdered both of his parents, then entered a plea for leniency on grounds that he was an orphan. The judge was having none of that, and he used a word that was not familiar to the jury. The word “dissembler” was not the word they would have used, but it was exactly what they were thinking. A dissembler is “one who conceals under a false appearance; to conceal the…
Buying and Selling the Soul – Rick Brumback
Every sales transaction requires both a buyer and a seller, whether buying a home, an automobile, or any other item. In any such transaction, both the buyer and the seller must agree on the price. What the seller asks reveals how much he estimates its worth to be. What the buyer is willing to pay reveals their appraisal of its worth. It is this idea of buying and selling that Peter has in mind concerning God (1 Pet. 1:18-21). The…
From the Director’s desk (November 2023) – Steven Lloyd
We are well into our second quarter of the school year. COVID and the flu have struck our student body and at least half a dozen students have missed school wrestling with their illnesses. Our Director, Trent Kennedy, and his wife, Lisa, and their children, Ella, Troy, Luke and Annie, are in Singapore for ten days. He is slated to speak numerous times in lectureships, Sunday worship services, and camps. The school will take a break, November 22-26. When we…