Posts by Christian Worker (Page 8)
A Plea of Desperation and a Prayer of Dependence – Trent Kennedy
The second half of Psalm 42 begins with a prayer to God. In calling upon God, the psalmist uses the possessive pronoun “my.” It seems that he still has an unwavering faith in God to do what he is asking (cf. Jas. 1:6-8). When his personal pep talk in verse 5 did not ease his pain, notice where the writer turns, to God. This is the only proper perspective. In times of distress people need to turn to God. There…
Why no Instruments? – Clay Bond
The Psalmist declared, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker” (Psa. 95:6). One of the greatest privileges we have as God’s creatures is that of kissing toward our Creator in the reverential adoration called “worship.” When we engage in this great blessing, it should be our utmost desire to approach God in sincerity (Josh. 24:14; John 4:24) and to worship Him with our “whole heart” (Psa. 9:1; 111:1; 138:1). The failure…
I Want to Pray… Like Paul – John Hafner
God has blessed us by revealing and preserving certain prayers in the scriptures. These accounts enlighten and encourage those who will carefully examine them. Paul’s prayer recorded for us in Ephesians 3:14-21 summarizes many of the core ideas of the book and provides a midpoint for this letter. Paul’s writing to the Ephesians splits nicely into two sections—the first three chapters focus on the beauty of the church and the last three chapters focus on the duty of the church.…
I Want to Pray… Like Hannah – Cody Kilgore
The Psalmist said, “He gives the barren woman a home; making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord” (Ps 113:9). In 1 Samuel, we are introduced to Hannah, a woman of God who is deeply afflicted by the fact that her womb is closed by the Lord (1 Sam 1:5,10). As a result, she would carry her supplications and anxieties to the Lord; she prayed for a son, one whom she could devote to the service of the…
I Want to Pray… Like Jesus – Dave Rogers
If we count the three times Jesus addressed the Father from the cross, there are ten New Testament examples of Jesus praying. His example clearly impressed His disciples, since it motivated them to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). The most detailed example of Jesus praying is in John 17, often described as His “high priestly” prayer. This particular prayer — offered after Judas departed the last supper, but before our Lord and His disciples reached Gethsemane —…
Transformed Consideration – Kevin W. Rhodes
Christianity should change you in the deepest and most profound ways possible. It should reshape your worldview until it becomes your worldview. It should change your temperament, creating balance and perspective. It should change your relationships by affecting all your associations and interactions. It should change your life so much that every thought, every word, and every action is first informed by your Christianity. But all of this depends on having the proper view of Christ and what He Himself…
Transformed Fellowship (2) – John Garza
Throughout the book of Colossians, we learn that we are “complete in Christ” (Col. 2:10), and certainly, this is to be the goal of every Christian. Does this mean that you and I are to be exactly alike in every way? In other words, should we expect every mature Christian to be duplicates of another in ability and service? Certainly not (1 Cor. 12:12-31; Eph. 4:16). Being in the fellowship of the body (partnership; participation; partakers) means that each will…
Transformed Fellowship (1) – Kevin Cauley
God said regarding Adam in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good that man should be alone.” Not only was the Lord concerned for Adam, but he was planning for the future as well. God told Adam and Eve “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). He wanted a world with relationships. Jesus understood this principle when He sent His disciples out in twos (Mark 6:7). Having fellow laborers creates comradery and provides a source of…
Transformed Relationships – Trent Kennedy
When a person has committed himself to Christ, when a person has been buried and raised with Christ, when a person has put his old life to death, when person has put on a new man and does all things in the name of Christ, that person will see a great change in every aspect of his life. This great change, this transformed life, may be most evident in their interpersonal relationships. It is true that the gospel reaches down…
Teaching and Admonishing – Andy Baker
Because Christ is the undisputed Head of His church, we seek Him to do all things to the glory of God. He always does the things which please His Father (John 8:29). There is no room for others who want to tell us how we can/do approach God other than what the Lord has said. Colossians spends so much time exalting Jesus and denying what men say in “the appearance of wisdom” about Who He is and how we relate…
Put On . . . – Bryan Hodge
It is said that a tradition sprang up in the early years of church history concerning the garments worn following baptism. The historian Philip Schaff wrote, “During the week following, the neophytes wore white garments as a symbol of purity” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 2, p. 252). Of course, this is not something the Bible requires. It was a human tradition practiced by some. However, the Bible does speak of a change of spiritual clothing that…
Put Off . . . – Johnnie Scaggs, Jr.
In the overall context of Colossians 3, Paul lays side by side some things we must put on and some things we must put off. Twice in our text, Paul states that we are to “put off” things that have to do with the old man of sin. The phrase “put off” is from “ἀποτίθημι,” meaning to “lay aside, or to take off.” From this, we can fully understand that Paul is saying that these things are things we must…