Robert Smelser
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Christian No More
Some church-based commercials have made their way online that mimic the recent Mac-PC commercials. One person is a Christian and the other is a Christ-Follower. These shorts challenge the “traditional” view of formal Christianity, but they are dangerous in that they encourage us to try to follow Christ in a way that fits me rather… Continue reading
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Comfort In God
“Auld Lang Syne” is a Scottish tune by Robert Burns. The title literally means “times long past.” It is a song about reflection on the past – moving on but not forgetting. It is traditionally sung at New Year’s in our culture. Others sing the song at commencements and funerals. It recalls “the best of… Continue reading
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The Role of Grace
Beginning in Psalm 51:11, David asks that God not withdraw His presence, and he offers praises to God based on the salvation He provides. He will sing and tell others of God. Hezekiah says much the same thing in Isaiah 38. These two stand as examples of God’s grace to us. Amazing Grace Grace is… Continue reading
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Scripture & the Christmas Story
It is the time of year when we start to see things like “Happy Birthday Jesus” on church signs and bulletins. We’ve discussed before the importance of making sure we do things God’s way rather than man’s way, and, even among the secular world, many do understand that what is typically portrayed as the “Christmas… Continue reading
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Our Personal Savior
In the church, we sometimes shy away from certain expressions and phrases due to abuses of these terms in the denominational world. One such idea we may avoid is that of accepting Christ as our personal savior. However, when it comes to our relationship with Jesus, it should be personal, and, if we don’t know… Continue reading
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Our Response to the Cross
This is the third lesson looking at Paul’s writing and the role of the cross in those works. Remember, as a Pharisee, Paul’s entire spiritual life once centered on rejecting and refuting the cross. This all changed when Christ appeared to him. In these lessons, we have looked at the problem of sin and its… Continue reading
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Christ, the Church, and the Lost
Sometimes we question our purpose in life. Why are we here? What is our mission? Why do we do what we do? In Luke 19:9-10, Jesus says His mission was to seek and save the lost, and Paul, in Ephesians 5 calls the church Christ’s bride, and as such, our focus should be the same… Continue reading
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Paul, Sin, and the Cross
We are continuing our look at Paul’s view of the cross. In the last lesson, we looked at the problem of sin in our lives and how all have sinned and have been separated from our God. In this lesson, we are going to look at how the cross intercedes in context of this problem.… Continue reading
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Paul and the Problem of Sin
Over the next three Sunday evening lessons, we are going to focus on the subject of the cross in Paul’s writings. In this specific lesson, we’re going to look at the cross and man’s plight as sinful individuals separated from God. All Have Sinned In Romans 3:23, we simply read that all have sinned. Up… Continue reading
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Paul & Felix
Looking at Acts 24:24-27, we read of a man named Felix who comes to hear Paul’s case, but, in listening, Felix is partially convinced by Paul. However, he did not respond to the message. In this lesson, we’re going to look at what Paul talks about and the reaction Felix has during this testimony. The… Continue reading
Simply Gospel 