In our Sunday evening class on prayer, we recently examined Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Before Jesus finds Himself betrayed and arrested in Gethsemane, we find Him lifting “up His eyes to heaven” and praying to God (Jn. 17:1, NKJV). Jesus first prays to God concerning Himself (Jn. 17:1-5). Next, Jesus prays to God concerning His disciples who were present with Him (Jn. 17:6-19. Lastly, Jesus prays for all “those who … believe in [Him] through [His disciples’] word” (Jn. 17:20). This means that Christ Jesus prays for us! Jesus knew what was soon to come His way in His betrayal, arrest, unjust trial, and crucifixion, yet He still prays for us.  Understanding that Jesus prays specifically for us ought to motivate us to pay careful attention to what His request to God is on our behalf. As Jesus prays to God for us, He prays for our unity (Jn. 17:20-23). God has done His part in answering the prayer of Jesus. God, through His holy, all-inspired, breathed-out word “has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). It is through His word that we find what “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God’s word is the means by which we can know if we are living right by Him. This means that God’s word is that which teaches how to …

Next Sunday begins our Gospel Meeting. Brother B.J. Clarke will be with us from the Memphis School of Preaching in Memphis, Tennessee. The theme of this year’s meeting is “The Faith That Saves.” Each lesson will examine a different aspect of saving faith, such as how saving faith admits, submits, trusts, obeys, is the only faith, and diligently seeks God. While these lessons will certainly be valuable to those who may not be members of the Lord’s body, Brother Clarke’s lessons will also be valuable to those of us who already have a saving faith. As we listen to Brother Clarke’s lessons (or any lesson for that matter), may we always look for where and how it is we can continue to grow and strengthen our faith.  As we prepare for the lessons at the Gospel Meeting, let us first prepare ourselves. Before any study of God’s word, be it in worship, class, or private study, we should always come to the table ready to learn without allowing any preconceived notions or ideas to cloud our view. For example, we might already have an idea of what faith is, but it is possible that our understanding of faith might be challenged. We need to ready ourselves to learn from God’s word – even if we think we already know the subject being taught. This type of readiness requires humility. To ready ourselves to learn, we must readily admit that we might not have it all figured out and that there …

By Preston McElyea  Worship is a time in which we praise God and give Him the glory He deserves. Depending on where you might be, however, the elements of worship may look different. In some cases, it is due to a desire to become more appealing or to make the experience more enjoyable for those present. In other cases, worship seems to be rather mundane and lacks any true enthusiasm. When it comes to worship, we are not to worship God however we desire; He is specifically looking for those who would worship Him “in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:24, NKJV). Worshipping God in spirit means that we are praising Him with our all while worshipping Him in truth means that we are worshipping Him in His prescribed manner.  Worshipping God in truth demands that the way we worship Him lines up with His desire. A study of the New Testament reveals what God’s desire in worship is. God desires that we pray to Him as an element of our worship. Paul shows how the public leading of prayer is to take place as he writes in 1 Timothy 2:8, “I desire therefore that the men prayer everywhere….” In addition to prayer, God desires that we lift our voices in song to Him (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). God desires that we use the instrument of our voice tuned by our hearts to sing songs of praise to His matchless name. Alongside our prayers and our songs, God looks for the …

By Preston McElyea  Depending on who you ask, one’s definition concerning the church might differ. To some, the church is simply the building in which we assemble on Sundays and Wednesdays to worship God and learn more about Him. For others, the church is merely a social club where we mingle and interact with others. Others recognize the church as being the whole body of believers regardless of the name on the front of the building. If we wish to better understand the church, however, we ought to focus our attention on what we learn of the church in God’s word.  The church did not originate with man. As Paul was speaking with the overseers of the church in Ephesus, he points out that the church was “purchased with [Christ’s] own blood” (Acts 20:27, NKJV). This denotes divine ownership. Furthermore, Jesus says to His disciples, “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). Because Jesus is the one who built and purchased the church, he, therefore, has all authority within the church (Eph. 1:22-23). While other passages could be considered concerning the church’s divine origin, these passages ought to suffice seeing as they point out that the church is not from man, but it is from God through the sacrifice of His Son. Therefore, the church with which we assemble ought to reflect His ownership in both its name and its practice.  How then does one find entrance to the Lord’s church? Some might require the meeting of a council or …

A prevalent thought permeating many religious teachings today is the idea that God’s grace is irresistible. The thought is that since God’s grace is irresistible, when one receives God’s call, he or she cannot help but accept the call and follow Him fully from there on out. Perhaps the reason this ideology has grown so popular is because of the level of security and comfort associated with it. It is comforting to think that nothing can prevent our obedience. As pleasant a thought as this may be, it is not in line with how God’s word speaks concerning His call.  Paul teaches by inspiration that God’s call is found in the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14). God’s call does not come by means of a dream or vision. He calls man through the good news concerning His Son. In Acts 17, Paul initially “reasoned” with the Thessalonians “from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead” (Acts 17:2-3). This message of Christ Jesus called the listeners to action. Among the Thessalonians, there were some who accepted the call (meaning they believed it and obeyed it), while others rejected the call (Acts 17:4-5).   What this example shows us is that God’s call is not irresistible. The grace found in Christ Jesus ought to move us all to obedience, but not all are going to obey. God created us all with the ability to choose. We can choose like those in Thessalonica to either …