What kind of fruit do you bear (Matthew 7:16, John 15:1-8)? Paul reveals through Galatians 5:22-23 that nothing should hinder us from bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Bearing spiritual fruit should be natural for a Christian. As natural as breathing oxygen. Paul mentions that the are no laws or requirements that should hinder us from reaching the Spirit's full potential in our lives. We can be full of "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control." No law of the Land should prohibit us from doing these things because they will benefit all of mank ..read more

A BIRDS EYE VIEW You have arrived for Bible study on Sunday morning. You are late, but you take your child to class, then rush to the auditorium and sit down in a pew. At first, you sigh deeply, then you open your Bible to take in the topic of the class. As the class continues you can listen through the walls and can hear the children singing. You can hear what sounds like teenagers talking loudly. Before you know it, the bell rings and it's time to pick up your child for the worship hour. The announcements begin, followed by the singing. You are having trouble thinking about the next few mom ..read more

Our theme for this year’s convention at lads to leaders is “rise up and build.” One of the things that we notice in the book of Nehemiah is that there were several great leaders in Israel. They were determined to make something good happen when bad things happened, over and over for the people. It was time for revival! The book of Nehemiah opens much as the news does each evening - with doom and gloom.  Hanani, one of Nehemiah’s brethren, reported that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and the gates had been burned with fire (Nehemiah 1:2-3; 2:3, 13, 17).  Furthermore, the peo ..read more

To the Romans, Paul wrote, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).  Although the Old Testament is no longer our law, it remains our teacher.  Sadly, it has been a while since many of us attended class.  Many today, including many preachers, do not know the “Old Bible” as well as they should.  As a result of our neglect, we are missing the patience (longsuffering), peace (comfort) and promise (hope) that come from such a study.  Hopefully, studies ..read more

To the Romans, Paul wrote, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).  Although the Old Testament is no longer our law, it remains our teacher.  Sadly, it has been a while since many of us attended class.  Many today, including many preachers, do not know the “Old Bible” as well as they should.  As a result of our neglect, we are missing the patience (longsuffering), peace (comfort) and promise (hope) that come from such a study.  Hopefully, studies ..read more

We often talk about Nehemiah as a builder, but not a warrior.  However, we can see that he was not afraid of a challenge.  And, He never ran from a fight.  This attitude spread throughout the kingdom.  Nehemiah also did not believe in a one-man ministry.   He took it upon himself to challenge the leaders of the remnant to work with him (not for him) in repairing the walls. What was the motive?  The answer is seen in the text we studied last week, "That we may no longer be a reproach’’ (Nehemiah 2:17).  He was concerned with the glory of God as well as t ..read more

Nehemiah 2: 11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went ..read more

The Word of God says, “Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me.” This is Nehemiah 2:17-18. Let’s think about these words for a moment. Specifically the words let us build. One thing we have to remember in reading Nehemiah is that it also needs to be studied along with Ezra, Esther, Haggai, Zachariah, and a few ot ..read more

Our theme this year at L2L is based on Joshua 1:6 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This is just one verse, but there are others. The Bible teaches us in other places that we are supposed to be strong in the Lord and courageous. In fact, the word “strong” is found 254x, the word “courage” is found 28x, and the word “afraid” is found 214x. How can we be strong, have courage, and not be afraid? We look to Jesus! When I think about that I think about Jesus on the cross. They nailed ..read more

Recently we studied Joshua 1:9 that says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” In this passage God was leading the Israelites into the promised land. Joshua was trying to encourage the children of God. They need to be brave and courageous. We need to be courageous to get through every day. We have pressures to wake up, go to school, face others, and perform well at school. In sports we cannot fear getting hit by the ball or striking out. We keep striving to do better and try harder. Ther ..read more