Men in Strict Training

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-27

In the first century AD, the Corinthians hosted an athletic competition every other year called the Isthmian Athletic Games. The people of Corinth would quickly understand Paul’s analogy and agree that if anyone wanted to compete, much less win at that level of competition, they would have to go into strict training. Paul used the example of running to help these people understand the kind of Christian self-denial that it would take to run the Christian race. In order for the athletes to get into good enough condition to run the race in the arena, it took great self-control in diet and exercise: a rigorous bodily discipline. Here, Paul was teaching the Corinthians that if they wanted to win the prize for which God had called them heavenward (Philippians 3:14), they could not compete in an undisciplined way.

Show me more… »

Categories: Articles
No Comments »

Are you aware of the devil’s schemes?

“Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.” ‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”
Genesis 3:1-8

The serpent was very crafty in the way he led Eve into sin. Revelation 12:9 says, “…that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, … leads the whole world astray.” The truth is that Satan is using the same approach in our modern world that the serpent used on Eve, and far too often, we fall for his tricks. However, If we can learn a few valuable lessons from the mistakes of Adam and Eve and be honest with ourselves about the way Satan gets us to disobey God, it will help us to be more aware as we take our stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11).

Show me more… »

Categories: Articles
1 Comment »

Preached by Chris Broom, 9/24/2006
Click on triangle for streaming audio
or to download audio, right-click here with your mouse and select “Save Target As” or “Save Link As.”

The Devil’s Schemes - Outline

Revelation 12:7-12
- War in heaven. War is so terrible, people don’t even want to think about it.
- When you fight against God, you lose.

Show me more… »

Categories: Sermons
No Comments »

Greg Biggs (3rd from left) with his brothers in Christ

“Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 4:6

Growing up I was never close to God. I thought that being good and obeying the rules was enough. When I hit high school I was like most other freshmen: curious about what was ahead. My freshmen year was a year I never would forget for many reasons. There are two events from this period that would define the rest of my life. The first was meeting one of my new teachers, Mr. Chris Adams. He would be the first person to ever open the Bible with me.

Show me more… »

Categories: Testimonials
No Comments »

Preached by Anthony Franklin, 9/17/2006
Click on triangle for streaming audio
or to download audio, right-click here with your mouse and select “Save Target As” or “Save Link As.”

The Prophet’s Edge - Outline

Are you on the cutting edge?
- It’s the place where every disciple needs to be.

Show me more… »

Categories: Sermons
No Comments »