East Albertville Church of Christ Podcast

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Gary Chumley

When we think of masks, we think about Halloween costumes or masquerade balls with people hiding behind a disguise. You can’t always tell who is joyful, hurting, honest, or broken.

But the truth is, we live in a world full of masks. Not the kind we wear on our faces, but the kind we wear on our hearts.

Someone asks, “How are you?” and without hesitation we say, “I’m fine.” Yet behind that smile may be pain, fear, doubt, bitterness, loneliness, or even a struggling faith. We’ve all worn masks before. Sometimes we wear them because life taught us to. We had to stay strong while everything around us was falling apart.

What starts as protection can eventually become a prison. The longer we wear the mask, the harder it becomes to take off. We begin to fear that if people saw the real us (the scars, the failures, the struggles) they might walk away.

But there is one person we cannot hide from: God.

In 1 Samuel 16:7, the Bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Think about Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. After they sinned, their first instinct was not confession. It was concealment. They sewed fig leaves together and hid themselves from God. Shame always makes us want to hide.

And we still do that today. We hide addictions, doubts, family struggles, wounds, and fears. But those fig leaves represent human attempts to cover what only God can truly cleanse.

Jesus warned about this kind of spiritual masking in Matthew 23:27 when He spoke of the Pharisees as “whitewashed tombs” which are clean on the outside, but full of corruption within.

Why do we wear masks spiritually?

Sometimes it’s fear of judgment. Sometimes it’s pride. Sometimes it’s because we think faith means never admitting weakness.

But Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

God’s strength is not revealed when we pretend to be perfect. It is revealed when we honestly admit we need Him.

The danger of spiritual masks is that they isolate us from God and from each other. James 5:16 says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Healing begins when honesty begins.

The world doesn’t need perfect pretenders. The world needs authentic Christians. It needs people who walk in the light, who are honest about their struggles, and who trust God enough to remove the mask.

And the beautiful thing is this: in Christ, you no longer have to hide.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Your identity is not your past, your failures, or the mask you’ve been wearing. Your identity is found in Christ.

Tonight, maybe you’ve grown comfortable wearing the mask. Maybe you’ve hidden pain, sin, fear, or spiritual weakness for so long that it feels safer than being honest.

But wearing the mask only prolongs the loneliness.

God already sees your heart. And His love calls you out of hiding.

So tonight, will you lay down the mask? Will you choose authenticity over appearance, repentance over reputation, and transformation over pretense?

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Dylan Stewart

Does 1 Corinthians 7:15 teach that if an unbeliever divorces a believer, the believer is free to remarry?

This is an important question because we want to respect God’s boundaries. We don’t want to add permission where God has not given permission, and we don’t want to forbid what God allows. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:11, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.” We simply want to believe, teach, and practice what Scripture says.

This matters because marriage, divorce, and remarriage are serious matters. Jesus taught that unlawful remarriage is adultery, and adultery is a sin that will keep people out of the kingdom of God unless repented of. So we must handle this carefully and honestly.

Now, to understand 1 Corinthians 7:15, we need to keep it in context. In this chapter Paul is addressing different groups of people and answering questions the Corinthians had apparently written to him about. In verses 12–16, Paul is specifically speaking about marriages between a believer and an unbeliever.

Paul says:

“If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her… But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.”

The key phrase is “not under bondage.” Some say that means the marriage bond is dissolved and remarriage is permitted. But I do not believe that is what Paul means.

First, notice this: the passage never actually mentions remarriage. Paul’s discussion is about whether the believer must continue fighting to preserve the marriage if the unbeliever insists on leaving. The focus is the departure itself, not remarriage afterward.

Second, the phrase “not under bondage” does not use the same Greek word Paul uses elsewhere for the marriage bond. In passages like Romans 7:2 and 1 Corinthians 7:39, Paul uses the word meaning “bound” in marriage. But here in verse 15 he uses a different word meaning “enslaved” or “held in servitude.”

So Paul’s point appears to be this: if the unbeliever insists on leaving, the Christian is not enslaved to stop it at all costs. God has called us to peace. The believer is not required to spend their life begging, bargaining, or compromising their faith to keep an unbelieving spouse from departing.

But that is different from saying the believer now has the right to remarry.

And this is important because Jesus already gave the one exception for remarriage in Matthew 19:9: sexual immorality. If we interpret 1 Corinthians 7:15 as granting another reason for remarriage, then we create a contradiction between Paul and Jesus. And Scripture does not contradict itself.

Jesus taught that if someone is put away and remarries while the marriage bond still exists, adultery occurs. Paul also taught that the marriage bond lasts until death in Romans 7 and 1 Corinthians 7:39.

So my conclusion is this: 1 Corinthians 7:15 does not grant the right to remarry. Rather, it teaches that the deserted believer is not enslaved to the unbeliever’s decision to leave.

And I want to end by saying this with compassion: God absolutely sees the pain of abandonment. This verse is not minimizing that suffering. God is mercifully assuring the believer that they are not morally responsible for the unbeliever’s sinful decision. The Christian is not chained to the unbeliever’s rebellion. God has called us to peace.

But at the same time, we must let God define both truth and compassion. Our responsibility is not to change His word, but to trust it, obey it, and follow Christ faithfully no matter the cost.

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: E.R. Hall, Jr.

Tonight we’re taking a few of the Bible questions that were submitted and trying to answer them as faithfully and scripturally as we can. The goal is not controversy, but understanding God’s will and following the safest and clearest course according to Scripture.

One question asked whether all of a man’s children must be faithful Christians for him to qualify as an elder. In Titus 1:6, elders are described as having “faithful children.” While there are different views on the passage, the safest and strongest understanding is that an elder’s children should all be faithful, because leadership in the home reflects leadership in the church.

Another question asked about “saved in childbearing” in 1 Timothy 2:15. That verse does not mean a woman is saved simply by giving birth. Rather, through woman came the Savior, Jesus Christ. Eve introduced sin into the world, but through Mary came Christ, the Savior of the world. Women, like all people, are saved through Christ as they continue in faith, love, holiness, and self-control.

Another question dealt with Christians gathering in a place where there is no local church and holding worship services together. The New Testament shows that the Lord’s Supper was observed when the church came together as an established congregation. The church is more than just a temporary gathering for convenience. Local congregations had organization, work, worship, and accountability. So we need to be careful not to treat the church as something temporary or casual.

One question asked about attending denominational services and fellowship meals in hopes of opening Bible studies. While the motive may be good, influence matters. Participating in activities we later teach against can confuse people and weaken our influence. Paul warned in 1 Corinthians 8 about liberties becoming stumbling blocks. We must always consider how our actions affect others.

Another question asked whether Christians in liberal congregations are participating in sin. The concern is that when a congregation uses its treasury for unscriptural works—such as social and recreational programs or human institutions—members become partakers in those works. Fellowship means sharing together, and Scripture warns us not to participate in error.

Another serious question dealt with suicide. Scripture teaches that life is sacred and made in the image of God. Suicide is the intentional taking of life, and repentance is necessary for forgiveness of sin. Because suicide often removes the opportunity for repentance, it is a tragic and dangerous act spiritually. Our hearts should be filled with compassion, while still respecting what Scripture teaches about sin and repentance.

Finally, there was a question about people appearing after death, such as Samuel, Moses, and Elijah. In each case, God allowed these events for a specific purpose—to confirm His message, demonstrate His authority, or point people to Christ. But Luke 16 reminds us that we already have God’s warning through His word. We should not expect messages from the dead today because God has already revealed what we need for salvation.

Through all these questions, one principle stands out: we must seek God’s will, not merely what is convenient or popular. We must ask, “What do the Scriptures teach?” and then have the courage to follow them.

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: E.R. Hall, Jr.

In Acts 27, the apostle Paul is on a ship in the middle of a violent storm. Everyone thinks they are going to die. But Paul stands and says:

“Take heart… for I believe God, that it will be just as it was told me.” — Acts 27:25

That statement is powerful.

Paul did not merely believe in God. Paul believed God.

And there is a difference.

A lot of people believe in God. But believing God means trusting what He says enough to obey Him, rely on Him, and act on His word.

Hebrews 11:6 says:

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Notice the two parts:

• Believe that God exists.
• Believe what God says.

The Bible gives many examples of people who did both.

Noah believed God when he built the ark, even though rain had never flooded the earth before.

Abraham believed God when God promised him a son, even though he and Sarah were far beyond childbearing age.

Joseph believed God when the angel told him to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus.

And Paul believed God in the middle of a storm.

But Scripture also shows people who believed in God while struggling to believe God.

Moses believed in God, yet kept making excuses when God told him to lead Israel out of Egypt.

Peter believed in Jesus, but when Jesus said, “You will deny Me,” Peter refused to believe it—until it happened.

So the challenge for us today is not simply:
“Do I believe in God?”

The bigger question is:
“Do I believe God?”

Do I believe God when He says:

• “All have sinned”?
• “Sin separates us from Him”?
• “Jesus is the only way of salvation”?
• “He hears prayer”?
• “He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear”?
• “Evil company corrupts good habits”?
• “Christ will come again”?

It is easy to say, “I believe in God.”

The real test is whether we trust His word enough to obey it.

Jesus said:

“He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” — Mark 16:16

Do we believe Jesus enough to do what He says?

Real faith is more than acknowledgment. Real faith acts.

Noah built.
Abraham obeyed.
Paul trusted.
And we must do the same.

So let us not only believe in God.
Let us believe God.

And let us live like we truly trust Him.

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: E.R. Hall, Jr.

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: E.R. Hall, Jr.

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Sid Rowe

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: Todd Wiggs

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: E.R. Hall, Jr.

Series: N/A

Service: Sunday

Type: Sermon

Speaker: E.R. Hall, Jr.