Men! (especially) Dr. Richard Bargas is this year's keynote speaker at the March 15-16 TRUTH FOR EVERY MAN CONFERENCE in Springfield, IL.  You can check the details here: https://truth4men.org/Because I was unfamiliar with Dr. Bargas I randomly searched and chose an audio message for my own listening (Acts 17) -- it's excellent!  I am posting the message as an incentive for you to consider attending/registering for this nearby conference.

Matthew 28:16-20

Many/most Baptists shun speaking of the Lord's Supper as a sacrament -- preferring the term, "ordinance" instead.  From my perspective, I think the Baptists' understanding of the Lord's Supper has largely been shaped by their (rightful) rejection of Roman Catholic doctrine concerning the mass.  But has the proverbial baby been thrown out with the bath water?

James 4:1-10

Brian Baker is guest speaker this morning!  For those who don not know him, Brian grew up in our church; he currently serves as a Regional Director with Word of Life Student Ministries in Schroon Lake, New York.  You can find out more about their ministry here: http://www.wol.org/

Today's message from James provides answers to two key questions:

Why do we struggle?

What should we do when we struggle?

Who were the wise men who came from the east looking for the one who had been born "King of the Jews"?  What is the significance of the gifts they offered?  These questions (and several others) are addressed in this Sunday message two days before Christmas.

Matthew 2:13-18(NOTE: Unfortunately the first message from this Advent series "Love & Hate" on December 9, 2018, did not get recorded.  Apologies!)This week's message juxtaposes the JOY of the wise men with the SORROW of the mothers in and around Bethlehem who are grieving the loss of their own babies/toddlers.

2 Corinthians 11:21-33Paul's Boast levaes the false teachers/apostles in the dust!  There is no comparison!  R. Kent Hughes, in his PREACHING THE WORD COMMENTARY on SECOND CORINTHIANS writes:"Today we too find it easier to interpret the gospel in terms of our received culture rather than interpreting the culture by the gospel. We need to be wary of our Christianity becoming a Christianized version of our own culture . . . We must not write our resumés after the example of Caesar but after that of Paul. As Christians we must avoid boasting about our education and training and successes and bank accounts and vacation homes and honors as if it is these things that give us our value. As Christians we must acknowledge and embrace our weaknesses, because as we give them to Christ, they become occasions for his strength and glory. Can we embrace our weaknesses? Will we embrace our weaknesses? The answer to that question has everything to do with the authenticity of the gospel and the church and its mission."

2 Corinthians 11:5-21

PAUL's gospel emphasized the CROSS OF CHRIST: First, Jesus' suffering, Jesus' crucifixion necessarily followed by His resurrection.  Then (accordingly) Paul's suffering -- as an apostle of Christ, as a follower.LESSON: You can be wrong about a lot of things in life, but you had better be right about the Gospel!

2 Corinthians 11:4ffIn verse four, Paul warns the church of a troubling sequence of events (a downward spiral)...

It BEGINS with the church's tolerance, acceptance, patience with wrong, false teaching and false teachers

It LEADS to the church being deceived -- their thoughts led astray from what they previously accepted

It RESULTS in the church not being single-heartedly devoted to Christ (verse 3)

Today's message exposes the alternate (and dangerously misleading) gospel that was being proclaimed in the Corinthian church!

Guest speaker (and my son!), John Davis opens the Word to our church today.  John is a student at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  This is his first preached message.

2 Corinthians 11:3Paul warns the Corinthian church that what happened to Eve is what will happen to them if they do not intentionally guard their thinking.  The narrative of Eve (and Adam) in the Garden of Eden Genesis 3:1-7 is generally well known.  Eve was deceived by the serpent (Satan); Adam knowingly trespassed, and the world was plunged into sin.  Today's message features a five minute audio excerpt from Dr. James Grier!