Gooch Lane Church of Christ Podcast

No one enjoys being ripped off; however, thousands of years of unscrupulous business practices have sought to hide defects so that unassuming buyers receive inferior merchandise at premium prices. It was with this idea in mind that the Apostle Paul wrote, “Let love be genuine” or, as the older translations state it, “Let love be without hypocrisy.” His message was simple; don’t allow some inferior type of love to permeate your life! A picture of hypocritical love, as demonstrated by an irate synagogue ruler, will serve to illustrate the danger as well as provide a warning to readers of a modern generation that this age-old problem still lurks. 

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on December 31, 2023.

Language translation can be tricky business! Ask anyone who has sought to converse with another but inadvertently used the wrong word, thus bringing about confusion, misunderstanding, embarrassment, or all of the above. Sometimes the difficulty lies not in using the wrong word but in the fact that a word from one language does not easily find a comparable companion in another. Biblically, this is the case with the word love, especially as it applies to the love of God. A scan of English translations will reveal that many ideas fit into this concept, yet no single English word can encapsulate it. The concept of God’s love will be explored as it parallels His expressed goals for love in marriage. This study will seek to demonstrate what God expects from a man and woman, He has perfectly demonstrated in His love for us. 

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on December 24, 2023.

Working as a prophet of God required tough stock. These servants were often persecuted and vilified by those in darkness as God revealed His light through them. Jeremiah was one such man. His ministry was long and treacherous, with those who should have known better often being his chief enemies. Though unknown to him, he also foreshadowed the coming of another great Prophet who was much more than a prophet; his life gave glimpses into what would be experienced by the Son of God. This sermon will explore some of these similarities while seeking to make points to a modern audience of what has been done for our salvation and how we must avoid the pitfalls into which the enemies of both Jeremiah and Jesus fell. 

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on December 17, 2023.

Few relationships in the Bible are closer than that of Paul and Timothy. As Paul saw Timothy’s spiritual maturing, he did not view him as the “future of the church,” though certainly that would be the case. Instead, he viewed him as a son in the faith and as a fellow soldier in the kingdom. His efforts proved invaluable to Paul, especially as he was imprisoned. The trust Paul had in this young man is especially seen in his letter to the Philippians as he spoke of sending Timothy to the church in Philippi. He would even be so bold as to write, “For I have no one like him.” Drawing primarily from Philippians, we will seek to understand how to imitate this saint’s attitude toward both his Lord and fellow Christians.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on December 10, 2023.

Borrowing the Lord’s imagery from Revelation 1-3, we will discuss how a congregation can evaluate its own efforts to please Christ and make sure that its lampstand is firmly in place.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on December 3, 2023.

The opportunity for salvation from sin is the best discovery one can make in life and, while God could have made this difficult to obtain, He did not. As Peter spoke to the crowds on the Day of Pentecost, these people realized their need for salvation. Years later, as he wrote what is now known as I Peter, the message that he gave to the crowd on Pentecost had not changed. This study will demonstrate how the two messages given by the apostle complement one another and provide a clear picture, both then and now, as to how one is saved.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on December 3, 2023.

Throughout the Bible’s entirety, there is a heavy emphasis on obeying the commands given by God. In fact, Jesus stated, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). There is, however, the danger of coming to believe that obedience to the commandments is all that is involved in loving God; such a conclusion is spiritually detrimental! This study will focus on what it means to have a genuine love for God and how keeping His commands relates to this. 

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on November 26, 2023.

With Thanksgiving Day quickly approaching, counting blessings should be on the mind of every American. For the people of God, this should be a daily endeavor. To emphasize the importance of thanksgiving, the biblical writers spent much time meditating on and encouraging others in the pursuit of counting blessings. In this study, we will focus on what it means to be grateful and how this can be illustrated in our everyday walk.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on November 19, 2023.

Sadly, the 2,000-year-old pathway of Christianity is littered with many who began the walk with Jesus but chose not to continue. The writer of Hebrews warned his readers about this danger and strongly encouraged them not to give up on Jesus. This sermon will discuss what it takes to complete our journey with Jesus and what pitfalls to avoid along the way.

A sermon given by Greg Chandler on November 12, 2023.

A sermon given by Greg Kiel on Sunday, November 5, 2023.