Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share ScriptureStream
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
ScriptureStream
ScriptureStream episodes
- The New Testament Church, Part 9Local churches are authorized to provide for needy Christians, continuedGod authorized churches to provide for needy saints, continued
- Acts 24:17 – Paul carried money from other churches to Jerusalem. He simply acted as the means to transport the money.
- Romans 15:25-27
- I Corinthians 16:1-3 – A voluntary collection of funds was taken on the first day of the week. The amount was “as he may prosper.” Some argue that this passage is only talking about funds for benevolence, not for preaching, but there are several passages that show that a local church can use its money to support preaching the gospel.
- II Corinthians 8:3-4, 14
- II Corinthians 9:1 – The money was directed specifically to needy saints.
- I Timothy 5:16, 3-5 – “Honoring” widows can include monetary support. See Matthew 15:4.
Observations- Churches are authorized to provide for needy Christians.
- Individuals are authorized to provide for anyone.
- How generous!
- Acts 11:29
- Acts 4:34 – These people were selling their own property to give the money to others in need.
- Use wise judgment.
- II Thessalonians 3:6-12 – Be generous, but also be wary of those who would prey on that generosity.
45 min - The Devil Won't StopIntroduction
- Job 1:8
- Luke 4:13
Sin tends to get worse until someone intervenes- II Kings 17:7-13, 22-23
- Jeroboam set up idols in Dan and Bethel
- I Kings 12:26-30
- King after king followed these sinful ways. The altars stood for 300 years until Josiah tore them down.
- Hosea 8:7
- Strong leadership could have changed things, but none of the kings were willing to do anything.
- Proverbs 22:6
So take the initiative to be righteous and teach the next generation!- Judges 2:8-10
- The ugliness of sin
- Hebrews 10:29
- Physical purity
- Romans 13:12
- The importance of family
- Titus 2:3-5
30 min - SolomonSolomon
- II Samuel 12:24 – First mention of Solomon.
- II Samuel 3:2-5 – Sons born to David.
- II Chronicles 2:5 – God is the one who chose Solomon to succeed David as king.
- I Kings 1:5-6 – David never rebuked Adonijah for attempting to usurp the throne.
- I Kings 3:10-14 – Solomon asks for wisdom from God. Solomon’s annual income in gold alone was 25 tons, worth about $1.2 billion in today’s money. Solomon’s net worth was estimated at about $2.1 trillion.
- I Kings 10:23
- I Kings 10:6-9 – The report of the queen of Sheba.
- I Kings 9:4-9 – God’s warning to Solomon if he departs from God’s commandments.
- Proverbs 22:6 – Is this 100% foolproof? No, it is a general guideline.
- Proverbs 4:20-27
- Proverbs 10:16
- Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
- Proverbs 11:6-10 – Activities of the righteous vs. wicked.
- Proverbs 5:1-6 – Warnings about forbidden women (adultery, etc.).
39 min - Psalm 62“He only is my rock and salvation.” (Psalms 62:1-8)
- Daniel 4:28-33 – Shouldn’t we learn the same lesson of humility that Nebuchadnezzar did? Proverbs 3:5
- I Timothy 6:17 – Riches are uncertain.
- Nothing on earth is secure like God is!
- Psalms 62:3-4 – David had enemies all around.
- John 16:33
- Psalms 62:8 – See I Peter 5:7.
“You recompense a man according to his work.” (Psalms 62:9-12)- Proverbs 1:10-19 – Do not go in the way with the evil man.
- Psalms 62:11-12 – God will make things right in the end!
- Do I ever stop and take a good look at my life?
- Mark 9:20-24 – “Help me with my unbelief!”
23 min - The New Testament Church, Part 8Introduction
- Colossians 3:17
Local churches are authorized to provide for worship and edification, continuedNotice that New Testament churches were focused on spiritual edification- Not any type of edification is a work of the church.
- There is a difference between edification and what might be done simultaneously with it.
- Acts 2:46-47
- Matthew 9:11
Local churches are authorized to provide for needy ChristiansGod authorized churches to provide for needy saints.- Acts 2:44-45
- Acts 5:4
- Acts 4:32-35
- Acts 5:2
- Acts 22:3 – “at the feet of Gamaliel”
- Acts 6:1-3
- Acts 11:27-30 – Some use this verse to argue for the sponsoring church arrangement, but that is not the arrangement we see in scripture.
44 min - EstherEstherBackground
- The book is set in the capital city of the Persian Empire, Susa, east of the promised land and covers a period of about ten years.
Main characters- Esther
- Haman – son of Hammedatha the Agagite (King Agag who was supposed to have been killed by King Saul).
- Mordecai
- Ahasuerus / Xerxes
Persian Empire- 492-490 B.C. – Darius makes an effort to conquer Greece
- 480-479 B.C. – Xerxes starts second Greece campaign
- The history is primarily from Herodotus’ 440-430 B.C. writiings.
- Four capital cities: Pasargadae, Babylon, Susa, and Ecbatana
The removal of Vashti (Esther 1)- The king’s anger was long-lasting. It was about four years before Esther took over as queen.
39 min - We read the gospel of John last week!Introduction
- John 21:20-25
- John is unique among the gospels, describing many things the other gospels do not.
The Last Conversation- John 13-17
“Wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14)- John 13:5, 12-17
- Jesus gave them an example of humble service.
- The apostles were about to be in a position of authority and they needed to be humble.
- Acts 10:25
- Don’t I also need to be a humble servant?
- Proverbs 21:4
“Take courage” (John 16:33)- John 16:33
- John 15:18-20
- The apostles would not have an easy job!
- John 17:14
- We must also take courage because our Savior has overcome the world.
- I John 2:17
“He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13)- John 14:16
- John 15:26
- John 16:13
- The apostles would have everything they needed to spread the gospel without error.
25 min - The New Testament Church, Part 7Local churches are authorized to provide for worship and edification, continuedThe local church is a group designed for mutual encouragement as we serve God together, continued
- Praying
- John 11:42
- Acts 12:5, 12
- Acts 4:18, 21-24, 29, 31 – After praying they spoke with boldness.
- There is benefit to praying with others!
- Singing
- Colossians 3:16
- Assembling
- Hebrews 10:24-25
Notice that New Testament churches were focused on spiritual edification.- Acts 20:32
- I Corinthians 14:11-19 – People should understand what is going on in a worship service. It should be organized and not just chaos.
- I Corinthians 11:26
- II Timothy 4:2
- Worship is not entertainment.
- Ephesians 4:11-16
42 min - Being a Welcoming ChurchIntroduction
- I Corinthians 14:22-26
This starts with our attitude.- I Timothy 2:3-4; II Peter 3:9 – Do I have the same attitude as God that I want everyone to be saved?
- Acts 26:24-29 – Paul doesn’t get offended at the insult and maintains a good attitude.
- John 1:35-37; 3:26-30 – John was a good example. Christians are not in competition with each other. We’re all just trying to lead people to Jesus.
- “This person has an eternal soul.” (John 5:28-29)
- “I should take the initiative in loving my neighbor.” (Romans 5:8)
- “I want to be an expert at love – just like my Father.” (I John 4:7-12)
What this looks like.- Be happy when people come!
- Acts 11:13-14; 10:24; Luke 5:27-29 – Cornelius and Levi both invited others to meet Christ. We should have the same attitude!
- Be kind!
- II Timothy 2:24-26
- Absorb inconveniences.
- I Corinthians 9:19-22 – Paul’s attitude was that he would bend over backwards to help people learn the gospel.
- Look at people the way God does.
- Acts 9:11-16
Welcoming has its limits.- Colossians 3:9-10
- Galatians 1:6-8; 4:16 – Paul would not change the gospel. His approach would change for different audiences, but not the underlying message.
- Matthew 7:28-29
- Titus 2:14-15 – This is always what our preaching should be.
Conclusion- I Corinthians 14:25 – Will our services honor God and edify us?
33 min - DeborahDeborah
- She was a judge of Israel and prophetess, as well as military leader. She is one of the very few female prophets we read of.
- She correctly prophesied the outcome of the battle between Israel and Sisera’s army.
- Deborah and Barak then sang a song rejoicing in the deliverance God had granted them over Sisera and his army.
39 min
About ScriptureStream
From the publisher's feed
Just the gospel, plainly spoken. ScriptureStream compiles lessons presented at the Benchley church of Christ, located just north of Bryan, TX. Visit ScriptureStream.com for full notes on each lesson…
and additional resources for Bible study.