"So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus." (Acts 4.17, ESV).¹

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¹Because of their pride and jealousy (Acts 4.16; 5.17), upset authorities would not let the apostles continue to preach Christ's name. Luke records, "'But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.' So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard'" (Acts 4.17-20, ESV). After being caught teaching again, the authorities said, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us” (Acts 5.28, ESV).

When the apostles were arrested for preaching about Jesus Christ, they answered "we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" and "we must obey God rather than men". We see the conviction of these men when they continued to speak God's word even in the face of opposition. In other words, while they are convicted for preaching the gospel, it is because of their conviction that they continue to preach!

Are we willing to stand firm on our convictions (beliefs)?

If you're interested in learning more about God's word, e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

“For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” (Romans 2.24, ESV).

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To blaspheme the name of God is “to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, … to be evil spoken of, reviled, railed at” ("G987 - blasphēmeō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (KJV)." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 17 Mar, 2017. <https://www.blueletterbible.org//lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G987&t=KJV>.)

It is no secret that some professed Christians continue to live like the rest of the world. When Christians live in sin, they bring shame upon God’s name. Peter instructs us to be holy as our Father is holy (1 Peter 1.15-16). Anything less than that and His name is blasphemed among unbelievers - because of us. How can we possibly bring anyone to Christ if they can clearly see our hypocrisy?

If you’re interested in learning more about serving God and keeping your conduct pure among outsiders (1 Peter 2.11-12), please e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

"Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator." (1 Peter 4:19)¹   

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¹Some people suffer in this life more than others. For those who do, it may be more difficult to commit themselves to Christ. The problems and troubles of this world can certainly distract us and interfere with our being Christians. Sometimes things may become so difficult and we are so involved in our struggles that we don't want to think about Jesus. We don't want the help that is offered by our brothers and sisters. But we choose to suffer alone. God wants to hear your problems through prayer. Jesus wants to help you through His Word. And your family in Christ loves you and wants to help. If you will let them. 

If you're interested in learning more about God's word please e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

Today's blog is from one of our members, Bill Brittenham.

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5.15-16, ESV)¹

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¹Time is one of the most precious things in this life. One reason for this is because every second that goes by is another second that we cannot get back and another second closer to our death. Here’s a scary thought: the second we are born we begin to die!

A quick internet search will show that we watch an average of 5 hours of television a day while browsing our social media accounts for an average of 1 hour and 40 minutes and consuming food and drink for nearly 1 hour and 8 minutes. This does not include sleep, work, commute times, shopping, sports, school, cooking, cleaning, reading, exercising, playing games, or even going to the bathroom! Simply put, we spend a lot of time doing several things in this life.

However, in all that we do, are we making the best use of our time? There is nothing necessarily wrong in the stated activities above, but one could argue that it becomes wrong when these things either consume all our time or are placed before the time necessary to serve God.

In fact, as Christians all our time belongs to God! What does that say about the things we do? Again, while watching television or playing sports is not sinful in and of itself, they become sinful when these things compete with God’s time (our service to Him and others). When this happens, God is no longer first in our lives, but placed on the “back burner.”

On the flip side, what happens when we fill our lives with sinful things? Since the two (sin and God) cannot co-exist in one’s life, we must choose what remains consistent. In other words, which master will we serve, sin or God? (Matt. 6.24, 33; Rom. 6.16-18, etc.)

Let us not fill our lives with innocent or sinful activities that simply distract us from giving our time to God. If you’re interested in learning how to walk wisely before God, e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4.7, ESV)¹

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¹Want to hear the secret to defeating Satan? The Lord's brother, James, wrote that if we resist him, he will flee from us. Peter wrote concerning Satan, "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5.8b, ESV). We all know when lions attack; when their prey is weak or is not paying attention. Hence, Peter calls us to remain sober-minded and vigilant against the lion's attacks (1 Peter 5.8a). This involves us being spiritually alert at all times because spiritual carelessness breeds all kinds of opportunities for the devil. Furthermore, when we understand that God has always provided us with a way of escape from temptation (1 Cor. 10.13), resisting the devil is not only possible, it is expected. Therefore, when we stand firm in our faith (1 Peter 5.9), the seeking-someone-to-devour lion loses his prowling and devouring abilities. In other words, when we fully surrender to God by humbly submitting to Him, we take away any opportunity for the devil to catch us off-guard (cf. Eph. 4.27).

This leads us to an interesting thought: If we do not give him an opportunity, what power does he have over us? In fact, James says that if we resist him that he will flee from us. If a lion is fleeing from us it is because we are stronger than he is! Therefore, Satan only has the power we choose to give him (See Romans 6 for additional study)! And if no power, no control! If you’re interested in learning more about God’s word and how you can have power over Satan instead of the other way around, e-mail Bryan Garlock or text 903.308.4905.