Early Church of Christ

Matthew 21:28–32 (NIV) 28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,...

The Parable of the 10 Minas Luke 19:11-27 (ESV) YouVersion Bible App Outline: http://bible.com/events/49008582 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten o...

The parable of the persistent widow, found in Luke 18:1-8, is a story Jesus told to remind us to pray and not give up. But it isn't just a parable teaching us to pray more. It's a parable rooted in the big-picture story of the coming of Christ, our present challenges, and our future hope.

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have...

“When the day’s work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, ‘Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.’ “Those hired at five o’clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they gr...

When the church hit a huge snag -- the issue of whether or not the Gentile Christians had to keep Jewish laws (like circumcision) to be "real" Christians -- the church came together in Jerusalem. They didn't split into denominations, they didn't split their church congregations into Northside and Southside, they didn't ghost their brothers and sisters over the disagreement. They *came together* an...

As Paul & Barnabas venture out on the first missionary journey they run into some great opportunities. But, as you probably are all too aware, where great things are happening, evil is certain to attempt disruption. This time, the disruption came through a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus. How did Paul respond? earlychurchofchrist.org

Jesus wasn't the only one on trial that day. In this study, we'll look at why Pilate caved, how Jesus stood firm, and what both men can teach us about our own handling of the trials that come our way.

Judas and Peter are at the opposite ends of the spectrum of character in most of our minds. But these men had some things in common, too. Why did these men both fail, and then handle that failure so very differently? Are there some lessons for us to gain, both in how we live, and in how we respond to others when they are overwhelmed?

A Bittersweet Day I don't think we can truly grasp the depth of emotion Jesus must have felt that day. For weeks he has been making his way toward Jerusalem, and ultimately toward the cross he knows waits for him there. As they shouted praise and cries of "Lord, save us!"...if you only knew... As they called for a new king...if you only knew... As the Pharisees and Sadducees sneered and debated th...

Are You Listenin'? How many times do you ask that question? To your kids when they have that glazed over look? To your students? Your co-workers? Your spouse? Have you asked God if he's listening? Is he asking you? Jesus knows that sometimes when the answers come slowly we get impatient (sometimes understandably), we ask and ask and ask...and we ask. He tells the story of the persistent widow to t...

What is the kingdom of God? It is easy, in a world of kingdoms built on men, might, and manipulation, to get what the kingdom of God is quite wrong. Early followers--including some of the apostles--did at first, too, expecting military revolution and overthrow of the Roman Empire. What is, then, the kingdom of God? We will explore this as we look at Jesus' phrase, "The kingdom of God is within you...

C. S. Lewis, author of "Mere Christianity" and :The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", said of praise and gratitude, "We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation." Ah, a truth everyone who has ever spent hours creating a Thanksgiving feast knows--without praise and gratitude (to both God and cooks), it al...

Some of Jesus' teachings really go against the grain of human nature. Or maybe it should be said they go against the grain of our fallen nature (see Romans 6-8). Today, we will look at a couple of ways in which Jesus will challenge our thinking, our emotions, and our assumptions. Because, if we really intend to follow him into his glorious future, it will require some real growth in our hearts and...

As Jesus keeps making his way toward Jerusalem and the cross, the tensions rise and his teaching intensifies. In Luke 16 Jesus goes, as we often say, "from preaching to meddling." It would be easy to read his confrontational message to the Pharisees with "sic 'em!" echoing through our minds, but then we would be missing the point as badly as they did. Jesus means for this message to reach every he...

Are we spending our lives away, or are we investing in a future that will truly matter? Jesus challenges us with this question (and more) in Luke 16:1-10.

"'By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.' Their grumbling triggered this story..."

Jerry DeBord spoke on the power of our words, and the importance of guarding our hearts and mouths closely.

As Jesus makes his way toward Jerusalem, he's teaching and preaching and drawing ever-larger crowds. It must have been something for the disciples to see--all the buzz and excitement. But Jesus now does something that many would find puzzling. In the middle of an effort to draw more and more people into the kingdom of God, he thins the ranks. Why? Let's dive in.

"Hey, That's My Seat!" Ugh. Don't you just dread looking up at a stranger at hearing those words, "Hey, that's my seat." It's inhospitable in church, embarrassing at banquets, and can be very awkward at the beginning of a three hour flight. But, Jesus sees these situations as opportunities to build our character and grow the kingdom in his teaching in Luke 14, so let's dive into what Jesus had to...

"A bystander said, “Master, will only a few be saved?” He said, “Whether few or many is none of your business. Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention. A lot of you are going to assume that you’ll sit down to God’s salvation banquet just because you’ve been hanging around the neighborhood all your lives. Well, one day you’re going...

We don't know what her life was like. We know there was pain, both physically and emotionally. We know she was desperate to be healed. We know it was more than an ordinary backache or scoliosis. Her body doubled over, her heart beaten down, she came to the synagogue that morning because a glimmer of hope had broken through--the one claiming to be the Messiah would be there. Could he, would he set...

TOUGH EVENTS LEAD TO TOUGH QUESTIONS. I was having a Bible study with a young man in 1995 when he asked a tough question: "Stalin killed 35,000,000 people, mostly Russians. More than Hitler. Was this a judgment of God? Did they deserve it?" How would you have answered this young, budding believer in God? I went to this passage in Luke 13, when Jesus received a similar question. Pilate was a small...

Jesus. He's tougher than you may think. In this last section of Luke 12, we find Jesus again being very frank and urgent about some very serious truths. At first glance, some of it can be startling, especially if your picture of Jesus is of the '60s rambling peacenik variety. An image of Jesus bearing a sword is not typical in most minds, but this is Jesus as he is (see Revelation 19, for example)...

Get Packing! Jesus and his disciples are getting closer and closer to Jerusalem, but that's not the only trip Jesus has on his mind. He is looking beyond--way beyond--and is preparing his disciples and the crowd for for life, death, and the second coming. He wants us ready for the biggest trip of our lives, so let's get to it!