Tusculum Church of Christ

Much like the previous lesson, the topic of Women in the New Testament is far too large for a single class. This lesson provides a brief overview of changes resulting from the intertestamental period for the status of women as well as an examination of key cultural realities for women in the setting where the New Testament stories were lived out and written down. There is a special section that ta...

It is an absurdity to try and cover a topic so large as "Women in the Old Testament" in a single class. However, for the sake of this study, this class is a sweeping overview of women in the Old Testament. We give special attention to the creation of Woman, the Fall, and many harsh realities of women's lives in the cultures represented in the Old Testament.

It is important that we learn how to study and interpret Scripture theologically. This means that we try to take a healthy approach to the entirety of Scripture and particularly what it tells us about God, God's actions, and God's character. Knowing the clear picture of God helps us to discern what we should do with smaller portions of Scripture that are difficult or confusing for us. If we look a...

An introductory lesson for this study which talks about Biblical interpretation and how it works. We spend some time talking on the three part "Restoration Hermeneutic." Mark suggests some best practices for us as we engage God's word on difficult topics.

Given enough time and opportunities, all human beings let us down, at least sometimes. We are frail, imperfect, and subject to the limitations of flesh, blood, time, and fatigue. But God has no such limitations. He doesn't grow tired or need to sleep. Even nature obeys him. Our God is all-powerful.

God provides. He makes a way where there is no way. He sends the sun and the rains. God knows what we need and makes provisions so that we can flourish, even in harsh circumstances.

God will never abandon us. God is the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go search for the one who is lost. He is the Father who waits for his child to come home.

We've all had the experience of someone promising to us one thing, then failing to deliver with their actions. But God is trustworthy and reliable, giving us what we need when we need it, and much reason to tell the next generation that "God is faithful."

Many have experienced mistreatment by the hand of the people they needed and trusted most to love and care for them. God is not abusive. God is a healer; our great physician.

People are busy. Under the financial burdens of providing and the stress of working, parents may struggle to tend to their children as well as they'd like, and disconnects can occur. But God is not disconnected from us or our situation. He knows us even better than we know ourselves.

We are emotional beings who long for an emotional connection with others. In fact, if we don't tend to this aspect of our being, we can become withered and discouraged. God is not emotionally distant, but is instead a God of Empathy and Grace.

Some adults, unfortunately, place onto their children expectations that no one could achieve. It is tempting to know the perfection and holiness of God and to experience anxiety born of the worry of never measuring up. Instead, the real God we've come to know is a God of deep compassion.

What will come next for Tusculum? Only God knows for sure! But as a congregation we have Scriptural principles which will continue to guide us and practical opportunities into which we will pour our efforts. We have the benefit of planting and watering, trusting God to provide the increase. This will be a vision-oriented Sunday for Mark to share some of our upcoming plans and intentions.

Jesus isn't intimidated by our shortcomings. He can face them forthrightly because his grace is more than sufficient to supply our needs. Our love isn't perfect, but his love is. In a tender conversation with Peter, Jesus teaches us a lot about the magnitude of his grace and the possibility of second chances.

Jesus is the ultimate example of a life lived with purpose in the midst heavy pressure to do and to be all sorts of things. Our Youth Minister, Will Case, leads us through some reflections about our own tendency to get too rushed and overextended, learning from Jesus, and ultimately finding our own peace in our relationship with God, and not on a relentless need to get things done.

We only get one attempt at life. It is important that we are paying attention to the things that matter most. Awareness is key.

One of the fundamental questions in life is for each of us to answer in our choices who we believe that Jesus really is. If he's Lord, then his teachings are magnified in significance as is the urgency of our obedience to him.

Sometimes what we think we want isn't going to turn out the way we'd imagine it. Jesus' conversation with Mrs. Zebedee has some surprising outcomes and helps us to slow down and appreciate both our limitations and God's wisdom.

Paul taught that there were several things especially core to the Church, each of which there is only one. Because we've walked the one path to God, in Baptism we find unity. God brings us together through the power of Christ.

In the Gospels, we meet Jesus at the Jordan River where John baptized him. At the Jordan River, many significant moments happened in Israel's history. Baptism brings us to a place of remembrance where God has provided healing for those who pass through the waters.

In Baptism, we invoke the full power of God's Passover. Those who were marked by the blood of the lamb were saved. Our response of faith in Baptism places us safely within the power of the blood of the Lamb.

The life of Jesus is good news. But it isn't just any good news. It's specifically the good news of who Jesus is, what he has done for us, and how we can become participants of his life and work in this world.

Just as a large pyramid has a layer that provides a firm foundation for all other layers, baptism reminds us of the things that are the true core of Christian faith.

To be a Christian is to be a child of the Light. God invites us to live in a way that is open, sincere, and worthy of imitation. We are pure in our walk and passionate in our service.

Growing as a Christian sometimes take quick and surprising turns, but our walk of faith is more often a series of simple choices. Walking in Jesus' footsteps one at a time, God is at work in us, trimming what needs to be left behind, and nourishing what needs to grow.