On Sunday, our theme will be “The Essential Church,” or more literally, the necessary church. The lesson — topical this time, gasp! — will have four points. All the verses come from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Continue reading
Category: sermons
Watch Chris McCurley: Spiritual Mythbusters – Christians Shouldn’t Judge
Chris works with the Oldham Lane congregation in Abilene TX.
Make ‘violent’ effort to win
Matthew 11.1-19
In the previous chapter, Jesus had sent out the Twelve on what we call the limited commission. An enduring lesson from it is that, if we feel inconvenienced or embarrassed by the gospel, we are not worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
John the Immerser also has great lessons that we might live worthily of the kingdom today. Continue reading
Audio: What brings us together, by Jon Mitchell
Jon Mitchell’s sermon preached Monday, 7 April 2014, at the Carolina Lectures, hosted by the Kannapolis NC congregation.
When the truth saves
On Sundays, we have three, yup, count ’em, three Bible readings. One from the OT, one from the gospels, and one from Acts or the NT letters.
This approach allowed me to share this message last Sunday. Continue reading
Video: Is Jesus the only way of salvation?
Our brother Rod Rutherford, evangelist with the Gatlinburg TN congregation, shares this important message, with a fascinating example from Botswana.
Audio sermon: Salvation is the gift of God
Listen to this sermon in the “Simple” series at the Somers Avenue church in N. Little Rock AR, delivered Sunday morning, Oct 6. Thanks to Oran Burt and Sean Ashberrry for the invite. (Source: Somers Ave site.)
Audio sermon: How to get to Jesus
The following audio comes from the Eureka IL congregation’s website. The sermon was shared with the saints there Sunday morning, Sept. 29, 2013. Length: 26 min.
It was preached originally in Portuguese and adapted for an American audience. (I preached it from my original outline in Portuguese.)
Beginnings of an outline: Sure about salvation

This was an idea I started when looking over the topics listed for the Preacher’s Files Lectureship. I wound up going with another topic of my own suggestion (“You Can Be Sure About the Power of the Gospel“), but this still intrigues me and calls me to do something with it.
- You Can Be Sure About Salvation in Christ
- About its beginning point
- About its continuing action
- About its future reception
- About its proclamation
How would you develop these points?
Audio sermon: God through all
Listen to the edited sermon I preached at Somer’s Avenue congregation in N. Little Rock March 10, “God Through All,” based upon the text of Eph. 4.6. Edited time is 24 min. The theme of the day was “Evangelism for the Rest of Us.” Continue reading