I have a dear friend who has spent his professional life involved in mission work and church planting and now works in recruiting mission teams to plant local churches. When last speaking with him, he noted how he is increasingly seeing more Christians who are not interested in church planting. There is a desire to …
Category: Church
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Nov 25
Thoughts about Ministry at the 10 Year Mark at Seven Oaks
On Sunday (11-24-13) we celebrated our 10th anniversary with the Seven Oaks Church of Christ in Mayfield, Kentucky. I spoke about this topic and challenged us for the future in the morning sermon. It is in the audio resources titled, “Reflection and Thanksgiving at 10 Years.” In a way of expressing our appreciation we prepared …
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Nov 17
Does Salvation Exist Separate from the Church?
In speaking to those at Give-Away Day about their souls, I realized once again that many people feel saved, yet they have no affiliation, and certainly not regular involvement with a church. While there are lots of important issues there regarding being a part of the church of the Bible and worshiping correctly, I just …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/does-salvation-exist-separate-from-the-church/
Nov 08
Give Away Day – A Church Outreach Effort
This Saturday is our 11th annual Give-Away day at Seven Oaks church of Christ. I want to share a little bit about this ministry with you as it might be something your congregation would like to do as well. The Aim of the Ministry To remember the poor. Paul wrote, “they asked us to remember …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/give-away-day-a-church-outreach-effort/
Oct 29
Doctrine’s Place in a Dark World
Does church doctrine still have a place in our world today? The family is in a crisis. Traditional marriage is under attack. The homosexual movement’s agenda is being trumpeted incessantly in our culture. Cohabitation and divorce are commonplace. Abortion is still the silent killer. Drugs and alcohol are a scourge upon our society and tearing …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.joshketchum.com/doctrines-place-in-a-dark-world/
Oct 27
They Still Bear Fruit in Old Age
Lama Smith lay most hours in bed. She was confided to a residential care home in West Tennessee. I was a young minister who enjoyed going to visit her. She was a former English teacher and faithful Christian lady. She was in her late 80s. She had constant intestinal and abdominal pain. I would go …
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Oct 24
My Bible Class Teaching Aims
I teach lots of Bible classes. Some weeks I teach three classes a week. I enjoy teaching class and have put much thought over the years into what I want to accomplish during Bible class. The class aim and context often determine the teacher’s aim. So this list may not be appropriate for all classes. …
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Oct 13
Our Motivation for Holy Living
I have been guilty. Most other preachers are as well. We often teach God’s commandments and desires for our lives in this manner: This benefit is why you should obey this command. It may be an avoided consequence or a blessing gained. For example: We tell young people not to be sexually active because of STDs, …
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Oct 04
Kingdom Journal Released with Campbell Articles
Some time back I shared a couple of posts related to Alexander Campbell and my research related to an article I was writing involving his views of Jesus as the King of the Kingdom. Freed-Hardeman has released this issue of Kingdom (Vol 2. Nu. 2). You can access this and all of the Kingdom journal …
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Oct 02
Why The Gospel Meeting Preacher Seems Better than Your Local Preacher
Us preachers are used to the drill. It happens almost every time there is a gospel meeting or seminar at your church. It might even happen during the Summer series on Wednesday’s nights. The visiting preacher comes in and delivers a wonderful lesson that challenges and uplifts the church. Then the comments start, “We haven’t …
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