By
Shelby G. Floyd
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.
-Galatians 2:9 KJV
THE RIGHT HANDS OF FELLOWSHIP
PART THREE
FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRISTIANS Continue reading “THE RIGHT HANDS OF FELLOWSHIP NO. 6”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
“Hilltops of Glory” is a beautiful song that we have just sung in a great way. We are truly blessed with good song leaders and singing because everybody joins in and sings out with some volume. That is not the case in some places today.
DECORATION DAY – MEMORIAL DAY
I was trying to think of what would be a good topic to preach on during the Memorial Day holiday. And so after some reflection I thought to myself, why not just preach on “Memorial Day.” It is wonderful to hear all of the patriotic music the past few days? It is great to see the marching bands and the marching soldiers with all of their patriotic flags. That is refreshing because it demonstrates a lot of our citizens still love our country and everything that it has stood for down through these centuries. We all appreciate the sacrifices that have been made that we might be free. Therefore we are able to enjoy all the blessings that God has showered down upon us for over 200 years.
And sometimes people do not really think about the meaning of Memorial Day. Sometimes we get so involved in family outings, going to the race and other events, and we don’t think much about the sacrifices that have been made on our behalf. But those things are also good. It is wonderful that we can combine love of family and love of country and be together and enjoy each other’s company. Continue reading “MEMORIAL DAY”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
When Paul wrote the first letter to the Corinthians in about A. D. 59, the observance of the Lord’s Supper was a well-established practice upon the first day of each week. The inspired apostle Paul had delivered unto the Corinthians the same teaching on the Lord’s Supper which he had received of the Lord:
“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11: 23-26).
By
Shelby G. Floyd
Credit: Google Images
The Lord’s Supper is a very important part of Christian worship, but teaching regarding it has been generally neglected. Therefore, in many places the church is falling into many errors regarding the proper observance of this wonderful memorial to our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul had to deal with the perversions of the Lord’s Supper in the church at Corinth, and therefore, his teaching to them is the same teaching which the church needs today to properly observe the Lord’s Supper. When God’s people come together in a solemn assembly it should be to worship the Lord, and to learn his will, and to be drawn closer to God. But this is not always the case, and many times when people come together, it is not for the better, but for the worse. Continue reading “Assembling Together For the Better”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
The New Testament clearly outlines the essentials on worship. These are: the Lord’s Supper, the contribution, prayer, preaching, and singing. However, in the matters of judgment or incidentals the New Testament does not have a lot to say. This indicates that God leaves it up to our human judgment as to how we should carry out what he has commanded. In our text, we have a window through which to see a worship service of the New Testament church. This worship took place at Troas on Paul’s third evangelistic journey (Acts 20:1-12).
Window into Worship
As Paul traveled around visiting the churches he encouraged them with the word of God. Comfort and encouragement mostly comes from the word of God. “He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece” (Acts 20: 2).
First Day of the Week Worship
We notice that worship at Troas was on the first day of the week. This is what we call Sunday. Why was worship on Sunday and not on Saturday or any other day of the week? “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight” (Acts 20: 7). Why did the New Testament church worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, which was the day of worship of the Jews? By his own resurrection from the dead on the first day the week, Jesus Christ himself sanctified the first day of the week, not the seventh day (Luke 24:1).
The Lord’s Supper Observed on Sunday
Let us also be devoted to taking the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week to remember the salvation we have in Christ. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2: 42). The apostle John was exiled on the island of Patmos and declared he “was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” This was definitely Sunday the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
Copyright © 2014 Shelby Floyd All Rights Reserved
Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142