By
Shelby G. Floyd
Everyone is born into the kingdom of nature by a natural birth—of and from the womb. Those who become Christians are born into the kingdom of God by a spiritual birth—of and from water and the Spirit: Jesus answered,
“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5).
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In his second letter the apostle Peter wrote, “Add to your faith… self-control” (2 Peter 1:6). Every Christian therefore is to learn self-control. Self-control or temperance is “to control the mind and body with all of the lusts.” Continue reading “HAVE SELF-CONTROL”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
The book of 1 John was written about 85-90 A. D., at a time when false teachers were denying that Christ was divine and also that he had a fleshly body. John refutes both of these false ideas. There are some today who are still teaching these same false doctrines. Continue reading “CHRIST, THE ETERNAL WORD”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In Ephesians 5:22-33, the apostle Paul sets forth the nature of the church and its relationship to Christ. He says in one place,
“This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32).
What did Paul mean when he said, “I speak concerning Christ and the church”? Continue reading “CONCERNING CHRIST AND THE CHURCH”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
Let us trust God to strengthen us in doing his work. This is biblical from the statements of the inspired writers:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
“For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (Colossians 1:29).
“And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might” (Ephesians 1:19).
As Jesus left the earth to go back to heaven he said to his disciples and also to us: “And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28: 20). This is a wonderful promise that every child of God who is faithful in serving the Lord should claim.
When Jesus was on the earth he went about teaching in the synagogues of the Jews, preaching the gospel of the kingdom and serving suffering humanity. But he said to his disciples: “The harvest truly is plenteous but the labors are few. Pray therefore the Lord of harvest that he will send laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:36-38). This statement indicates that God is not going to do all the work. His plan is for his people to go and get involved in the work of saving souls, strengthening the saved and serving the suffering.
However, while we are doing all that we can we must still trust God to be with us, to strengthen us and in his providence to open up doors for us to advance the gospel. We must cooperate with the ruler of the universe in order to be successful.
Let all of us in the Lord’s church trust in the mighty hand of God instead of the weak hand of man!
Copyright © 2017 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved
Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142
By
Shelby G. Floyd
The author of the letter to the church at Ephesus is Jesus Christ (Revelation 2:1-3). This letter is a part of the Revelation which God gave to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ gave to an Angel, and the Angel signified it to John, John wrote it down in a book and sent it to the churches (Revelation 1:1-2). A great blessing is pronounced upon those who read (aloud), hear and keep those things which are written in the last book of the Bible (Revelation 1:3). John received this wonderful disclosure while he was on the Isle of Patmos. He heard a great voice behind him as the voice of a trumpet, loud, distinct and clear. When he turned to see who was speaking, he saw seven Golden candlesticks; and in the midst of those Golden candlesticks he saw the glorified Christ, like unto the Son of Man, and he had in his right hand seven stars (Revelation 1:9-19). Continue reading “TEST THE SPIRITS”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
John Calvin is credited with originating the false doctrine of predestination and foreordination. He taught that a certain number of people had been foreordained and predetermined from the foundation of the world, to be either saved or lost. The teaching of John Calvin is usually remembered by the acronym T U L I P: Continue reading “TULIP”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
What a blessing it is for all of us to come together and worship God. In a congregation where I preached there was a man that visited from time to time. He would fill out a visitor’s card, and on it he would write, “I am a member of the church of Christ at large.” All of us are members of the church of Christ at large. But are we all members of the church of Christ at small? Today I am speaking on the topic of “Joining the Church.” I have never preached on this topic in over 54 years of ministry. All of my life I have heard that you do not join the church. Is it true that we do not join the church? The answer is both yes and no. There is a sense in which we do not join the church. And there is a sense in which we do join the church. Therefore we can have it both ways. Continue reading “JOINING THE DISCIPLES (CHURCH)”
By
Shelby G. Floyd
In the beginning, when the Almighty created the heavens and the earth, he established a rule or principle of life which is absolute, and which still holds true to this day; it is the law of sowing and reaping. God ordained that each species of the fauna and flora would always reproduce after their kind. For instance, in connection with the grass and herbs of the field, God said,
“Let the earth bring forth grass, The herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12).
By
Shelby G. Floyd
King David once said, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing” (2 Sam. 24:24). He then bought the threshing floor of Araunah at a price and made his offering unto the Lord:
“So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings” (2 Sam. 24:24-25).