Sanctify My Heart/Troy Church of Christ

In Genesis 19, we find Lot and his family in a town of extreme immorality faced with a dilemma. Do they stay, or do they go? We find in their choices both good and bad, and in this two-part series find a challenge to modern-day parents--how do we raise our children in a world full of so many spiritual land-mines? How do we preserve the image of God in which they were created, and give them the tools necessary to navigate life in a way that honors God and helps our kids thrive, not just survive?

This week we have a message from the archives, spoken at the Northside Church of Christ in Bonham, Texas before I moved to New York to plant the new church in Troy, NY. This message is one that is still quite relevant--that in Christ, and by God's grace, you can be more than you'll be on your own.

I Thessalonians 5:23-24
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
(NIV)

The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

Mark 7:26-29, NIV

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
I Corinthians 1:26-27 (NIV)

This week we're looking at Mark 7, where Jesus teaches that change that is only superficial is not real change at all.

"They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." Revelation 17:4, ESV

Garth Brookes had a hit song in "Unanswered Prayers". We all can look back at times when God said, "No," and in hindsight see the blessing of not getting what we wanted. In this podcast, we look at why sometimes "no" really is the best answer we can get from God.

Luke 19:37-40
37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
(NIV)

Lessons from the Parable of the Prodigal Son

Luke 15 (ESV):

11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.
12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me m the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided n his property between them.
13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in o reckless living.
14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.
15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.
16 And he p was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything."

How can I handle all the challenges life and the devil can throw at me? A good place to start finding the answers is by looking at how Jesus handled Satan & temptation in Luke chapter 4.

David wrote in Psalm 51:17, "I learned God--worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice."

(The Message Translation)

As we bring our study of the Book of Acts to a close this week, we take a look at Paul's final arrival at Rome see that in this final chapter of the book, we are seeing not an ending, but vision of the ongoing work of God that still surrounds us today.

Day and night they were tossed around the sea like a cork in the washing machine.  They'd had  their last meal, thrown everything overboard, and settled in for the ride of their life, and for a while they thought the END of their lives.  But God came through with a promise--they would all survive.  And He delivered.  

Ever feel like that?  Like your life is a tempest in a teapot, like there is no peace, no light of dawn coming?  God has some good news for you, too, then--and He'll deliver!  Join us for this weeks Bible study on the Sanctify My Heart podcast.

The apostle Paul and his traveling companions -- fellow workers in the Lord, fellow prisoners, and Roman soldiers -- encounter a violent storm at sea and live to talk about it.

Once again, the charges against the apostle Paul bring about an opportunity for him to recount his conversion, this time before the Roman officials Festus and Agrippa. While doing so, Paul speaks of the resurrection, repentance, and sanctification -- topics very relevant to your life and mine, so join us in this podcast of Sanctify My Heart as we look at Paul's testimony.

As the apostle Paul's trial continues he gives his testimony before the Roman governor Felix. Felix and his wife then give Paul several days to share the good news of Jesus. How does that go? Join us for this installment of Sanctify My Heart.

Defending himself before his accusers at Jerusalem, the apostle Paul recounts his dramatic conversion, reminding us all that our past shapes us, but it doesn't have to enslave us.

This week we dug into the archives and are sharing a broadcast from February 2008 about Christ's victory over death, and the implications for your life today. Enjoy!

Telling people the good news that Jesus saves, healing the sick...you'd think these would be good things well received (and by many they were), but some people will react badly to even the best actions. Paul knew this truth well, and in our study of Acts today we see him arrested on trumped up charges by people who simply wanted him shut down and shut up. Ever have those days?