Category Archives: Dedication

What Would That Look Like?

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

I once had a conversation with a member about her commitment to Christ and her involvement in the local church. I was asked: What would proper involvement look like? This is an excellent question to ask. Let’s try to answer … Continue reading →

Posted in christian growth, Dedication, evangelism, Love, Priorities | Tagged assemble with saints, bear fruit, bear fruit with patience, benevolence, bible study, book mere Christianity, busy bee, c.s. lewis, Christ like, church attendance, concern for others, disciple, edification, evangelism, following Christ, genuine love, imitate Christ, little Christ, love, maintain good works, marshall keeble, more than baptism is needed, patience, priorities, thayer, true Christianity, vine's, zealous for good works | Leave a comment

When I Survey…

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

Isaac Watts (1674-1748), from a young age, had a way with words. He once frustrated his father by his continual rhyming. When his father scolded him, he quickly replied, “Oh, father, do some pity take, and I will no more … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross, Dedication, Humility, Jesus, Love, pride, Priorities, Singing | Tagged 1 Corinthians 15:10, 1 John 3:16, 1674, 1748, alas and did my savior bleed, at the cross, charles wesley, encyclopedia.com, focus on cross, Galatians 2:21, Galatians 6:14, humble, hymns by isaac watts, I sing the Might Power of God, isaac watts, joy to the world, love, Micah 6:8, our God our help in ages past, Philippians 3:7-8, Philippians 3:9, pride, priorities, Romans 12:1-2, song when I survey the wondrous cross, songsandhymns.org, the cross, Titus 2:14, vain things, we're marching to zion, what we owe | Leave a comment

Moral Perfection

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

I believe that a major misunderstanding exists among some Christians and among many non-Christians. I am speaking of the need for moral perfection, flawless performance of God’s law, or absolute sinless living. When a Christian has this misunderstanding, the consequences … Continue reading →

Posted in Dedication, Faith, Sin | Tagged 1 Peter 1:15-16, 1 Peter 1:3-4, 2 Samuel 11-12, adam clarke, agape, be holy as I am holy, be perfect as I am perfect, David, flawless performance of law, Galatians 2, Galatians 6:14, Hebrews 12:14, living by faith, love, Matthew 26, Matthew 5:48, mature love, model or standard of life, moral perfection, peter, Philippians 3:9, Psalm 32, pursue peace and holiness, repent and pray, sinless perfection, teleioi, wayne jackson, what does God expect?, willful sin | 2 Comments

Some Questions For Us

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

Many members say that they desire the growth of the local church. Many say that they desire many visitors at the annual Gospel Meeting. However, are we doing what it takes for these things to happen? Desire without action will … Continue reading →

Posted in christian growth, Christian Influence, Dedication, evangelism, Fellowship, Hospitality, questions, Soul Winning | Tagged Bible reading, church attendance, church growth, desire without actions, edification, evangelism, friendliness, Gospel meeting, Hospitality, involvment, Mark 4, Parable of the sower, participation, prayer, questions, spiritual growth, visitors | Leave a comment

The Weeping Prophet

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Bryan Hodge

“Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughters of my people!” (Jeremiah 9:1). Jeremiah has been dubbed “the weeping prophet.” Here he … Continue reading →

Posted in Dedication, Preachers, Preaching, Priorities, prophets, Textual study, worship | Tagged chicken little, church house religion, concern for soul, den of theives, devotion, evangelism, fearmonger, jeremiah, jeremiah 13:15-17, Jeremiah 6:14, Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 6:17, Jeremiah 7:14, Jeremiah 7:3-4, Jeremiah 7:8-11, jeremiah 9:1, Jeremiah 9:11, listen to false prophets, negative preaching, no longer ashamed of sin, no longer blush, oblivious to true condition, peace peace when there is no peace, priorities, refuse to listen, school and sports, seeing true condition, steps to destruction, the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord are these, the weeping prophet, trust in church building, trust in temple, trust in worship, we will not listen | Leave a comment

“Crucified”

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Bryan Hodge

“Must Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the world go free? No there’s a cross for ev’ryone, and there’s a cross for me / The consecrated cross I’ll bear till He shall set me free, and then go home … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross, Dedication, Humility, Textual study, Word Study | Tagged 2 Corinthians 3:18, adultery, boasting, boasting in cross, book basics of biblical greek, book of Galatians, Christ crucified, Christ lives in me, circumcision, contentions, crucified before eyes, Crucified boasting, Crucified flesh, crucified self, crucified to world, crucified world, cucified with Christ, die to self, dissensions, drunkenness, envy, fornication, four crosses in Galatians, four crucifixions in Galatians, Galatians 1:23, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 3:1, Galatians 5:24, Galatians 5:6, Galatians 6:14, glory in the cross, hatred, Hebrews 12:1-2, hedonism, heresies, humble, idolatry, imitate Christ, jealousy, Jeremiah 9:23, Jesus clearly portrayed as crucified, judaizing teachers, justification by law keeping, keep looking unto Jesus, lack of peace, lewdness, live for Christ, manify Christ, marshall keeble, Matthew 16:24, Matthew 26:39, men glory in many things, murders, not as I will but as You will, old man died, outbursts of wrath, partying, regicide, Repentance, revelries, robert h. mounce, self rightousness, selfish ambition, sexual sins, song must Jesus bear the cross alone?, sorcery, take up cross and follow me, the fruit of the Spirit, the works of the flesh, theodore monod, thomas shepherd, transformation keeps pace with contemplation, two directors of life, uncleaness, vain glory, who directs your life?, william d. mounce, world crucified to me, wrath, wrong guides, wrong religious pratices | 2 Comments

Three Bears

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Bryan Hodge

There are 8 species of bear in the world: (1) North American Black Bear; (2) Brown Bear (Grizzly); (3) Polar Bear; (4) Asiatic Black Bear; (5) Sun Bear (Honey Bear); (6) Panda Bear; (7) Sloth Bear; (8) Andean Bear. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Influence, Dedication, Faith, Fellowship, Love, Textual study, Word Study | Tagged 59 one another passages, alaska, allelon, amie huguenard, andean bear, animals, asiatic black bear, baros, bear, bear attack, bear in book of Galatians, bear marks in body, bear one anonthers burdens, brown bear, burden, christian relationships, dedication, each must bear his own load, endurace, endure hardships, fulfill law of Christ, Galatians 5:14, Galatians 6:17, Galatians 6:2, Galatians 6:5, genuine bear, grizzly bear, helping bear, honey bear, integrity, katamai national park, man pleaser, north american black bear, notes from the margin of my bible, one another passages, panda bear, Paul's hardships, phortion, responsible bear, responsiblity, sloth bear, species of bear, spiritual, stigma, sun bear, tattoo, timothy treadwell, vine's, wayne jackson, we don't become saints by others' sins, you who are spiritual | 1 Comment

Thoughts on Backsliding

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Bryan Hodge

John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a Puritan preacher in England. He is best known for writing The Pilgrim’s Progress (From This World to That Which is Come), in 1678. The book sold perhaps 100,000 copies in its first 15 years (Bunyan, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Christian Influence, Dedication, Endurance, Fellowship, friends, life, Prayer, Sin | Tagged 1678, apostacy, attitude about sin, backsliding, bible study, bl.uk, church attendance, evil company, falling, fear, fear of men, fellowship, finding fault with saints, four reasons some backslide, guilt, hardening heart, john bunyan, love of Christ, love of God, meditation, mirror of God's word, murmurring, neglecting attendance, neglecting Bible study, neglecting prayer, nine manners of backsliding, no longer blush, open sin, picking holes in coat of godly, pilgrim's progress, prayer, pride, private sin, puritan, repent, secret sin, shame, stages of backsliding, the british library | Leave a comment

Pharoah’s Offers of Compromise

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Bryan Hodge

Is compromise good or bad? It depends on what is being compromised. Compromise can be a good thing. It may make the difference in whether or not a house sells, or a business transaction takes place. It may make the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Study, Dedication, exodus, Textual study | Tagged book the bible doctrine of christian fellowship, comprimise, Do not go far, Do not leave land, Do not take children, Do not take flocks and herds, exodus, Exodus 10:10-11, Exodus 10:24, Exodus 10:8, Exodus 8:25, Exodus 8:28, humbolt tennessee, james burton coffman, n.b. hardeman, pharoah's offers, robert taylor jr, trenton tennessee | Leave a comment

Practical Atheism

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Bryan Hodge

Let’s define what is meant. Practical atheism is “holding an intellectual belief in God but thinking, feeling, and behaving as if there were no God” (Rubel Shelly, Atheists on the Church Rolls, quoted by Dick Sztanyo in Practical Atheism and … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Influence, Dedication | Tagged atheists on church rolls, book diamonds in the rough, brad harrub, burt jones, christian living, dick sztanyo, faith without works, financial support of church, influence, Luke 8:14, pratical atheism, reading Bible, rubel shelly, Titus 1:16, warrenapologetics.org, what's the fifference | Leave a comment