Walking By Faith A church of Christ in Woburn

In this lesson we focus on some of the more difficult and counter-cultural commandments: honoring our parents, being truthful always (no false witness or deceit), and not lusting after our neighbor's spouse or possessions. In the Ten Commandments, we see that God has always been deeply concerned about sins of the heart.

Moses now recounts the story of the Lord initially giving the Ten Commandments. We consider the spiritual wreckage caused by the violation of the second commandment, not to make images of God. We also consider whether Christians should keep the Sabbath, or is there something else the Sabbath points to for those who follow Jesus?  

Moses tells God's people to neither add to nor subtract from God's commands. Nothing could be simpler, right? Actually, this was a problem for Israel and continues to be a problem for God's people today. Many Christians set aside (subtract) difficult or unpopular Biblical commands. However, other well-meaning Christians add requirements (extrabiblical rules) to what we find in the Scriptures. In this message, we consider how both deviations lead to serious problems in the church.

Why did the early church pray so much? How were their prayers so effective? Could it be that they simply prayed as Jesus taught and showed them?  May we experience this type of prayer! This lesson is built on a short devotional taught by Chuck Pike in 2020, adapted from Tertullian's work "On Prayer".

The Israelites must pass through the lands of five other nations in succession on their way to Canaan. We find valuable lessons for us in each encounter. However, there are troubling passages to wrestle with as well. How could a good and loving God “harden” the spirit of Sihon, and then tell his people to kill all the Amorites (including women and children)? We draw from other passages in Scripture and insights from early Christians to find good answers to classic questions.

One of the great challenges to Biblical unity is unresolved conflict between Christians. Fortunately, in Matthew 18, Jesus not only gives us a process to revolve conflict with one another, but also the heart we are to bring to conflict resolution. In this second of a two-part series on unity, we cover Jesus' simple, challenging, and extremely effective teachings on reconciling with our brother and sister.