Category Archives: Church

The Family of God (Series on the Church)

Posted on April 9, 2023 by salooper57

You are a young man in first century Israel (though what I am about to say would have been true of men almost anywhere in the first century). You got married on Sunday. Your family, your bride’s family, your friends, … Continue reading →

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Leaving Home (not knowing where we are going)

Posted on April 7, 2023 by salooper57

I will be finishing up the work that God gave me to do at Lockwood Community Church over the next few months. It has be a long, fruitful, and (for the most part) happy time. My wife and I have … Continue reading →

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The Day You Came Into the Church (1 Corinthians 12:1-13)

Posted on April 2, 2023 by salooper57

Last week, we looked at the day the church was born into the world. This week, we will look at the day you were born into the church. But first, we need to think a little further about what the … Continue reading →

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The Day the Church Was Born (Acts 2)

Posted on March 26, 2023 by salooper57

We are looking today at Acts 2, which recounts the origins of the Church. When God poured out his Spirit on the 120 Jesus-followers who had gathered in Jerusalem, they went from being friends and associates with a shared history … Continue reading →

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Built on a Promise (Matthew 16:13-20)

Posted on March 19, 2023 by salooper57

When I was a boy and would put more food on my plate than I was able to eat, my mother would say, “Your eyes are bigger than your belly.” When a pastor puts Matthew 16:13-20 on his preaching plate – at least this pastor – his desire to preach might be bigger than his exegetical ability. Continue reading →

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We Are the Temple of the Living God (with Kevin Looper)

Posted on March 12, 2023 by salooper57

How can Christians be in the world but not of it? What does it mean to be unequally yoked? Does this only happen in marriage, or can we be unequally yoked in other relationships? We explore the questions as we … Continue reading →

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The Foundation (Acts 1:12-14)

Posted on March 5, 2023 by salooper57

The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself the chief cornerstone (see Eph. 2:20), Who are the people who formed the foundation of God’s eternal church? Why were they chosen? What does … Continue reading →

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The Lenses We Wear When We Read the Bible

Posted on March 4, 2023 by salooper57

In the movie, “Titanic,” a mother and her teenage daughter Rose, played by Kate Winslet, are crossing the Atlantic with Rose’s fiancé. He is from the same social class as she, but he is rich while her family has squandered … Continue reading →

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The New Humanity (Series: The Church God Wants Us to Be)

Posted on February 19, 2023 by salooper57

(Ephesians 2:13-22) …now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by … Continue reading →

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The Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-34)

Posted on February 12, 2023 by salooper57

The church of Jesus Christ has repeatedly divided over what we did a few minutes ago when we took the Lord’s Supper. In the Fourth Lateran Council, held in 1215, the Church of Rome officially adopted the view known as … Continue reading →

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