Ephesians 4:8-12 Introduction: In this lesson we see that God gave gifts unto me for a specific purpose.  I. He led captivity Captive– Ephesians 4:8 -First “he led captivity captive” and then “gave gifts unto men”. Before Christ could give gifts unto men, this had to take place first.  I...

In Eph 4:11-12, Jesus Christ gave four groups of men to the church for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.  These men were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.  This study will show the transition from the...

What Are Deacons? What are deacons?  Deacons are an interesting subject in the Bible because there are a variety of interpretations concerning who they are and what they do.  The Biblical teaching about deacons is different than the traditional understanding.  Traditionally, deacons are men who are chosen by a congregation...

Double Honour 1 Tim 5:17-18 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO Pastors are elders.  If you have a good pastor, you need to thank God and you need to honor him. A pastor like that is worthy of double honor because elders that rule well are worthy of double honour.  Honour your pastor’s:...

We Are Accounted As Sheep Rom 8:36 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO According to Paul we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  In many places in the Bible, people are compared to sheep.  This is very instructive and should help us have a better understanding of ourselves in our relationship to each...

In Eph 4:11-16, pastors and teachers are given to the church for the perfecting of the saints.  Saints are perfected for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ.  In verse 16, “every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of ITSELF...

In Titus 1:4-9, Paul instructed Titus to “set in order the things that are wanting,” v.5. So, there were some things out of order (1 Cor 14:40) in these churches that Titus needed to set in order.  And he was appointed to ordain elders in every city of Crete.  These...

Pastor Rick Sowell preached on some things you can do for your pastor from Romans 10:13-15. Pray daily for him. Pray specifically for him and his family. Pray for problems that you know he faces. Pray for his health, his wisdom, his spiritual strength, his grace, his compassion, and his...

We are studying 1 Pet 5:1-7 in this lesson.  1 Pet 5:1-4 contain some instructions to pastors.  1 Pet 5:5-7 contain an exhortation to Christians to be humble. Instructions to pastors. Elders, in this passage, are pastors – 1 Pet 5:1 – as in Acts 14:23; 20:17; 20:28.  The term,...

This is the combination of a lesson and a sermon on following the Lord.  First, we will study passages from the lives of the disciples to see the requirements, costs and benefits of following the Lord.  Second, we will preach on how we can follow the Lord today, since Jesus...