Theology

Settling for K-Mart

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At the end of last year, Amanda and I planned a surprise trip for the family.  We were able to pack up during the week without them ever knowing we were doing it. When we had breakfast that morning, I said, “Kids, I really love my job, but I hate that I miss you when I go to work.  How …

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Managing Ministry Interruptions

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A few days ago, I posted an article entitled “Death to the Green Room” which somehow got traction in certain circles.  It caused a surprisingly large amount of people to read the post and prompted some discussion.  What was intended to be an article teaching our church about what we value as a worship team, it caused some to evaluate their own …

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A Prayer for America

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The National Day of Prayer was on May 7th.  Among other leaders of the event, Alex Kendrick was asked to pray.  I had respected Alex from afar, but getting the opportunity to get to know him over the last few years has taught me a few things about him: He is passionate about Jesus He is a very-talented and dedicated …

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On Earth As It Is in Heaven

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In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus makes many petitions to his father.  Two of the petitions focus upon God’s kingdom and the desire to see his kingdom advance throughout the earth. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  -Matt. 6:10 Always remember that prayer is not about my name but about God’s name. Prayer is not …

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When to Pray

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In order to be committed to prayer, we must have scheduled times and spontaneous times. Throughout Scripture, we see men and women calling upon God throughout all watches of the day and night.  Prayer should be something that carries us throughout the entire day.   O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. –Psalm …

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How Should I Pray for My Family?

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Oftentimes, we pray that all the family is safe, that God bless all the missionaries, and that there be peace on earth.  Those are wonderful prayers, but we need to get more specific. Regardless of your current family situation, each of us have people we consider family.  It is easy to resort to worrying for our family or attempting to …

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Faithless Requests

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One reason God does not answer our prayers is because we offer faithless requests.  Sure we might pray to him but our faith in his ability to answer those prayers is tragically minimal.

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If Jesus Thought It Was Important to Pray This Much…

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I prayed that God would grow me in my prayer life this year.  I had no clue how he was going to answer it, but I have sat in amazement at what he has done.  Through emphases at the church, the opportunity to help develop a Bible study curriculum on prayer, and my time in Scripture, Jesus has been teaching me …

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I Wish I Could Take It For You

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So, it’s been an exciting week in the Agnew household.  After an incredible Easter weekend, we got to celebrate Gloria’s birthday on Monday. After about a week of wrestling with the effects of pollen, I decided to go to the doctor to discover that I have an upper respiratory infection.  Don’t worry – I’ve been told I am only contagious if …

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“That’s Just the Way I Am” Is Not An Acceptable Excuse

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In the day and time in which we live, we often feel the need to defend ourselves.  When someone accuses us of acting a certain way, we are prone to go on the defensive. One excuse I hear a lot is, “that’s just the way I am.”  When handling a situation in a particular fashion, someone will defend themselves in …

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You Really Do Have Enough Time to Read the Bible

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As believers, we need to dedicate ourselves to the study of the Bible. When I actually started studying and memorizing Scripture in college, everything changed.  One of the most foundational verses of Scripture for me was Joshua 1:8: This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you …

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Understanding Youth Culture Today

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We had a great time this weekend at the Parenting Teenagers Workshop.  In our area, many churches come together during Disciple Now weekend for the times of worship and fellowship.  As I talked with Ben Hjalmer, I asked how we could make this a more family-equipping weekend.  What normally happens in Disciple Now is some great discipleship moments for teenagers but …

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Honor Your Father and Mother Is Not Just a Commandment for Children

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There are 613 commandments contained within the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  Out of those 613, the 10 Commandments have served Jews and Christians for the ultimate standard of right and wrong.  Within those 10, we view 1 of those commands as the commandment for children: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in …

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Living Faith in Elizabethtown, KY

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It was a great weekend to spend in the Bluegrass State. My good buddy, Tree Akers, invited me to preach at a DNOW where 13 (or so) churches in the Elizabethtown area united together for the entire Disciple Now weekend. I was reminded of something: Kentucky is cold. But it was a fantastic time ministering to these students. We gathered …

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The Strategy of Satan

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I often get frustrated with obstacles throughout my day.  Lately, I’ve questioned my interpretation concerning difficult circumstances that I face.  It is easy to interpret them and filter them through my physical eyes without ever considering the spiritual side of things. The Bible often causes me to look at things from a different perspective.  Check out these verses: Be serious!  Be …

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Bible Memory Starter Set

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I get asked often: “What are some good Bible verses to memorize?” If you are just starting to memorize Scripture or trying to go even further with this wonderful spiritual discipline, I would love to help. Here is advice I regularly give: Establish Fighter Verses – Acknowledge the weak areas in your life right now.  Establish how the Devil is attacking …

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Why Your Prayers Hit the Ceiling

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We can study the pages of Scripture and believe that prayer works.  Many of us can look back over our lives and testify to the power of prayer.  But have you ever wondered what causes prayer not to work?  What is so powerful to render our prayers ineffective? Our prayers cannot be thwarted due to the degree of difficulty concerning …

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Heavenly Daddy

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Out of all the things the disciples saw Jesus do, they asked him to instruct them concerning how to do one thing: “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1). The next words he spoke were recorded and are often recited as the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4).  Out of all the language Jesus could have used and all the …

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David, Goliath, and the Gospel

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If you’ve been around North Side lately, you know that we are switching curriculum to The Gospel Project. I am really excited about this for 3 primary reasons: Unites Families – This curriculum will position our church to have every age, every group going through the same discipleship curriculum together.  That means you don’t have to dig to find out what your …

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The Story of Job

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A few years ago, I preached a sermon through the Book of Job. As if I was Job. Job was a righteous man who went through a terrible storm in his life.  In this monologue, I shared the message of the entire Book of Job and showed how he stayed faithful through the storms.  Pray this message can be a source …

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The Greatest Prayer Partner You Could Ever Have

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I am excited to report that I have already made some great progress in the writing of the prayer Bible study curriculum with the Kendrick Brothers.  After a few weeks of study, writing, and working with some test groups, I have been amazed at what God is already doing through his Word to increase people’s prayer lives. I spent Monday and Tuesday in Albany working …

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What to Do About Personality-Driven Churches

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Fact: personality-driven churches exist. Whether you like it or not, we cannot escape it.  While I have tried to deny its reality, it is inescapable.  With every passing tweet, book, podcast, and social share, each of us can become more and more known by the personality of our leader or the DNA of our specific church rather than the person of …

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Prayerlessness = Sin

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Samuel the priest played a pivotal role in the nation of Israel.  He had a miraculous birth (1 Sam. 1:20), a praying mother who dedicated him to priestly service (1 Sam. 1:27-28), a divine calling into ministry (1 Sam. 3:10), and a special role in the history of the nation to guide the people’s hearts back to the LORD (1 …

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Money Matters

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Spending temptations are everywhere.  With the click of a “Buy” button, you can easily get all your favorite music on iTunes and simultaneously run up a bill of a hundred dollars.  Ultimately we spend and borrow, and we begin to develop a method of spending that is self-destructive.   Unwise financial decisions will cost you more than what you ever …

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Mormonism – NSU Course Video

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Mormonism Travis Agnew taught a NSU course on Mormonism on Jan. 11, 2015.  You can watch the video above or read the notes below. History Mormonism’s founder is Joseph Smith, Jr. born in Vermont 1805. His father was known for hunting buried treasure and his mother was highly superstitious. He was disturbed by the numerous denominations of Christianity and wanted …

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Understanding the Faith of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

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Have you ever wondered about the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses?  Here is a summary of their history and beliefs. History Begun by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) in 1872. His family was a part of a Presbyterian church in Pittsburgh. Russell had difficulty accepting the doctrine of an eternal hell. This prompted him to deny eternal punishment, the Trinity, the deity …

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Drive-Thru Sermons

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Confession: I check bags in certain drive-thrus and trust other ones. And I listen to preaching the same way.

The Word [100 Day Chronological Bible Reading Plan]

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I searched for a chronological plan that would highlight key passages, and while there are many good ones out there, I chose to develop our own at North Side.  While I think it is best to read the entirety of God’s Word, this plan is a good introductory plan for some of you or a good reminder of what you …

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NSU January 2015

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Join me in January for a 2-week course focusing on Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormonism.

Pastors’ Conference 2014 Message

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I was honored to have been asked to preach at the 2014 Pastors’ Conference for the South Carolina Baptist Convention last week.  The circumstances were a God-thing, and I was humbled to be a part. Speakers at the 2014 Pastors’ Conference, which met under the banner of “This Hope” and featured sessions on “Hope for His Servant,” “Hope for His Church,” …

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Don’t Go to Church

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When it comes to church involvement, you and I have a few options: Neglect.  Statistically, this option is the preferred choice of the majority of college students.  Only 20% of your college peers that were active in church during high school remain active in church during college.  The rest of your classmates are sleeping in indicating either church has nothing …

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Why I Don’t Drink Alcohol (Even Though I Probably Could)

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One of the most debated issues in Christianity concerning freedom is that of social drinking.  Denominations differ.  Backgrounds divide.  Experiences direct.  When most pastors communicate to students concerning the sins to abstain from in America, the list normally starts with premarital sex, drinking, and smoking. These are areas which the Bible actually does address, but few ministers ever mention the …

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Did Jesus Really Say That?

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I have this desire to help educate people concerning what Jesus actually said while he was on earth. That brings us to the following quiz. Read the following statements without the help of a Bible and decide whether or not Jesus actually said them.  The answers will be below. Let the dead bury their own dead. Anyone who says, “You fool!” …

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Stop Saying “Judge Not”

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I have a pet peeve. It bothers me when people use Scripture out of context to advance their agenda. Satan was the originator of that method (Luke 4:9-11) and people still do it today.  Some people do it out of ignorance, and some do it in order to deceive. I have actually always wanted to do an entire sermon series on …

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If You Love Me, You Will…

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In the area of purity, I have often hear of a couple who say that they messed up physically.  Things got out of hand and they went further sexually than they say they intended. Their standard was not holiness, and they went too far, and a lot of those encounters are based upon a boyfriend or girlfriend saying, “If you …

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Forgive Us Our Debts

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Thanks for joining us for today’s Bible study gathering. Notes will be posted below in real time as we go through this study as a group.

Thy Will Be Done

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Thanks for joining us for today’s Bible study gathering. Notes will be posted below in real time as we go through this study as a group.

Alphabet Praise

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The Gathering has been great so far.  So rich of a time.  It has been great equipping our church to pray. In this morning’s Prayer Gathering, I mentioned how I can often get stuck in a rut in my prayer life.  Addressing the same list, with the same format, in the same manner day in and day out can produce …

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