Polishing the Pulpit

1,000s of lessons like this can be found at PTP365!

Episode Notes 1,000s of lessons like this can be found at PTP365!Notes go here

Many members of the church of Christ use the terms “sound” and “conservative” interchangeably, but in this lesson with brother Mike Vestal challenges those assumptions. He asks the question - What would “soundness” look like to Jesus? The answer to that question should be what shapes our attitudes. Whenever topics like this arise, I can’t help but remember what the Hebrews writer said when he wrote that the word of God is able to discern or judge between our thoughts and our intentions. We hope this lesson will benefit you and your congregation as you reach out to others. You can find 1,000s of lessons like this can be found at PTP365!

Episode Notes The parable of the Good Samaritan is well known to both Christians and non-Christians, and today, we’ll talk about the question, or more importantly the questioner, that prompted Jesus to teach it. In Luke 10, a lawyer asked Jesus two questions, “What must I do to inherit eternal life,” and, “Who is my neighbor?” While the answers to those two questions are eternally important, this talk deals more with the attitudes that the questioner, and sometimes we, struggle with. Learn more at Polishing the Pulpit!

When we consider just how much Jesus has done for us, all we can say is, "Thank you, Lord!" PTP 2020 will be August 12-20 in Sevierville, TN. Learn more at Polishing the Pulpit!

Episode Notes Learn more at Polishing the Pulpit!

Episode Notes Register today at Polishing the Pulpit!

Episode Notes Register today at Polishing the Pulpit!

Episode Notes Notes go hereAs you may know, the Superbowl is this weekend, the United State’s single-largest sporting event each year. Over 100 million people will tune in to watch the game, about ⅓ of our population. In a society where sports are oftentimes given more attention than religion and players discussed more often than Jesus, it can be easy for people, especially young people, to get our priorities out of balance. In light of this, today’s podcast is going to be a little different from the others. This week’s episode is an interview with brother Norris Cole, a 2-time NBA Champion who played in the NBA for 6 seasons. During this interview, he talks about staying faithful while being a professional athlete. It was one of our highest-rated classes from PTP 2018, and we are excited to share it with you. We especially encourage parents to listen to this with their children, maybe while driving or during family Bible time. Before we get started though, I wanted to share a little news about PTP 2019. The schedule is nearing completion and work on registration has begun. We’ll be sharing some more information in the following few weeks, but wanted to remind you today to pencil us in for August 16-22 for Polishing the Pulpit. Brother Cole (and 100s of other speakers) have already confirmed, and we would love to have you join us.

Episode Notes Notes go hereHey there. This week’s lesson was not presented at Polishing the Pulpit, but at the Great Smoky Mountain Marriage Retreat that we host each year. In addition to the practical teaching, we featured this lesson today to promote this year’s upcoming retreat. It’s in about 4 weeks, and it’s held at the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN. Since it’s 6 months away from PTP, many people see it as a “mid-year mini PTP” with a focus on marriage, family, and parenting issues. We do hope you’ll join us this year. Most couples can attend the retreat for around $500, and it is a great mini-vacation that will enrich your family for years to come. You can learn more about the retreat at [smokymountainmarriage.com] (https://smokymountainmarriage.com) or send an email to [wes@polishingthepulpit.com.] (mailto:wes@polishingthepulpit.com)

Episode Notes One of the highlights of PTP each year is the Sunday morning worship service. Worshiping with over 3,000 Christians is an unique experience, and we hope that you will make plans to join us next year. Remember, PTP is August 16-22, 2019, and even if you can only come for the weekend, you’ll be glad you made the trip. You can learn more at polishingthepulpit.com Today’s lesson is the Sunday morning sermon taught by Dan Winkler in 2017 where he asks the question, “Didn’t Mary have cheaper perfume?” As we are in the middle of the gift-giving season, let’s all take a moment and reflect upon what we give back to God. Not just with our money but with our time. Do we give Him our best, or what’s left?

Episode Notes Part of the holiday season is spending time with family members that we might not see that often. Most families have members that are not Christians, and this might be the only time of year that we have to influence them for Christ. Sometimes, these situations are uncomfortable and we don’t know what to say or do. This week’s podcast features a short, practical lesson from brother Hiram Kemp where he provides 7 suggestions that we should keep in our minds as we try to lead family members to Christ. So often, we act like the older brother in Luke 15 or a modern-day Jonah that doesn’t want to evangelize to our own set of Ninevites. Hiram’s suggestions are full of Biblical teaching that encourage us to do better. Hiram's 7 tips are: Courage Compassion Consistency Avoid compromise Think about the cure Conversion Confidence

Episode Notes Notes go hereEach year, Polishing the Pulpit has 100s of classes across a wide range of subjects such as textual studies, practical lessons related to families, leadership training, and preaching advice. Also, numerous hot-button-issues are covered with topics such as the Christian’s response to politics, difficult Bible passages, racial relations, and more addressed. This week’s episode is from a 2015 keynote titled “Are women respected and treated equal in churches of Christ?” taught by brother David Shannon. This is not the sort of lesson that is taught often in local churches, but the Biblical truths discussed are both important and relevant to today’s world. In order to help you keep your train of thought, we are not going to take a break during the middle of this week’s episode, so we are going to remind you now about Polishing the Pulpit 2019. The dates are August 16-22 and it will be held at the Sevierville Convention Center in Sevierville, TN. You can learn more about tuition prices, speakers, and lodging at polishingthepulpit.com

Episode Notes What makes Polishing the Pulpit unique is the wide range of topics addressed each year. At any given hour, you have multiple class options to choose from with topics varying from health, textual studies, issues that women face, eldership training, and more. One of focuses of PTP each year is family, and in this lesson, brother Eric Owens addresses a temptation that many parents face: letting their children becoming their idols. This study is full of Biblical wisdom and practical measures that will help families avoid this trap.

Episode Notes This week features a lesson by Neal Pollard presented as the Wednesday night keynote in 2017. Neal examines 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to draw out four easy-to-understand principles that we can use to maintain our focus. The Christian life is a long-distance marathon that is filled with distractions, and it is so easy to lose sight of the goal. Neal uses this text to highlight a plan provided by the Apostle Paul to help Christians keep their focus towards heaven. Neal reminds us that: You are in it to win it - 1 Corinthians 9:24 We are not after an ordinary prize - 1 Corinthians 9:25 You can lose focus - 1 Corinthians 9:26 You can be disqualified - 1 Corinthians 9:27 Let's take a moment, and listen.

Episode Notes Too many times we keep our faith locked up inside of the church building instead of letting it shine in our respective spheres of influence. In this lesson, brother Cliff Goodwin reminds us of the five benefits of evangelism. The world will better see who we are (Matthew 5:14) We will be doing what the Lord has told us to do (Luke 6:46) We will find open doors of opportunity. (Acts 16:9) We will be blessed. (James 1:25) We will better minister to one other (Galatians 5:13) Let's take a moment, and listen.