Posts by Billy Arnold (Page 10)
Your Life is a Garden
This Sunday, September 6, we are studying together the powerful and highly realistic parable of the sowing of seeds in a garden. As you prepare for this study: Read the parable: Matthew 13:1-9 & 18-23. The same parable is found in Mark 4:1-9 and Luke 8:4-15. Read these as well. Think through the exaggerated truths that become obvious as you read. Think through spiritual truths and how they apply to your personal life. Then, read these passages that will bring…
Beyond Nice
“Be nice to each other on the playground!” That’s a phrase that comes straight out of our school days. When I would go outside to play with my friends, my mom would frequently voice that comment to me as I headed out the door: “Don’t forget to be nice to each other!” The rules and the boundaries of my behavior were laid out for me at an early age. Why did my mother give me this instruction? Because she knew…
Three Front Doors
It has been 22 weekends now since we have had a “normal” church service inside our facility. Can you believe it? I would have never dreamed that we would be doing things this way. I realize there are many opinions and strong feelings about whether we gather or not, and how we should do this. Politics can easily get involved. Opinions fly in all directions. The madness of school closures is frustrating. These are confusing times, for sure. We have,…
A Fool? Who, Me?
Have you ever been called a fool? These are very strong words and a deeply insulting accusation. But this is the description Jesus used in the parable of the “rich fool.” This Sunday morning we will open our Bibles to Luke 12:13-21 for this parable from Jesus. Read ahead now as you prepare yourself for our time of teaching this weekend. Like every weekend, there are questions that will be available for you to ask each other at the end of our teaching time. Let’s…
Humble Before God
“I am sure glad I am not like that person!” Have you ever had that thought? Have you ever said those words? Maybe you looked at a poverty situation, and even with a heavy and broken heart, you deep down were thinking, “I sure am glad I am not them!” The parable for this coming Sunday is a contrasting view of life between a well-put-together, humanly respected man (the Pharisee) and a person that had a broken life with layers…
What is the Voice You Follow?
John 10:10 is a verse in the Bible that I learned a very long time ago: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” I viewed it for a long time as God’s positive thinking for me…that he wants me to have a great life! I should live it up because he wants it all for me! For me it has always been a high-water-mark…
Are You Exhausted Yet?
Are you exhausted yet? Are you ready to give up? Think about a time when you have been totally exhausted. Maybe you had to drive all night long to make sure you got somewhere on time. Maybe you stayed up and studied for a major exam the next day. Maybe you worked one month straight of very long shifts at work. You walk in the door, collapse on the bed, and you are just drained. Or maybe in your total…
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like…?
Have you ever wondered what it means when people talk about “the Kingdom of Heaven”? This Sunday, in my continued series of messages out of the parables of Jesus, I will walk us through the parable of the Fishing Net, found in Matthew 13:47-52. As you prepare for Sunday’s message, I want you to read not only this parable found here, but all of Matthew 13. This chapter is composed almost entirely of one parable after another that Jesus taught,…
Who is Invited to the Banquet?
Have you ever been invited to a party or asked to show up at a special event, but had to decline at the last minute? Maybe you were too busy. Maybe you got sick. Maybe you had something better to do that came up. Those are the essentials of the parable of Jesus that I will be teaching from this coming Sunday morning. We are in a summer series of messages we are calling Kingdom Surprises. This Sunday, July 19,…
The Unfruitful Fig Tree
The Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree – Luke 13:6-9 Last Sunday morning in my teaching time, I launched us into a summer study of the parables of Jesus with the first parable of the new wine and old wineskins. This Sunday, for our second study, I will be walking us through the very short, but almost harsh, parable of the unfruitful fig tree. Jesus was famous for his use of parables. Most of the time we think of them…
The Kingdom of God is Like…
Beginning this Sunday morning, July 5, at our 10 a.m. streaming service, I have the privilege of opening up a new series of teachings from the parables of Jesus in the gospels. The first parable that I will open is found in Luke 5:33-39, and it is famously called the parable of the wineskins. To prepare your hearts for Sunday morning, I am asking you to read Luke 4 and 5, and get a handle on what was going on…
Read the Book of Joel!
Last week I simply said to take a few days and read the short, but very pointed, Old Testament book of Habakkuk. It reads like a headline out of today’s news. This week I would encourage you to read another Old Testament book that also reads as breaking news in our times. Joel 1:2 says simply, “Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers???” Let the book of Joel be a special…
An Assignment
This week the only thing I ask you to read is not my words, but God’s word. I preached out of this Old Testament minor prophet book about two months ago, when the pandemic first broke out. This word from the Lord is even more relevant right now. Read it several times and take notes. Read the 3 chapters of the book of Habakkuk. Let God speak to you. Billy Arnold
Bringing Justice, Reconciliation and Grace to a World in Chaos
As you wrestle with your own responses to the news of the day and the many messages out there, please remember that when we have found Jesus ourselves, we are appointed by God to be messengers of justice, reconciliation, and grace.
What to Say to a World in Chaos
Honestly, my head is spinning right now. Our lives get completely tossed upside-down during the total shock of the coronavirus lockdown, and then in a split second we are in chaos as a society. What am I supposed to say? Do I, as a pastor in a church family, say anything? Can I really add anything of value to the thousands of church and civic leaders who are speaking out? Can I add anything of value to the millions of…
Learning to Pray in Circles
This Sunday I will finish our series of messages based out of John 17, concentrating on the final verses, 17:20-26. Read this a few times before we study. Read it carefully and slowly, and let it sink in what Jesus is praying about, and who he is praying for. He is praying for you! Almost 2000 years ago, the night that Jesus was arrested, he turned his attention in prayer to the heavenly Father in a final address. He prayed…
Developing your Own Prayer Life
Prayer truly is the privilege of entering into a conversation with the Creator God, our Almighty Father. This is the Holy of Holies that we can now access because of what Christ has done.
An Invitation to the Holy of Holies
What is duty of care? Those in my life that I am responsible for. What is prayer? An invitation into the special place where I communicate with Almighty God regarding those in my life that I am responsible for. Have you ever had an invitation to attend an exclusive grand event? An invitation to the Governor’s mansion? The White House? The home of a powerful person? If I ever received an invitation like this, I would frame it and hang…
Billy’s Update — May 7, 2020
Welcome to May and Mother’s Day weekend! At LifeWay Church this coming Mother’s Day Sunday, our service will feature some ways for us to recognize this wonderful day, and to enjoy the blooming of spring as well. The flowers are definitely coming out; the weather is certainly cooperating. The only drawback is the “social distancing” that we are still having to live under. So we are online again. On Sunday, I am beginning a short series of sermons out of…
Billy’s Update — April 30, 2020
Church in the Lobby Do you know how, at the end of a Sunday morning when you’d leave the church service (can you remember those days?), you’d stop for a while to hang out and visit with people you know, meet some new faces, and just be social? Those were the good ol’ days, weren’t they? In the current world of having everything streamed into our living rooms, we wonder when we’re ever going to get to do that again!…
When Will We Get Back to Normal?
We have now been in this new COVID reality world for more than a month now, and all of us are asking the same thing about our family, our business, our shopping, our school, our stock market, sports, social interaction, and church life: When will we get back to normal? The way I see it from here is that the question really should be, What will a new normal look like? There is no way that any of us can…
When Are We Coming Back?
When do we come back to the church building? Are you asking that question yet? Well, if you are asking, here’s the answer: We just don’t know! But there are some things that we do know for sure, no matter what. We are learning a great deal about ministry with COVID-19. The following is a short list of some things we are continuing in these shut-down days, some of which we will continue after life opens up. NOW: We…
A Study of Romans 8
On Easter Sunday we launched a series of messages that we are calling Epic. I used the illustration of an epic journey, such as David Livingstone’s exploration of the middle of Africa, or Lewis and Clark’s trek across western North America. These epic journeys reshaped the future for millions to follow. To call the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus an epic event is an understatement. Everything has now changed because of what Christ has done. Romans 8 spells this…
Sunday’s Coming!
It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming! This is a line from a famous sermon that has been passed around for years. But it’s not only a famous sermon—it’s a forever truth. This is Easter week; today is Good Friday, and Easter is this Sunday. I have been carefully reading the story and contemplating Jesus’ last few days of earthly life. This year we’ve been doing nightly Passion Week devotions that have helped us walk through the story. (You can watch them…
Passion Week: Preparing for Easter
We are now in the middle of a week that reflects the last week of Jesus’ life before his crucifixion and ultimate resurrection on Easter Sunday. I hope you have been able to join in the 7 p.m. devotional readings and reflections on the significance of each particular day. I have celebrated Easter Sunday all my life, but I have never taken the time to contemplate and remember the significance of each day that led up to the cross, the…