Teaching Articles (Page 4)
The Proverbs 31 Woman – The Perfect Wife
Have you ever wanted to be so good something that you tried to read everything that was written about it so that you could learn as much as possible? That was me the year that I got married to my husband Joe. I wanted so badly to be a good wife, the best wife I could ever possibly be, that I read every book I could find. I was hoping to find a to do list that said do these…
The Lord’s Day: Biblical, Historical, and Theological Foundations for Sunday Worship by Terry Iles
On September 8th 2019 we are transitioning our Saturday at 5:00pm worship service to Sundays at 9:30am. We are doing this to more fully emphasize discipleship in the life of our church body. As we prayerfully considered making this decision one of our past Elders, Terry Iles, wrote a thoughtful paper on his convictions regarding worshipping on Sundays. We encourage you to read it below and to also check out Saturday Worship Explained, an article we originally published in 2016…
Reconciliation Preparation Worksheet
So you want to be reconciled to that person you’re in conflict with? Great! In preparation for your upcoming reconciliation meeting please think through, pray over, and respond to each of the following questions: Goal – What are my goals for this meeting? What am I trying to achieve by meeting with this person or people? What’s my purpose? What do I hope to walk away with? Are there any Bible passages that are helping you process this in a…
What is a “Parent and Child Dedication” or “Baby Dedication”?
What is a parent and child dedication or baby dedication? The following PDFs include an example of our first baby dedication at Cornerstone, including the slides we used for the presentation. We hope that this material will help you understand what a baby dedication is. Feel free to adapt it to your own church’s needs. God bless.
The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About Antisemitism
Dear Church, with the recent violence committed against the Jewish community we the Elders believe we should all become more informed about antisemitism and how we can both stand against this racism and stand with the people hurt by it. Please read this article by Joe Carter, originally posted at The Gospel Coalition: The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About Antisemitism. – The Cornerstone Board of Elders
10 Reasons We Can Trust the New Testament Canon Today
Michael Kruger, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte NC, and author of Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books, published an article responding to The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, explaining ten reasons we can trust the New Testament Canon we have today. Originally found and adapted via The Gospel Coalition, please review the ten reasons here: “The New Testament Books are the Earliest Christian Writings We Possess” “Apocryphal Writings…
Women Deacons at Cornerstone
Can women serve as Deacons in the church? Although Cornerstone limits the role of Elders to men, we fully support women and men serving as Deacons, as shown in our Philosophy of Ministry. Please read the Cornerstone Board of Elder’s interpretation of 1 Timothy 3:11 to find out why.
Do Old Testament Laws Apply to Christians?
How should Christians read and understand Old Testament laws? Pastor Jonathan preached a sermon on Exodus 21-24 answering this very question, entitled How does the Law apply to us? Please read, listen, or watch his message. For further resources, try the following articles: Christian Responsibility and Mosaic Law by The Village Church How Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians Today? by Stand to Reason Making Sense of Scripture’s ‘Inconsistency’ by Timothy Keller
The Tabernacle and The Lord’s Supper
When Adam and Eve sin against God in the garden of Eden by eating the forbidden fruit, they are driven out of the garden to the East (Gen 3:24, 4:16). In this moment, all of humanity experiences a break in relationship with God and is symbolically banished to the East. But God has a plan to restore the relationship. He chooses a special people, the Israelites, and tells them to build a tabernacle (a tent) so he can live among…
Will God Hold Me Accountable For How I Vote?
Every election well-meaning Christians encourage each other to vote. The encouragement usually sounds a little bit like this, “I believe that one day everyone will have to give an account to God for how we vote.” The implication is that every Christian needs to vote for the right politicians, ballot issues, and values, or one day God will hold them accountable for voting wrong. I confess that I have given this encouragement, and I’m now convinced this view, not necessarily…
The Legacy of a Disciple-Maker
ODE TO A MENTOR My mentor’s name is David. We met at a local pastor’s gathering where he took voluntary interest in me. I needed a mentor and he wanted to make disciples by caring for the next generation of pastors. For the next year and a half, David poured into me. He taught me the importance of sharing life stories, hunting one other’s sin, and giving each other grace. 1. We shared life stories together. One of the first…
Why Traditions, Creeds, and Catechisms Matter for Today’s Church
The church I grew up in raised me to love the Bible and all its stories, but didn’t talk much about tradition, or the historic creeds, confessions, and catechisms. I learned the Bible every week, but I was missing out on what my spiritual grandparents had to offer me. It wasn’t until seminary that the significance of what came before me began to sink in. That’s when I discovered my need for what I like to call extra-biblical humility. This…