Mike Riley Sermon Outlines, Articles, Lessons, etc.

Are We Giving Our Children The Leftovers?

There’s a definite connection between the epidemic of violence we’ve seen among children in recent years and the lack of conscientious parents. Many children are left home alone with unsupervised television after school, on holidays, and during summer months. From this

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Don't Be A Dropout!

There are few things which contribute more to the growth and strength of the Lord’s church than qualified and dedicated Bible class teachers. Parents want the very best Bible-based instruction available for their children, and they deserve it!  Yet, at a time in which mature and competent

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Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?

Since the advent of social networks such as Twitter, Google+ and Facebook, and being able to access these networks 24/7 either via computer or Smartphone, this writer is convinced that as a society, we are definitely promoting an artificial and temporary long distance social environment in interacting with our fellow man, over a long term […]

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Naaman – A “Legend In His Own Mind”

In the character of Naaman, we see a man who was truly a “legend in his own mind.” Many are misunderstanding and rejecting God’s Word today because they desire to please self instead of pleasing God (2 Kings 5:11-12). The Attitude Of Naaman Let’s note some other possible reasons why Naaman was a “legend in […]

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If Tomorrow Never Comes!

Using the Phillips Translation, James 4:14 reads: “How do you know what will happen tomorrow? What, after all, is your life? It is like a puff of smoke, visible for a little while

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The Teacup Story

The story is told of a couple who took a trip to England to shop in a beautiful antique store to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups.

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One Minute Bible Study?

America has become a land of “instant” everything. One can purchase instant soup, instant coffee, instant iced tea, instant mashed potatoes, and countless other instant items. The advent of the microwave oven also has increased this demand for instantaneous fulfillment. No longer must hungry consumers wait thirty minutes for a meal to be prepared; now […]

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The Obstacle On Our Path

The story is told that in ancient times, a King had a large boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not […]

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Jonah Was “Swallowed Up”

As Christians, we’ve all heard and studied the story of Jonah and the great fish. But do we know that the disobedient prophet was “swallowed up” — not once, but three times? 

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Jesus Never Fails

Our son Brian is an avid football fan, his favorite team being the Dallas Cowboys. The interesting thing about being a Cowboy fan is that the team has a way of letting folks down. While marching down to the goal line, they’ve been known to fumble the football at the one-foot line, missing an opportunity […]

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When Mankind Gets Right — Our World Will Be Right

There’s no question that we are concerned about the condition of the world in which we live, and rightly so. The question is: “What can we do to make things better?”

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If Tomorrow Starts Without Me

If tomorrow starts without me, And I’m not there to see, If the sun should rise and find your eyes All filled with tears for me;

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The Handle Of Anxiety Or The Handle Of Faith?

From the Montana Street bulletin, comes today’s article. The top portion of the article includes a quote by Henry Ward Beecher, while the rest of the article is a quote from Matthew 6:25-34, illustrating the

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Some Thoughts About Character

The following are some thoughts about character that will hopefully cause us to think  about our own character:

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“Why The Need For A Body?”

In Hebrews 10:5 NKJV, the Hebrew writer points out the fact that “…. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.”The Hebrew writer is arguing that animal sacrifices can never

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Christians Are Just Simple Scribes

There seems to be consensus in the religious world that our Lord’s “Sermon on the Mount” is one of the hallmarks of Christianity. As part of His plain teaching regarding the

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Theology Question Relating To God, Christ and Holy Spirit

A querist asks, “What theology does the Church of Christ consider to be correct when considering God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Oneness, Trinitarian, Catholic, Arian, or

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The “Fruit Of The Spirit” Demands Good Fruit

Since farming was a common employment in the first century, it became the background for a very common figure used in Scripture. For example, Jesus identified false prophets by their behavior and He used vegetation and its produce as an appropriate figure, (Matthew 7:15-20). Jesus also used fruit to describe the

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Biblical Principles Learned From A Dog!

What kind of biblical principles can we learn from the common dog you ask? Those of us who are dog “lovers” (my wife and I have a miniature dachshund) will tell you that there are several Bible principles we can learn from our canine companions by the characteristics they display toward us humans. In this […]

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Rules Of Interpretation (1)

The following rules of interpretation are not some “special rules” belonging only to Bible study. They are identical to the rules that we ordinarily employ in our daily interchange of thoughts between any two rational persons. Applied to Bible study, rules are nothing more than a means of disciplining the mind by which we allow […]

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