Bible Classes, 4th Quarter of 2024

We continue our studies through the Bible. This cycle we are studying the Old Testament on Sunday mornings and the New Testament on Wednesday nights. For the fourth quarter of 2024 we are studying The United Kingdom on Sunday, and 1 Corinthians on Wednesday evening. We hope you can join us at our building. If you would like to participate virtually, you can find our studies via YouTube live streaming. 

Theme for 2024

Our theme for 2024 comes from Philippians 4:13. Translations vary slightly, but the New King James says: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We will explore this theme in the sermon on the first Sunday of each month and in the third quarter adult Bible Class. We invite you to join us for this series of lessons.

Recent Sermons

If you are looking for recent sermons, you can find them on our YouTube Live Page. We plan to organize and index them better, but you can look through them there until we do. You can stream our Bible Studies and services there, also. May God bless and keep you. 

2023 Theme

By vote of the congregation we have chosen The Sermon on the Mount as our theme for 2023. This is the longest discourse of our Lord's that we have preserved. Some have said is the is the best-known, least understood, and least practiced teaching of Jesus. We hope to understand it and apply it in 2023. Won't you join us? 

Recent Sermons

Recent sermons are now available on a different site. Here is a link to that site. 

https://sermons.faithlife.com/profile/hcoc-7

Feel free to save this link and visit it weekly to find new sermon recordings.

Galatians Class

OUr Sunday morning Bible Class for the first quarter of 2022 will study Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. We will use a workbook by David Padfield to direct our study.  Please click here to find the class material. You can join the study on-line via YouTube. Choose "Live" and search for Haymarket Church of Christ.

Thursday Study on the Psalms

We resumed our Thursday morning study on June 3. Our topic is a survey of the Psalms. This hour-long study is geared toward a general audience. All are welcome. Please join us at 11 am any Thursday at the Haymarket Church Building.

Quarter 2 Bible Classes

We invite you to join us for Bible Study in our second quarter, April through June, 2021. 

   Wednesday - Joshua, Judges, and Ruth

   Sunday - 1 & 2 Thessalonians

Clicking the links above takes you to the workbook for that class. 

Won't you join us for thorough and thoughtful investigation of these Bible Books? 

Peace of God, Theme for 2021

Our theme for 2021 comes from 

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7, ESV)

We will explore this theme in sermons on the first Sunday of each month, and in a Sunday morning Bible class during one quarter of the year. Please join us to appreciate and appropriate the peace of God in your life, with an eye toward enjoying it throughout eternity. 

Fishers of Men (FOM)

Our theme for 2020 comes from Matthew 4:19. When Jesus called Andrew and Peter to follow Him, He told them He would make them fishers of men. The idea is that it is the responsibility, privilege, and joy of the saved to seek the lost (2 Timothy 2:2). The sermon on each first Sunday of each month is devoted to this theme. You can find audio recordings of these lessons here. 

Buy the Truth

Proverbs 23:23 exhorts us to buy the truth then not sell it. Why do we need this admonition? Because lies abound. They are everywhere. Whether little white ones or big whoppers, whether blatant or subtile, lies are proffered everywhere. Each of us has a daily duty to sift through untruths to find the facts. Once found, we embrace them. The verse goes on to encourage all to also buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding. There are different varieties of each, but the greatest of each are the spiritual types. The goal of our Bible study classes is to understand Biblical truth or instruction, which leads to spiritual wisdom and understanding. We invite you to join us if you are in the Haymarket, VA, area on a Wednesday night or Sunday morning. We also provide Bible study resources for home study. Reject all lies. Buy the truth, and do not sell it. 

The Bible in Three Minutes

Do you have three minutes to invest in eternity?  A video entitled The Bible in Three Minutes is better than most at making a complicated topic simple and straight forward. I recommend it to you highly.

Many thanks to our friends of the Church of Christ Hughes Road at Gooch Lane in Huntsville, Alabama, for their labor, talent, and vision in producing this and for their generosity to share it. At the end of the video you're invited to follow through at their web site for more information. Please feel welcome to ask us, too. 

Thursday Morning Bible Study

Each Thursday morning we gather at 11 to study the scriptures. We meet in the largest classroom on our ground floor of our building at 6945 Gillis Way, Gainesville, VA, 20155. We are concluding our study of the Book of Proverbs. We advertize this study on Meet-Up.com. It is open to the public, as are all our studies and services. 

2019 Theme

Our theme for 2019 comes from Luke 1:1, and is "Things Most Surely Believed." The beloved physician (Colossians 4:14) and most capable historian wrote his gospel to present an orderly account of things that were accomplished among them. Luke was not an eye-witness, but interviewed many eye-witnesses to assemble this longest (by word count) of the gospels. 

In our post-modern age, facts are readily dismissed as opinions, as though we individually have the right to pick and choose what facts we accept. The gospels of our Lord and Savior are presented as facts; things most surely believed. 

We will explore this theme in the sermon on the first Sunday of each month this year. Audio recordings of these sermons will be available. 

Workbook: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth

Also available for download is our workbook for 2018 quarter four Sunday mornings: Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. We consider these three books in 13 weeks. Historically, the period is the bridge from the pentateuch to the kings. Joshua leads the conquest of Canaan and the subsequent period of the judges shows how bad things can get when men do what seems right to them (Judges 21:25). The Book of Ruth reveals a beautiful example of selfless devotion which took place during the period of the judges. The lessons stay very close to the Biblical text and should be easy to follow. Please contact us with any questions or comments. 

Workbook: Paul's Epistle to the Romans

Now available for download is our workbook for 2018 quarter four, Wednesday nights, on Paul's Epistle to the Romans. The epistle has 16 chapters which we cover in 11 lessons. The questions stay close to the text and should be easy to answer. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to ask. You can email us at haymarketcofc@live.com

Diotrephes and Demetrius

In the apostle John’s letter to Gaius he specifically names two members of the church. Each name is fairly long and begins with “D”, but similarities end there. The two saints were very different in the eyes of the congregation and the Lord.

Diotrephes did the church much harm. He sins were both of commission and omission. That is, he did things he should have left undone and he did not do things he should have done. Diotrephes should have accepted what John had said, but he rejected it (3 John 9). Diotrephes should have been a humble servant, but he loved the preeminence. He should have valued the truth and hated falsehood, but he falsely accused the apostle and others. Diotrephes should have received brethren, but he did not (vs. 10). And when others were willing to receive brethren, Diotrephes forbade it. If others received brethren after Diotrephes refused, he put them out of the church (3 John 10).

Diotrephes was petty, paranoid, power-hungry, and domineering. John summarized Diotrephes’ actions as evil and urged the brethren not to imitate him (3 John 11). 

In contrast, John used Demetrius as an example of good behavior. Members agreed that Demetrius was a good man. The truth itself testified that he was good. And John added his approbation to the others’.

Similar in name; polar opposites in their relationship with and effect on the church to which Gaius belonged. Each man endures as an example for us. Imitate Demetrius not Diotrephes.

Always a Glimmer of Hope

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

God’s prophetic word to His disobedient children was often severe. Perhaps nowhere more so than in the Book of Jeremiah. By Jeremiah’s time Judah was so far gone, so deserving of punishment, that Jehovah adjured Jeremiah not to pray for Judah any more (Jeremiah 7:16). Yet, at each turn, after each pronouncement of impending punishment for grievous sins, God offered a glimmer of hope.

The passage above, Jeremiah 29:11, is one of the most encouraging and hopeful passages of the Old Covenant. You might recognize it from graduation cards or the poster in the main stairwell.

In its context, it’s even more encouraging. Yes, Judah had sinned. Yes, they would be punished severely, being taken into captivity for seventy years after which only a remnant would return (Jeremiah 29:4,10). But that remnant would return and God already had plans in place for their welfare. They would have a future, and should have hope.

So it is today. When we have sinned and fallen far short of God’s glory, having brought pain and guilt upon ourselves, there remains a glimmer of hope as long as we have life and our faculties. God wants all to come to repentance, and through His grace and Jesus’ sacrifice we have hope. There is always a glimmer of hope.

Peace, Peace, When There Is No Peace

They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying,

'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace.— Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11

Twice in the first few chapters of the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah the above verse is presented. In each passage, the object of the Lord’s anger is Priest, and Prophet, and every one in between. Every leader was dealing falsely (6:13). The national problem was idolatry and forsaking God (1:16). Priests and prophets were the agents who should have objected to ungodliness and tried to bring Israel back into a right relationship with their Lord. But they healed the wound lightly.

A parallel would be me going to a physician, with an advanced case of cancer, and the doctor telling me, “No worries. You’ll be fine. It will pass in a day or two.” By claiming my problem was much less serious than it really was, and not prescribing aggressive, effective treatment, the doctor would have been “healing too lightly.”

In the last days of Judah, they needed a stern talking-to to bring about a complete change of direction. Their leadership failed to provide it, so the Lord enlisted Jeremiah to do what the stale leadership either could not or would not.

No one is served by our ignoring sins that separate us from our Lord. People need the truth, not false prophets who make light of real problems. Never say, “peace, peace”, when there is no peace.

Why Study the Book of Job?

Many times, with brethren who were in the midst of heart-wrenching, faith-challenging trials, I’ve been asked to give a godly perspective to encourage a soul in anguish. The absolute best answer for why bad things happen to good people is found in the Book of Job. Its lessons are both practical and profound. I recommend it highly and often.

But, the book is 42 chapters long and written in a challenging style. The average saint has neither the focus nor the tools to unpack and access the encouragement Job can provide while in trenches of despair. Sometimes I distill a few drops of encouragement from this great work, but those few drops seldom provide the comfort that would come from understanding the entire book.

The best way for saints to profit from Job’s lessons is to have studied and assimilated them before trouble comes. With that great goal in mind we will devote each Sunday adult Bible study class in our fourth quarter of 2017 to understanding this first book in Hebrew wisdom literature. I hope you will be spared from heart-wrenching, faith-challenging trials. But if they come, I hope you will have prepared by understanding the Book of Job and that you may overcome, as he did.

A Pardon Rejected

During the presidency of Andrew Jackson, George Wilson robbed the U.S. mail and endangered the life of the carrier, and, in fact, committed the same crime several times (for details see United States v. Wilson, 32 U.S. 150 (1833) ). The court convicted him and sentenced him to hang. Because of public sentiment against capital punishment, however, a movement began to secure a presidential pardon for Wilson, and eventually Jackson intervened with a pardon. Amazingly, Wilson refused it.

Since this had never happened before, the Supreme Court was asked to rule on whether someone could indeed refuse a presidential pardon. Chief Justice John Marshall handed down the court's decision: "A pardon is a parchment whose only value must be determined by the receiver of the pardon. It has no value apart from that which the receiver gives to it. George Wilson has refused to accept the pardon. We cannot conceive why he would do so, but he has. Therefore, George Wilson must die." "Pardon," declared the Supreme Court, "must not only be granted, it must be accepted." George Wilson, as punishment for his crime, was hanged.

Likewise, God, through His mercy, has provided every human being pardon from their sins. However, that pardon must be accepted in the way God has specified. Those who do not accept the pardon will perish. What has God specified that we be pardoned? Well, it wasn't to merely believe for the "devils believe and tremble" (James 2:19). James goes on to explain that works is involved in salvation and specifically noted that salvation is "not by faith alone."

Jews at Jerusalem on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ heard the gospel, were pricked in their heart and asked men inspired of God what they must do (Acts2:47). The answer: "Repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins...."  How does this harmonize with what you preach or what your preacher teaches? Failure to understand the terms of the pardon God offers will result in failure to comply with the terms, which is a rejection of the pardon.

Jesus warned that many would teach error. "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" (Matthew 24:11). John said, " My loved ones, do not put your faith in every spirit, but put them to the test, to see if they are from God: because a great number of false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). What a mistake to misunderstand God's terms of pardon and miss out!

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7).

-Author Unknown

Bible Classes Reset

We adjust our Bible study curriculum so that those who attend both Sunday and Wednesday studies cover the entire Bible in just under three years. Those who attend Sunday only cover it in just under six years. Beginning July 2 we reset our Bible study topics to pass through the Bible for the third time since we began meeting in July of 2012. We will be studying the Old Testament on Sundays and the New Testament on Wednesday evenings. Our Sunday class will cover the Book of Genesis in 13 weeks. Our Wednesday night study will consider the Gospel according to Luke over the next six months. Consider this your cordial invitation to join us for these edifying studies. 

The Big Picture of the Bible

Come join us on Friday, June 9, at 7:30 pm, and  Saturday, June 10, from 9 am to noon, as Ken Craig presents lessons on the Big Picture of the Bible. Please click here to download a flier to share. 

Oracles of God

Episode nine of our television show, The Oracles of God, is now available on YouTube. In this episode we answer the question, "What Is the Plan of Salvation?" Click here to view this show. And please share this link with whomever you think might be interested. 

Our Mission and Worship

Who we are.

Our mission here is to acquaint our community with the New Testament church as described in the Bible. We want to lead others to become Christians and only Christians. The Bible reveals that YOU can belong to Christ without belonging to a human institution.

Looking for something real?

We are a non-denominational, New Testament church that is dedicated in preserving pure Christianity as the Bible authorizes. Our worship is Simple, Educational, Spiritual, and Biblical. Please feel free to come and worship with us.

We are not a recreation center.

We are not a political action committee.

We are not a country club.

We are a church. And that's all we want to be.