Sean Cavender – Page 2 – GROW magazine

06 Apr

From Defeat to Victory : Psalm 22

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

A Cry of Defeat

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1)

These words are a cry of despair, disappointment, and defeat. There appears to be no end in sight. “Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning” is how the first verse concludes. Psalm 22 is considered a psalm of David. He portrays the faithful servant of God enduring pain and humiliation because of his enemies. It is no wonder Jesus quoted the opening words while He was on the cross (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). Read More →

29 Oct

Walk According To Love

APPLICATION ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

Introduction
The Lord’s church is a tremendous blessing to Christians. Having a sense of community, family, and connectedness encourages people in times of difficulty. However, even in our Lord and Savior’s church, disruptions, disagreements, and arguments can (and will) occur. It would be nice to think the only times Christians engage in a conflict would be over matters of doctrine in defense of the truth. The reality is Christians will succumb to arguing over issues that seem petty. We might rather avoid all kinds of conflict, especially with our brothers and sisters in Christ, but avoidance is usually the worst thing we could do.

Dangers in Worship : Self-Made Religion

WORSHIP/DEVOTIONAL ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

One of the greatest privileges given to the children of God is the opportunity to draw near the LORD to worship Him. God is the object Whom we center everything around, most notably our worship (Psalm 150). We should always be eager to worship God and should do so with enthusiasm and zeal! We should invite others to worship the God of heaven. Our worship of God appears as a sacrifice before the throne of heaven (Hebrews 13:15). Worship will involve our emotions, but it must also engage our minds! Our prayers and singing should be the result of careful meditation of the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 14:15). We must worship God by following the truth revealed in the word of God. Read More →

07 Apr

God’s Mercy To The Unrighteous : “Therefore, repent and live”

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

Introduction
The prophecies of Ezekiel are some of the most fascinating in the Old Testament. He wrote during the exile of Judah to Babylon. He was a contemporary of Daniel, yet Ezekiel’s primary message was to Judah themselves, explaining why God was punishing them.

One of the most discouraging, yet vivid scenes, in the book of Ezekiel, is found in chapter 10. Ezekiel describes God’s glory as leaving the temple. The temple had served as a sign to Israel that God was with them. The temple was where sacrifices were made, and the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement were held. The Most Holy Place was in the midst of the temple. God could not literally be held within the temple, He was far too great to be confined to one location like that, but the temple was a symbol of God’s care, grace, and covenant with Israel. Read More →

07 Jan

Seeing Exodus In Revelation

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

Interest in the book of Revelation has heightened over the past several decades, perhaps popularized by the authors of the Left Behind series. They and many other writers present the symbols in Revelation as literal, futuristic, cataclysmic events, leading up to the second coming of Christ. There are a lot of conspiracy-type theories and approaches to the book of Revelation. Many people think they have unearthed “the” single key to help unlock all of the book’s hidden and secret meanings. Media (TV, movies, news) sensationalize the book of Revelation. It is beyond the scope of this article to deal with all the erroneous approaches to the book – suffice it to say we need to teach the book of Revelation. Read More →

02 Jul

The Kingdom and Its King

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

Isaiah prophesied about 700 years before the time of Christ and is one of the most influential prophets of the Old Testament. Many of his prophecies warn rebellious Israel of impending judgment, admonish them to repent of iniquity, and point to the hope of the restoration of the kingdom of God. Some of the more memorable prophecies of the Messiah are found in the book of Isaiah. For example, the prediction that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a Son is found in Isaiah 7:14. Another prominent prophecy is found in Isaiah 9:6-7:

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this,” (New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update) Read More →

02 Apr

Unlocking The Meaning Of The Lord’s Supper

WORSHIP ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

The Lord’s Supper is an esteemed part of our worship on the first day of the week. It is communion with the body of Christ and time we use for solemn reflection on the importance of the Messiah and His death. The Lord’s Supper is something that should be observed each and every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). However, there is a danger in routine, that we could turn our minds off and be aimless in our observation. Perhaps the Lord’s Supper is especially challenging in this respect since the time is quiet and solemn, which seems to invite our minds to wander. We need to combat this and train our minds for proper observance of the Lord’s Supper. In this article, we want to delve into a study of the Lord’s Supper so we are better equipped to offer worship to God as we partake of this weekly memorial meal. Read More →

01 Jan

Preaching That Converts

EVANGELISM ARTICLE | Sean P. Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

The work of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest and most important things someone could ever be involved in. Preaching is simply announcing and proclaiming the words for salvation (Acts 11:14). Preaching is something that is desperately needed if souls are to be saved. There is a time and a place to talk and chat about the Bible, but there is also the ever-present need to announce the gospel. Read More →

02 Oct

Equipping The Saints

CHURCH ARTICLE | Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life to purchase the church with His blood (Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28). Those who are saved by His blood are added to His church, becoming His people and part of the spiritual family of God (Acts 2:41-47; 1 Timothy 3:15). These saints assemble regularly on the first day of the week (and at other times) to worship and spend time together studying God’s word (Acts 20:7; Hebrews 10:25). At the first, the apostles took on a special role in the church at Jerusalem, preaching the word. When a complaint arose among the Jerusalem saints, the apostles called on the church to appoint seven men who would be capable of taking care of the physical needs of widows. Later, as Paul began his missionary journeys, he established local congregations, eventually organizing them with elders (Acts 14:23). Paul also addressed deacons in the church as the ones who had the responsibility to minister and serve the congregations where they were members (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:8-13). Read More →

03 Jul

Faith and Works

EXPOSITORY ARTICLE – JAMES 2
Sean Cavender | Bald Knob, Arkansas

After writing an article for GROW magazine last year on the text in Romans 4 and Paul’s argument of justification by grace through faith, it seemed appropriate to address the nature of biblical faith from another important text in the New Testament—James 2. Romans 4 defends salvation by faith, not by works of the Law of Moses, and appeals to Abraham’s faith as our example. James is concerned with the general nature of faith. Read More →