Clarksville Church of Christ

06/11/2026

Listen to Episode 2 here of our weekly podcast!

In this episode, we are answering the question, "Why Aggressive Bible Reading?" by examining the greatest commandment. How is love for God directly tied to love for His Word?

Aggressive Bible Reading is a podcast dedicated to helping Christia...

06/09/2026

"Practice what you preach!" That's usually the phrase. But what if you were forced to give a sermon on how you lived this past week? [Lesson @ 21:46]

Speaker: Luke Capps

06/08/2026

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𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐌 𝟏𝟏𝟗 𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒...by Luke Capps

If challenged to offer a list or a prayer of pure praise and adoration for God, how long would yours last?

Absolutely, God deserves inexhaustible praise, honor, and glory (Psalm 105)! But how shall such limited people sufficiently honor our illimitable God? All within our ability to give was first given by Him (1 Chronicles 29:14, 16), yet God delights in our adoration (Psalm 149:2-4). Though He would be within His divine rights to bristle at our offerings, He instead delights in them! Oh, how beautiful.

𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐬: 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥
Most Christians admire Psalm 119, but fewer ask what kind of mind produced it. What habits of meditation, reflection, and love for God’s Word stand behind its 176 verses?

What a worthy endeavor it is to expansively compose all for which God must be glorified—“compose” being the operative word for this psalm. Modern eyes frequently read the Psalms with the cursory assumption that they just, kind of, “happened”; little thought, little inspiration, and—voilà—a deep, engaging hymn. But that could not be further from the truth.

Read the Psalms—they are carefully orchestrated. Yes, they were inspired, but while the pen was guided by a divine mind, that doesn’t mean the mind of the human penman was idle.

For instance, Psalm 119 is an acrostic. Specifically, this writer starts each section with the next letter of the alphabet—designed as a mnemonic device (a way to memorize what is being written). The Hebrew alphabet had twenty-two letters—that’s twenty-two different ideas to consider in which to praise God. The musical and linguistic mastery of this Psalm is undeniable! It consists not of superficial attention but profound intention.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭
Indeed, it is noble enough to even engage in such a sophisticated work. But how much more so to desire it, not even out of commission, but out of a longing to express sincere love for God! Love drips off the pages of Psalm 119.

Most would turn to 1 Corinthians 13 to find instruction on what love is and looks like, which makes sense, but this Psalm should be among the list of most insightful. Between both passages, what should we learn? Not just that love is willing to suffer—though many often approach Scripture-reading that way—but love is thoughtful, and joyfully so!

Throughout the Psalms, you can read the words of appreciation on the pages, but if you do not hear the enthusiasm emanating from them—you’re missing the intent. They weren’t just mindfully crafting hymns—they joyfully notated them. The psalms are beautiful not just because of their musical and linguistic mastery, but because the authors were absorbed by these thoughts before any lyric was recorded.

David, to highlight one, wrote the most passionate words about God, His Word, and His ways. In part, due to God’s inspiration, but also—though easily overlooked—because David was “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Now, I am no poet, but I should think I could create a much more appropriate and authentic poem for my wife than I could for anyone else. That is because (1) I actually know her much better, and (2) I love her more.

David’s heart longed for God’s, which is why he speaks so earnestly about His Law in Psalm 19:7-14. For David, even the legalities—if divinely derived—are the most soothing music to his ears. Whether or not David wrote Psalm 119, the same affection for God’s Law is evident throughout both psalms.

So modern readers are faced with a question. The psalmists clearly devoted considerable time and attention to think more deeply about God and His Word, which led them to purposefully and creatively express their love for God even more. So then, when I read Scripture do I have this goal in mind?

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝟏𝟏𝟗
There are 176 verses in Psalm 119—carefully arranged into 22 sections, with 8 lines each (i.e., an acrostic using the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet). We have an instructive pattern in inspired Scripture to guide us into deeper meditation on God’s Word—are we using it?

It’s a shame when one reads the language of Psalm 119 just to conclude that it’s too lofty to realistically cultivate in a modern mind or tongue. Inspiration is not a requirement to sound like this—just a proper response to it. Perhaps the question comes down to: Have I responded to Scripture rightly?

What am I doing to sound like this? To think like this? Anything?

Am I merely “hoping” for such drastic change while not engaging the Scriptures at all (Romans 10:16-17)? Am I simply expecting extreme growth to occur when I read my Bible without incorporating any of its teaching (James 1:22-25)? Am I expecting my mind to remain in heaven while I only “set” it on the secular (Colossians 3:1-2)? The tongue can never be trained as long as the mind is equally unbridled.

So the challenge: Come and give your thoughts to the Scriptures! Sit with them; listen to them during your morning and evening commute; seek them in busyness and leisure. Don’t just read, then move on—read with purpose. Read, then contemplate. So many struggle with growth because they’ve skipped this most crucial part.

There can be no growth if one merely nibbles on the bread of life—they must consume it and digest it. This means reading, then self-examination. What is it I’m supposed to learn here? What is it teaching about the character of God? What is it revealing of His heart? When these questions are authentically asked and answered, only then does transformation begin.

When we don’t just read to fulfill our daily goal but read to be changed, we start to think in Psalm 119 ways. We shouldn’t assume the author gave little thought in orchestrating this masterpiece—nor should we assume that he had merely skimmed the Law a few times in preparation for it. Its beautiful integrity is specifically due to the writer’s well-worn pages of the Law. He knew it deeply and was therefore capable of speaking of it deeply.

How worn are the pages in our Bibles?

06/04/2026

How much can we learn from the "collection of the saints?"
[Lesson @ 18:30]

Speaker: Luke Capps

06/03/2026

Listen to Episode 1 here!
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Aggressive Bible Reading is a Bible-focused podcast designed to hel...

06/02/2026

Is preaching the Gospel losing people? How do we gauge its success? [Lesson @ 25:33]

Speaker: Luke Capps

06/01/2026

"And as He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office, and said to him, "Follow Me." And he arose and followed Him." Mark 2:14

In Jesus' day, tax collectors were typically viewed as dishonest, unjust sinners. Extortion almost came to be expected of those in the profession, as the tax collectors lined their own pockets. Does that stop Jesus from engaging with this sinner? Of course not. Also known as Matthew, Levi seems to follow Jesus without hesitation.

Perhaps Levi was influenced by the recent teachings of John. It certainly appears likely there was more to the conversation than what we have recorded. Nevertheless, here is a sinner who decided to follow Jesus. In Luke 5:28 we read "So he left all, rose up, and followed Him." Levi gave up his sinful lifestyle to follow Jesus. What a beautiful story we have already, but it's not over yet.

"Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him." Mark 2:15

Do you see what happened?! Whatever more there was to Jesus' interaction with Levi, the reformed tax collector was so grateful and filled with joy, he invites Jesus over for a celebratory feast. Jesus was not the only guest, though. Levi invites 2 groups of people to this get-together: more tax collectors and sinners, plus Jesus' disciples. The best part is found at the end of verse 15, "and they followed Him."

How the angels in heaven must have rejoiced that day! It began with one man, a sinner, Levi. Levi followed Jesus. Levi's conversion then opened the door to a "a great number," (Luke 5:29) of sinners, his friends and associates, to meet Jesus, and they choose to follow Him, too.

We often talk about looking for "open doors" to preach the gospel. Prayers, both public and private, may include such requests as, "Father, please open a door that I may have the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ with some lost soul." Make no mistake, this is a wonderful request to bring to God! However, we have to make sure we are living in a manner consistent with our prayers so we do not miss such opportunities.

How many of us do what Jesus did and take the time to get to know a person who needs Jesus? How many of us would be willing to go to that feast, as His disciples did? Or, how many of us do as the scribes and Pharisees did in this story?

"And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, 'How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?'" Mark 2:16



While the angels in heaven rejoiced, the scribes and the Pharisees ridiculed. Let's be honest, how many of us would have felt uncomfortable attending this feast with a "great number" of sinners? What we often do in a situation like this is just sit with our group of friends all evening. It's an easy scene to imagine, isn't it? All of the disciples huddled in their group and the tax collectors huddled in their group, no one from the two groups mingling and getting to know each other, no stories swapped about personal backgrounds, shared hobbies, etc. This happens all too often today. After all, "those people over there" are of the world, and I'm a Christian. They might be a bad influence on me, so I need to keep my distance, right? ... Wrong. While we do need to be careful of our influences, we also need to shine our light and try to bring people to Christ, no matter how uncomfortable we are with their sin. Let's never forget what Jesus had to say at the end of this story, then let us go and do likewise.

"When Jesus heard it, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.'" Mark 2:17

Author: Dustin Russell

05/28/2026

Is a church without elders hopeless?

Speaker: Luke Capps

05/26/2026

The Bible is more than disconnected stories, laws, and history. From Genesis to Malachi, there are glimpses of Jesus everywhere.

Speaker: Luke Capps

05/25/2026

“No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.” Joshua 1:5

I read a report the other day that stated one half of all small businesses in America are owned by people aged 55+. And among that number more than one half (54%) do not have a succession plan. What that means, if the owner retires or passes away, there are no plans or steps as to who will run the company next. I have seen that in my community. A mom and pop store that has been around for decades suddenly closes. The owner died and no one knew how to keep the doors open or in many cases, no one in the family wanted anything to do with it. Just sell the place, take the money and run. When you think about those numbers, half of the small businesses in America are in that situation. No plans to pass the keys on to the next generation. No development of the next tier of leaders. The business simply dies with the owner.

That’s the picture of corporate America. I wonder what the numbers would be among our congregations today. What happens if the current leadership no longer is in the position to lead. Retirement and moving away. Transfers. Death. And, without people trained and ready, the church flounders. The church drifts. Error becomes a constant issue to deal with.

In our verse today, the passing of the baton had taken place. Moses was no more. Joshua was God’s chosen one. It would be Joshua who would take Israel into the promise land. It would be Joshua at the helm. God did not randomly pull Joshua’s name out of a hat. Long before this, Joshua was side by side with Moses. He was seeing. He was learning. He was being trained. And, when the time was right, it was a smooth transition. Joshua was ready. He was capable.

We can sure learn and borrow from that example when it comes to leaders in God’s church today. Much, much too often, very little is said or done about leadership until there is a crisis. A death and now the church panics because there may not be another person who can step up. The preacher rapidly rushes through a series of sermons about the qualifications of an elder, and certain men are begged, pleaded and pressured into stepping up and serving. Many have never given it any thought before this. Many don’t have a real clue as to what is involved. But, they do it, a man or two is appointed and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Nothing again is said until the next crisis. And, for far too many congregations, this is the standard practice for generations.

We could do better. We must do better.

First, imagine teaching the high school class about the honor, value and importance of leading in God’s kingdom. Get the young men to see early in life before they make big life choices, such as career, marriage and family, about carving out a goal to serve in God’s kingdom. Get these young men out to eat with the current shepherds. Let them see. Let them ask questions. Begin long in advance.

Second, as a church, we ought to pray for our leaders and esteem them and appreciate them as the Thessalonians were taught to do. Could one reason why men run and hide when talk turns to looking for leaders because of the horror stories and back talk many have witnessed through the years. Such should not be tolerated. When leading is viewed honorably, and men are appreciated for what they do, more will see how wonderful it is to be considered by a congregation as ready to lead God’s people.

Third, fathers need to understand that they are leaders and shepherds, just like elders are in the church. Their flock happens to be their family. But, they do what elders in the church do. They nourish, protect, lead and care about their little flock. In time, if they have walked closely with the Lord and made wise choices, their flock will expand to include more, the church. Busy in the kingdom. Busy for the Lord.

Poor leadership and a lack of leadership has been the death of many congregations. No one at the helm to guide the church through troublesome times. People allowed to say and do anything without any accountability. Churches crashing upon the rocks of culture, while men who could serve won’t. Too busy, they say. Not interested, they say. Got more important things to do, they claim. And, the church drifts. Those with the loudest voice take over, often being guided by unspiritual people who are selfish and prideful.

I don’t know what the answer is to small businesses in America. Small stores may go out of business. Big corporations may buy out the mom and pop operations. But, for the church, without men stepping up to take on the role that God intended, many congregations may drift into error or cease to exist.

Legacy—who will take over after me? Is anything being done to develop, prepare and train? It’s time to start that.

Author: Roger Shouse