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True Love
by Doy Moyer True love is not about infatuation, mushy feelings, and giddy joy. While these may occasionally attend love, true love is found in the trenches of life. Love is knowing that you have each other’s backs at the end of the day. It’s working through difficulties and not fearing that the next disagreement…
Read MoreAmazing Prophecy
by Terry Wane Benton “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you one will go out for me, to be ruler in Israel; and his origins are from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2 LEB). The ruler in Israel would come out of Bethlehem, and he…
Read MoreMy Time
by Chadwick Brewer “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:27). One of my biggest self-deceptions is that my time is my own. I often feel and act as if I am the rightful owner of 24 hours each day. The truth is, my…
Read MoreDead and Raised
by Terry Wane Benton Paul describes our pre-conversion state as “dead in trespasses and sin” (Ephesians 2:1). We walked like others in the world, but we were spiritually dead toward God. But from our dead state, He “made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). We were “raised up together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:6). This…
Read MoreThat’s Not a Problem Here
by Heath Rogers Several years ago, I was reprimanded for preaching a rather straightforward sermon on the sin of homosexuality. The language of the sermon had upset a couple in the church, as they did not want their young children exposed to this subject. When I discussed this matter with two older men of the…
Read MoreThe First Day of the Sabbaths?
by Perry Hall Open your Bibles to Acts 20:7, and you will see that the church gathered to break bread on “the first day of the sabbaths.” Go on to I Corinthians 16:2, and we again read how Paul gave instructions about collecting for the poor saints on “every first day of the sabbaths.” The…
Read MoreThe Sabbath
by Terry Wane Benton The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week. It was designated to Israel as their day of rest, patterned after the fact that God rested from creative work on the seventh day (Exodus 20:11). The rules for Israel were expounded upon in other parts of the Torah, telling the rules…
Read MoreI … Have Need of Nothing
by L. A. Stauffer via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 Life was great for the Laodiceans. Business was wonderful, prosperity was abounding, and they flourished with riches. They had the best chariots, top-of-the-line clothing, the finest food from the markets, and palatial homes with plenty of acreage. What else could they possibly…
Read MoreUnity Among Brethren
by Sewell Hall via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 Jesus prayed, “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). This prayer was not for unity among denominations, nor even for goodwill among congregations. It was…
Read MoreWithout Respect of Persons
by Kyle Pope via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 James 2:1 declares, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality” (NKJV). The King James Version and the American Standard Version use the phrase “with respect of persons” rather than “partiality.” In the original text,…
Read MoreQuick to Forget
by Zeke Flores How many times have you heard a thing, yet forget what you heard in a matter of minutes? The older we get, the more we are “quick to hear, fast to forget.” Or, as we’ve all heard it, it’s in one ear and out the other. But the malady isn’t merely age-related.…
Read MoreLeaving the Church
by Perry Hall Meditate on this thought: “What I believe about God’s word is more important than how people treat me.” Many people will leave churches where they are mistreated and start worshiping with a friendly church that practices and teaches things contrary to what they believe. Whether they want to admit it or not,…
Read MoreDoes Going to Church Still Matter?
by Clay Stauffer Adapted Pew Research has been tracking trends in America for many decades. Some of the most recent data is very eye-opening, if not alarming. In 2024, roughly 30% of Americans say they attend church regularly, loosely defined as once a month. Less than 50% of Americans now claim membership to any given…
Read MoreThe Dead Sea Scrolls
by Terry Wane Benton Dead Sea Scrolls – 250BC to AD70 Photo by Lux Moundi. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanjj/8246948498 The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 980 Hebrew documents found in the Qumran limestone caves between 1947 and 2017. Most of the texts are written on parchment. About 40% were copies from the Old Testament. Before the…
Read MoreRoom for All
by Allen Dvorak via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2015 “Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: 2 “I will go before you and…
Read MoreHow Do You Take Correction?
by Jefferson David Tant Taking correction is a part of living. It begins when we are children and are rebuked for doing something wrong or for not doing something right, like cleaning up our room. It continues through our teen and adult years. Even Jesus Christ was criticized time and again by his enemies. Preachers…
Read MoreUncompromising
by Sewell Hall Generally speaking, our generation has an aversion to authority, yet those who heard the Lord’s great sermon observed that “He taught them as one having authority.” We prefer sermons that deal in generalities; Jesus dealt with specifics. We prefer preachers who praise rather than condemn; Jesus condemned not only wrong conduct but…
Read MoreAids versus Additions
by Perry Hall Years ago, it was common to hear arguments concerning the difference between aids and additions in worshiping God. This involved hermeneutics. Let’s presume we all agree that adding to the word is unscriptural. How do we know when we are simply using an aid? Where does the Bible authorize aids? If additions…
Read MoreWill Life Ever Be Good Again?
by Zeke Flores Sometimes, it may seem like nothing will ever be right in your life again. You might look back to happier times and wonder how things could so completely fall apart. Beaten down by circumstances, maybe even the consequences of your own bad decision, you become overwhelmed with despair. Will life ever be…
Read MoreThe Word of God and the Words of God
by Doy Moyer Jesus is identified as the Divine Word, the Logos, with all things made by Him and in whom is life and light (John 1:1-5). As the Word incarnate, Jesus is the ultimate communication of God to humanity. God has spoken through Him in these last days (Hebrews 1:1-3), and we need to…
Read MoreJesus’ and Daniel’s Amazing Prophecy
by Terry Wane Benton Consider one of the most amazing prophecies in all of Scripture. Jesus is leaving the temple when his disciples call his attention to its buildings. As they gaze upon the temple’s massive stone and magnificent buildings, Jesus utters the unthinkable: “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be…
Read MoreThe Clock Is Winding Down
by Terry Wane Benton With each second, minute, and hour that passes, our time is winding down, and we are that much closer to death and facing eternity. We have never been this close, yet we keep inching closer as we live. God commands all men everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day…
Read MoreFinding the Words to Say
by Ross Ward, Jr. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). Have you spent time meditating on how to address a difficult situation? If you are considerate of the things you say and…
Read MoreMollycoddling
by Chadwick Brewer “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matthew 10:24). Here in Matthew, Jesus is telling his disciples that persecution will come. Followers of Jesus will be dragged into court, flogged, and even put to death by their own families. In this context, Jesus states that a…
Read MoreLiving with the Consequences of Bad Decisions
by Zeke Flores How terrible it is to live with the consequences of terrible decisions. Israel was having to do just that. Though God warned them about their idolatry, they didn’t listen. Though God told them that their exploitation of the poor and needy was evil, they didn’t listen. Though God said to them that…
Read MoreClapping as an Accompaniment to Singing in Worship
by Wayne Jackson Recently, it has been argued that clapping as a rhythmic accompaniment to singing in Christian worship is not an addition to the singing (as it is a mechanical instrument). It is merely an aid comparable to a songbook. In this article, we’ll discuss the nature of handclapping as a function of worship…
Read MoreExamine the Scriptures
by Doy Moyer We are familiar with the attitude of the Bereans in Acts 17:11: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” The primacy of Scripture is key to the noble-mindedness of the Bereans.…
Read MoreThe God of Happiness
by Chadwick Brewer “‘Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke’… so I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded” (Ezekiel 24:16,18). It has become common…
Read MoreA God of Patterns
by Doy Moyer God is a God of patterns. This means there is order, method, and sequence to His expression and will. To deny patterns is to deny order, to accept that God’s will is disorderly and not subject to method, arrangement, and sequence. Is God’s will so chaotic? When people deny that there are…
Read MoreAre the Same Roles Needed to Have the Same Value?
by Kyle Ellison Fox News reported this week that women are now the largest demographic that is abandoning the church in The United States. Honestly, when it vaguely asked me to guess who was leaving at the highest rates, this wasn’t the answer that came to my mind, but then I began to question why…
Read MoreAcquiring Wisdom
by Doy Moyer Scripture shows that God’s concerns are not just for what is technically good or bad, right or wrong, allowed or disallowed. We could argue over what is technically sinful or not, but that’s essentially a legalistic approach that misses the essential element of wisdom, especially in matters that are not explicitly given.…
Read MoreWhy “Liberal” and “Conservative” Churches of Christ
by Robert Harkrider During the past two decades, many have asked this question. Some sincere brethren who have been caught up in one stream or the other never fully understood, and many who were too young before have now grown to adulthood wondering why. It is, therefore, a good question worthy of repeated investigation. Labels…
Read MoreAdvice to Younger Preachers
by Perry Hall It is OK to disagree with older preachers. Zeal is commendable, and the young possess it in abundance. Here are five ways to be successful: Know the Scriptures: The more specific the use of scripture, the better. The context of the scripture and the conversation must match. Too many drawn-out conclusions are…
Read MoreTampering with Sin
by Jefferson David Tant The story is told of a man in Rockwood, Tennessee, many years ago. Wilkie was a bricklayer, and one day, he caught a black snake and tamed it so that it would coil about his neck as he walked up and down the streets of his town. He then became bolder…
Read MoreThe Authority of Jesus
by Zeke Flores Authority is defined slightly differently depending on the definer, but it’s usually considered to be “the right one has, by virtue of office, position, or relationship, to command obedience.” OK, that makes sense. We see it everywhere around us. Authority is invested in military commanders and police officers, yet soldiers go AWOL,…
Read MoreWho’s Leading Whom?
by Perry Hall After WWII, a new family unit was created—the teenager. Before that, “teens” didn’t exist as a celebrated age. Before that, “teens” were young adults. Since then, the trauma of war-torn youth has led to the coddling of teens. That has led to a verse you might be very familiar with: Fathers, don’t…
Read MoreLearning How to Think
by Doy Moyer Scripture shows that God’s concerns are not just for what is technically good or bad, right or wrong, allowed or disallowed. We could argue over what is technically sinful or not, but that’s essentially a legalistic approach that misses the essential element of wisdom, especially in matters that are not explicitly given.…
Read MoreWhy Churches Split
by Perry Hall The Civil War had fascinated me since elementary school when I wrote an assignment on what I thought was the Silver War. I was wrong on two counts. I “knew” it couldn’t be the Civil War because it wasn’t “civil.” But neither was it silver. Probably the greatest summation of the effect…
Read MoreRevenge
by Zeke Flores Revenge. The word flows through the lips almost in a kind of hiss full of sinister thoughts and inappropriate payback. We might dress it up in the indignant clothing of “justice,” but our attempts to justify it don’t change what it is: retaliation, the required “pound of flesh.” When insult or injury…
Read MoreSuspicious Minds
by Zeke Flores ” We can’t go on together with suspicious minds.” So sang the once king of rock & roll. It’s not only true for lovers and friends but for God’s family as well. Suspicion and the plotting of revenge are the way of the world, but the King of Heaven and Earth reminds…
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