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From the Inside Out
by David Gibson The stairway at a Burger King in Oxford, England had a low clearance above, and so this sign was posted: “Mind your head.” Aside from taking care to avoid getting a knot on the noggin, there is another good way to mind one’s head: by cultivating the habit of monitoring our thoughts.…
Read MoreWould There Be Evidence to Convict You?
by Terry Wane Benton What if you woke up and found that you were a Christian, but now you were in China or one of the Muslim countries, where the government was now arresting you for being a Christian, or they were burning and beheading Christians? Would there be evidence that you were a Christian?…
Read MoreSo You Are a King?
by Zeke Flores People accustomed to physical kingdoms often dislike it when a ruler’s authority extends beyond their superficial likes and dislikes or when it conflicts with their political leanings. But that’s exactly what Jesus promised He would do. To the outwardly religious people of His time, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within…
Read MoreSongs of the Saints: Paul H. Epps
by Wayne S. Walker Paul H. Epps was born on Mar. 20, 1914, in Booneville, Arkansas. Living in Muskogee, Oklahoma, from 1923 to 1945, he attended West Texas University in Canyon, Texas. His interest in music goes back to his early life when he studied rudiments and harmony in summer singing schools. Also, he graduated…
Read MoreEnough Is Enough!
by Steve Hardin “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in…lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries and drinking parties” (I Peter 4:2-3). What Peter’s really saying is: enough is enough! You have wasted too much time in sin. Some think there’s a need to live it up in sin when one turns 18 or 21.…
Read MoreWhy Jesus’ Death Stands Out
by Tommy Peeler In the first century, thousands were crucified. “During the last siege of Jerusalem, hundreds of crosses daily arose, till there seemed not sufficient room nor wood for them” (Alfred Edersheim). Of those thousands crucified, how many of the victims could you name? If crucifixion was such a common but horrible death, what…
Read MoreExodus
by Terry Wane Benton Exodus is the story of the Israelites’ exit from Egyptian bondage by the power of God and how they were supplied for their journey toward the promised land. The basic divisions of the book can be divided into three parts: The Redemption from Egypt – Chapters 1-19 The Giving of the…
Read MoreWhy Did Jesus Die?
by Doy Moyer There are many atonement theories, and not every theory is equal. But one undeniable truth is that Jesus died to show how death is conquered through resurrection. By His death and resurrection, we are led to victory, and because of this, we can work with confidence that what we do is not…
Read MoreMuch Wine?
by Tracy Dugger In giving the qualifications of elders, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write that an elder is not to be, “…given to wine…” (I Timothy 3:3). Then in I Timothy 3:6, Paul stated of deacons, “Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double tongued, not given to much wine…” This alleged difficulty…
Read MoreIs Everyone’s Opinion Equally True?
by Zeke Flores We live in a world that is permeated by pluralism, humanism, relativism, and every other “ism” one can think of. Everybody’s opinion is of equal value, more or less, and therefore equally true. For instance, have you ever heard someone say, “That may be true for you, but not for me”? This…
Read MoreNot What We Were, But What We Become
by David Gibson He lied—repeatedly (Genesis 12:10-20; 20:1-13). Yet we remember Abraham as the man of great faith, the friend of God (Romans 4:18-22; James 2:23). It was Abraham’s great-grandson Judah who persuaded his brothers to sell their despised brother Joseph as a slave (Genesis 39:26-27), but 22 years later Judah proved himself to be…
Read MoreProverbs on the Need for Wisdom
by Terry Wane Benton This book emphasizes the importance of wisdom. The young man is encouraged to pursue wisdom, or else he will set himself up for being a loser in life. The book can be outlined as follows: Obtaining Knowledge and Wisdom. (Proverbs 1-2) Retaining Knowledge and Wisdom Because of Its Correction in Thinking.…
Read MoreCondemnation or Conviction?
by Zeke Flores To many, “conviction” is the same as “condemnation,” and most of us familiar with condemnation don’t like it much. You know, the (not so) subtle voice that hisses, “You’re not good enough!” “You’re a failure!” “It’s too late for you, there’s no hope because you’ll never change!” Our evil enemy— and sometimes…
Read MoreCulture Wars and Spiritual Battles
by Doy Moyer It is possible to win the culture war, as it is called, and lose the spiritual battle. They are not the same. Culturally, Christians want to stand up for the right and oppose the wrong. We want to keep evil influences from being so pervasive, so we do what we can where…
Read MoreThe Tabernacle of Witness
by Terry Wane Benton Why was the Tabernacle in Israel referenced as “the Tabernacle of Witness?” The inspired scriptures may provide several different reasons. It was designed to testify to God’s Presence in the pillar of cloud and in the pillar of fire that demonstrated His Presence in the midst of the camp of the…
Read MoreDid God Cause the Tragedy?
by Gardner Hall Did God cause the tragedy in the Dominican Republic? The roof collapse at Jet Set Nightclub in the Dominican Republic resulted in over 200 deaths and sent shockwaves through the Dominican community in New York City. Many in our West Harlem congregation lost friends or relatives. As in every disaster, some point…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence
by Doy Moyer Artificial Intelligence… Doesn’t think about you. Doesn’t lose sleep over you. Doesn’t care about you. Doesn’t love you. Has no conscience or moral awareness. Feels and bears no guilt. Has no responsibility as a thinking creature. Maintains no personal commitment to truth. Has no personal integrity. Is not a personal entity. Nor…
Read MoreThe Golden Rule
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus stated a rule that would solve many problems between people if we all were committed to living by it. It is commonly called the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you” (Matthew 7:12). That would eliminate all criminal activity, as no one would…
Read MoreMurmurers and Complainers
by Michael R. Baggett The word “murmur” is not often used in our vocabulary. The King James Version uses this word to describe complainers who mutter, grumble, or express displeasure privately or publicly. Murmurers or complainers may complain against God (see Vine’s, Murmurer, Jude 15-16). Moses experienced murmuring throughout the travels of the Israelites in…
Read MoreBeing Crucified with Christ
by Terry Wane Benton Formerly, Paul was an enemy of Christ and made it his mission to stomp out His church if possible. He thought he was doing God service as he searched to persecute and kill Christians, those Paul sincerely thought were heretics of the Jews’ religion. According to the law of Moses, those…
Read MoreThe Ancestry of Caleb
by Doy Moyer One interesting rabbit hole is found in this little conundrum: Was Caleb of the tribe of Judah, or was he a descendant of the Edomites? Hang on because there is an important point to be made here that is more than just a question of interest. Caleb is known for his strong…
Read MoreCarrying About….
by Terry Wane Benton What mental and emotional baggage do we carry that weighs us down and makes our hearts heavy? Paul speaks of being persecuted, hard-pressed on every side, and perplexed, but these things were not what he “carried about” in his heart (II Corinthians 4:6-16). The way these negative things became bearable was…
Read MorePick Your Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Paul said some were preaching “another Jesus” (II Corinthians 11:3-4). That was by picking the things they liked about the real Jesus, mixing in a few of their desires, avoiding the things they did not like about what the real Jesus said, and now we can talk about the Jesus we…
Read MoreAt Hand
by Terry Wane Benton Most who get tangled up in the Realized Eschatology heresy get puzzled by the “at hand” language found in so many books of the New Testament. All they can conclude is that there was only one thing it could be talking about, and that is the destruction of Jerusalem in AD…
Read MorePrecious Things
by Leon Mauldin via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 The Word of the Lord I Samuel 3:1 gives the setting for God’s initial calling of young Samuel to the prophetic office: “And the child Samuel ministered unto Jehovah before Eli. And the word of Jehovah was precious in those days; there was…
Read MoreWhat This Woman Has Done
by Zeke Flores Writing these words this morning is a privilege as, one more time, I am proving Jesus’ prediction true. In Matthew 26:6-13, Jesus was visiting a leper (!) and was anointed by a woman using very costly perfume. Matthew doesn’t give her name, background, what moved her to get that jar of ointment,…
Read MoreThe Difference
by Terry Wane Benton The difference between Christians and non-Christians is not that Christians are perfect. Sometimes, you find a Cornelius (Acts 10) who is morally just as upright as Christians. The difference is that one person has forgiveness through Jesus’ blood, and the other does not. Forgiveness is available to all, but only some…
Read MoreThe “Time of Reformation” Prophesied
by Terry Wane Benton In Hebrews 9, the Holy Spirit tells us that the tabernacle and its furnishings were imposed “until the time of reformation” (Hebrews 9:10-11). The physical items used were merely teaching items to illustrate the spiritual things that would come into play in a new and better system. So, are there prophecies…
Read MoreChurch Shoppers
by Chadwick Brewer “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:10-11). Some areas in the world are blessed with multiple congregations in close proximity. What a blessing it is to have so many Christians in one…
Read MoreWolf Creek Church of Christ
by Floyd Chappelear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 4, December 31, 1990 From the Belmont Bible Banner. Paul Caldwell, editor, November 19, 1974, we reprint the following: “‘For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called’ (I Corinthians 1:26). Based on…
Read MoreThe Growth of the Church in Jerusalem
by Dudley R. Spears via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 4, December 31, 1990 No period in the history of the Lord’s church records a greater numerical growth than the first century. There are repeated references to the reason why such phenomenal growth occurred. Men of faith claim the reason was the preaching of the apostles.…
Read MoreJesus and Psalms 110
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus is very definitely the figure described and intended by the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 1 is making the argument that Jesus is “so much better than the angels” (Hebrews 1:4) and has “a more excellent name than they.” The Holy Spirit applied Psalms 2:7, 45:6-7, and 110:1f to Jesus. Psalms 110…
Read MoreBy What Authority? (Bowman)
by Russ Bowman From my Daily Bible Writing, for you to chew on… “Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, ‘Tell us, by what…
Read MoreWhy Is Your God the One?
by Terry Wane Benton Many gods have been claimed and worshipped all over the world. Why is your God the One? Isaiah gives good reasons to dismiss all the gods invented by human desire and imagination and settle on one true and living God. Take a look at Isaiah’s God: Isaiah said there is none…
Read MoreDesensitizing Our Moral Outlook
by Terry Wane Benton I remember that early TV entertainment had some moral guidelines. In the 1950s the Dick Van Dyke Show was your average TV viewing. The couple was presented as married, but bedroom scenes were of two separate single beds. Later, in the 1970s, you began to see more of the “live-in” arrangements…
Read MoreWhat Was so Different About His Teaching?
by David Gibson “No one ever spoke like this man!” So said the officers sent by the Pharisees to arrest Jesus, but who came back without Him. After hearing Him teach, they could not bring themselves to take Him into custody. Many people noticed Jesus’ teaching differed because He spoke with authority (Matthew 7:28-29; Mark…
Read MoreGnats and Camels
by Zeke Flores You must admit, some of Jesus’ word pictures are pretty funny. It’s humorous to imagine someone trying to filter out a tiny insect so their food will be clean, but open their mouth wide for a whole camel! But the lesson in that funny image isn’t funny at all. For the Jews…
Read MoreLet’s Not Be Narrow
by Roy E. Cogdill via Gospel Guardian, June 9, 1955 One of the most dreadful things many people can imagine is that they will be accused of “narrow-mindedness” in religion. That scares them to death; the very thought that they might be considered narrow drives them completely away from the truth. Yet it should not.…
Read More“That Which Is Perfect” Does Not Refer to the Second Coming of Christ
by Dylan Steward via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 5 No. 2, April-June 2025 Almost all Bible believers agree that 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 teaches that miraculous spiritual gifts will cease “when that which is perfect is come.” The problem, however, is disagreement over what is meant by “that which is perfect.” Many claim “that which is perfect” refers…
Read More“I’m Not Included”
by Rickie Jenkins “I am just not included at church; I am given no part.” If true, that is sad. That’s not God’s intent. God designed a local church to depend on one another. He expects all to contribute to the good of the whole (Ephesians 4:16). Thus, in God’s design “every part may grow…
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