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Our Purpose in Living
by Hugh DeLong “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God”…
Read MoreI Struggle with Sin. Am I a Bad Christian?
by Mark McCrary Every honest Christian knows this question: “I’m struggling with sin. Does that make me a bad Christian?” The Bible doesn’t brush this concern aside. In fact, it describes exactly that tension between God’s call to holiness and our ongoing battle with sin. On one hand, God says, “Be holy, for I am…
Read MoreLess Than Nothing
by Gary Henry via WordPoints.com “As for the children of men, they are but vanity; The children of men are deceitful; Upon the weights they are altogether lighter than vanity itself.” (Psalms 62:9 Coverdale Bible, 1535) The Psalms contain poetry that is remarkably frank and vivid. Especially striking are its portrayals of godless living and…
Read MoreIs This Action Wise?
by Doy Moyer Answering the question, “Is an action right or wrong?” may tell us what to think, and there is a place for this. “Is the action wise?” However, it teaches us how to think, and this is something emphasized in Scripture. Scripture, then, is not about some checklist of do’s and don’ts. It…
Read MoreThe Burden of the Prophet
by Cleve Stafford “The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind…
Read MoreHave You Hung Up Your Harp?
by Terry Wane Benton Psalm 137 speaks about the Israelite Levites losing heart because they were now removed from their homeland and in Babylonian captivity. The reason they were taken captive physically was because they let the forces of evil captivate them in heart and remove them from God. Now the text says they were…
Read MoreBe Holy in All Your Conduct
by Hugh DeLong “But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct;…” (I Peter 1:15). Holy is from the same word in I Peter 1:2 that is translated ‘sanctifying’, which means ‘consecrated’, ‘purified’, ‘set apart’. When we become Christians, we are set apart unto God,…
Read MoreBy Works or Not?
by Terry Wane Benton An atheist thinks he sees the following verses as “contradicting” each other. Atheist: Salvation by Faith or Works: • Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith…not a result of works.” • James 2:24: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”…
Read MoreGod, Government, and the Bible
by David Gibson A vital principle of Bible study is that often one passage serves to qualify another. Together, they give a more complete picture of God’s will in the matter. For example, Christians are taught to obey the laws of the land (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). No exceptions? But what if a specific…
Read MoreWhen to Exercise Church Discipline
by Kyle Ellison The question of when to exercise church discipline is both agonizing and grueling, one that elders and members must grapple with from time to time. Elders feel the weight of this without a doubt, since they are charged with watching for the souls of those under their care. “Obey your leaders and…
Read MoreAbraham’s Informed Faith
by Clay Gentry God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is arguably one of the most staggering tests of faith in the Bible. How could he trust God in the face of such a shocking demand? Abraham’s obedience was not an act of blind, desperate loyalty, but a calculated step of faith, fortified by a…
Read MoreDigging Through the Wall
by Cleve Stafford Some of the most uncomfortable parts of Scripture are the ones that feel a little too close to home. One of those moments shows up in the book of Ezekiel, in a vision that doesn’t get preached on very often, but maybe should. Ezekiel 8:7-12, “And he brought me to the entrance…
Read MoreWhat Hurts Us Can Also Inspire Us
by Gary Henry “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (Psalms 119:67). Painful experiences can help us, but only if we allow them to. “My brethren,” James wrote, “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let…
Read MoreBecause I Tell You the Truth
by Terry Wane Benton Paul had no desire to be the enemy of anyone. He had every right to expect that people should and must appreciate truth, even if it hurts at first. The truth teller is telling the truth because that is what love demands. Love demands that people help people get out of…
Read MoreDon’t Marry a Canaanite
by Nathan Combs via Think on These Things God cares deeply about whom His people marry. When Abraham commissioned his oldest household servant to find a wife for Isaac, he instructed him to swear that he would not take a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites (Genesis 24:3). God then blessed the servant’s search…
Read MoreEvery Christian Is a Saint: God’s Surprising Truth
by Cleve Stafford When you hear the word “saint,” what comes to mind? For many, it’s a statue in a cathedral, a figure in stained glass, or someone canonized long after death by religious authorities. In some traditions, sainthood is regarded as a special status, reserved for only a select few extraordinary individuals. But when…
Read MoreCan We Have the Same Judgment?
by Terry Wane Benton “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Corinthians 1:10 NKJV). This pleading…
Read MorePolitical Discourse
by Zeke Flores Political discourse is like the Las Vegas of Christianity; it’s an environment in which we think our sin is excused. Christians feel free to go wild, fear is perpetuated, strife is intentional, and hate is winked at. The thing is, what happens in this “Vegas” doesn’t stay there; it ripples far outward. There’s…
Read MoreWas Israel Having a King Sinful?
by Perry Hall A common position is that Israel’s wanting a King was sinful (I Samuel 8). Israel even confesses, “Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king” (quoted I Samuel 12:19). I…
Read MoreTruth
by Zeke Flores There it stands in all its unvarnished, audacious boldness. It dares us to grasp it, to apprehend and understand it, to obey it. Truth tells us what we don’t want to hear (turn from sin!) and urges us to do what we don’t want to do (be baptized for your forgiveness!). Then…
Read MoreIt’s Good to Accept God’s Forgiveness Verbally
by Gary Henry via WordPoints.com “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). Regarding our sins, we are grateful for two things. We’re thankful, first, that God is willing to forgive us, and second, that we can know…
Read MoreThe Apostle Paul
by Hugh DeLong Most of those who will read this note would acknowledge the fact that Paul was a chosen apostle, chosen by Jesus (Galatians 1:1), witnessed the resurrected Jesus (I Corinthians 15), was acknowledge and given the right hand of fellowship by the other apostles (Galatians 2:9), and was confirmed as a messenger of…
Read MoreIrrational Unbelief
by Perry Hall When speaking with Atheists and Agnostics, a common complaint is, “When I read the Bible, I see a God that does things that I don’t agree with such as….” So their reason for unbelief is that they don’t like the evidence! How would that thinking work in the real world? “I don’t…
Read MoreThe Difference We Can Make on the Job
by David Gibson A dear brother in Christ received a very affirmative written evaluation from his supervisor, commending him for his consistently positive attitude at work. Likely, this supervisor has observed others who gripe, gossip, and create friction among coworkers. In contrast, this brother’s attitude really stands out. Be positive. “Do all things without grumbling…
Read MoreIf Alcoholism Is a Disease
Author Unknown It is the only disease that is contracted by an act of the will. It is the only disease that requires a license to propagate it. It is the only disease that is bottled and sold. It is the only disease that requires more than half a million outlets to spread it. It…
Read MoreTest Yourself
by Hugh DeLong “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (II Corinthians 13:5 ESV). We see in the two letters to the Corinthians that some of the disciples there…
Read MoreThe Mystery of Godliness (Flores)
by Zeke Flores Paul says godliness is a mystery, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to grasp. It’s like some men say, “Women are a mystery, I don’t understand them.” They mean that, to them, women are sometimes hard to comprehend, but not impossible. In the New Testament, the word “mystery” is usually used of…
Read MoreThe Leaders God Wants
by Doy Moyer God wants leaders. The Hebrews writer indicates this when he wrote, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage…
Read MoreGod Is Good All the Time (2)
by Zeke Flores God is good! That pithy phrase pops up in my newsfeed several times a day, usually in a comment where someone reports something good in their life. It could be favorable results from a medical test, the arrival of a new baby, a financial windfall, the purchase of something new, or one…
Read MoreHow Can We Help Someone in Times of Loss?
by David Gibson A woman has a miscarriage. A middle-aged man is laid off from his job. A family’s house burns. Parents lose a teenage son in a traffic accident. A child is diagnosed with cancer. A surviving spouse must now go on without the other. Responding to loss A common response to the suffering…
Read MoreDepression Is Real
by Zeke Flores I understand the hard-fought struggle for those who wrestle with feelings of inadequacy, isolation, and gloom. And I know that when others say that depressed people should just “snap out of it,” well, that’s just dumb. Unfortunately, too many who grapple with depression hinder their own recovery by dwelling on the depression…
Read MoreThe Danger of Quietly Walking Away
by Cleve Stafford Picture yourself out on the open water in a small boat. The waves are gentle, the wind mild, and the sun warm on your face. You close your eyes just for a moment to enjoy the peace. But when you open them again, you realize something chilling: you’ve drifted far from the…
Read MoreHow Can I Be Happy with All These Troubles?
by Charles Box In our society, there is much talk about happiness. Happiness is even a Bible subject. In Psalms 35:9, we read, “And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.” We do not think of happiness as a choice, but happiness is, in fact, just that, a…
Read MoreYou Are Complete in Him
by Terry Wane Benton “And in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:10). The book of Colossians says that nothing is missing or lacking in Christ. In Him we have all we need for assurance, forgiveness, direction, wisdom and knowledge, freedom from sin and…
Read MoreStill Trying to Prove a Point
by Becky René Some people carry an invisible burden. Long after the moment has passed, they continue to live in the shadow of a past insult, injury, or trauma. It might have been a harsh remark, a personal failure, abuse, rejection, a physical condition, or a tragic accident. Perhaps someone made them feel incapable or…
Read MoreMixing the Law of Moses and the Gospel of Christ
by Terry Wane Benton When brethren at Galatia tried to bring over circumcision from the Law, it was a faith problem. It essentially inferred that the gospel of Jesus is not sufficient without the Law of Moses. It states that Christians are incomplete with Jesus as head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1:19f).…
Read MoreReaching the Lost
by David Dann Most people are lost. “Few” are headed in the right direction in contrast to the “many” who are bound for destruction (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV). They are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) and are “alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the…
Read MoreThe First Day of the Rest of Your Life
by Zeke Flores “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Cheesy, maybe—but true. Yesterday is fixed, and no amount of regret can rewrite it. I may not be able to undo my past mistakes, but I can seek forgiveness, make amends where possible, and learn from them. God isn’t finished with…
Read MoreThe Issue of Authority
by Randy Robinson John Mellencamp lamented in song over twenty years ago, “I fight authority; authority always wins.” Indeed, authority is a powerful force with which to be reckoned. In the case of this songster, his perspective is easily noted as one who is rebellious against authority, as indicated by his lyrics, “I’ve been doin’…
Read MorePrinciples of Sharing
by Hugh DeLong In II Corinthians 8-9, we find instructions for the disciples to share with one another on an ongoing basis–specifically, addressing the needs of poverty and famine among their fellow disciples. The situation in Judea was bleak; the disciples simply were in serious need of help. Thus, the instructions given by Paul were…
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