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The Almighty
by Terry Wane Benton John describes Jesus as “the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). Isaiah predicted the “child” who would be born and later called “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6-7). The Hebrew of the Old Testament refers to “El Shaddai” (God Almighty). The term emphasizes God’s ability to handle any situation that confronts God’s people. It is first…
Read MoreCommitment Is Hard
by Zeke Flores As I survey the fractured state of the people of America in general, and God’s people specifically, I’m humbled and grateful for those precious saints in congregations across the continent and around the world who understand the concept of congregational loyalty while others wander looking for greener pastures; who support their leadership…
Read MoreIs It Still a Mystery?
by J. F. Dancer, Jr. Some people read the Bible every day. Others read it occasionally, and some never open it. All have different views on what it teaches. Do you think God had it written so that we would “understand” it differently, allowing each of us to believe what we want to believe? I…
Read MoreGod’s Power to Save
by J. F. Dancer When Paul wrote the letter to the saints at Rome, he explained to them why he had not yet visited them. He had promised to come and still intended to do so (Romans 15:24), but had been prevented (Romans 1:13). Then he set forth the basic principle of salvation – “…the…
Read MoreResponsibilities of Husbands and Fathers
by Kerry Blackaby As Father’s Day approaches, we plan to celebrate the husbands and fathers in our lives and what they mean to us. But are today’s fathers what they used to be? Or more importantly, are they the kind of fathers described in the Bible? Almost all fathers portrayed on television today are not…
Read MoreCan You Really Lose Your Salvation?
by Clay Gentry You’ve no doubt heard the saying, “Once saved, always saved.” It’s a slogan, rooted in Calvinism, meant to express an assurance of eternal security. But then, you’ve no doubt heard the counterargument: “No, you can lose your salvation.” While the latter is said with good intentions, I wonder if this response can…
Read MoreSome “Old Stains”
by Dennis Ross The other day, while washing dishes, I came upon a small pot that had been scorched during its use. Even though I had soaked it for quite a while, in hot water and soap, I still had a great deal of difficulty removing all the stains from the bottom of the pot.…
Read MoreDesign Flaws?
by Terry Wane Benton “The design of our shared tubes for eating and breathing causing people to choke to death on their food proves the designer was an utterly incompetent halfwit…….or we evolved” [NF]. I would say to NF that this argument is ridiculous! That is like saying that if pollen can get into the…
Read MoreForgiveness of Debts Owed
by Doy Moyer It seems that in the “forgiveness debate” (that sounds odd), people can easily talk past each other. The discussion really hinges on what is meant by “forgiveness.” To further clarify the nature and nuances of forgiveness, please note the phrase used by Jesus in His model prayer: “and forgive us our debts,…
Read MoreEsther: “Such a Time as This”
by Keith Greer A great king, after subduing Egypt and Babylon, determined to have a feast. He invited all the princes of his empire. From the text, we learn that “wine flowed in abundance.” The king’s wife, Queen Vashti, was a very beautiful woman. After the feast, he commanded that she come and parade her…
Read MoreThe Alpha and the Omega
by Terry Wane Benton John describes Jesus as “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8). Alpha is the starting letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the final letter of that alphabet. Even our English word “alphabet” comes from the Greek letters alpha and beta. What does John mean by calling Jesus the alpha…
Read MoreHow Can It Be Right to Turn a Child of God Over to Satan?
by Roger D. Campbell Have you ever heard of the proposal that there comes a point when the Lord’s church should somehow deliver its unfaithful members to the devil? Does that idea strike you as being unreasonable or unthinkable? The truth is, beloved, that is exactly what the God of heaven instructs us to do.…
Read MoreSpeaking in Tongues?
by Ron Boatwright Many in the religious world today are obsessed with “speaking in tongues.” According to the Bible, one of the miracles of the first century was the ability to speak in understandable foreign languages, which the speaker had never learned. In Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost, only the twelve apostles could…
Read MoreDid the Early Churches Commune with the Lord?
by Terry Wane Benton You might think it is easy to answer with a “Yes,” and it is. However, when an AD 70 advocate gets a hold of almost any topic, the simple becomes very complex, and they would answer the title question with a no. I’m not kidding! Here are quotes from Steve Baisden:…
Read MoreShall We Sin? The Real Point of Romans 6
by Randy Blackaby Virtually any survey of Bible teaching on the importance of baptism includes an examination of Romans 6:3-4, which demonstrates how baptism connects the believer with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. This passage illustrates how baptism imitates and is, in fact, a pattern of our Lord’s sacrifice. However, while these two verses certainly…
Read MoreI Want a Church that Meets My Needs
by William Woodson The statement made in the title is not only the desire of many in the religious world, but it is also becoming the philosophy of many Christians, as many of us are seeking a religion that “meets our needs.” The phrase itself has virtually become a new religious term. Many persons praise…
Read MoreWhy Are We Told the Story of Jael?
by Perry Hall There is only one woman in the Bible who directly killed a man. Her name was Jael. She hammered a tent peg into the skull of Sisera (Judges 4). Why are we told this story? Considering she is the only woman in the Bible to have killed a man, such an anecdote…
Read MoreRemoving Ancient Landmarks
by Terry Wane Benton “Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set” (Proverbs 22:28 NKJV). “Bring in no new dogmas, nor rites, nor ceremonies, into religion, or the worship of God, that are not clearly laid down in the sacred writings. ‘Stand in the way; and see, and ask for the old…
Read MoreMortal Swallowed up in Life
by Hugh DeLong Text: II Corinthians 5 The resurrection of Jesus is the pattern for us, for we will be raised in immortal or changed form if alive at His coming. (Romans 8:11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Corinthians 4:14) Thus, the first part of this chapter. In this mortal body, we long for it to be different. We live…
Read MoreSinging and Making Melody
by Zeke Flores Have you ever heard musicians practice? There’s usually a period of tuning and warming up before they start playing. Every instrument is being plinked and plucked, tapped and tweaked in order to be in tune with the others. But goodness, what a racket that is! With a variety of instruments all being…
Read MoreThe Firstborn from the Dead
by Terry Wane Benton John’s readers were facing trials, persecutions, and possibly death. John knew that Christians needed to know Jesus as “the Firstborn from the dead.”(Rev.1:5). This is not saying that Jesus was the first person to ever be raised from the dead, but that He is the firstborn (the first in position of…
Read MoreWork in Progress
by Zeke Flores Both of my grandfathers died before I was born, so I never got the opportunity to know them. From what I heard from those who did, they were like most men, with lives salted and peppered with both good and bad. But instead of worrying about what kind of men my grandfathers…
Read MoreThe Four Gospels
by Terry Wane Benton The four gospels are like the four directions into the temple compound. They give us a gate into His courts. They are like the four main gatekeepers (I Chronicles 9:24-26) into God’s Holy city. They are like the four colors in the Tabernacle door. Because they open the way into Christ,…
Read MoreInstrumental Music to Worship of God
by Gary Colley The following reasons, concerning why churches of Christ do not use mechanical instruments of music in worship to God, were given recently in our Denominational Doctrines class. It has been requested that they be in our bulletin for the help of all. It can be stated without fear of successful contradiction that…
Read MoreSaul’s Conversion
by Keith Greer I watched a DVD that contained a religious debate between Brother Larry Hafley and his opponent, a man whose last name is Ross. The subject of the debate: “Is baptism necessary for salvation?” One of the passages considered deals with Saul’s conversion. Brother Hafley presented a powerful chart showing the impact of…
Read MoreFamily (Flores)
by Zeke Flores Family is one of the coolest ideas from the mind of God (and He has a lot of cool ideas!). Family is love, laughter, acceptance, encouragement, and mutual strength. I love being with my family and just watching how they enjoy each other. What a great relationship! Little wonder, then, that God…
Read MoreHow could Melchizedek be “without father and mother”?
by Bob Prichard Melchizedek is one of the more mysterious figures in all of scripture. He is mentioned only in Genesis 14, Psalms 110:4, and in the book of Hebrews. The writer of Hebrews demonstrated that Melchizedek foreshadowed the ministry of Christ, serving as both priest and king. After the patriarch Abraham defeated a confederacy…
Read MoreCollege Campus Topics
by Perry Hall Being All-Powerful Is an Impossibility “Being all-powerful is an impossibility. For example, can God create a rock so large he cannot lift it?” This question was asked on the college campus. I responded that this is a self-contradictory question and does not follow the laws of logic. Let me explain (I will…
Read MoreII Corinthians and Paul
by Hugh DeLong “There are many things I disagree with Paul about…” This was how my grandmother concluded our discussion on being faithful to the teachings of the New Testament. In Paul’s time, not everyone who was converted remained faithful to acknowledging Paul as an apostle of Jesus and thus a writer of inspired letters.…
Read MoreWho Will Celebrate Your Death?
by Terry Wane Benton In the aftermath of Jesus’ death, there were Jewish leaders who were glad to be rid of Him. They thought they shut down His voice and His followers for good, but soon found out that they had only stoked a fire that soon burned out of their control and changed the…
Read MoreCompassion for the Lost in This World
by Doy Moyer With so much turmoil in the world, so much chaos and confusion, we should be reminded of how disciples should think of and respond to the world. This passage in Matthew 9:36-38 captures a very important principle. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and…
Read MoreNarcissist
by David Osteen “Narcissists change partners to avoid changing themselves.” I think the word “narcissist” is way overused today, and that lots of times people using the term don’t really know what it even means, but there’s still an important truth here. You could easily just switch out the word “narcissist” for “people” because we…
Read MoreDo Not Quench the Spirit
by Terry Wane Benton You can quench a thirst by stopping yourself from being thirsty. You quench a thirst by drinking some water. So, what does Paul mean by “Do not quench the Spirit” (I Thessalonians 5:19)? The Spirit has been trying to appeal to our hearts through such letters as He inspired Paul to…
Read MoreWe Must Have the Church
by Adam Faughn In our world, we sometimes hear people who speak of how they want a relationship with Jesus, but they do not want much (if anything) to do with the church. This is not new; in fact, some of you will remember the days when the saying, “give me the Man, but not…
Read MoreSix Great Truths About Jesus Christ
by David Gibson Distilled truth “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up to glory” (I Timothy 3:16 NASB). This passage is a concise, one-verse summary of the…
Read MoreNaturalism Is an Illogical Faith
by Terry Wane Benton Although naturalists claim to base their naturalist worldview on science, they actually do not and cannot do so. This is so because science is limited to the study of the natural world. Science tells us what the world is made of and how and why it functions. Naturalism, on the other…
Read MoreBe Careful Who You Allow to Influence You
by Hugh DeLong When Paul wrote to the brethren in Corinth about the resurrection, he told them it was a matter “of first importance” (I Corinthians 15:3). Without the resurrection, their faith was “worthless” (I Corinthians 15:17) and they were “most to be pitied” (I Corinthians 15:19). However, some were saying “there is no resurrection…
Read MoreQuit Your Whining
by Paul Sheehan One of the most popular books in the New Testament is the letter Paul wrote to the Philippians. It seems to be so well-liked because Paul has so many positive things to say about serving the Lord. The words joy and rejoicing are mentioned over 16 times. What is so unusual about…
Read MoreRemembering Rightly: A Christian Response to Suicide Memorials
by Joe Hamm If you’ve driven past Hamilton City Hall this week, you’ve likely noticed the rows of American flags planted in the lawn. Each flag represents a veteran from Alabama who died by suicide. It’s part of a statewide campaign called Operation We Remember, intended to raise awareness and show honor to those who…
Read MoreThe Myth of Inclusion
by Tommy Peeler The message that our culture likes to promote is that of inclusion. Don’t be fooled. Inclusion, as culturally preached, is a myth. This should be obvious enough; that mask has fallen off and broken into pieces. When someone who promotes inclusion is somehow satisfied with the murder of someone whose views differ,…
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