Article
Making the Most of One String
by Mike Riley The story is told of Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), who, as he played a challenging piece of music before a large audience, a string on his violin snapped — yet he continued to play, improvising beautifully. Then, without warning, two more strings broke, and he continued the composition playing with only…
Read MoreFamily (Brewer)
by Chadwick Brewer “If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15). I believe that there is an innate desire and need for family, to have a place where you…
Read MoreLove One Another
by Luke Bower The other day, I overheard someone talking about how they enjoy buying things online. They even observed that as soon as the drone delivery system is perfected, they won’t have to interact with the UPS person. It seems that more and more stores are moving in this direction. Have you noticed that…
Read MoreIs There No Hope?
by David Gibson Can racial prejudice exist apart from people? Obviously not. Racism is an individual heart problem, a deeply flawed attitude, based on wrong teaching, fed by pride, and reinforced by cultural peer pressure. Does this mean there is no hope for improvement? Not at all. Whenever a child is taught that all people are…
Read MoreLiving on the B Side
by Kenny Westmoreland “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you” (I Thessalonians 4:11). In my younger years, I enjoyed playing 45 singles. For those unaware or too young to remember, a 45 is a small vinyl record…
Read MoreProtectors of the Flock
by Jerry C. Brewer When Luke penned Paul’s last words to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, the Holy Spirit guided his hand in selecting a single word that graphically sums up and illustrates the work of elders. That word is, poimaino. According to McClintock and Strong, this word means, “to tend as a shepherd…
Read MoreThe Power of Perseverance
by David Gibson Bois d’Arc endures. That’s why the early settlers in this part of Texas found this practically rot-proof wood so useful for fence posts and foundation blocks. Hang in there! God loves people who stay the course day after day, year after year, no matter what. Marriages and congregations thrive when they possess…
Read MoreDisappointments in Life
by Zeke Flores Frustration, disappointment, and sorrow are a part of life. But knowing that hardly softens the discouragement and dissatisfaction they bring, nor the feelings of failure and heartache. Things, no matter how good the warranty, will frustrate you. People, even those you love and admire, will let you down. Circumstances will disappoint you.…
Read MoreClaiming to Have Fellowship with Christ
by Terry Wane Benton If we say we have fellowship with HIM… Anyone can claim to have fellowship with God, but the proof is in the way they live. If you walk in darkness, doing the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), you are not in fellowship with God (I John 1:6). Walking in the…
Read MoreAbstain From Fleshly Lusts: The War Within
by Mark White War is terrible. Casualties take so many forms, with some being innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The atrocities of war are nearly beyond belief. The old adage, “all is fair in war,” has been played out time and again through the ages…
Read MoreUndiscerning
by Terry Wane Benton Did you know that being undiscerning is sinful and deserving of death? Paul lists it among the unrighteous things that are “deserving of death” in Romans 1:28-32. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those…
Read MoreServing the Lord
by Steven Harper If we are genuinely interested in what pleases the Lord, we should consider everything we do and say, and whether it is, in fact, pleasing to Him, according to what He has revealed in the Scriptures. One of the most obvious aspects of our lives as disciples is our worship assembly and…
Read MoreDevoted to Destruction
by Chadwick Brewer “And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction” (Deuteronomy 7:26). In this passage, Moses is instructing Israel on the need to destroy all idols in the land of Canaan.…
Read MoreOur Inheritance in Heaven
by Ron Boatwright Today, many people fail to recognize that the inheritance in Heaven is far more valuable than all the riches in the world. They fail to realize its worth. Our Lord says in Matthew 16:26, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own…
Read MoreDo You Confess Jesus?
by Terry Wane Benton To confess Jesus does not mean you are ashamed, but need to own up to this shameful belief you have been hiding. Confessing Jesus means that you know and approve the name that all men should know and approve. It is the name above all names. No one is higher in…
Read MoreNot Who But What
by Albert Gardner “It is not who is right—but what is right, that counts.” The crowd does not make a thing right or wrong. If something is wrong, it remains wrong even if everybody does it. If it is right, it is still right even if nobody does it. Moses said, “Thou shalt not follow…
Read MoreLines of Separation
by Doy Moyer (Note: for starting points about what to do when we differ, you can see “When We Differ.) Christians are taught to walk in love and unity. Paul wrote, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,…
Read MoreSocial Drinking
by David McPherson Most folks are clear on the fact that drunkenness is condemned throughout the pages of the Bible. What some are not as clear on is that social drinking is also condemned. “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth…
Read MoreThen What Shall I Do with Jesus?
by David Gibson The choice he made The governor was in a dilemma, and he was aware of it. As Caesar’s official, it was Pilate’s responsibility to deal with those brought to him for judgment. Never had Pilate dealt with anyone like Him. He knew Jesus was innocent of the charges so vehemently made against…
Read MoreThere Was No Room
by Terry Wane Benton The couple was about to give birth to the Son of God. They could find no place to stay due to the influx of visitors coming to register for the census, which was imposed by the Roman government. This was the hometown of many people who had moved away but came back…
Read MoreDoing the Same
by Zeke Flores Paul had pointed out the wickedness of the Gentiles, and his Jewish readers must have loved it. “Yeah! Let ‘em have it, Paul!” they must have thought. Their glee will be short-lived because Paul will quickly lower the boom on them, too. But Paul wasn’t merely trying to point out each group’s…
Read MoreEmphasizing Basics
by Roger Hillis If the Lord’s church is to survive and prosper, it must never depart from the basics of the gospel. A wise and experienced elder once told me, “I’ve never known a church to grow that didn’t emphasize the basics. If a church is struggling, they just need to get back to first…
Read MoreMake It Your Ambition
by David Gibson Does the expression “the quiet life” strike you as appealing or dull? Paul urges Christians “to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands” (I Thessalonians 4:11 NASB). Addressing Christians who have too much time on their hands—lazy busybodies—Paul urged them…
Read MoreEternal Security
by Terry Wane Benton The writer of Hebrews talks about “full assurance of faith” and warns about developing “an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.” Therefore, a Christian can be assured of their salvation and “make their calling and election sure” (II Peter 1:5-12), while acknowledging that they can still fall…
Read MoreLife’s Challenges
by Zeke Flores Paul’s honesty in his telling of the “thorn in the flesh” that caused him such distress is relatable (II Corinthians 12:7-10). Whatever it was that caused Paul such pain, we’ve all been there. After all, who hasn’t struggled with some circumstance, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, that hasn’t driven us to our…
Read MoreWhen We Differ
by Doy Moyer Working with people is challenging because we often have differences that extend beyond preferences in styles and tastes. We sometimes differ over what we deem significant matters, and we need to know how to approach not only the issues but also the fact of our differences and the attitudes we exhibit. If…
Read MoreI’ll Keep On Until They Quit
by Alan Smith There was once an older man who went out for a jog. He was running around a track that circled the high school football field while the team was conducting its practice. When the football players began running their sprints up and down the field, the man said to himself, “I’ll just…
Read MoreInseparables
by David Gibson Some things are meant to go together. Only one sock or one glove is next to useless. One cannot do the work of two. For good health, we need a balance of work and rest. Good communication involves both speaking and listening. Not either/or This is also true in the spiritual realm.…
Read MoreBulverism
by Brandon Edwards In an era of constant debate, arguments, and discussions, I have noticed a fascinating trend that has become embedded in these moments – namely, Bulverism. Now, you may have never heard of the term, and that is absolutely fine; however, I guarantee that you have likely experienced it firsthand. It’s a sneaky…
Read MoreEmotional Needs
by Zeke Flores Too often, we can let our emotionally perceived needs dictate what we do rather than what we should do. In a local church, a member may feel his needs are not being met, and so he moves on to another congregation or falls away altogether. In this way, “what I want for…
Read MoreJohn’s Proposition and Proof
by Terry Wane Benton The gospel of John is very unique in that it sets forth a proposition as in a debate, and then seeks to present evidence to prove the proposition is true. The proposition is stated in the first 18 verses that Jesus was actually God with God from the beginning of creation,…
Read MoreAdventure
by Zeke Flores Perhaps the most effective employment ad was also one of the most bizarre and unlikely. It reportedly read, “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful.” You wouldn’t think there would be men lining up for that job, but the employer…
Read MoreCommunication
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton A profound shift has occurred in the way we communicate. At one time, a speaker had something to say and would relay it to a listener. Basic communication, I know. “Teaching, in its simplest sense, is the communication of knowledge.”(1) There has to be a source (the speaker), a target (the…
Read MoreA Voice in the Wilderness
by Terry Wane Benton The Pharisees and Sadducees had the larger, more luxurious places to indoctrinate people with their corrupt doctrine. John the Baptist had to find secluded areas in the countryside where he could preach and baptize people. His was a voice in the wilderness, but word spread that he was even calling the…
Read MoreGod Is Good All the Time
by Zeke Flores The things I see people complain about remind me that we live very pampered lives. A rude cashier, a wrong food order, no WiFi, etc., are all mere inconveniences and reminders of how good life usually is. And -shame on me- I’ve been guilty of it too. Then some find themselves in…
Read MoreBlessed Risk-Takers
by David Gibson High Praise! The leaders of the Jerusalem church referred to Barnabas and Paul as “men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26; see II Corinthians 11:23-28). Paul appreciated risk-takers like himself, such as Priscilla and Aquila, “who risked their necks for my life” (Romans…
Read MoreLike Father
by David Gibson My finite mind soon reaches the end of its tether when I try to comprehend God, the eternal, invisible, all-powerful, all-knowing Maker of all things. By observing the wonders of His handiwork in nature, we get glimpses into His wisdom and power (Romans 1:18-20), To learn more, we turn to the Old…
Read MoreWhen Money Means Everything
by Zeke Flores I know a guy to whom money means everything. He’s not rich, but he is very well off and has everything he wants – a nice house, new cars, a beautiful family, and lots of toys – but he doesn’t have Christ. His reasoning is, “I have everything I want; what can…
Read MoreBraided Hair
Author Unknown I still remember someone telling a teenage girl that her braided hair was wrong. He cited the scripture in I Timothy 2:9. I remember going home to look at that passage to see if that is what it really says. Sure enough, here is what it says. “Likewise, I want women to adorn…
Read MoreModernizing the Bible
by Michael Ray Baggett When King Jehoiakim of Judah heard the writings of Jeremiah read to him, he destroyed the scroll. The King did not simply disagree with what he heard but took his penknife and cut off three or four pages and threw them in the fire until the entire scroll was destroyed (Jeremiah…
Read More