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Preaching Is a Different Kind of Work
by Zeke Flores There are both good and bad, positive and negative aspects to it. But I can say that the positive far outweighs the negative. Because of the nature of the work, you get opportunities to serve the best people in the world – Christians – all the time. You get to help people…
Read MoreBuried with Him and Raised with Him
by Terry Wane Benton The action of real baptism is very misunderstood today. People see a man dunking another person in the water and think it is a strange initiation rite, but there is much more to it than what you see with the physical eye. What is supposed to be happening in the heart…
Read MoreFollowing God’s Plan
by Zeke Flores Following the pattern of authority in the Bible isn’t hard; individuals and churches just need to make up their minds to do it. That means doing things that might run counter to what we’ve always believed. For instance, raising money for the local church using methods other than the free-will giving of…
Read MoreThe Restless Son
by Terry Wane Benton Why was he not happy at home? Jesus tells the story of a son who became restless and felt too controlled by the family rules (Luke 15:11-32). Sometimes a child can be foolish and self-centered, thinking the grass is surely greener where they can do as they please and no one…
Read MoreWhy Are You a Member of the Church of Christ?
by Vance E. Trefethen via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992 A full-page ad for the book “Why I Am a Member of the Church of Christ” recently caught my eye, with its bold headline: “Now Is the Time to Act.” Much of the message carried in this conservative journal was true—and quite disturbing.…
Read MoreSomething Missing in Our Culture
by David V. Hurst via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 18 No. 3, September 1992 None can deny the drastic shift in our culture’s attitude toward God over the last thirty years. This often causes special problems for the Christian and his children. How do we instill in our children and others genuine values concerning God? Our…
Read MoreHolding One Another Accountable
by Doy Moyer Christians ought to cherish their fellowship with one another, for what we have in common in Christ is greater than what the world can ever offer. Yet we are people, and people sin. People do foolish things. People hurt others, and as a result, relationships are often destroyed. Learning to live with…
Read MoreShould I marry someone who is hiding his faith?
Question: Dear Brother, I accepted Jesus Christ a few years ago. I come from a Hindu family. I like a guy, and he was a Hindu too. As I kept on talking to him about Jesus, one day he accepted Jesus Christ. He said he can no longer view his old religion the way he…
Read MoreAre We Putting God in a Box?
by Vicky Buckwalter Can We Put God in a Box? There’s a phrase I’ve heard more and more often in the Lord’s Church — and honestly, I’ve even said it myself once or twice: “We can’t put God in a box.” At other times, it sounds like this: “The Holy Spirit isn’t bound within the…
Read MoreWhy Remain a Christian When Christians Sin?
by Doy Moyer Why do we stay faithful to Jesus when so many churches and people do so much wrong? It’s a common complaint. Here is an elder, a deacon, or a preacher who fell from grace in some way or abused other members. Here is a church that is worldly and selfish, turning a…
Read MoreOnly a Fool Underestimates Temptation
by Gary Henry WordPoints.com “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13). We need to pray for deliverance from the evil one, as Jesus taught us to do. We often call this prayer the…
Read MoreGrace and Baptism
by David Gibson To say that baptism is essential to salvation does not at all contradict the truth that we are saved by grace. We can never earn our salvation. Baptism is a condition of salvation. It is likely that others have made the following points, but they need to be reiterated. Dipping seven times…
Read MoreKnowing Who You Are
by Hugh DeLong As Jesus and the apostles gather for their last supper, the apostles continue to bicker and fuss about who among them was the ‘greatest’. This has been going on almost the whole time they have been apostles! All three gospels record one episode (cp. Mark 9:33-37; Matthew 18:1-5; Luke 9:46). Jesus calls…
Read More“How Much More” – The God Who Cares
by David Gibson More than once, Jesus used a telling phrase that beautifully conveys how much God truly cares about us. “. . . which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then,…
Read MoreHebrews Was Written to Saved People
by Terry Wane Benton The inspired writer of Hebrews is not writing to people who were almost saved and could be saved with a little more persuasion, but rather, he is writing to saved Jews on the verge of giving up and returning to their former life in Judaism. The writer speaks of how they…
Read MoreThe Growth of the Church
by Hugh DeLong It is difficult for us to read the events in John 12 and feel the same excitement that gripped the people in Jesus’ day. The city is filling up with people who have come to celebrate and observe the Passover. “Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up…
Read MoreOn Making the Father’s Will Preeminent
by Garry Henry WordPoints.com “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Doing the will of His Father was the ultimate, overriding priority for Jesus. To Him, nothing…
Read MoreA False Measure of Goodness
by Clay Gentry At a recent funeral, the preacher acknowledged that the deceased had never attended church, nor was he particularly religious. “Still, he was saved,” the preacher said, “because he trusted Jesus when he was young.” Rather than showing evidence of a transformed life, the preacher highlighted three aspects of the deceased’s “goodness” to…
Read MoreThe Last Words of Peter, Eyewitness of Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Just before Peter died, he wrote his final letter (II Peter). He had been sharing “the knowledge of God” (II Peter 1:2). It was not a myth or a fairytale. He was privileged to share real “knowledge of God.” Others had shared mythology, but Peter knew he was sharing “truth” and…
Read MoreCompetition
by Zeke Flores No parent wants their child to feel left out, unappreciated, or useless. That’s understandable, but the answer for some was to stop keeping score for sporting events so there would be no winners or losers and award “participation trophies” to everyone who showed up. “There, that ought to help their self-esteem,” some…
Read MorePeter’s Conviction
by Terry Wane Benton Peter, another eyewitness and apostle of Jesus, was recorded by Luke regarding several of his testimonial accounts. See Luke’s impressive documentation of Peter’s presentation of the evidence of Jesus, as Luke recorded them in summary in Acts 2, 3, and 10. Luke recorded these speeches to show future generations the kind…
Read MoreMust We Use One Loaf and One Cup?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton A few brethren contend that the Lord’s Supper must be served using one loaf and one cup that everyone shares. “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since…
Read MoreWho Can Perform a Baptism?
by Samuel Matthews “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have…
Read MoreDoes God’s Love Mean We Are Automatically Saved?
by Terry Wane Benton The fallacy of the argument about God’s love is that if it means we will be eternally saved because God loves us, then no one would be lost (II Peter 3:9). However, many will be lost (Matthew 7:13-14). Loving us and accepting us are two different things. His love wants us,…
Read MoreEmploying Our Opportunities
by Greg Kline via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 “Eat your food. There are kids around the world who are starving.” This may be one of the most clichéd lines a parent can give a child who is resisting their vegetables. Frankly, it is an attempt to shame their child into eating his…
Read MoreGuardian Angels
by Mike Johnson What is a guardian angel? Many believe that God assigns people a personal guardian angel to guide and protect them from harm, providing both physical and spiritual protection. This viewpoint can be comforting. Moreover, it might be considered a great advantage for people to think of themselves as having “their angel” working…
Read MoreThe Prophetic Word Made More Sure
by Terry Wane Benton Peter said that he and the other apostles (James and John) were “eyewitnesses” to Jesus’ transfiguration (II Peter 1:16-18). But, in addition, “we have the prophetic word made more sure” (II Peter 1:19). The case is very strong, bolstered by eyewitness testimony; however, the fact that their testimony aligns so perfectly…
Read MoreWhat About Good Moral People?
by Joe Slater Comparing the “good moral man” of the world to the flawed child of God can be frustrating! Take Cornelius and Peter for one example. Even before obeying the gospel, Cornelius was a deeply religious man — one who reverenced God, prayed regularly, helped the poor, and taught his family to do the…
Read MoreIs Jesus a Fictional Character? Then So Is History Itself
by Terry Wane Benton People say, “Jesus was a made-up story for control.” Yet the same people believe Napoleon fought wars, Socrates taught philosophy, and Alexander conquered nations – all without demanding proof. So, let’s compare the evidence: Historical Double Standard Socrates never wrote a single word. Everything we know comes from Plato, written decades…
Read MoreThe Brothers of Jesus Did Not Believe
by Hugh DeLong This title is open to some misunderstanding – at the time that this interaction took place, they did not believe. We are not explicitly told why, but from the context, several things are possible. This one is recognized as a ‘first class’ conditional sentence which, from the speaker or writer’s point of…
Read MoreThe Backbone of the Church
by Micky Galloway In referring to the backbone of the church, I have in mind the firmness, the moral courage, the stand for truth, the spine of the church itself. There are certain “straws” that we should be alarmed about because they are breaking the church’s back. What are some of these “straws”? Sin is…
Read MoreGod’s Kingdom and the Nations
by Doy Moyer The United States, for all the good (and bad) that is found therein, is not the Kingdom of God. When we act like it is, we will almost surely misuse Scripture. I saw a post trying to parallel Israel’s covenant law against a foreigner ruling over them with leaders in the US…
Read MoreIs God Immoral for Killing the Canaanites?
by Terry Wane Benton Judge of All the Earth God is the Judge of all the earth. He does not kill anyone arbitrarily, and when He does take a life out of this world (Genesis 15:16), it is always just and right. If God commanded the killing of the Canaanites, any of them, then it…
Read MoreThe Bread of Life
by Hugh DeLong The temptation to turn rocks into bread brought the response of Jesus that man is to live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. God’s word is the bread of life that sustains the soul. Now in John 6, Jesus returns to this…
Read MoreHow to Suffer as a Christian
by David Gibson Since Christ calls us to suffer for Him (John 15:18-20; Acts 14:21-22; II Timothy 3:12), we do well to prepare ourselves spiritually and emotionally for this. One of the best sources for equipping Christians for suffering is First Peter. Peter writes from personal experience, having already been imprisoned and beaten for his…
Read MoreThe Samaritans and Jesus
by Hugh DeLong If you study the history of the Samaritans and the Jews, particularly noting the events leading up to the time of Jesus, you will see the great animosity between them. John simply adds an explanation to help clarify this animosity in John 4:9: “For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” This story…
Read MoreLove Your Neighbor (Moyer)
by Doy Moyer Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments are first, to love God with all the heart, soul, strength, and might, and second, to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). These commandments are the basis for everything else God commands. It’s not hard to see in the structure of the Ten Commandments…
Read MoreHow Should We Treat Those Who Have Been Withdrawn From?
by Kyle Ellison This is a question that receives much attention, concern, and even debate at times. However, when considering a question like this, we are not left without guidance from Scripture. First, we must treat them with love, care, and compassion. We should never look down on anyone who has fallen, nor should we…
Read MoreIs Baptism a Work?
by Vicky Buckwalter It is not uncommon to hear some insist that baptism is not a work. Yet I fear that, in responding to criticism from denominational voices who accuse the Lord’s church of legalism, we have grown hesitant to admit that baptism is indeed a work—specifically, a work authorized by God. Some have reasoned…
Read MoreThe Risk of Small Amounts of Alcohol
Drinking in Moderation Is Not Harmless by Andy Sochor via Plain Bible Teaching for Today It is not uncommon to hear or see debates on whether it is permissible for Christians to drink alcohol in moderation. That is an important discussion. However, it is also interesting to take note of reports and studies from secular…
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