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God Will Do What is Right and Fair
by Edwin Crozier One of our least favorite topics is hell. Few people enjoy bringing hell into the conversation, even among the faithful. Those who do enjoy it surely have something wrong with them. Yet, Jesus warned of hell on multiple occasions–though I don’t think He enjoyed it. We see it right here in Luke…
Read MoreWhere Your Heart Is
by Hugh DeLong “You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections” (II Corinthians 6:12). This follows Paul’s long list of situations he had to deal with as a disciple of Jesus. Discipleship involves the setting of our hearts (our ‘inward parts’ – the visceral emotion or compassion – not…
Read MoreCourage
by Zeke Flores “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Joshua 1 opens with a major transition. Moses is gone, and Joshua now carries the weight of leading Israel into the land they’ve waited for…
Read MoreWho Is a Christian?
by Samuel A. Matthews “Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?” (James 2:6-7 KJV). Loved ones, to answer our subject question completely, we will address three distinct aspects. First, we will consider whom denominations consider Christians.…
Read MoreOur Earthly Tent
by Hugh DeLong Paul faced many worldly problems because he endured persecution for preaching the gospel. He lists many of them in II Corinthians 11. These were so severe that he “despaired even of life” (II Corinthians 1:8). However, even in such a situation, he learned to trust not in himself, his existence, his ability,…
Read MoreEnd of an Era
by Zeke Flores “So Moses the servant of Yahweh died there in the land of Moab” (Deuteronomy 34:5). Moses’ death marks the end of an era. He didn’t enter the land, but he finished his assignment. The text emphasizes his identity: servant of Yahweh. That’s the defining description. Moses’ legacy wasn’t built on perfection; it…
Read MoreStability and Support
by Zeke Flores “The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). This blessing frames God as stability and support. Israel’s security wasn’t in geography or military strength; it was in God Himself. Moses wants Israel to understand that God is both refuge and foundation. He holds them up…
Read MoreI commend you for your teachings
Question: Sincerely, I commend you and the church for your teachings. Answer: Thank you for your kind encouragement.
Read MoreStages of Religious Fellowships
The stages of development often seen in religious fellowships, as described by historian David Edwin Harrell, Jr., are well worth considering today. From truth-oriented to group-oriented. From open controversy to closed controversy. From self-conscious rejection of society to self-conscious acceptance of society. From builders to preservers. Steve Wolfgang by Ed Harrell B. C. Goodpasture fits…
Read MoreThe Blessed Man of God
by Samuel A. Matthews Loved ones, the study of the Psalms has long yielded many Bible readers boundless profit and ever-increasing joy. The Psalms are so rich, so full of meaning. Perhaps no other book of the Bible has been read so fondly. The first Psalm may well be regarded as “The Preface Psalm,” because…
Read MoreOne Thing Is Necessary
by Edwin Crozier Imagine you woke up in the middle of the night, and your smoke detector is blaring. A fire is consuming your house. You realize you have time to grab just one thing and run out onto the street. What do you get? What would you think of a person with an infant…
Read MoreIt Just Happened!
by Glen Young via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 4, December 1996 The elders met with the two couples to resolve the problem, if possible. One of the women sat and sobbed quietly. The other sat staring at a wall with red, swollen eyes. The first husband stood, shifting his weight from one foot to the…
Read MoreAw, He’s Probably a Nerd, but It’s for Sure He’s Ugly
by Gary Calton via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 4, December 1996 What happens when a friend gets a job advertised at twice your pay? How do you feel when one of the guys at work gets the promotion you hoped for? On the other hand, what happens when your best friend finally retires? Try as…
Read MoreGospel Guardian, February 1, 1978
by James W. Adams via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 4, December 1996 Almost two decades ago, the late B.C. Goodpasture, then the “Pastepot” but occasionally the rampaging and recalcitrant editor of “Old Reliable” The Gospel Advocate, characterized those opposing church support of human institutions and centralized control and oversight as “Johnny-come-lately Sommerites.” On this basis,…
Read MoreHe Who Is Least Is Great
by Edwin Crozier The disciples repeatedly struggled with the very problem I have. In Luke 9:46, “An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest” (ESV). And that’s the problem. I want to be great. At least, I want you to think I’m great. Of course, you don’t have to think…
Read MoreConversion of the Philippian Jailer
by Samuel A. Matthews “Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And…
Read MoreJust Take Your Punishment
by Keith Sharp About forty years ago, I knew a young preacher with a cavalier attitude toward traffic laws. He was known to drive down the highway at breakneck speed, with a Twinkie and a Mountain Dew for breakfast, steering the car with his knees! Sandy and I would not let our children ride with…
Read MoreUnderstated Aspects of Grace
by Hugh DeLong In writing about the contributions that churches were making in a relief effort for the saints in Judea, Paul writes of grace (cp. II Corinthians 8:1-6). Here, Paul states that God’s grace gave the Macedonian brethren the opportunity to share worldly blessings with others. They responded by begging Paul to allow them…
Read MoreWhy God Allows Suffering
by Bill Robinson A Summary from Job 26:14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?” (Job 26:14 NASB). The book of Job is poetry, and this line closes Job’s hymn on God’s power over the heavens, the earth,…
Read MoreConfession, Contrition, and Repentance
by Chadwick Brewer Sometimes we conflate these three things as being the same thing. While it is true that ideally they would all happen together, they are in fact different and distinct. Let’s take a moment to define them and see what happens when they don’t happen concurrently. Confession The act of stating that what…
Read MoreHow Can Our Mind Comprehend God?
by Samuel A. Matthews “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33, KJV). Loved ones, I look down at my feet, squinting closely, to identify the black moving speck as an ant. Though we are both…
Read MoreReligion and Science
by Samuel A. Matthews “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our…
Read MoreThe Name on the Sign
by Jerry Crolius via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 3, September 1996 Must It Read, “Church of Christ”? What “name” should appear on the signs in front of our meeting places? While I appreciate the good teaching done by several in the electronic medium, I believe that brethren need to hear scriptural and practical teaching on…
Read MoreEdomites Among Us
by Floyd Chapelllear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 3, September 1996 The sounds of battle had to have been terrifying to those Jews cowering within the walls of Jerusalem. The terrors of war were about to descend on them, and no relief seemed possible. The Sabine women’s fate would no doubt befall the Judean women,…
Read MoreHow Shall We Treat Brethren with Whom We Disagree?
by Earl Kimbrough via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 3, September 1996 The “Christians” associated with Barton W. Stone and the “Disciples” or “Reformers” associated with Thomas and Alexander Campbell began to unite in the early 1830s. At the time, the two groups differed sharply over some strongly held beliefs, but they achieved unity despite these…
Read MoreBroken and Empty
by Chadwick Brewer “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:3-4). Jesus’s first words of teaching, as recorded for us in Matthew, show us that how we come to God truly matters. A common mindset is that we…
Read MoreYour Trajectory
by Zeke Flores “I have set before you life and death … so choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Moses presents a clear choice. Life isn’t a feeling; it’s a direction, and a simple one at that. Choosing life simply means aligning with God’s ways. Choosing death means rejecting them. This isn’t dramatic language; it’s practical. Your…
Read MoreYour Faith Has Done What?
by Edwin Crozier When Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, convinced Jesus to go to his house to heal his daughter, it seemed his plans were ruined by a woman with an issue of blood. For as long as Jairus’s daughter had been alive, this woman had suffered. She had spent all she had on…
Read MoreOriginal Sin
by Lyndon Conn Adam sinned without a sinful nature Original sin says we inherited a sinful nature from Adam, but when Adam fell into sin, he didn’t have one. How could Adam pass along something he didn’t have? Adam’s sin had catastrophic consequences for the human race, but his sin did not lead to a…
Read MorePlay by Our Rules
by Edwin Crozier In Luke 7:31-35, Jesus spoke out against the people of the generation He was visiting in His incarnation. He said, “To what shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like?” (Luke 7:31 ESV). It’s possible He was making a general point about the illustration as a whole.…
Read MoreThe Collection for the Saints
by Hugh DeLong Because of political, economic, and worldly circumstances in Judea, the church there was struggling to survive physically. They banded together in Jerusalem and shared among themselves to care for those saints in need. This has continued for some time, and now things have become even more difficult. HOW will God provide for…
Read MoreStability
by Zeke Flores “So keep the words of this covenant to do them, that you may prosper” (Deuteronomy 29:9). Moses is renewing the covenant. He warns that prosperity here isn’t about wealth; it’s about the stability and well-being that come from living within God’s design. Israel needed to understand that covenant faithfulness wasn’t ceremonial; it…
Read MoreRaging Against Sound Judgment
by Chadwick Brewer “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment” (Proverbs 18:1). In this context, Solomon is talking about isolating from counsel and advice. When we know what we want and are fully convinced it’s best for us, we pull away from counsel and advice. When we…
Read MoreThe Blind Leading the Blind
by Edwin Crozier In Luke 6:39, Jesus told them a parable. “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?” (ESV). Then He made two applications. First, a disciple will never be above his or her teacher. When I am fully trained, I will only see as well…
Read MoreWhen Someone Wants to Die
by Bill Robinson Elijah had just won. Fire from heaven, four hundred false prophets exposed, the drought broken. Then one threat from a queen, and the same man walked a day into the wilderness, sat down under a broom tree, and asked God to let him die. “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away…
Read MoreAll These Blessings
by Zeke Flores “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey Yahweh your God” (Deuteronomy 28:2). Deuteronomy 28 outlines blessings and curses. The point isn’t transactional; it’s relational. Obedience aligns Israel with God’s design, which naturally leads to stability and flourishing. Moses wants Israel to understand that obedience isn’t restrictive.…
Read MoreI Am in Distress
by Ray Warfel, Jr. On Wednesday evening here at Winston-Salem, we are studying through the Psalms. Just a sampling of Psalms through the end of the year. I chose Psalm 31 for us to begin with, and I call this psalm: A Life Entrusted to God. One of the features we see in the Psalms…
Read MoreMaking Sense of Romans 14
by Steve Dewhirst via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 3, September 1996 What honest Bible student has not wrestled with this passage? I’m confident that the original recipients of Paul’s epistle didn’t have nearly the difficulty we do, for at least two reasons. First, they were well acquainted with all the circumstances surrounding this apostolic instruction…
Read MoreThe New Catholicism
by Kenny Chumbley via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 22 No. 3, September 1996 In The Torch of the Testimony, John W. Kennedy offers a revealing critique of the apostasy that swept through churches like prairie fire in the second and third centuries AD. “As early as New Testament times, the life of the churches was disturbed by…
Read MoreFinding Grace
by Tommy Peeler I become more convinced with time that grace can be found on every page, in every chapter of the Old Testament. I acknowledge that in some places this mercy is easier to see than in others. Jeremiah 19 shows grace at work, but you may have to look a little harder to…
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