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Confessing Jesus as Lord
by Doy Moyer There is no conversion to Christ and His kingdom without recognizing He is King. In the context of teaching the message of good news, peace, happiness, and salvation, the proclamation is made, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7). This is the passage quoted by Paul in Romans 10, showing the need for preaching…
Read MoreThe Umbrella Nature of the Term “Faith”
by Terry Wane Benton One preacher (Stephen Whitsett) argued the following: “In the same way, it would be possible that Acts 2:38 is indeed communicating the fact that they were to be baptized “as the result of” or “because” they already had believed and in doing so had already received forgiveness of their sins (John…
Read MorePaul’s Letters to Preachers
by Keith Sharp In denominational commentaries, the apostle Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are grouped together as “The Pastoral Epistles.” The term “pastor” is found only once in the New Testament, in Ephesians 4:11 (KJV, NKJV, ASV, NASV). The word is translated as “shepherds” in the ESV. It is the noun form of the…
Read MoreFor (eis) the Remission of Sins
by Terry Wane Benton It is argued by some that “for” the remission of sins, as used in Acts 2:38, should be understood to mean “because of” the remission of sins you already have. They say it is like we use the term when saying, “Take some ibuprofen for your headache.” In that case, “for”…
Read MoreResponse to Why Lutherans Sprinkle Infants
by Raymond Warfel A few days ago, I came across a post on why Lutherans baptize (sprinkle) babies. As I read through the nine points, I saw the need to respond. Because of Grace If you understand grace you can understand infant baptism. Many believe that only those who are able to make a decision…
Read MorePrecious in the Sight of the LORD
by Tommy Peeler “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His godly ones” (Psalm 116:15). What does this mean? Psalms 116 is best described as an individual psalm of thanksgiving. He is thanking God for saving his life. The writer had an experience where the “cords of death encompassed me and…
Read MoreThe Bible on Roman Catholicism
by Zeke Flores A while back, I read a shared post by a Catholic priest. He was angered by “a sea of stupid articles, idiotic commentary and boneheaded op-eds about the Catholic Church, by people who have no clue what they’re talking about.” He went on to rant about “the number of misinformed articles I’ve…
Read MoreBaptismal Regeneration?
by Terry Wane Benton Some teach and believe that the water of baptism is in no way tied to regeneration or salvation. They think it is something you do after salvation as just a symbol of what already happened in your heart. We see no proof of that view in the scriptures. All verses that…
Read MoreThe Rise of Denominationalism
by Andy Sochor via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 4, No. 3, July-September 2024 In the previous article, we discussed the Reformation Movement, which came when the Roman Catholic Church was a religiously and politically dominating force. Over the centuries, it became increasingly corrupt until Martin Luther challenged some of the errors and abuses of the prevailing system.…
Read MoreOn the First Day of the Week
by Terry Wane Benton Acts 20:7 lets us know when the disciples of Jesus came together to break bread. It was the first day of the week. Paul had been there almost a week waiting to get with the brethren. On the first day of the week, the disciples came together to take the bread…
Read MoreJeremiah’s Ending Doesn’t Fit
by Perry Hall If you read the ending of Jeremiah, it doesn’t fit. The actual ending should be Jeremiah 52:30, which fittingly records how many Jews were taken into captivity. That verse completes a beginning where Jeremiah is called to prophesy the coming doom and closes a section describing Nebuchadezzar’s conquering, destruction, exportation, and vicarious…
Read MoreEternal Life
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus is the truth, and Jesus affirms that eternal life is real and the most special thing any of us could have in our possession. However, notice that it is not merely about possessing and claiming to believe the scriptures. The Jews possessed the scriptures of the Old Testament and claimed…
Read MoreThings Foretold
by Terry Wane Benton Peter drove a point home to the Jews who did not believe in Jesus but gave lip service to believing their scriptures. It is impossible for them to actually believe the Old Testament scriptures, the scriptures the Jews claimed to believe because the Old Testament scriptures are “those things which God…
Read MoreHow Old Is the Earth?
by Perry Hall A recent conversation with an atheist who was honest enough to admit a point I had made was from a perspective she hadn’t heard before. May we all be as honest! The information below is more than what I discussed with the young lady: In doing campus evangelism, I asked a young…
Read MorePreaching to Be Paid or Being Paid So You Can Preach?
by Perry Hall Men should not preach to get paid; men should be paid so they can preach. There is a fundamental difference in that statement: If someone preaches to get paid, the emphasis is on the preacher wanting to receive money from the congregation for the time that he preached. If someone is paid…
Read MoreJesus, the Rock
by Doy Moyer Rocks play an important role in Scripture. For example, when the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, God cared for their thirst by providing water from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7). Though they had tested God’s presence, God provided and demonstrated He was there. On the mountain, Moses asked to see God’s…
Read MoreIt Lives and Abides Forever
by Terry Wane Benton Some people who never read the Bible form a view of it anyway. They were told that the Bible is out of date, not up with modern culture, has lost its relevance to our times, and is just a mixture of myths and fables anyway. They did not get that view…
Read MoreSeeking a Church
by Jefferson David Tant So, you are moving to a new town, and you have various decisions to make. Where is a nice neighborhood? Are there any houses there that I can afford? Where is the nearest shopping center? How close to my job do I want to live? Is the traffic bad on the…
Read MoreYou Legalist!
by Dave Hart “You…you… legalist!!” I remember the first time I was called a legalist. It was not a compliment. The response was given after I had shown what the Bible commands on a particular subject. The exact words were, “I think it’s sad that you’re such a legalist.” Since then, there have been many…
Read MoreBroken Jars, Broken Lives
by Zeke Flores Jeremiah had been to the potter’s house. In Jeremiah 18, he saw the craftsmanship the potter exercised in creating and then reshaping his work. I’m sure he saw the pleasure in the artisan’s face as the vessel took the shape he intended. In chapter 19, the persecuted prophet is told to buy…
Read MoreJesus, the Bridegroom
by Doy Moyer God created Adam and Eve to be husband and wife, cleaving to each other in faithfulness (Genesis 2:24). Here is the beginning of marriage, but marriage was not meant to be an end in itself. Marriage is intended to point to something even greater: God and His people in a covenant relationship…
Read MoreThe Way to Live
by Fanning Yater Tant (1908-1997) (The following is from a notebook of my father when he was a student at David Lipscomb College, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1927. He was 18 years old at the time.) The finest thing that a man can give to this old world as he journeys through, Is to live each…
Read MoreGod Wants Me to Be Happy
by Zeke Flores “God wants me to be happy!” How many times have you heard that from someone? How often might you have said it yourself? Interestingly, the Bible says nothing like that. It does say that God wants you to be holy (I Peter 1:14-16), which is much deeper and far more significant than…
Read MoreA Father’s Helpful Words to His Son
by Gregory Roark “Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: ‘I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes,…
Read MoreSome Thoughts About Dad’s Day
by Max Dawson A man’s first priority should be to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). The meaning of that text is to let God reign in your life. Set Him as king in your heart. Seek His plan for making you the righteous person He wants you to be.…
Read MoreWhat Is Being Neglected or Forsaken?
by Adam Litmer The following question was recently asked: “What specifically is meant in Hebrews 10:25 by ‘neglecting’ or ‘forsaking’? Is it inferring a requirement of attendance, or is it addressing an attitude towards worship? If it is a requirement, wouldn’t that infer all opportunities (Wednesday night, etc.) set up by local elders or congregation?”…
Read MoreBelieving the Best About Other Christians
by Matthew W. Bassford I’ve stayed out of the online debate about how churches should respond to the coronavirus and whether churches that assemble are more righteous than churches that don’t (or vice versa). As far as I am concerned, this is a marvelous opportunity to honor the great Scriptural principle of congregational autonomy. If…
Read MorePut Jesus on Trial
by Perry Hall When talking with atheists, I like to tell them to put Jesus on trial. How do we do this? Practical: Examine Jesus’s Teachings: What do you think of Jesus’s teachings? Are Jesus’s teachings indicative of a wise man, a conniver, or a lunatic? How do Jesus’s teachings compare to others? Is Jesus…
Read MoreAd Hominem Arguments
by Doy Moyer One of the most common logical fallacies is the ad hominem. It occurs when a person attacks the character of another rather than addressing the argument. There are many ways this happens, but one that I have seen several times is in questioning the honesty of one who differs. You don’t agree…
Read MoreFather’s Day
by Ray Warfel, Jr. Today is Father’s Day, so naturally, I’ll start by mentioning Mother’s Day. Last month, on Mother’s Day, in my Sunday sermon, I highlighted various moms. Moms from long ago, moms who are a blessing, moms who never had children, moms to children who are not their own, and moms who were…
Read MoreWhen the Guests are Drunk?
by Terry Wane Benton Does John 2:10 say and mean “when the guests are drunk” as the NET so renders, or does the verse have a different connotation? My Interlinear renders this “have well drunk,” which is a far different meaning than “are drunk.” The interlinear rendering means only that they had a lot of…
Read MoreJesus, the Great Redeemer
by Doy Moyer To be redeemed is to be set free from an oppressive circumstance, generally by payment of a ransom price. Scripture tells a story of redemption, where people are set free from sin, purchased by the blood of Christ, and made again into a new creation fit for God’s service. Many passages claim…
Read MoreJust What Exactly Are the Standards?
by Terry Wane Benton I got a notice from the powers that be that I would not be able to do anything for one hour because I did something (like publish a good post with biblical and godly standards) that did not comport with their “community standards.” They didn’t say exactly what I did wrong,…
Read MoreA Living Hope
by Terry Wane Benton What is a “living hope?” Peter says we have this living hope “through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead” (I Peter 1:3). Thus, the resurrection of Jesus forms the basis of hope. When Jesus returned from the grave, it brought a dead hope to life and made it a “living”…
Read MoreCan Pets Become Idols?
by Terry Wane Benton I think we can see an unhealthy attachment to anything becomes a form of idolatry, the same as covetousness for money becomes a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). When our love for animals gets in the way of doing what God says, it can become a form of idolatry. We hear…
Read MoreThe Judge Is Standing at the Door
by Terry Wane Benton “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door” (James 5:9). Don’t forget that the Judge is not off in some distant land attending to more important matters than our words and attitudes. He is standing…
Read MoreMy sister is too tired to attend worship
Question: Hello Minister, My question is, what should I do about my younger sister, who came to me in private about her walk? She is a young single mother who is getting by in life. She works all the time and is very tired on Sunday mornings. She only goes to church once every couple…
Read MoreDoes Love Sanctify?
by Adam Litmer The following question was submitted for consideration. “I was recently in a conversation where someone claimed that genuine love sanctifies homosexual relationships. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that in the moment. Would you mind offering some thoughts?” I’m happy to offer a few thoughts. The statement about genuine love “sanctifying”…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Help
by Jefferson David Tant The Jamaican Patois dialect is colorful, unique, and humorous. It is my desire to share some of the philosophy shown in this mix of colorful phrases that are witty as well as thought-provoking. I hope the readers both profit and enjoy. In my quarter-century plus of teaching there, I have come…
Read MoreThis Will Turn Out
by Terry Wane Benton “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19). He had a mob of angry Jews trying to kill him in Jerusalem and in route to Caesarea, was kept in prison at Caesarea for two…
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