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Propaganda Wars – When People Can’t or Won’t Hear Truth
by Terry Wane Benton We have the book of Jeremiah only because truth wins in the end. But think of the propaganda that seemed to prevail when Jeremiah was trying to preach to the corrupt establishment. God had an important mission for Jeremiah, “to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw…
Read MoreNever Speak Evil
by Doy Moyer Never speak evil. We are not to speak evil of anyone, including those in positions of power. Not even Michael the archangel would bring a railing accusation against the devil, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 9) The powers that be are in God’s hands and judged according to His will;…
Read MoreIs the Bible Full of Fables?
by Richard Blackford I was recently invited to join a website for Bible discussion. It didn’t take long to observe that its purpose was to bash the Bible, Christ, and Christianity. An accusation was made a few weeks ago that the Bible is composed of fables. My reaction to that is two-fold: This person is…
Read MoreMusic
by Richard Blackford We don’t limit “Set for the Defense” (Philippians 1:7,17) to responding to arguments made against God and the Bible (often in blasphemous attacks), but also in presenting positive affirmations for believing there is a highly Intelligent Designer who is the cause of all creation. Many things in our universe argue for such…
Read MoreIn Defense of the Apostle Paul
by Richard Blackford We have heard it said that Paul was not an authentic apostle. They say he injected his prejudices into his writing, that he was a misogynist and a homophobe. Others don’t care much for Paul because of his teaching on baptism. They also claim to be Christians, but they mainly just follow…
Read MoreGive the ‘Prince of Peace’ a Chance
by Richard Blackford While many herald, “Give peace a chance,” they get the cart before the horse. Any attempt at peace that omits the Prince of Peace is doomed to fail. Someone said, “It’s not that Christianity was tried and found difficult. It’s that it was found difficult and not tried.” Some know about Christianity,…
Read MoreLifestyle Evangelism
by Terry Wane Benton A good way to live is by the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you. (Matthew 7:12) Would you want others to treat you as worthless? Don’t treat others as worthless. Would you want to be ignored and never included? Shunned? Of course not!…
Read MoreIt is Written
by David Gibson My dad kept a small notebook in his pocket for writing reminders of appointments and things to do. Why do we write notes to ourselves? Because we all know how fallible human memory is. When Israel was at Sinai, Moses would climb the mountain to receive God’s instructions, then come down and…
Read MoreFaith Alone in Ephesians 2:8?
by Terry Wane Benton Question: Many claim that Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches salvation by faith alone and that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Please respond. Answer: First, the word “alone” is not in Ephesians 2:8 but it is in James 2:14-24 and there it clearly says, “Not by faith alone.” So, we must not allow…
Read MoreGod’s Wisdom in Church Leadership
by David Gibson God always does it right the first time. Take, for example, church leadership. What church leaders are called in the New Testament What many people do not realize is that in the New Testament, there are at least three terms used synonymously: 1) pastors, 2) overseers (also called bishops), and 3) elders.…
Read MoreIs God a Narcissist?
by Richard Blackford I participate periodically in discussions on a website that atheists run. The accusation has been made frequently that God is a narcissist. He is depicted as a self-centered tyrant absorbed in himself who wants everyone groveling at His feet and needs constant attention. I believe this is a misunderstanding. Some fail to…
Read MoreIn Defense of a Jealous God
by Richard Blackford Several times, the Bible states that God is a jealous God. One of those is in the Ten Commandments: “Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image……Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:4-5). That conjures…
Read MoreMeme Makers Myth-informed
by Richard Blackford Meme makers are trying to discredit Jesus again. It’s difficult to find more falsehood in such a small space. This was making the rounds on social media during the holidays. One of the first things mentioned is Jesus’ “Birthday is celebrated on December 25th. ”But notice the title: “THE BIBLE. Not as…
Read MoreEvolutionary Logic
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 30, 1983
Read MoreThe Nature of the Church
by R. L. Whiteside via Gospel Advocate, December 3, 1942 From what reading I do, it seems to me that brethren are drifting away from a correct conception of what the church is. The church of God is the family of God, and all his children are in it. If one of his children wanders…
Read MoreDead Wood Among the Branches
by Jack Behle via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 30, 1983 The teacher tenure law in our state protects teachers against being dismissed arbitrarily after teaching in a district for five years. In fact, it is very difficult to fire a tenured teacher, no matter what the reason. The law was designed to…
Read MoreJacob and Esau
by David Lipscomb The treatment of Esau and Joseph was sinful. It was done in a wrong spirit and for a wicked purpose. Jacob and the brethren of Joseph all suffered intensely for the wrongs they did. Jacob suffered in the exile from his family and the fear and dread of meeting Esau, and the…
Read MoreThe Church in Two Senses of the Word
based on charts by Scott Mann via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 30, 1983 Universal Church The Relationship of Saints with God Members are enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12:23; II Timothy 2:19) Consists of all saints, everywhere, living or dead (Ephesians 3:15; 5:27-29) Only the Lord adds to their number (Acts 2:47) Entrance…
Read MoreSpeaking in “Tongues”
by Jim Deason via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2015 Anyone who has “surfed” the 666 channels on your cable network or has talked with your neighbor across your backyard fence has heard people claim the special and direct guidance of the Holy Spirit. Many of these people believe that the first evidence…
Read MoreHastening the Day of the Lord (Benton)
by Terry Wane Benton “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” (II Peter 3:12) What manner of person should you be in godliness, as you are “looking for and hastening the coming of…
Read MoreIncreasingly Angry
by Zeke Flores An interesting thing happened at a grocery store one morning. I was at the customer service desk and saw a man complaining very loudly to a store manager about the rude service he thought he had gotten from one of the store clerks. While the manager did her best to be sympathetic…
Read MoreThe Little Things
by Doy Moyer People often seem prone to wanting big things out of life. If we are going to accomplish anything, we want it to be big, fancy, and impressive. Culturally, we tend to think in terms of big names, sports, and movie stars, or heroic action. Famous people get our attention. Consequently, we might…
Read MoreEveryone Who Had Something to Give Contributed
by Zeke Flores There’s an interesting incident in Exodus 35: Everyone with something to contribute to the Tabernacle gave what they had. Whether it was cloth, wood, stone, spices, oil, or gold, Scripture repeatedly says, “They brought it.” In fact, they brought so much that they had more than enough to do God’s work, and…
Read MoreIn Their Hearts
by David Gibson In his address to the Sanhedrin, Stephen said, “Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him [Moses], but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt…” (Acts 7:39 NASB). “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks…
Read MoreNot Every One Should Be Baptized
by Terry Wane Benton Babies should not be baptized. They haven’t sinned, don’t disbelieve or believe, don’t know what repentance is about, and can’t confess Jesus. Dunking such persons in water only gets them wet. Calling it baptism does not make it “in the name of the Lord” (Acts 2:38). The Ethiopian Eunuch asked Philip,…
Read MoreIs it right to say God has mercy on some?
Question: Best regards, A few days ago, I came across this article, “Are We Condemning Those Who Never Heard the Gospel?” and I have been meditating on it. My observation and comment are not because I do not believe in the perfect righteousness of God, since I am a Christian, a member of the church…
Read MoreJesus and Common Courtesy
by Joshua Welch via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 At the age of sixteen, George Washington hand-copied a document titled 101 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior. The document’s author was not inspired, but his rules are worth a read or two or three. This is especially true when so many in…
Read MoreJesus Loves the Little Children
by Kent Heaton via Biblical Insight, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 There are many scenes in which Jesus Christ is the imminent teacher of multitudes, advisor to noblemen, powerful Creator calming a storm, or the great physician healing and raising the dead. His wrath and fury are felt with a whip of cords driving…
Read MoreOur Choices and God’s Choices
by David Gibson Notably, the Prodigal Son makes two choices, and his father makes two choices (Luke 15:11-32). Return of the prodigal son Luke 15:20-24 First, the son decides to leave home and travel to a far country. At this stage in the story, he is driven by his headstrong, pleasure-seeking mentality. In time, circumstances…
Read MoreBut the Greatest of These Is Love
by Aaron Erhardt via Biblical Insight, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 Napoleon once declared, “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself have founded empires, but upon what do these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded His empire upon love: and to this very day millions would die for Him.” Indeed, the “empire”…
Read MoreThe Triune Nature of God: God’s Divine Nature in Creation
by Ethan Longhenry via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 In Romans 1:18-20 Paul makes an important argument: everyone has been given a sufficient understanding of who God is based within His creation. We recognize how God’s eternal power is evident in the creation: from the fixed properties of the universe that facilitate…
Read MorePrayer and Fasting
by Edward Smith How many Christians do you know who practice fasting for religious reasons? The people who have a conviction to fast are often the very ones who also have a conviction not to do it to be seen by men – so their fasting goes unnoticed (Matthew 6:16-18). The perception, sadly, is that…
Read MoreHonor the Emperor
by Chadwick Brewer “…living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (I Peter 2:16-17). Often in Scripture, within a list of commands, one command or concept seems dissimilar to the others. I believe this serves to throw its importance into sharp relief. It is meant to be very…
Read MoreThe Riches of His Grace
by Terry Wane Benton It is exciting to go through Romans, Hebrews, Ephesians, and II Corinthians and note how many times and ways Paul mentioned or described “the riches of His grace” and how “unsearchable” these riches are. It’s like finding an endless supply of gold coins, pearls, precious stones, and other things that would…
Read MoreThe Goodness and Severity of God
by Jim Mickells via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22). It seems that many, if not most, in the religious world today only…
Read MoreA Siege Ramp Against Our Faith
by Lee Wildman via Biblical Insights, Vol 14, No. 9, September 2014 Masada was a fortress on a plateau overlooking the Dead Sea where Herod the Great built a palace over 30 years before Jesus was born. After the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, they were determined to take this fortress from the Jews who had…
Read MoreThe Body Is for the Lord
by Bob Hutto via Biblical Insights, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 It appears that some Christians in Corinth were trying to justify their immoral behavior. Whether their arguments stemmed from former pagan practices, were the result of bad theology, or were simply an excuse to do what they wanted, Paul knew he had to deal…
Read MoreThe Flood
by Terry Wane Benton “By which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water” (II Peter 3:6). The “world” Peter is discussing is not the world of Judaism. He is not speaking metaphorically of Judaism. That is sometimes read into the passage. It is not the matter under discussion here. What world are…
Read MoreAssurance of Salvation
by Terry Wane Benton “So, any Christian who keeps the faith never has to be worried about their salvation. Once Saved, Always Saved is not in the Bible. Assurance of salvation is. We can know that we have eternal life” [from a comment received]. The key here is “keeping the faith.” If you keep the…
Read MoreTruth and Fellowship
by Terry Wane Benton Years ago, I heard a preacher encourage brethren not to worry so much about who to fellowship with as about what to preach and support from God’s word. He said, “Just focus on preaching the truth of God’s word, and fellowship issues will begin to take care of themselves.” What he…
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