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My People Are Foolish
by Terry Wane Benton I find it remarkable that the Old Testament Bible was written by Jews for Jews, but does not compliment these people. It calls them stiffnecked and displays a long history of disobedience to God, and yet people today want us to think that they just “made it up.” What? If I…
Read MoreA Heart of Stone or a Heart of Flesh?
by Jarrod M. Jacobs Twice in the book of Ezekiel, God spoke about the fact that He would take the people and remove their “stony heart” so they might have a heart of “flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26). In context, the “stony” heart describes the person who has been disobedient and obstinate against God. The heart…
Read MoreDeath Is Yours!
by Paul Earnhart via Christianity Magazine, 12(7), 10 (1995) Solomon warns of the folly of building life on youth because it slips away like the morning mist and the once vital body turns frail and slips its earthly moorings (Ecclesiastes 11:9 to 12:7). I remember my first intimate contact with death. As a young and…
Read MoreLuke and the Birth of Jesus
by Doy Moyer Luke’s intent to “compile an account of the things accomplished among us” as handed down by eyewitnesses begins with the birth of John the Immerser. John’s role would be to “turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God” by going “as a forerunner before Him in the…
Read MoreSet a Mark
by Jarrod M. Jacobs Ezekiel 9 continues the record of Ezekiel’s vision from chapter 8. Here, he sees God calling men, specifically executioners, to Him, for they were going to execute those who had gone astray into idolatry. Remember, this is a highly figurative vision, but these men in the vision stood for the execution…
Read MoreMatthew and the Birth of Jesus
by Doy Moyer Matthew describes the birth of Jesus succinctly and factually: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way” (Matthew 1:18). This is after he has spent time on the genealogy of Jesus, showing that He is the rightful King descended through the line of David. He is expressly called “the…
Read MoreChrist Sent Me Not to Baptize
by Terry Wane Benton In I Corinthians 1:17 Paul said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.” The assumption that denominational people make is that Christ did not send Paul to baptize because…
Read MoreWhat Is the Law?
Original Author Unknown edited by Michael Garrison Have you wondered just what “the law” refers to in the New Testament? It does not always refer to the Ten Commandments. Note the following: Genesis is called the law. Galatians 4:21-23 refers to Genesis 16:15; 21:1-3. Exodus is called the law in Romans 7:7 which refers to…
Read MoreWhen Jeremiah Wanted to Quit Preaching
by Terry Wane Benton It wasn’t just mental fatigue and having to deal with obnoxious attitudes, but having to constantly deal with brethren undermining him and working against him, some even looking for ways to get rid of him for good! It got to where he dreaded preaching the needed message of repentance. It was…
Read MoreYou Never Know What’s Going to Stick
by Zeke Flores A while back, one of my daughters was going through a box of her papers that we had stored in our attic. She ran across a paper she had written and given to me in her teen years that listed 10 reasons why I should let her get her belly button pierced.…
Read MoreThe Seriousness of Teaching
by Jarrod M. Jacobs Twice in Ezekiel, God warns him about how serious it is to teach God’s truth and warn people when they are in sin. Ezekiel 3:17-21 and 33:2-9 make it clear that Ezekiel served as a “watchman” for the Lord. As such, he had the duty to warn people about sin and the…
Read MoreThey Shall Know a Prophet Has Been Among Them
by Jarrod M. Jacobs When Ezekiel was called to be a prophet, God made certain things very clear to him. God made it clear that these people were a “rebellious house” (Ezekiel 2:3). God does not mince words regarding His people! He lets Ezekiel know the kind of people he will be facing. At the…
Read MoreA Hard-Headed Prophet
by Jarrod M. Jacobs Ezekiel 3:4-11 describes for us God’s intent for the prophet Ezekiel. He was sent to a specific group of people, the house of Israel (Ezekiel 3:4). He did not go to foreigners or those who had never heard, but to those who had heard again and again and refused to obey…
Read MoreThe Birth of Jesus
by Doy Moyer Talking about the birth of Jesus Christ is needed at all times of the year, but it seems especially fitting to talk about it when people are thinking in that direction. If we are not careful, we may too easily dismiss an opportunity to speak to one of the most important events…
Read MoreI Don’t Go to Church
by Dan Chaney “I’m a Christian, I just don’t go to church.” Maybe you’ve been burned by religious people. Maybe you have social setting anxiety. Maybe you just prefer other recreational activities on Sunday. Individual motivations really aren’t the focus of this post. “I’m a Christian but I don’t go to church” sounds reasonable, possibly…
Read MoreAm I Become Your Enemy?
by Robert F. Turner Paul had done some straight talking to the Galatian churches. He had said, “I am afraid of (for) you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain” (Galatians 4:11). Then, in Galatians 4:16, “Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?” Paul knew how people often…
Read MoreThe Earliest Manuscripts
by Ferrell Jenkins “In the original Greek, it says…” How many times have you heard that in a Bible class or sermon? The fact is, we have no originals (autograph copies) of any New Testament or Old Testament book. Textual critics, those scholars who work with the available materials to produce Hebrew and Greek texts,…
Read MoreHe Tests the Mind
by Terry Wane Benton “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10). The sum of all our good and bad experiences in this testing ground called life is, in fact, a test of mindset or…
Read MoreFear of Truth
by James W. Adams (1914-2013) in Words Fitly Spoken, p. 60 My daughter’s friend expressed great interest in the doctrine of “Premillennialism.” It so happened that I was at that time engaged in a series of studies involving the subject on a television program. My daughter suggested to her friend that she might tune in,…
Read MoreMy Mom’s Legacy
by Jeremy Dehut I’ve been reflecting on Mom’s legacy. God has used her and Dad in incredible ways. Both of my parents came from broken homes where sin, abuse, alcohol, and other addiction was common. When mom was five her father died in a car accident he caused from drinking. My grandmother met her next…
Read MoreThe Good Life
by Doy Moyer Ask people if they want a good, happy life and they will say, “Yes. Of course.” No one wants a terrible, miserable life. Yet, while we all want the good life, many will think that this is not attainable. Or, if it is attainable, it is to be on our own terms,…
Read MoreThe Sabbath Was Saturday, Not Sunday
by Terry Wane Benton The 7th day of the week is the old Sabbath commanded of the Israelites (Exodus 20:8-11). Are we to keep it? No! We are not under the law of Moses (Romans 7:6). The inspired apostle Paul said that the ordinances of the law were “abolished” in His flesh (Ephesians 2:15). Jeremiah…
Read MoreGod’s Existence Doesn’t Depend on Me
by Perry Hall In Megan Rappinoe’s last game, she injured herself by tearing her Achilles tendon. She is the women’s soccer team captain and outspoken advocate for LGBTQT+. She immediately said afterward, “I’m not a religious person or anything and if there was a god, like, this is proof that there isn’t”. Let’s examine her…
Read MoreThey Went Out from Us
by Terry Wane Benton Sometimes it is a hidden blessing to the local church when we lose some people and numbers. John spoke of some who ceased in heart to be “of us” (I John 2:18f). They “went out” because, in heart, they had been secretly drifting away from the truth being preached and could…
Read MoreThe Christian’s Attributes
by Jefferson David Tant “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities…
Read MoreSaved from the Wrath of God
by Doy Moyer To be saved from the wrath of God is generally equated in Scripture with being saved from judgment. It is set opposite of eternal life. For example, Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Experience
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 MoreOne Last Verse
by Matthew W. Bassford Throughout my life, there was a series of verses that I identified as “my verse”. These were verses that, in some way, exemplified me or what I needed to become. I kept II Timothy 2:24-25 on my bathroom mirror for years because I needed the reminder. Later, I took great encouragement…
Read MoreRunning Away and Running To
by Perry Hall James 4:7-8 is taking on a more powerful meaning to me. Here’s the text: “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:7-8 CSB). Why…
Read MoreThe Chain of Authority
by David Gibson I am indebted to Owen D. Olbricht, who helped me understand the chain of authority. God the Father He is “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:6). Jesus the Son Jesus frequently referred to Himself as having been sent by His…
Read MoreThe Doctrine of the Nicolaitans
by Terry Wane Benton Revelation 2:15 mentions the doctrine of the Nicolaitans and says that God “hates” that doctrine. Whatever it was, the church at Pergamos had members that taught this doctrine as well as the doctrine of Balaam (Revelation 2:14). Because of these doctrines in the church, God had “a few things against you.”…
Read MoreWhy Me?
by Doy Moyer If the blind man of John 9 asked, “Why me?” the answer would be “that the works of God might be displayed in you.” If the paralytic from Mark 2 asked, “Why me?” the answer would be “that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive…
Read MoreIsrael and the Promised Land
by Roger L. Leonard Because the Jews in the time of Jesus rejected the Old Testament prophets who foretold of Him and subsequently rejected Him as the Messiah, He said to them: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together,…
Read MoreKeeping House for the Lord Until the Doors Close
by Perry Hall “Keeping house for the Lord” or, “The church is closing its doors”. These are two phrases that you might have heard. A congregation, once in the 500s, is now “closing their doors.” I just heard of another, once in the 500s, stopped meeting after COVID. Both were in the “Bible belt.” Besides…
Read MoreAt What Moment in Faith?
by Terry Wane Benton Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:6,8). Of this, there is no controversy. The question is, “At what moment in faith does salvation or remission of sins actually become ours through faith?” Has God designated an exact moment? The answer is very clear unless one has an agenda guided by…
Read MoreWhy I Believe We Should Still Marry and Bring Children into the World
by Terry Wane Benton Is having children too risky? Seeing that the majority will end up lost, I have seen a number of faithful Christians lose their children to the world. Answer: That is a pretty defeatist way of viewing things. When was it not risky? I’ve seen people, who go at it already prepared…
Read MoreThings My Mom Taught Me
by Dee Bowman (1934-2021) Christianity Magazine, May 1997 It’s hard losing your parents. You labor under the strain of not having told them more often that you love them. You remember all the things they did for you and sit and wonder if you did much for them. I was home in Lubbock for the…
Read MoreWhat Do We Do with Deborah as a Judge?
by Perry Hall Deborah is a conundrum. And we shouldn’t be surprised because she is a woman! Joking aside, there is still the fact that Deborah is an aberration when it comes to judges because she is a woman. So much so is this true, that proponents on both sides of the debate concerning women’s…
Read MoreNo Man Ever Spoke Like This Man
by Terry Wane Benton On one most revealing occasion, some soldiers were sent to capture Jesus and came back empty-handed exclaiming, “No man ever spoke like this man” (John 7:46). What seems most impressive to me about the whole episode of Jesus is that He was feared, not because He might be physically dangerous to…
Read MoreThe Development of Papal Power
By Andy Sochor Unmasking Sophistry, October-December, 2023, Vol. 3, No. 4 The pope is arguably the most influential religious figure in the world today. Yet there was a time when the one who occupied this office was even more powerful than the current pope. He would not only be the highest-ranking member of the Roman…
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