Article
Heaven
by Mark Chatfield via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 Several years ago, I saw a show on TV; it may have been Twilight Zone or something similar. A man died, and the show was about his afterlife. The program caused a good deal of thought about what heaven might really be…
Read MoreMay Women Serve as Priests?
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 The priesthood of the Mosaical dispensation was a special priesthood limited by the Law to certain males of the tribe of Levi. These ordained representatives of God had the exclusive right to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. Today, no such…
Read MoreThey Wish You Would Help
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all” (I Thessalonians 5:14). In so doing, the church of our Lord is the finest “support group” on the face of the earth!…
Read MoreWe’re Having So Much Fun … There’s No Reason to Be Religious!
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 Have you attended a religious service lately? Was it a service dedicated to preaching the gospel and edifying the saints, or did it more closely resemble a rock concert? Modern church services often appear to constitute little more than carnal entertainment. Can…
Read MoreTwo Essentials for Assurance
by Mark Nitz via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 One of our greatest needs in serving God is a feeling of confidence regarding our present acceptance by God and future home in heaven. Unfortunately, this assurance is sadly lacking among many of God’s people. Extremes are taken in both directions (“once…
Read MoreYour Preaching Is Offensive to Me
by Tom M. Roberts via Truth Magazine, Vol 43, 1999 “Then His disciples came and said to Him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?’” (Matthew 15:12). The history of speaking “the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11) is a history of controversy. There is an inimical and hostile…
Read More“How Beautiful Are the Feet” (Romans 10:15)
by Tom M. Roberts via Truth Magazine, Vol. 43, 1999 God did not entrust the gospel to angels, to supernatural beings, to higher life forms without foibles and feet of clay. Indeed, he entrusted the gospel to men. As an objective fact, this is rather astounding. The message of salvation is in feeble human hands!…
Read MoreWhy Not Use Both?
by Matthew W. Bassford Several weeks ago, I encountered an article called “The Devolution of Christian Congregational Worship.” [https://www.patheos.com/…/the-devolution-of-christian…/] Judging from the title, I predicted that it would be another grumpy get-off-my-lawn rant about contemporary praise songs and the damage that they are doing to Christianity. I was not wrong. As always, I am struck…
Read MoreGod’s Plan for Our Salvation
by Stephen Harper God, “according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (II Timothy 1:9), had a plan for our salvation, and Jesus Christ “was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (I Peter 1:20) as the sacrifice for our sins. This plan, though, was…
Read MoreChanging Clothes
by Perry Hall Notice how Colossians 2-4 has many parallel thoughts to Zechariah 3. Satan Accuses Joshua “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of Yahweh, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him” (Zechariah 3:1). Colossians 2:14 mentions a certificate of debt caused by our failure to…
Read MoreThe Voice of Experience
by David Gibson Bible Thought: “O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want” (Psalm 34:9 NASB). Among the Bible passages I recall my dad mentioning is David’s statement, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or…
Read MoreHow Many Facts in “Faith Only”?
by Terry Wane Benton Those brethren who now teach that salvation is at the moment of faith before repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins (they say that is “faith plus works”) never seem to get around to telling us what all is included in their “faith only” concept.…
Read MoreWhy Didn’t He Save?
by Chadwick Brewer Often, we hear people lament the loss of a loved one. They are hurting and mourning the loss of those they hold dear, and they struggle with the question of why Christ would not take away the pain, suffering, and loss – especially when He had done so for others while He…
Read MoreThe Babe and Child
by Terry Wane Benton Luke, a first-century physician and an inspired historian, lets us see how an unborn and born baby are fully human, whether in or out of the womb. In other words, birth is not the moment of becoming human and now worthy of life-support! When John the Baptist was still in the…
Read MoreEscapism
by Chadwick Brewer “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by” (Psalms 57:1). So much of the world around us revolves around escapism. In the extreme examples, people escape…
Read MoreThis Generation
by David Gibson Bad News! Jesus assessed the Jews of His day as “this adulterous and sinful generation” (Mark 8:38), “this evil generation” (Matthew 12:45), and “O faithless and twisted generation” (Matthew 17:17). Note the pejoratives: adulterous, sinful, evil, faithless, twisted. The Great Physician has pointedly and accurately diagnosed the fatal malady of our fallen human condition,…
Read MoreUnwritten Pains
by Chadwick Brewer “And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets” (Mark 1:19). In Scripture, there is not much exploration of the bond between James and John. That is not to say that nothing is implied or understood…
Read MoreChanging Their Glory for What Does Not Profit
by David Gibson Isn’t it sad? How people seek after what proves counterproductive, totally illogical, and ultimately defeating. “Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares…
Read MoreHandling Rejection
by Terry Wane Benton I suppose that we all feel rejection in one form or another. Even Jesus, the only perfect individual to ever live, was rejected. So, we have to expect it to handle it. It is sometimes very painful, especially when it makes no sense, and you know you have done nothing to…
Read MoreBabbling like Pagans
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 Charismatic tongue-speaking did not originate with Christianity. In fact, historians tell us that the ancient Greeks would get ״carried away in the spirit” and babble nonsensically as part of their worship of the gods. Jesus forbade his disciples to “babble like the…
Read MoreSinless Perfectionism
by Floyd Chappalear via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 Some brethren are saying today that they believe the “walk” of the faithful saint is negated if he commits even a single sin inadvertently (or against his will). This, of course, would include the sin of teaching a point of error. I…
Read MoreDo Men Hold a Monopoly on the Business Meeting?
by Dale Smelser via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 21, 1987 Several articles by me recently on elders, deacons, and business meetings have led to numerous questions about women attending business meetings. I have noted that the business meeting does not have oversight. We cannot substitute another system to replace God’s designated system…
Read MoreYou Sin Too!
by Terry Wane Benton The discussion may explore a particular sin, with some arguing that Jesus never called it a sin. However, when one points out that Jesus did condemn it by supporting the Law and then sending the Spirit to guide the apostles who condemned it, the argument goes in another direction. Taking all…
Read MoreIn Control or Being Controlled?
by Zeke Flores Sometimes, we think we’re in control of our choices until we choose something that soon ends up controlling us. Sometimes, we strongly desire the wrong things, thinking they’ll fulfill us and make us more complete somehow, and never fully realize how they end up robbing us and leaving us emptier than ever.…
Read MoreWhat Would a Servant Do?
by Chadwick Brewer “But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among…
Read MoreThe Problem and Solution
by Doy Moyer Some people are particularly good at troubleshooting problems. Whether electronics, cars, or engaging in household fixes, some just have that knack for figuring out what is wrong and then finding the solution to fix it. We need people like this in service positions. We need them in businesses. We need them in…
Read MoreMany Infallible Proofs
by Terry Wane Benton “To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3 NKJV). Luke was convinced that the evidence for Jesus’s being the Messiah and Son of God was…
Read MoreCalled Preachers
by Joe Warlick, March 1904 via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 Joe S. Warlick A called and sent ministry is the pride and boast of some religious people, and the experiences of the preachers who claim to have been called in a direct way and especially sent to preach the gospel…
Read MoreA Second Century Look at the Covering
by Jeffery Kingry via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 Quintus Septimus Florens Tertullian was born about A.D. 150-155 in Carthage, modern-day Tunisia. His father was a Roman Centurion in a North African unit of the Roman Empire. Young Tertullian was raised and educated in Carthage, a city of culture and education…
Read MoreGod HAS Spoken
by Terry Wane Benton “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His…
Read MorePatience in Bearing Fruit
by Zeke Flores The parable of the sower and the seed is popular, and for good reason. It’s not hard to see the various attitudes and personalities in the different soils offered in the parable. However, as Luke explains Jesus’s story, it’s the last sentence that is sometimes hardest for me. The reason is that…
Read MoreMiss Grace on Hospitality
by Marlene Smelser via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 Miss Grace: Can you say anything to help with the situation here? Few women ever invite visitors into their homes, and for all their hospitality and entertainment, no one seems to realize they would enjoy being entertained for a change. Kind Reader:…
Read MoreGospel Preachers: The “Whipping Boy”
by Ken Thomas via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 3, September 30, 1988 I started to call this article, “Open Season on Preachers.” Another title I thought of was “Preachers Are Fair Game.” You know already what the general theme of this article will be. While it is altogether possible that some of the problems…
Read MoreJoseph, The Other Father of Jesus
by Perry Hall via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2015 God thinks fathers are so important; He gave Jesus one. Now, let me bore you with a few statistics: Young men growing up in homes without fathers are twice as likely to end up in jail as those from two-parent families. 63% of…
Read MoreRomanticizing Love
by Terry Wane Benton Different things come to mind when we think of “love.” We often think of love as a feeling of infatuation, where we are walking with our heads in the clouds with a romantic feeling toward someone. But, while that may be pleasant, it is not the kind of love God commands…
Read MoreSteadfast Persistence
by Zeke Flores Luke 11 includes an event in which Jesus’ disciples ask Him to teach them to pray. He instructs them in what we commonly call the Lord’s prayer (although technically, it’s the disciples’ prayer since Jesus taught it to them) and follows it up with the famous saying about asking, seeking, and knocking.…
Read MoreGive Him No Rest
by David Gibson In a not-so-familiar passage, God urges Israel, “You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest …” (Isaiah 62:6-7 NASB). In other words, keep petitioning God in your prayers for the good of His people. He will hear and respond! Persistence pays! Jesus strongly emphasizes the…
Read MoreThe Race
by Terry Wane Benton “The race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1) is the marathon of all marathons, the life-long run to finish without giving up. It is the race to receive the ultimate reward. The prize is more than worth the discipline, so the motivation to enter this race and finish should be…
Read MoreBalance
by Zeke Flores Now, there’s a concept. The more we need it, the more out of reach it appears. For instance, our political views have become more extreme and polarized. People on one end of the spectrum scream and holler for their side, while those on the other end scream and holler for theirs. And…
Read MoreBetter than Complaining
by Leslie Diestelkamp via Think, Vol. 2, No. 5, July 1971 Instead of always whining and complaining about the morals of the world about us, God’s people would do better to just demonstrate, in the pulpit and the pew, the qualities that are desirable. Let us say and do, preach and live moral purity of…
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