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I Never Knew You
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus said that some religious people who believed in Him and thought of themselves as doing things “in His name” would be surprised on the day of judgment about what He would say to them. “Not everyone who says to Me,’Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who…
Read MoreWhen Someone Says “God Told Me”
by Terry Wane Benton A few years ago, I read directly from one lady who claimed two false things while claiming, “God told me.” She claimed that 1) God told her to tell others that God forbids His people from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, and 2) taking it is “the mark of the beast.” Now,…
Read MoreFearfully and Wonderfully Made
by Terry Wane Benton Text: Psalms 139 Your body consists of 37 trillion cells divided into 200 different types. 100 billion cells make up the skin, which is the largest organ in your body. 100 billion neurons in the brain allow you to process as many as 60,000 thoughts per day. You also have 127…
Read MoreMaking Reservations
by Terry Wane Benton When we plan an important trip, we know it is important to make reservations. We have made some trips without good planning and spent time looking for hotels that were disasters. We cannot go to heaven by rejecting Jesus all of our lives, and then, just before we die, we want…
Read MoreFill It Up
by Terry Wane Benton What do you do when your heart feels empty? Moping around is not the answer! You must find ways to fill your heart and time with things that bring satisfaction and accomplishment to your life. Notice the “be filled” passages in Ephesians. Be strengthened in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16). Be…
Read MoreJustified then Sanctified?
by Perry Hall For those who don’t consider baptism the point at which God grants us His grace but rather an outward sign of inward grace, some propose moving baptism from the justification column to the sanctification column. Here are two problems with that. First, the scriptural problem considering Scripture is our authority. Notice how…
Read MoreA Short Course in Jesus Christ
by David Gibson No chapter in the Bible probably includes more names and titles for Jesus than the first chapter of the Gospel of John. He is called the Word, God, the Light, the Lord, the Lamb of God, the Son of God, the Messiah/Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, Rabbi, the King of Israel, and the…
Read MoreFriendship with God or the World
by Doy Moyer True friendship is valued. When we choose a friend, we believe there is a significance to the relationship that is mutually beneficial. We share in a fellowship and desire to be with each other and enjoy one another’s company. Friendship is no light matter, then, because there is great influence attached to…
Read MoreWorry
by Zeke Flores It needles you, pokes you, deflates you, and distracts you. It causes more questions than answers because you spend more time discouraged about the obstacle than looking for a solution around it. It makes you expend wheel-spinning energy that, in the end, makes no progress. Then, it makes you want to give…
Read MoreThe Non-burning Burning Bush
by Terry Wane Benton Moses’s first question was, “Why doesn’t this bush burn up?” (Exodus 3). He soon heard a voice from the bush and learned that God was in the bush. God told him to take off his shoes because the place he was standing on was holy ground. God revealed at the bush…
Read MoreStop the Anonymous Complaints
by Brad Harrub How can we strengthen our local congregations? Stop allowing members to hide behind the elders and instead encourage reconciliation. Teach members how to confront other members in the spirit of humility, mercy, and love. I cannot tell you how often I’ve heard elders confront members or the preacher with a complaint from…
Read MoreTogether We Can
by Terry Wane Benton When you think, “I can’t make it,” who is left out of that statement? Shouldn’t it be, “Jesus and I can’t make it?” But that can’t be a true statement, can it? When thinking correctly, you might say, “I can’t make it on my own, but I can do all things…
Read MoreThe Law of Commandments Abolished
by Terry Wane Benton Many people are confused about which parts of the Bible are binding upon us today. The Old Testament was written for the Jews and taught the need for a Savior. Throughout, it shows that a Savior is coming. The Old Law did not provide all that man needed, but it did…
Read MoreWhat Does Godly Wisdom Require?
by Doy Moyer Living in any given culture and time requires the wisdom and will to be what we should be for the Lord. Serving the Lord is not just about obeying a few commandments. Rather, it is a lifelong commitment to be faithful, loyal, and true to the end (cf. Revelation 2:10). Developing a…
Read MoreReclaiming Purpose: Young Men, Tradition, and the Gospel’s Answer to Modern Chaos
by Gregory Alan Tidwell The coffee shop was packed for a Tuesday night—young people with laptops open, headphones in, and half-finished lattes going cold. Over by the window, three young men sat hunched around a tattered book, voices low but intense. If you walked past, you might think it was a college group cramming for…
Read MoreGod at Work
by David Gibson Christians need encouragement! This is evident from the abundance of Bible passages designed to build up and motivate. Certainly, we need all the commands and all the warnings of the New Testament, but thank God also for all the verses that say, in essence, “Your efforts to do right are well worth…
Read MoreThe Purpose of the Birth of Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus was born to bring about our salvation and reconciliation with God by means of His death and resurrection. He was born to provide a pardon for sin on condition of repentance of sin and baptism into union with Him, which begins a walk of fellowship with Him (Acts 2:37-41; Romans…
Read MoreThey Call it Hate
by Terry Wane Benton Calling something “sin” that separates you from God and the righteous is the modern idea of “hate speech.” But the truth is that pointing out sin is love. It is like a doctor pointing out cancer. It may not be what we want to hear, but it is what we need…
Read MoreThe Call to Act
by Orlando Gonzalez Conversion stories are quite fascinating to hear, aren’t they? For me, I’ve heard my fair share of interesting stories. I have heard of men who used to be devout worldly religious members of certain denominations who were fully convinced that they were right with God. Still, when they came into contact with…
Read MoreSeven Times When You Ought to Keep Silent
by Becky Rene In the heat of anger (Proverbs 15:1) When you do not have all the facts (Proverbs 18:13) When you have not verified the story (Proverbs 14:15) If your words will offend a weaker brother (Romans 14:21) When you are tempted to make light of holy things (Matthew 12:36) When you are tempted…
Read MoreAn Epidemic in the Church
by Zeke Flores I see an epidemic in the church today, although the underlying attitude is as old as mankind. The attitude of “I won’t be bothered” manifests itself in many ways. One obvious way is in worship attendance. The number of “stay-at-home” Christians is growing. For a while, at the tail end of the…
Read MoreTimothy Had an Authoritative Standard
by Terry Wane Benton Timothy was given the same standard as the apostles delivered to the first church on Pentecost of Acts 2. There, they “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). Because some were teaching more teaching than the apostles taught, different things than the apostles taught, it was time to warn all…
Read MoreEvery Good and Perfect Gift
by Terry Wane Benton When we contemplate buying gifts to give, we generally want them to be good gifts and fitted to the needs and desires of the person we are trying to honor. It is the same with God. God knows how to give good gifts, perfect gifts, to His children. James describes this…
Read MoreSpecific Beliefs Either Matter or They Don’t
by Terry Wane Benton Nobody has all the answers to every question of the Bible, but get specific; some are right, and some are wrong on certain topics. For example, unbelieving Jews are not wrong about everything, but they are wrong about Jesus. Among those who claim to believe in Jesus, some were right, and…
Read MoreSimplifying the Thief on the Cross
by Perry Hall Forget for now that the thief lived and died under the Mosaical Law, and Jesus’s Covenant didn’t become effective until after He died (Hebrews 9:16-28). Forget for now that we don’t know if the thief had been previously baptized by either John or Jesus’s apostles before he was captured and condemned. Many…
Read MoreReliving the Glory Days
by Zeke Flores Have you ever known someone always trying to relive their “glory day?” Maybe they were a star athlete in high school, the number one salesperson at their company, or the “big man on campus” in college. You know the type: Someone always looking at the rearview mirror in life. Have you been…
Read MoreSalvation: Light and Glory
by Doy Moyer Shortly after Jesus’ birth, His parents took Him to the temple “to present Him to the Lord.” There was a righteous and devout man, Simeon, upon whom was the Holy Spirit and who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see…
Read MoreWhen Men Disagree
Adapted by Raymond Warfel From “When We Disagree” by Mike Willis Guardian of Truth, XL:9, p. 2, 2 May 1996 Brethren do disagree from time to time despite their desire to be united in the Spirit. We are not likely to remove all areas of disagreement any more than we can remove all the sins…
Read MoreCalling Names of False Teachers
by Andy Sochor At the beginning of his short epistle, Jude said Christians are to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). This includes “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (II Corinthians 10:5). Therefore, of necessity, we must oppose false doctrine and those who teach error. However, when…
Read MoreCulture and the Christian
by Doy Moyer Christians are called upon to live in a difficult world while, on the one hand, remaining holy and separate (II Corinthians 6:14-7:1) and, on the other hand, engaging in it as salt and light (Matthew 5:14-16). This is no small task. We need to know what we are dealing with as we…
Read MorePreaching Jesus Is Confrontational
by Terry Wane Benton Those who say that we should “just preach Jesus and avoid all arguments or not try to reason with people from error to truth” are themselves unaware that they are making an argument with far-reaching implications. When Paul preached Jesus, it was always met with controversy. Read through the book of…
Read MoreWhy Should I Attend Every Service?
by Becky Rene Introduction What has Jesus done for me (I John 4:9-10)? Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the cross (I Peter 2:24) while we were still sinners (Romans 5:6-8; Ephesians 2:1-7; Revelation 1:5). Jesus rescued us from this present evil world (Galatians 1:4), and God delivered us from the power…
Read MoreMusic and Lyrics
by Becky Rene Introduction I love music and I love to sing and dance to my favorite songs but, as my parents and friends keep telling me, “You can’t sing and your dancing is an embarrassment.” Well that is true and so I have to sing and dance in the privacy of my room. If…
Read MoreDid David Only Sin One Time?
“Because David did [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any [thing] that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (I Kings 15:5 KJV). First, in the matter of Uriah the Hittite, David thought about covering…
Read MoreJesus – Loving, But Not Always Nice
by Chadwick Brewer Jesus was always loving, but He was not always nice. He threw the money changers out of the temple, rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees, and pronounced woes on entire cities. Jesus, while being the embodiment of God’s love, did not practice an attitude of “I love you just the way you are.” He…
Read MorePerception Can Be Entirely Wrong
by Terry Wane Benton Isaiah prophesied that there would be a wrong perception of the Messiah and a correct one (See Isaiah 53). So, all viewpoints would not be equal. Even though sincerely ignorant, going away with the wrong perception would be fatal. Isaiah 53:4-5 “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;”…
Read MoreWhat Is a Christian?
by Ken Dart If a person in today’s world wanted an answer to this question, they would probably turn to the internet. Depending on the website they picked, they would find something along these lines: “According to the World Council of Churches, a Christian is one who confesses Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according…
Read MoreWhen the Fullness of Time Came
by Ken Dart God the Father sent His Son, the promised Messiah, from heaven to the earth at the exact moment which He had determined was precisely the right time (Galatians 4:4). The divine plan for the rescuing of lost souls was in place “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4), and that plan…
Read MoreTrusting People Who Lost Your Trust
by Terry Wane Benton Love covers a multitude of sins, but does love require you to let yourself get burned over and over? Love is goodwill, wanting good things for the other person, but love does not mean we have to be vulnerable to people who prove themselves to be untrustworthy. Do we trust all…
Read MoreDoes God Want Me to Be Unhappy?
by Terry Wane Benton It is quite natural to want to be happy, and often, people think that is the whole reason God put us here. They have imagined that God just wants us to be happy no matter what. Is that true? Let’s consider this for a moment. God created us intending to win…
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