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Innocent Statues or Idolatry?
by Mike Thomas Consider the following quote by Bob Stanley, written in response to the claim that Catholics practice idolatry when honoring statues and images in religion: “That is what some say that Catholics do. Why do they say that? What is their reference? Where is their documented proof? Show me the genuine Catholic documents…
Read MoreSinging to the Lord (Hickox)
by Michael Hickox via The Sincere Milk of God’s Word “Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,…
Read MoreCan Teens Make an Impact?
by Ronald D. Kelly Have you ever wished you lived ages ago? Like in pioneering days? Or during the age of knights and ladies? Or even in Bible times? Most of us have. We’ve read books or seen movies about life long ago and experienced a little of what it must have been like. The Bible…
Read MoreYou Encourage Me
by Russ Bowman I am thinking this morning of all those who go unnoticed in their faithful service to God — at least unnoticed by other people. So, here’s a nod of appreciation… …to all of the husbands and wives who work hard at their marriage and honor their vows, even when it’s difficult. …to…
Read MoreThe God of All Comfort
by Matthew W. Bassford There are all too many people who want to hold God to promises He’s never made. They get sick, and they blame Him for not keeping them healthy. They run into financial hardship, and they grumble because He hasn’t helped them prosper. They’re single and unhappy, and they claim it’s His…
Read MoreAre You a Good Samaritan?
by Jefferson David Tant If you know anything about the Bible at all, you probably know the story of The Good Samaritan as recorded in Luke 10:30-37. But before we get to that, please read the story about a young boy in Leeds, England. Chivalry Is Not Dead In Leeds, on a very wet wintry…
Read MoreBe a Barnabas
by Jefferson David Tant We are familiar with Paul’s companion in some of his travels. He is first mentioned in Acts 4:36: “Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement).” What a great description of Paul’s brother and companion. He is next…
Read MoreFacing Reality
by George Slover “Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly” (John 10:24). Although the above request was most likely in jest, it is nonetheless an interesting one. How often does anyone really desire straight-talk? In our day…
Read MoreWorship or Entertainment?
by Bob Prichard In our entertainment-oriented culture, many churches find themselves trying to ‘outdo’ themselves with more and more elaborate additions to worship. What began as special music by a choir becomes a full orchestra with professional soloists. A dramatic reading necessitates a full Broadway stage production. And as long as those who come to…
Read MoreThe Cost of Drinking Alcohol
by Dennis Abernathy I recently read that alcoholism is costing our society around twenty-five billion dollars annually, including millions yearly just to arrest, try, and jail drinkers. Furthermore, alcohol is to blame for nearly half of all traffic fatalities and homicides, and a fourth of all suicides in the state of Texas. By the way,…
Read MoreGod’s Timing
by Terry Wane Benton “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (II Peter 3:8). “Where is the promise of His coming?” (II Peter 3:4) is the question Peter has been addressing. The argument that all things continue…
Read MoreThe Key Verse of Luke
by Doy Moyer Everything in the Gospel of Luke hinges on these verses: “He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,…
Read MoreWithout Grumbling or Disputing
by Matthew W. Bassford The military theorist Carl von Clausewitz once said, “Everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult.” The same is true of Christianity. Most of the time, we don’t struggle with the knowing, but with the doing. Philippians 2:14 is a prime example of this unpleasant truth. “Do…
Read MoreService or Power
by Doy Moyer “I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them, does not receive our authority” (III John 9). Refusing the authority of the apostles and seeking to take first place among others, like Diotrephes, is a fundamental betrayal of the fellowship among believers. It is a…
Read MoreThe Scoffer’s Starting Error
by Terry Wane Benton “For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water” (II Peter 3:5). Peter is countering the scoffer’s argument that “all things continue the same from creation.” Peter shows that the creation saw a…
Read MoreThe Aim of Preaching
by Frank Himmel Churches that are all about numbers gladly alter their activities to accommodate popular demand. While music usually gets special attention, preaching is no less targeted. Perhaps it would be timely to remind us all what God intends preaching to accomplish. Preaching is to Instruct In His wisdom, God arranged things so the…
Read MorePress On! Press On!
by George Slover “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:35-36). During my boyhood days, we spent many hours on a lake enjoying the outdoors with boating, camping, swimming,…
Read MoreMan as the Head
by Doy Moyer Let’s start with this well-known statement: “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:23). The immediate thought seems to be that the man is where “the buck stops” in the home. This…
Read MoreTruth about Submission
by Doy Moyer Submission has taken a bad rap in today’s world. It is seen as terrible and abusive, and, sadly, that portrayal has often been justified by how people treat one another. The lack of kindness in today’s world is disturbing. People have misused submission through selfish applications that do not glorify God or…
Read MoreTo Live Is Christ; to Die Is Gain
by Matthew W. Bassford Among its other effects, a terminal diagnosis will lead you to read the Scriptures with very different eyes. All sorts of passages that you thought you understood take on new depth and meaning. For me, the chief of these is Philippians 1:21-24. Years ago, I read this passage as Paul being…
Read MoreOur Sin
by Ethan R. Longhenry “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him…
Read MoreThe Mire of Mediocrity
by Jefferson David Tant The dictionary defines “mediocrity” as “1. Commonplace ability or condition. 2. A commonplace person.” We often use the word to describe that which is average — neither good nor bad, but “in the middle,” a person who is “mired,” is “fixed, stalled, or sunk in the mud.” By putting the words…
Read MoreElders, Deacons, Timothy, and Wine
by Dave Miller, Ph.D. via Apologetics Press Paul’s instructions pertaining to the qualifications of elders and deacons have created misunderstandings regarding the use of alcoholic beverages. Elders are not to be “given to wine” (I Timothy 3:3), while deacons are not to be “given to much wine” (I Timothy 3:8). Translations further obscure the matter…
Read MoreGod’s Whole Armor
by Matthew W. Bassford Ephesians 6:13-17 is perhaps the most familiar passage in the entire epistle. Most Christians have heard at least one sermon about the whole armor of God, complete with a helpfully labeled illustration of a Roman soldier. Certainly, there is much to be gained from considering the importance of salvation, righteousness, and…
Read MoreI Thought About Quitting
by Terry Wane Benton I was feeling discouraged and beat down. I was losing heart, but I turned to John 6:68 and asked, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Suddenly my mind shifted into serious reflection about what would abandoning my faith in Jesus do for me? Would…
Read MoreWilling to Suffer
by Doy Moyer The willingness to suffer for the cause of Christ is not a bug, but a feature of the Christian’s worldview. We realize that this is not, in itself, a selling point that would immediately cause people to flock to Jesus Christ. No one likes to suffer, and most are not willing to…
Read MoreDealing with Diotrephes
by Jefferson David Tant If you have read III John, you are aware that the author, very likely the apostle John, mentioned a troublemaker in the church. “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I…
Read MoreIs Hell a Real Place?
by Jefferson David Tant In the Bible, Matthew 25 gives us a picture of the Day of Judgment, where the righteous enter into everlasting joy and peace, while the unrighteous enter into hell, an everlasting torment of fire. Some reject this as repulsive, claiming that the unrighteous will simply cease to exist, while others who…
Read MoreThe Devil’s Inoculation
by Dee Bowman I was watching a ball game the other night. Between innings, a commercial came on in which a man was asked by his wife, “Do I look fat in this dress?” He replied, “Yes, you do.” The answer had a catastrophic effect. She bawled — and I don’t men she cried —…
Read MoreBe an Example
by Jefferson David Tant Paul’s letters to young Timothy, his son in the gospel, and Titus, are filled with good thoughts concerning their work as those who spread and proclaim the gospel. Among Paul’s exhortation are two passages we want to consider in today’s article. “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather…
Read MoreJamaica Patois Wisdom – Pornography
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 MoreThe Wording of the King James Bible
by Tom Edwards via The Gospel Observer It was back around 1973 when I first read through all of the King James Version of the Bible. Having been originally written in 1611, its different wording also had an interesting appeal to me – the “thee’s” and the “thou’s” and the words with the “eth” endings,…
Read More“If” or “Nevertheless”?
by Jefferson David Tant “They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to…
Read MoreA Woman’s Contribution to the Local Congregation
by Carey Scott from several sources More often than not, women are the lifeblood of the congregation. Attention is often given to the limitations placed on women in the assemblies of the church because of what is written in I Corinthians 14:34-37 and because of what is written in I Timothy 2:11-12. Such limitations notwithstanding,…
Read MoreWhat kind of critic are you?
by Doy Moyer People are critics of others. Right or wrong, good or bad, people will criticize. We all do it. But there are good and bad ways to go about this. Not all critics are the same. Not all share the same credibility or show the same levels of concern. Think about it on…
Read MoreYou Wouldn’t Believe It
by Doy Moyer “Look, you scoffers, marvel and vanish away, because I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will never believe, even if someone were to explain it to you” (Acts 13:41). Paul quoted this from Habakkuk 1:5. In Habakkuk’s context, the sins of the people had reached a point…
Read MoreLet God Be True
by Terry Wane Benton Romans 3:4 gives us this principle: “Let God be true but every man a liar.” What does this mean? It means that God is always far more dependable than man. God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:12). Man often lies, misunderstands, gets things mixed up, is easily deceived, etc. Therefore, when it comes…
Read MoreThose “Strange People”
by Robert F. Turner Years ago I shared a seat on the train with a “missionary” returning from work in Alaska. He told me he met some “strange people” up there who thought they could work out their own salvation. I said, “With fear and trembling; Philippians 2:12.” “No, No!” he said. “I mean they…
Read MoreKill and Eat
by Terry Wane Benton Peter’s Vision Acts 10:9-12 In Acts 10 Peter was told by God in a vision to kill and eat the animals, and there was a wide assortment, some of which God had forbidden to the Jews under the Old covenant. God explained that those unclean animals (off-limits to the Jews before)…
Read MoreIn Everything Give Thanks
by Terry Wane Benton Paul says, “this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). This is what God wants. He doesn’t want us to spend our time complaining and griping. Such a negative disposition! His will is that we spend our time “giving thanks” but doing so “in everything.”…
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