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What Are You Doing for the Lord’s Church?
by Terry Wane Benton It is not what the church is doing for you, but rather, what are you doing for the Lord’s church? Jesus died and spilled His blood for the church. She is His bride, and she is special, purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). He expects us to keep her pure,…
Read MoreWhat Kind of Tongues Are Meant in I Corinthians 12?
by Clem Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 47, Nov. 20, 2009. The apostle Paul writes of various “gifts of the Holy Spirit” in I Corinthians 12-14. Notice the reading in I Corinthians 12:7-11: “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. For to one is given through the…
Read MoreI Have Fought a Good Fight
by J. D. Tant (1861-1941) Sixty years have come and gone. I hope and pray that long after I cross the great divide, hundreds will read my sermons, be taught the way of life, and take up their cross and follow Jesus. I am leaving this bit of history that others may know that life…
Read MoreDebate Thy Cause
by Earl Kimbrough Searching the Scriptures, January 1984 Religious debating in the nineteenth century became what one historian calls a “serious American indoor sport.” Many at the time certainly practiced this method of defending and spreading their beliefs. But no people used it more effectively than the restorers of New Testament Christianity. Most of the…
Read MoreWhy Do Christians Have Problems?
by Carey Scott from an outline by Donnie S. Barnes If everything is supposed to work out for our good, why do we still have problems? After all, does Romans 8:28 tell us that all things work out for good to those who love the Lord? Then why do faithful Christians have problems? Rejections, defeats,…
Read MoreRefinement
by Terry Wane Benton All that happens to us in this life is part of refining us. Like gold is purified through the harsh fires of testing, and as testing refines and strengthens our quality of faith and character, we come out in the end with a glory that looks more like the glory of…
Read MoreA Social Media Warning from the Psalms
by Edwin Crozier I am not trying to establish a legalistic rule here. Rather, I want to caution you to think a little more deeply and thoroughly before you post. “If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ I would have betrayed the generation of your children” -Asaph, Psalm 73:15. Asaph recognizes the dangers of…
Read MoreDon’t Live in Fear
by Terry Wane Benton Fear of the virus, Fear of the vaccine, Fear of getting the virus, Fear of spreading the virus, Fear of side effects of the unknown, All are legitimate issues that we must grapple with and approach with caution and discernment. But each person must also be cautious about unreasonable fear and…
Read MoreSatan’s Devices
by Jefferson David Tant The apostle John wrote some words concerning Satan in Revelation 12:9: “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” We are…
Read MoreIf the Dead Are Not Raised
by Matthew W. Bassford Recently, I attended this year’s Truth Lectures, which had as their theme eschatology, the study of the end times. Many of the lectures addressed preterism, the belief that the prophecies of the Bible all already have happened. In particular, preterists claim that the prophecies about the final judgment, the resurrection of…
Read MoreYoung People’s Program
by Robert Turner In the small town of Sundridge, Ontario, Ca. 300 miles north of the U.S. — Canadian border, the young folk of a small congregation (45-50) put many of their U. S. counterparts to shame. They are High School and under: with the same love for and participation in sports, parties, etc., that…
Read MoreJohn, Jesus, and Jehovah’s Witnesses
by Jefferson David Tant Those who are familiar with the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teaching about Jesus Christ are aware that they believe that Christ is not the Son of God, but that he is Michael the Archangel, a created being. Note the following quote from their writings: “the evidence indicates that the Son of God was…
Read MoreWe Were All Baptized
by Doy Moyer One of the most significant arguments for baptism that I believe is under-utilized is the fact that the epistles, written to those who are already Christians, assume that the believers were all baptized. Look at passages like Romans 6:3-6; I Corinthians 1:13; 12:13; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:10-13; etc. These are not written…
Read MoreMental Incinerators
by F. Yater Tant The whole world is aware of the accumulating mountains of waste and garbage threatening our planet. Air pollution, water pollution, land pollution are all becoming familiar terms. Every major city seems to be having problems with garbage disposal. We must find some way to handle the garbage, or it will finally…
Read MoreBy Grace Through Faith with the Washing of Water
by Terry Wane Benton Notice the prepositions: by, through, and with. The Book of Ephesians uses all three to describe what is involved with our salvation. It teaches we are saved by grace. It teaches we are saved through faith. It teaches we are saved with the washing of water by the word. It is…
Read MorePaying Preachers
by Matthew W. Bassford Never does anyone argue harder for something they won’t actually take than Paul does in I Corinthians 9:3-14. Through much of his ministry, especially his time with the church in Corinth, Paul refused financial support from the church with which he was working. It may be that as per Romans 7:7-8,…
Read MoreThey’re Coming After Your Children
by Jefferson David Tant After much criticism, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Choir has removed an offensive video in which they sing about their plans to convert your children to homosexuality. “The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus set a music video to private after the group said it received ‘threats of harm’ over the song…
Read MoreJerusalem’s Fall
by Terry Wane Benton Though Jerusalem had been destroyed during the Babylonian period (536 BC) as predicted by Jeremiah, it was also predicted that the Lord of hosts would be riding on the clouds to bring about that fall, and later the fall of Babylon, which was used to bring about the 70-year captivity of…
Read MoreThe Case for Virginity
by Alexis Williams I am a virgin for myself. I know that having sex is a choice that is not left up to anyone but me to make. I also know that there is so much pressure to make a decision right away when it comes to having sex, and, oftentimes, people make that decision…
Read MoreThe Separation of Church and State
by Andy Sochor Copyright: © 2015 Lee Edwin Coursey, used with permission There is an ongoing debate in our society about the “separation of church and state.” Though the phrase is not used in any of this country’s founding documents, many understand it to be a fundamental principle upon which this nation was built. However,…
Read MoreOld Tricks From Satan’s Playbook
by Austin Hausner “Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already in the ages before us” (Ecclesiastes 1:10). Solomon reminds us that there is nothing new. This is important to remember because many things that people say are new are actually the same old tricks repackaged…
Read MoreRock Star
by Zeke Flores When I was a late teenager I had dreams of becoming a rough and rowdy rock star. I’d hit it big then flame out like the shooting star in Bad Company’s song “Shooting Star.” I hated the thought of waking up in mid-life wondering what I did with my life. Better to…
Read MoreDoes It Really Matter About the Bible?
by Jefferson David Tant Sometimes in talking with people, I ask if they believe the Bible is true. I then give three options: It is inspired by God, and all true; It is just a collection of writings by men through the centuries; or The original writings were God-inspired, but men have added and changed…
Read MoreThe Problem of Other People’s Suffering
by Matthew W. Bassford I first encountered the classical statement of the problem of human suffering in a religious studies class in college. The professor wrote on the board, “If God could stop suffering and chooses not to, He is not perfectly good. If God wants to stop suffering and can’t, He is not perfectly…
Read MoreIs Christianity a Religion or a Way of Life?
by Osamagbe Lesley Egharevba Unmasking Sophistry, vol. 1, no. 1, April-June 2021 Unmasking Sophistry, vol. 1, no. 2, July-September 2021 Many scoff at the idea that Christianity is a religion. It is very common to hear and read people speak about Christianity as not a religion but only a way of life. This sentiment is…
Read MoreStaying Faithful in College: Three Things to Consider
by Forest Antemesaris Sometimes, the combination of freedom and stress can lead to a lackluster faith. With less accountability and more deadlines, it can become easy to forget about God, worship, and Jesus’ call to live a holy life. College is supposed to be fun, and challenging, but it’s not worth turning your back on…
Read MoreSuppose I Was Born a Muslim
by Osamagbe Lesley Egharevba Unmasking Sophistry, vol. 1, no. 2, July-September 2021 Introduction Several times during our evangelistic trips as gospel preachers, while moving from house to house in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission – a method known by some as “door-knocking” or “door-to-door,” we have approached people with a view to introducing…
Read MoreFirearms and Teaching Children
by Matthew W. Bassford In 2010 and 2011, I became the father of two extremely inquisitive children. In 2019, I also became the owner of a firearm. Naturally, I gave some thought to how these two areas of my life should interact. Should I keep my gun locked away from my kids and forbid them…
Read MoreNecessary Inference
by Mike Johnson Three forms of Bible authority govern us today. These are direct command or statement, approved examples, and necessary inference or conclusion. Most are willing to accept direct commands or statements as forms of Bible authority. Some may question the concept of approved examples, and a growing number challenge the use of necessary…
Read MoreForgiveness Is Unfair
by Ken Green “Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, “’ do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times’ ” (Matthew 18:21–22, ESV). Before we can take forgiveness seriously, we…
Read MoreThe Pillars of the Temple
by Jefferson David Tant In giving Solomon instructions for building the temple, God gave a somewhat unusual command concerning two pillars at the entrance. “And he set up the pillars at the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin; and he set up the left…
Read MoreBaptized into Christ
by Terry Wane Benton Image by Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, said that the Israelites were “baptized into Moses” when they were crossing the Red Sea while fleeing Pharaoh and his armies. They were immersed under a cloud of water and with the walls of water on each side (I…
Read MoreNot Too Young
Author Unknown Recent research has revealed what teenagers truly desire from the adults in their lives. The Search Institute study found that teens want parents and other older influencers to do the following: Look at us. Spend time talking with us. Listen. Be dependable. Show appreciation for what we do. Relax. Show that you’re interested.…
Read MoreThe Wise Teacher Guards His Tongue
by Jefferson David Tant “He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Proverbs 17:27). Those who preach and teach are people of words. That’s obvious, as that’s how we proclaim the message. But how we use our tongue can have a great influence on…
Read MoreThere They Crucified Him
by Wayne Greeson Mere days before the crowds had thronged into the narrow streets of Jerusalem to catch a glimpse of Him and shout his praises. But almost overnight the joyful cries of “Blessed is the King” had turned into screams of “Crucify Him.” He was arrested, abandoned by his disciples and friends, falsely accused…
Read MoreA Christian and a Young Parent
by Larry W. Bailey After Solomon died, Rehoboam was to be made king of Israel. The people asked him for more consideration than they had received in the past. Rehoboam asked counsel of the “old men, that stood before Solomon” (I Kings 12:6). However, I Kings 12:8 tells us “he forsook the counsel of the…
Read MoreIf I Were a Young Parent
by Gardner Hall It is God’s will that young married couples be parents if possible. “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” (I Timothy 5:14). “Not withstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity…
Read MoreTwo Unchangeable Things
by Matthew W. Bassford In addition to the other things that make Hebrews challenging for us to follow, the writer assumes that his readership is familiar with the Old Testament. He jumps from allusion to allusion, rarely pausing to explain his references to the Law with more than a phrase or two. However, because our…
Read MoreInfant Baptism (Tant)
by Jefferson David Tant A well-known practice in various denominations is that of infant baptism. This would include Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and others. The question is, “Is this Scriptural? Is authority for this found in the Bible?” An examination of historical records indicates that there is no definite evidence of infant baptism being practiced…
Read MoreRededication
by Doy Moyer There are only a handful of times in biblical Israel’s history in which there were reforms to bring the people back to the Lord. Among the kings of the north (Israel), there were no true revivals. Among the kings of the south (Judah), there were a few, but most notable were the…
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