Article
The Path of the Righteous
by Matthew W. Bassford “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble” (Proverbs 4:18-19). Look with me at Proverbs 4:18-19. These are two short verses, but…
Read MoreApproved Examples
by Mike Johnson What should be our attitude toward the concept of “example” as an acceptable form of Bible authority? There are three possible attitudes one might have. First, a person might say that all examples are binding. However, this attitude is unlikely, and, as we will see later, this would be a ridiculous position.…
Read MoreThe Reformation and the Restoration: A Tale of Two Movements
by Andy Sochor The New Testament repeatedly warns about drifting; in particular, drifting away from the faith. This can be done either individually or collectively. The Hebrew writer warned the Christians to whom he wrote that they “must pay much closer attention to what [they had] heard, so that [they would] not drift away from…
Read MoreHow to Say “No!”
by Jefferson David Tant Do you say you are tempted to do wrong? Your friends are pressuring you, and you are afraid you might give in, or you have already given in and don’t know what to do to avoid yielding again? Welcome to the club! Temptation is as old as man and must be…
Read MoreAnd Moses Fled
by Edward Smith My dog, Scout, and I had a sudden encounter with a snake yesterday. We were quietly going through our routine while he was taking care of his business when he suddenly jumped back. I heard a rather distinct rattle and saw a snake aggressively swaying back and forth and flexing its jaw,…
Read MoreThe Lord’s Discipline
by Matthew W. Bassford Hebrews 12:5-13 makes a crucial but underappreciated point. The life of the Christian can be unpleasant, and sometimes, the One who is making it unpleasant is God. This is at odds with the worldly vision of God as an indulgent grandparent who does nothing but shower gifts upon us. However, it…
Read MoreA Trial Lawyer Examines the Trial of Jesus
by Larry L. Crain, A trial attorney in civil rights and constitutional law (abridged by Jefferson David Tant) During Easter, many believers reflect on the Crucifixion of Christ. As a lawyer, I have been intrigued by the criminal trial culminating in Christ’s execution. The Gospels give four narratives in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They…
Read MoreSafe in the Midst of Counsel
by Charles N. Spence, Jr. Sentry Magazine, September 1999 The wise man said in Proverbs 11:14, “Where there is no counsel the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” In an age in which people want to do their own thing and go their own way, society is crumbling before us.…
Read MoreThe Fingerprints of Faith
by Raymond Gonzalez Sr. Sentry Magazine, September 1999 Not long ago, in the work of cleaning up, putting in place songbooks and Bibles, I noticed some things that speak of our faith. As I began the clean-up, I murmured: “these brethren are so negligent”! There were papers, crayons, candy wrappers, and pencils all over the…
Read MoreChrist First! Last! and Always!
by Jefferson David Tant “I beseech you … brethren … to present your bodies a living sacrifice … And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2). We all know the words. Do we really know what they mean? “All to Jesus I surrender,…
Read MoreThe Power of a Woman
by Dixie Bowman Sentry Magazine, September 1999 As I grew from a child into womanhood, I often heard the phrase, “Never underestimate the power of a woman.” I wasn’t able to discover the source of this statement, but it would be interesting to know whether it came from the mind of a man or woman.…
Read MoreThe Nature of the Apostles’ Inspiration
by Clarence Johnson Sentry Magazine, September 1999 When Jesus sent the apostles out on what is sometimes called the limited commission to preach to the lost sheep of Israel. He told them, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware…
Read MoreYoung People
by Hugh Fulford Photo by Eliott Reyna on Unsplash As is the case with old people, the Bible has much to say about young people. In some respects, both “young” and “old” are relative terms. Even after I was in my 60s, I would sometimes be told, “You are still a young man.” To me,…
Read MoreGod Is at Work in You!
by Matthew W. Bassford A few months ago, my co-worker, Clay, examined Philippians 2:12-13 in a sermon, dwelling especially on v. 13. I’ve known for years that brethren have a bad habit of focusing on “Work out your own salvation,” to the exclusion of “It is God who is working in you.” However, Clay’s study…
Read MoreResponse to Gays’ Reaction to Ads that Call Them Sinners
by Marsha Norris Sentry Magazine, September 1999 In a country that was founded on God and whose strength and morality were based on the Bible, we have lost our bearings. Today’s culture, the feel-good, instant gratification-seeking society, is intent on bending and twisting the very foundation that once made us a great nation into a…
Read MoreGod Wants Me to be Happy (Moyer)
by Doy Moyer This is one of the catchphrases we hear of what is sometimes called moralistic therapeutic deism. The idea is that 1) God wants us to be nice to others and 2) He wants us to be happy. For the most part, God is seen as deistic, not really getting involved in our…
Read MoreA Passage to Ponder: Acts 15:1-29
by Ken Weliever The Preacher’s Word Have you heard the old joke about the fellow who studied the Bible by letting it fall open and putting his finger on a verse for instruction and inspiration? The first verse he turned to was Matthew 27:5. It said, “Judas went out and hanged himself.” “Wait a minute!”…
Read MoreThe Good Side to the Down Side of Life
by Tau Alpha Kappa (i.e. anonymous) Sentry Magazine, September 1999 I Peter 1. 6- 7 says something extraordinary in that it points out there is a good side to the downside of life. ”Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial…
Read MoreAs Though He Needed Anything (Article)
by Doy Moyer “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25). “As though…
Read MoreBelieving the Unbelievable Story of Jesus
by Don Bunting God intends for people to come to Him by faith. Undoubtedly God could reveal Himself to humanity in a powerful, material, undeniable way. Still, God says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of…
Read MoreDrifting Away (Bassford)
by Matthew W. Bassford Hebrews 2:1 contains one of the most sobering warnings in the entire Bible: “For this reason, we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.” A couple of verses later, the writer uses a rhetorical question to make the point that…
Read MoreMarking Dogs
by Floyd Chappelear Sentry Magazine, September 1999 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). You now have read every passage in the New Testament which exhorts us to “mark” those who cause division. There is one other…
Read MoreThis Is My Body
by John Hendrix via Seeking Things Above “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). What of the body of Jesus? What do we think as we take the bread? There is no monument…
Read MoreLessons from the Mamertine Prison
by Jefferson David Tant Do you ever feel discouraged, defeated, alone, forsaken, or any other word used to describe one who is “down in the dumps?” I’m sure we have all been affected by one or more of these words in our lifetime. If you are fortunate to have escaped all these negative feelings, just…
Read MoreSo You Want to be a Preacher?
by Jefferson David Tant There is no more noble aspiration than to be a servant of the Most High God in seeking the lost and encouraging the saved. After more than 65 years of engaging in this labor of love, please allow me to share some perspectives from my viewpoint. With my father and grandfather…
Read MoreWhat Do You See in a Casket?
by Jarrod M. Jacobs After the loss of our sister Goldie last week, as I looked at her body in the casket (James 2:26), the question that I used in the title came to my mind. All people must face the reality of death. There is not a day that goes by that someone on…
Read MoreDisobedience and Unbelief
by Matthew W. Bassford The epistle to the Hebrews might be the most tightly reasoned book in the whole Bible. Sentence by sentence, clause by clause, the Hebrews writer constructs intricate arguments that establish the superiority of Christ over Moses and the folly of Christians returning to Judaism. The more closely we read Hebrews, the…
Read MoreWhat Faith Is
by Doy Moyer Faith is the demonstration of our conviction that we trust the reality of what we cannot see. That is not the same as saying there is no evidence. Trusting the reality of what we cannot see means only that our faith is not dependent on first-hand material observation. I accept historical testimony…
Read MoreDeath and Eternity
by Royce Frederick What happens when a person dies? On day six of creation, “the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Death occurs when the “soul” or the “spirit” of a person leaves his…
Read MoreReview of Songs for Worship and Praise
by Wayne S. Walker The newest general hymnbook published for use among churches of Christ is Songs for Worship and Praise, edited by Robert J. Taylor Jr., and published in 2010 by Taylor Publications of Montgomery, TX. Brother Taylor has been active in church music for many years. I believe that he set the type for…
Read MoreUnless the Lord Builds the House
by Jefferson David Tant The 127th Psalm begins with some words that are certainly applicable to us today, as we have in the world some 42,000 different denominations, all claiming to be Christian. Note the first half of the Psalms first verse: “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it.”…
Read MoreOn Supporting Women
by Jefferson David Tant Sentry Magazine, December 1999 I have not seen much discussion on the question of whether or not the church can have a part in supporting women who may go into a mission field to teach women or children’s classes, or assist in individual and private teaching. I realize the Scriptures do…
Read MoreThe Conservation of Energy
by Jefferson David Tant There is an old saying about “the conservation of energy that goes like this: “Why run when you can walk, why walk when you can stand, why stand when you can sit, and why sit when you can lay down.” I guess you really would conserve your energy if you employed…
Read MoreWhat Bible Reading Can Do
by Jefferson David Tant Since God’s plan included the Scriptures, which were divinely inspired, it should be obvious that he had a purpose in mind for revealing his will for us so we could read and understand. So let us consider a few things that are revealed as to how we are profited by reading…
Read MoreDaily Bible Reading
by Keith Harris Photo by chris liu on Unsplash John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of our country, once stated, ”So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will become useful citizens of their country and respectable…
Read MoreThoughts from South Africa
by Hendrik Joubert Sentry Magazine, December 1999 Convenience or Conviction? Recently I have spent much time working on helping brethren understand that as Christians we should change. We should study the Bible to find out what it is that God wants us to be. I have been thinking about some of the things that surfaced…
Read MoreA Conversation with Mormon Elders
by Jimmy Ferguson Many of us have received a knock on the door from young men claiming to be “elders” in the Mormon Church. While we admire their enthusiasm, it saddens us that these young men have been led into error. Some time ago I had an opportunity to sit down with these Mormon “elders.”…
Read MoreImmersion, Pouring, and Sprinkling: A History
by Bruce Edwards, Jr. Truth Magazine XIX:27 (May 15, 1975), pp. 422-424 This writer can remember witnessing at the age of five the “baptism” of his infant cousin; the denominational “pastor” sprinkled drops of water upon his forehead. I wondered at the significance of that action then, but now, with an increased understanding of the…
Read MoreWhy No Instruments of Music?
by Bobby Graham Sentry Magazine, December 1999 This question often comes from honest people, wondering why some of us do not use such mechanical instruments in the worship of the Lord. It is a fair question that demands a fair answer. All worship of God is limited by whatever divine instructions have been given for our…
Read MoreJehovah’s Witnesses Failed Prophecies
by Jefferson David Tant Jehovah’s Witnesses are known throughout much of the world. Their zeal in spreading their doctrines by sending out missionaries who go from door to door is well known. While we admire their commitment to their doctrines, we must acknowledge that their faith is not based on a solid foundation. This religion…
Read More