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The Other Sheep of John 10:16
by Matt Allen via The Jackson Drive Reporter, Sept. 6, 2009. John 10:16 has served as a major claim for the legitimacy of Mormon teaching for many years. Upon reading the passage of Scripture — by itself — it first appears that they (Mormons) could have a point. “And other sheep I have which are not…
Read MoreAll the Members Do Not Have the Same Function
by Bryan Matthew Dockens King David was told by the Almighty, “Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for…
Read MoreTotal Hereditary Depravity and Ezekiel 18:20
by Bryan Sharp “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ezekiel 18:20). Guilt is never transferred from one…
Read MoreAffair-Proofing Your Marriage
by Mark Broyles via Biblical Insights, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2007 The prevalence of infidelity in marriage is staggering. If it was only a problem in the lives of those apart from God it would still be discouraging, but the truth is that the amount of marriages among our brethren that have been rocked by…
Read MoreDeath Bed Repentance
by David J. Riggs A neighbor lady who had become a rather close friend to my wife, came into our home and said, “Do you believe in death-bed repentance?” This was not the first time I had been required to give an answer on this topic. My answer is, “I believe in one kind of…
Read MoreWrong About the Grand Canyon
by Kyle Butt, M.A. via Apologetics Press For many years, awe-stricken tourists to the Grand Canyon have been fed a steady stream of uniformitarian propaganda designed to teach that the amazing chasm took six million years to form. Uniformitarian geologists, however, recently concluded that the “traditional” age of six million years has been incorrect. In fact,…
Read MoreWhy Do “Churches of Christ” Differ so Widely?
by Sewell Hall via Biblical Insights, February 2012 A sign reading “Church of Christ” in front of a building tells you very little these days. Most any doctrine or practice may be found inside. This is frustrating to many people. Outsiders make fun of the situation, saying, “You preach unity but you are the most divided…
Read MoreMission Possible: Holiness
by Eric Reynolds via Biblical Insights, December 2012 Are you living in holiness? “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (I…
Read MoreA History of Our Hymnbooks
by Wayne S. Walker originally published in Faith and Facts, October 1999 Back in the very late 1700s and early 1800s, the conditions in this new nation appeared just right for a number of different men from different denominational backgrounds in different parts of the country to begin calling for a return to New Testament…
Read MoreWhat Will Happen on Judgment Day?
by Ricky Jenkins via Gospel Power, Vol. 16, No. 7, Feb. 15, 2009. “The deeds we do, the words we say, into the still air they seem too fleet, we count them ever past; but they shall last, in the dread judgment they and we shall meet” (John Keeble). On judgment day the Lord shall…
Read MoreA Common Problem
by Steve Klein Do you tend to have problems that no one else has? If so, this article is for you. And it might surprise you to learn that I know what your problem is. Your problem is that you think your problems are unique, and your perspective is preventing you from getting the help…
Read MoreYour Parents Can’t Make You Go to Heaven!
by Ted J. Clarke One of the greatest miseries of being a child is being made to do things that a child does not want to do. Eating vegetables, brushing teeth, taking a bath, cleaning one’s room, going to Aunt June’s, going to school, attending worship and Bible study — these all rate high on…
Read MoreA Review of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
by Wayne Walker Wolfgang, Steve, general editor. Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (published in 2012 by Sumphonia Productions LLC, 41601 Epping Green Sq., Aldie, VA 20105). A new hymnbook has been published this year. It is intended primarily for use in Churches of Christ but could be used by anyone, primarily those who still prefer…
Read More70 A.D. ‘ism and the Date of Revelation
by Carl A. Allen The doctrine of “70 A.D.’ism” demands all the writings of the New Testament books be before 70 A.D. There is no way the books could be after that date. Their doctrine is that the “Second Coming of Christ” took place in 70 A.D. If there are books after 70 A.D. that…
Read MoreLearning from the History of the Instrumental Music Controversy Among Brethren
by Mark Roberts Could one issue really divide brethren who claimed allegiance to the idea of just going by the Bible, doing Bible things in Bible ways, and following the Bible alone? As the Civil War finally came to its end and life began to return to normal in the United States some brethren actually…
Read MoreThey Know It Is Wrong, But They Don’t Care
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton An article appeared in the newspaper reporting on a study by Bruce Bartholow at the University of Missouri-Columbia. While we all know that alcohol changes a person’s behavior this study shows that those under the influence of alcohol realize that they are making mistakes, but they just don’t care. Participants in…
Read MoreGluttony (Jacobs)
by Jarrod Jacobs The subject of gluttony is misunderstood by many people. Sometimes, during the Thanksgiving holiday, or after some big meal, someone will jokingly say, “I hope the preacher doesn’t preach on gluttony.” At other times, I have been accused of “not preaching on gluttony” or “not condemning gluttony” when this is not the…
Read MoreAn Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth
by Steve Dewhurst Such is modern man’s ignorance of God’s word, as well as His justice and mercy, that we often misunderstand the simplest Bible expressions and concepts. For example, the age-old principle of justice contained in the phrase “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is frequently seen as a…
Read MoreBelief, Baptism, and Signs Following – Still Today?
by Larry Ray Hafley Here is the text of Mark 16:15-20: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In…
Read MoreMiraculous Gifts as They Are Designated in the Scriptures
by Gilbert Alexander Jesus touched the eyes of a blind man and he saw Mark 8:22-25 Miraculous gifts, or spiritual gifts, as they are designated in the Scriptures were given to the apostles for specific purposes. They were given directly to the apostles when the apostles received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost…
Read MoreTotal Depravity or Total Inability
by Terry W. Benton Calvinism is commonly summarized and remembered by the use of an acrostic formula using the word TULIP. The first letter stands for “Total Depravity” or “Total Spiritual Inability”. Let me let a Calvinist explain what is meant by this term. “Total depravity is a concept that everyone including the elect and…
Read MoreChurch Autonomy
by Robert Turner “Autonomy” is a compound word, composed of autos, meaning “self,” and nomos, meaning “law.” An ordinary dictionary will tell us the word means “self-ruled,” so that an autonomous church is “self-governed, without outside control.” There are those who reject the concept of God and revelation, saying ultimate authority is in man. To…
Read MoreIs It a Sin to Take Medicine? — to Consult a Doctor?
by Bill Crews via Guardian of Truth XXXV: 11, pp. 321, 343-344, June 6, 1991 Some churches have been in the news lately. These are those who take the position that to treat our physical illnesses in any other way than faith in God and prayer to God is wrong and sinful. They think it a…
Read MoreHow May We Know the Bible is of God?
by Abraham Smith Can you trust your Bible? Is the Bible a book of God or a book of man? If we doubt the Bible’s trustworthiness, we lose it as: an infallible standard of truth; an authoritative basis for obedience or hope; “living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12); and as a…
Read MoreControlling Our Temper
by R. J. Evans Brother John Clark once related a story about a woman who told a preacher she had a bad temper, but that it was over in a minute. “So is a shotgun blast, but it blows everything to pieces,” was the preacher’s reply. And far too many of us who are Christians…
Read MoreAre There “Ghost Amongst Us”?
by Jack Wise Jr. Many believe the spirits of dead people walk on the earth. Many “psychics” claim they can speak to the dead. Is it true? Do the spirits of the deceased rise from the grave and walk amongst us? Solomon, the wisest man to have ever lived, said the dead know nothing,…
Read MoreSabbath Keeping
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The Seventh-Day Adventists started in the 1800s as followers of teachers who believed in the immediate return of Jesus Christ. These predictions obviously failed, but it did not stop the rise of a self-proclaimed prophetess named Ellen G. White. Seventh-Day Adventists regard her writings as inspired instructions from God. This belief…
Read MoreMore Sermon Topic Ideas
by Glenn Hamilton In 1626 a pamphlet was published in London, entitled “A most Delectable, Sweet, Perfumed Nosegay, for God’s Saints to smell at.” About the year 1646 there was published a work entitled “A Pair of Bellows, to blow off the Dust cast upon John Fay;” and another called “The Snuffers for Divine Love.”…
Read MoreDealing with Criticism (Thomas)
by Michael Thomas We’ve all been told unpleasant things. “You’re not doing this right.” “You could’ve done this better.” You’re not as good at this as he is.” Criticism justified or not, is a part of life, so how can we benefit from it? Listen to It As painful as it is to hear our…
Read MoreShady Lane, the Preacher, and the Boy
by Ken McDaniel via Echo of Truth, Vol. 3, No. 29, July 16, 1995 During a recent gospel meeting that I preached, the local evangelist and I went calling on a few individuals in hopes of motivating some to faithfulness and setting up Bible studies with others who have not yet been saved. As is often…
Read MoreI am Compelled
by Ronny E. Hinds via Biblical Insights, Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2011 I checked my thesaurus to make sure. Yes, the synonyms for compelled are bound, obliged, forced, obligated, duty-bound, required, and constrained. Yes, that describes my attitude exactly. About what? — About the recent news from New York and California. The New York State…
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit’s Intercessory Prayer
by Tanner Campbell In this article, we will put Romans 8:26 under a full investigation. The text explains that “the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” This difficult…
Read MoreLove is Different
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Paul’s description of love in I Corinthians 13:4-8 is both well-known and unheeded. Despite knowing what love is and is not, people still expect more of love. They want the fluttery feeling of butterflies in the stomach and the emotional high. To many, love isn’t real without the emotions. But are…
Read MoreGiving Up on the Little Church
by Robert E. Speer via Think on These Things, April-May-June, 2011, Volume 42, Number 2 Many years ago — Ouch! Has it really been that long? — my family and I responded to a plea from another family to join them in a work they were trying to establish on the southern shores of Lake Superior.…
Read MoreThe First One to Plead His Cause Seems Right
by Bryan Matthew Dockens “The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17). Wise Solomon observed the reflexive tendency on the part of man to accept as truth the first version of events presented in a potential controversy. When gossip circulates through the workplace, the neighborhood,…
Read MoreFaithful Wounds
by Zeke Flores “Faithful are the wounds of a friend …” (Proverbs 27:6). I enjoy being in the company of insightful people with a lighthearted sense of humor. Who doesn’t like a jovial conversation just for the sake of having a few laughs? I also like serious discussions about current events, politics, moral issues, and…
Read MoreThe End of the World
by Irvin Himmel via Truth Magazine, XV: 38, pp. 8-10, August 5, 1971 Among many religionists, there is an expectation that Christ will come again and reign on earth. Some believe that the eternal abode of the righteous will be on the same globe which we now inhabit, following a remodeling, renovating, and purifying. Many…
Read MoreThe Elder-Businessman Model
by Jefferson David Tant via Biblical Insights, Vol. 11, No. 6, June 2011 We know the Bible is clear about appointing elders to shepherd the flock (Acts 14:23). We know Paul left Titus in Crete with the charge to “appoint elders in every city” (Titus 1:7). This is a clear indication of God’s plan for the…
Read MoreThe Dreaded Task
by Richard Massey The Dreaded Task Margaret E. Brown I found the task that I had dreaded so, Was not so difficult when once begun; It was the dread itself that was the foe, And dread once conquered means a victory won. How true is the above statement. The first time brethren asked me to teach…
Read MoreDoes the Case of Cornelius Prove the “Sinner’s Prayer” Doctrine?
by Wayne Jackson Does not the case of Cornelius, the Roman soldier (Acts 10), prove that God hears the prayers of those who have not been baptized? The angel told Cornelius, “your prayer has been heard” (Acts 10:31), and yet the centurion was not baptized until later. Can you explain the apparent conflict between this…
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