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Unconditional Election
by Terry W. Benton Understanding Purposeful and Temporal Election versus Unconditional Salvation Election The second point of Calvinism in the TULIP acrostic is “Unconditional Election”. It means to Calvinists that God picked Randy and not Bob, Suzie, and not Janet for salvation and that His election of Randy and Suzie was “unconditional”. That means that…
Read MoreTrusting God When Afraid
by Wayne S. Walker “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Psalm 56:3). Jesus told us, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). The fact is that “God has…
Read MoreThe Old Testament and New Testament Christians
by Joe R. Price Moses Brings a Second Copy of the Stone Tablets Exodus 34:29-30 The Old Testament is a relevant part of God’s word, even though it is not the standard of authority by which we obtain reconciliation and life in Christ (Colossians 3:17; Galatians 3:23-27; Romans 7:4; II Corinthians 3:14; Ephesians 2:14-18). To…
Read MoreAnything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Badly
by Gary Henry via WordPoints.com Gebhard Fugel Moses vor dem brennenden Dornbusch c1920 When God wanted Moses to go deliver Israel, Moses demurred with objections that may have been intended to sound humble: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exodus 3:11), “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10), etc.…
Read MoreWhat is the Social Gospel?
by Richard Thetford Have you ever asked yourself “what is the social gospel?” Most individuals that have been raised in the Lord’s church have come to know and understand what the social gospel is. There are many, many individuals in churches of Christ around the country today that are actively engaged in a social gospel…
Read MoreThe Gospel and the Social Gospel
What is the Difference? by Bob Myhan Many of the Lord’s churches have gone the way of the modernistic denominations, abandoning the gospel for “a different gospel, which is not another” (Galatians 1:6-7). Paul, in the passage just quoted, used the word “gospel” in an accommodative sense. There was but one gospel. What he called “a different…
Read MoreDevaluing the Local Church
by Glen Young via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 25, June 22, 2008. The local church occupies an important position in God’s scheme of things. It is through the local church that Christians execute certain works. These are works that God commands that can only be accomplished as a group in the context of a local…
Read MoreThe Way International
by Wayne S. Walker Its History Several years ago, when I was working with the church in Medina, Ohio, I was at a shopping center in a nearby town when my attention was caught by a flyer posted on the window of one of the stores. It was printed by “The Way Ministry” of Brunswick,…
Read MoreTheistic Evolution — Denial of the Record
by Jim R. Everett via bulletin from the Cedar Park church of Christ Atheistic evolution is an unscientific hypothesis because it affirms that life came from nothing. Theistic evolution is an unwarranted compromise and a denial of the record of creation (Genesis 1-2). No man can believe the Bible to be God’s absolute truth while…
Read MoreMaking Godly Decisions
by Sewell Hall via Biblical Insights, Vol. 7, No. 12, Dec. 2007 “What Does God Want Me To Do?” This question will dominate every decision by a truly godly person. The apostle Paul wrote, “We make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him” (II Corinthians 5:9). Again, “Be diligent to…
Read MoreNeed a New Start?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Have you ever wished you could start life all over again? Cheer up! God is in the people-changing business. He wrote the original life-changing book. The Bible reveals what we all yearn for at times: a fresh start in life! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things…
Read MoreThe Sum of God’s Word
by Frank Himmel via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 25, June 22, 2008. Do you remember math class? We were taught that in multiplication the answer is called the product; in division, it is called the quotient; in subtraction, it is the remainder; in addition, it is the sum. Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of…
Read MoreThe Spiritual Unity of Marriage
by Gary R. Beauchamp via The Sower, Vol. 53, No. 2, March/April 2008. The night I knew my wife and I were destined for a life together was when we sat alone in a car and solemnly vowed that the most important goal in our lives was first to go to Heaven, and secondly, to…
Read MoreThe Works of the Flesh
by Sunday Ayandare via Words Of Life, Vol. 16, No. 1, Jan-Mar. 2009. We live in perilous times. Morals have degenerated to an abysmally low level. One could be tempted to say that the situation has reached its nadir. Reminiscent of the days of old, men are today calling evil good and good evil (Isaiah…
Read MoreMajority Versus Elder Rule
by James R. Cope in The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 5, March 1952. To Bible students and faithful Christians majority vote and rule in the church of Christ are as foreign to the Bible’s teaching on church government as Russia is foreign to a democracy. The majority vote always means an open division in the body…
Read MoreMajorities and Manners
by James R. Cope via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 4, February 1952. All civilized countries recognize the necessity of government. Different forms of government hold sway in various lands but all admit the necessity of some final tribunal and ultimate authority. Chaos and confusion prevail where no rule obtains. Whether we study the civil,…
Read MoreThe Historical Accuracy of the Bible (Sasser)
by Jim Sasser To be divinely inspired, a book must be historically accurate. For if its credibility cannot be established on the basis of known events, it certainly cannot be relied upon as an adequate guide in matters beyond our ability to check. On the other hand, if we can demonstrate that such a book…
Read MoreDid Jesus Make Alcoholic Wine?
by Greg Gwin It is discouraging, even disgusting, to hear some brethren continue to use the same old, worn-out arguments to defend “social drinking.” Is it not clear that their stubborn adherence to these discredited “proofs” is evidence of a rebellious heart? Jesus turns water to wine at a wedding feast – John 2:6-8 For…
Read MoreReview of Sacred Songs of the Church
by Wayne S. Walker The first new hymnbook among churches of Christ for the 21st century (notwithstanding the late Alton H. Howard’s Songs of the Church 21st Century Edition which actually came out in 1990) is now available. It is Sacred Songs of the Church, edited by William D. Jeffcoat, copyrighted in 2007 by Psallo Publications LLC (3642 Peachtree…
Read MoreExplaining Exodus 4:24-26
by Carey Scott “And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”…
Read MoreA Simple Prayer
by L.A. Stauffer via The Jackson Drive Reporter, March 15, 2009. Bible students may be struck with amazement that a body of Jewish followers would ask Jesus to teach them to pray. These were men of a nation that grew up with prayer. It was a staple of their home life, it was taught in…
Read MoreShall the Sword Devour Forever?
by Victor M. Eskew David was now the official king of Israel. However, Abner, the captain of Saul’s forces, was not in submission to David. He assisted in the establishment of Saul’s son Ishbosheth as king over all but the house of Judah. “But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth…
Read MoreWhen Hard Hearts Need Hard Words of Truth
by Terry W. Benton The preacher was all alone in his stand for truth and right because the assembly had become so worldly, and now he was the “troubler in Israel”. He was so discouraged that he decided to quit preaching. He was miserable when preaching the truth because no one wanted or appreciated the…
Read MoreThat Preacher Offended Me!
by Harry Osborne What would you think of a preacher whose sermons offended people and were taken as insulting by the hearers? What if a preacher caused the audience to be filled with anger because of the hard things that he said? What if he went so far as to mock false beliefs? Regardless of…
Read MorePreaching Like Paul
by Bobby Witherington via Guardian of Truth XXXVI: 3, pp. 80-82, February 6, 1992 There are many books that deal with preaching. Some are excellent. Some are not worth the paper and ink they require. Some are downright dangerous. But there is one book that not only reveals the value of preaching; it also reveals what constitutes…
Read MoreHard Preaching
by Guy F. Hester Recently someone told me that I am a hard preacher. This could be either good or bad, depending on what is meant by hard preaching. In the context of the conversation, I took it as a compliment to my firm stance for my convictions. Many people deplore hard preaching that may…
Read MoreToning It Down
by Robert Turner A “Country Meeting” had gone exceedingly well, and elders from another community asked the preacher to work with them in a meeting the following year. He came at the appointed time and found his reputation had spread, and the building was packed. The elders met him at the car, told him they…
Read MoreAlexander Campbell as a Preacher
Theories on Preaching by Carroll Elis via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 11, September 1952. Preaching is not for a lazy man, a sick man, or a tired man. Preaching the gospel is work. The greatest use which can be made of the human tongue is in the proclamation of the gospel of Christ. Effective preaching…
Read MoreSabbath
by Ethan R. Longhenry “Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy…
Read MoreA Richly Blessed Family
by Bill Hall via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 15, April 13, 2008. “Pity the Smith family. Poor things, they have to keep the preacher every time the church plans a gospel meeting. And Christians are always stopping in at their place. And they are about the only people in the church that ever invite people…
Read MoreA Review of the Hymnbooks
by Wayne S. Walker Originally published in Torch, October 1988 Please understand that my review is of necessity going to be biased by my own view of what constitutes a good hymn selection. With that in mind, I shall begin by saying that I grew up using the old “brown book,” Christian Hymns II (edited by…
Read MoreRespect (Scott)
by Carey Scott “In that day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 17:7). A quality that is lacking in our society is respect. I think everyone would acknowledge such, but few think about it. Many wish it would return to our society,…
Read MoreBe Still, My Soul
by Katharina von Schlegel, 1752 Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; In every change, He faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.…
Read MoreHis Eye Is On The Sparrow
by David Padfield via padfield.com Photo by Will Bolding on Unsplash In Matthew 10 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles and “gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease” (Matthew 10:1). This commission was limited in that they were not allowed to…
Read MoreOnly in the Lord
by Bob Buchanon Would you please explain the phrase “in the Lord” found in I Corinthians 7:39? Does this mean that if the widow chooses to remarry, she would only be allowed to marry one who is a Christian or “in the Lord”? The phrase “in the Lord” is prepositional and must modify either a…
Read MoreSelf-Esteem (Sharp)
by Keith Sharp via Tri-County Church of Christ. Perhaps the one goal American parents and educators agree on for children more than any other is “high self-esteem.” John Rosemond, a professional family psychologist who writes a nationally syndicated column that appears in the Watertown Times, wrote an article entitled “Self-Esteem Isn’t Praiseworthy Goal” (Watertown Times. Sunday,…
Read MoreAre Babies Born Sinners?
Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 5, Feb. 7, 2008. QUESTION: I have a friend that believes that all babies are born into the world as sinners because of Adam’s sin. Could you please discuss this for me? ANSWER: The idea of the “original sin” of Adam being passed on to all mankind is…
Read MoreQuick Fix
by Shane Williams via The Lilbourn Light, Vol. 8, No. 11, March 2008. Some people pray only after a catastrophe. This “quick fix” mentality sees God mainly as a problem solver. When solutions come, God may or may not be thanked. After that, He is more or less forgotten until the next crisis. Psalm 106…
Read MoreShall We Know One Another in Heaven?
by Hoyt Houchen via Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, pp. 623-624 October 17, 1991 Man is confronted with many mysteries, thus causing him to ponder on many questions. He is made to wonder about death, immortality, what is beyond and shall we know each other in heaven. The subject of future recognition in heaven that is discussed…
Read MorePreaching the Grace of God
by Terry W. Benton via Prove It by the Scriptures A brother made the following comment: “Grace is one subject one hears very little about in conservative Churches of Christ except it be prefaced by a stern warning of what grace is not.” I wonder if that statement has been true of my preaching. I personally…
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