Posts Tagged ‘church’
The Growth of the Church in Jerusalem
by Dudley R. Spears via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 4, December 31, 1990 No period in the history of the Lord’s church records a greater numerical growth than the first century. There are repeated references to the reason why such phenomenal growth occurred. Men of faith claim the reason was the preaching of the apostles.…
Read More“I’m Not Included”
by Rickie Jenkins “I am just not included at church; I am given no part.” If true, that is sad. That’s not God’s intent. God designed a local church to depend on one another. He expects all to contribute to the good of the whole (Ephesians 4:16). Thus, in God’s design “every part may grow…
Read MoreEveryone in the Church Is Important
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Everyone-in-the-Church-Is-Important.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreIs a gathering in a care facility a church gathering?
Question: I am autistic and live in a facility. I can’t drive from here to any church. My sister could bring me, but she is not very consistent. I can’t rely on her early Sunday mornings. However, the facility I am at has an hour-long gathering of believers on Monday evenings. They sing a hymn,…
Read MoreWhat Is the Work of the Church?
by Kyle Ellison Recently, I came across a discussion where community members discussed the need for churches to expand their activities. More physical fitness facilities, more sports options for Christian families, more clothing drives, more dinners, more food drives, more bookstores, improved coffee facilities for first-time guests, and on the list went. It caused me…
Read MoreDestroying God’s Temple
by Chadwick Brewer “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (I Corinthians 3:17). The church (the people, not the building) is holy. It is a place designed by God to be a dwelling fit for Him. This is something we should understand and…
Read MoreCan a church divide itself into smaller groups and remain a church?
Question: Good day, brother. Here’s a case I’d like you to consider, A local church agrees to hold gatherings in different locations, not in the current meeting place but in zones based on proximity to one another. There are three zones, where fellowship is held in brothers’ houses on the same day, at the same…
Read MoreThe Head of the Church
by Terry Wane Benton The church is described as the body of Christ, with Jesus as the head of that body. Thus, the church is a group of people so connected to Christ that the body does not act without a proper signal (authority) from the head. If the church acts without authority, the church…
Read MoreThe Nature of the Church
by R. L. Whiteside via Gospel Advocate, December 3, 1942 From what reading I do, it seems to me that brethren are drifting away from a correct conception of what the church is. The church of God is the family of God, and all his children are in it. If one of his children wanders…
Read MoreThe Church in Two Senses of the Word
based on charts by Scott Mann via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 11, November 30, 1983 Universal Church The Relationship of Saints with God Members are enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12:23; II Timothy 2:19) Consists of all saints, everywhere, living or dead (Ephesians 3:15; 5:27-29) Only the Lord adds to their number (Acts 2:47) Entrance…
Read MoreJesus Loves the Little Children
by Kent Heaton via Biblical Insight, Vol. 14, No. 9, September 2014 There are many scenes in which Jesus Christ is the imminent teacher of multitudes, advisor to noblemen, powerful Creator calming a storm, or the great physician healing and raising the dead. His wrath and fury are felt with a whip of cords driving…
Read MoreSpiritual Israel
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Spiritual-Israel.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Galatians 6:12-18 I. I ran across someone claiming that there is no spiritual Israel, that all references to Israel are to the physical nation. A. From this position, he claimed that the kingdom was postponed because of Israel’s unbelief. B. He claims that physical Israel doesn’t exist today but…
Read MoreCan an eldership direct multiple congregations?
Question: We teach that elders are appointed in local congregations and that no congregation oversees another congregation. Neither does the elder of one congregation have overseeing power or responsibility over another congregation. In Acts 15, we know that there were Jewish Christians who insisted that Gentile Christians must circumcise and observe the law of Moses.…
Read MoreThe Work God Gave the Local Church
by Steve Klein God is the Master designer. We need only look at the physical universe to realize this. Psalm 19:1 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.” The intricate and marvelous design of the creation shows the wisdom of God. “O LORD, how manifold are Your…
Read MoreThe Work of the Lord’s Church
by Terry Wane Benton It was not to eradicate poverty. The church had no silver and gold for the beggar in Acts 3, yet it was taking care of its own members in Acts 2. Their mission was to get to the heart of man’s problem, and that is sin. You heard that right. Sin…
Read MoreAre ALL Churches OF Christ?
by Perry Hall I belong to a local congregation called “Millersville Church of Christ.” When asked what church I belong to, I often add, “But any other name in the Bible, we go by that one, too.” That usually brings a smile. If speaking biblically, there is no official name or title for Christ’s church.…
Read MoreFeed My Sheep
by Terry Wane Benton Photo by Tanner Yould on Unsplash If you love Jesus, you must tend His sheep (John 21:15-17). This is what Jesus told Peter. You cannot love Jesus without caring for Jesus’ church, who are His sheep. Jesus is inseparable from His church. You cannot have one without the other. You cannot…
Read MoreWhich Church Is Right?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 4:4-6 I. How do we measure “right”? A. We must settle on a standard. B. If God is the only God and the Bible is His teachings 1. Then truth and error are as distinct as light and dark – I John 1:5; James 1:17-18 2. The same source tells us that we…
Read MoreChurch Growth
by Chadwick Brewer When considering how to help the church grow, there is a real temptation to look to the business world and copy their marketing schemes. This has been the path of many mega-churches. But God’s church is not a business. We should not look to the business world to determine how to grow…
Read MoreThe Purpose of the Local Church – Encouraging Faithfulness
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Purpose-of-the-Local-Church-Encouraging-Faithfulness.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreReasons That the Local Church Assembles
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Reasons-that-the-Local-Church-Assembles.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreThe Purpose of the Local Church – Financial Support for Members
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Purpose-of-the-Local-Church-Financial-Support-for-Members.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreThe Purpose of the Universal Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Purpose-of-the-Universal-Church.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreA Biblical View of the Local and Universal Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/A-Biblical-View-of-the-Local-and-Univeral-Church.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreThe Biblical Meaning of Church
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Biblical-Meaning-of-Church.mp3 Download Audio by David Bunting Understanding Christ’s Church
Read MoreUnderstanding Christ’s Church
by David Bunting September 26-29, 2026 Thursday (September 26) to Saturday (September 28) at 7 pm Sunday (September 29) at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 5:00 pm The Biblical Meaning of Church A Biblical View of the Local and Universal Church The Purpose of the Universal Church The Purpose of the Local Church – Financial…
Read MoreShould a church organize social activities?
Question: I have been a Christian for nearly 40 years and recently became a member of a new congregation after moving. One of the initial impressions is the focus among the brethren about various social activities. Card playing clubs, baseball outings, book clubs, etc. Some of these are promoted from the pulpit, and signs are…
Read MoreRoom for All
by Allen Dvorak via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2015 “Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: 2 “I will go before you and…
Read MoreChurch and State: Rituals
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Church-and-State-Rituals.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Mark 7:1-8 I. In a world where being born in a region determined your religious faith, the Christian approach was novel A. Christians taught a message from God to bring people into the church – Mark 16:20 1. It wasn’t just taking people at their word. It was confirmed…
Read MoreThe Church’s One Foundation
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-Churchs-One-Foundation.mp3 by Raymond Warfel Download Audio
Read MoreWhy Churches Split
by Perry Hall The Civil War had fascinated me since elementary school when I wrote an assignment on what I thought was the Silver War. I was wrong on two counts. I “knew” it couldn’t be the Civil War because it wasn’t “civil.” But neither was it silver. Probably the greatest summation of the effect…
Read MoreChurch and State: Worldliness
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Church-and-State-Worldliness.mp3 Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-11 I. When people blended the church and the state, the ramifications are broad A. The belief was that society cannot hold together without everyone being bound together by a common religion B. When it is expected that everyone living in a nation belongs to the church, what…
Read MoreWhy I Didn’t Leave the Church
by Matthew W. Bassford The posts appear pretty regularly on my Facebook feed. Some poor soul, simmering with hurt and anger, explains why they left the churches of Christ. The explanations are generally long and filled with accusations of bad behavior by brethren. I get it. Like many preachers, I have suffered at the hands…
Read MoreWe can’t find a good congregation
Question: Hello, I’m facing a dilemma and seek guidance to do the right thing. My husband and I used to attend the only church in our area that lacks a kitchen. We stopped going because the preacher left, there are no elders, and the men currently leading the church are not biblically sound in their…
Read MoreWhy Churches Die
by Mike Riley The following are this writer’s observations over forty years as to why churches die. I’m certain that we can all relate to at least one of the categories listed below: Churches Die at the Tables of Compromise When the church fights worldly influences such as sin and false doctrine — asking no…
Read MoreChurch and State: Civil Enforcement of Religion
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Church-and-State-Civil-Enforcement-of-Religion.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 110 I. By merging the church and state, the state received a “weapon” to promote loyalty int its citizens A. But the church also began using the state as a “weapon” to enforce its teachings B. Psalms 110 is a prophecy about Christ conquering the nations. I’m sure the Catholic…
Read MoreThose Who Are With Us Are More Than Those Who Are With Them
by Al Diestelkamp via Think on These Things, V. 55, N. 3, July-September 2024 Many stories in the Old Testament have become “favorites” because of the great faith shown by God’s people. Hebrews 11 is but a small sample of faith that produced heroes worthy of imitation. As a youth, one of my favorite stories…
Read MoreChurch and State: The Problem
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Church-and-State-The-Problem.mp3 Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 2:13-17 I. It is easy to forget that the relationship between church and state that we have today did not exist when Christ entered the world A. Most societies in the past were held together by a common religious loyalty B. The Babylonians expected everyone in their…
Read MoreChurch and State
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The Problem Enforcement of Religion Worldliness Rituals
Read MoreRevealing the Wisdom of God
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in…
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