Expediency

by Heath Rogers In the previous article, we discussed the difference between general and specific authority. When God specifies something, everything else is automatically excluded. However, when God gives us a general command, we are free to choose how to fulfill that command. This is where the study of expediency must be applied. Expediency is…

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Authorized Aids

by Larry Ray Hafley The Bible does not state that Noah used hammers, saws, and axes in the construction of the ark. However, such instruments were authorized by the command, “Make thee an ark” (Genesis 6:14). Without the instruction to build the ark, the tools would have been unauthorized. The Bible does not mention church…

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Do you sell everything you have? Why do you have an air-conditioned building?

Question: “Quite simply, we are a church that follows after the pattern of the New Testament.” —from the church website. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the…

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All Things are Lawful

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/AllThingsAreLawful.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 10:21-33   I.         I Corinthians 6:12 and 10:23 are sometimes cited to justify actions.             A.        Everything can be right.             B.        It forms the foundation for situational ethics, where right and wrong is not determined by what is done (or not done), but upon the situation.             C.        People will agree that something…

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Isn’t a kitchen just a way to reach people with the gospel?

Question: I currently stand in the position that it is a matter of opinion concerning a kitchen or fellowship hall. Again, that is where I currently stand. Here where I preach, we do not have a kitchen per se. A majority of the brethren here would like to have one so that it would accommodate…

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Can you explain “expediency”?

Question: Could you help me understand “expedients”? I have heard the term used for explaining why churches use money for certain things like a building or songbooks. Could you expand on this in light of what the work of the church is, what the collection is for, etc.? Answer: The Apostle Paul wrote, “All things…

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