With the passing of Thanksgiving weekend our holiday season has begun. Times of food, fun, and fellowship with friends and family await. It should be a time to exchange gifts and make long lasting and joyous memories. However for some it will be a time of sorrow because in addition to the expectation of many […]
The old spiritual song “Roll Jordon, Roll” states, “I want to go to heaven when I die.” This phrase epitomizes each and every Christian’s longing and desire for eternal life. It was stated concerning Abraham in the book of Hebrews 11:13-16: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them […]
When looking at the cases of conversion within the book of Acts, the case of Cornelius and his household presents some unique challenges to understanding God’s plan for man’s salvation. The account of this conversion is found in Acts chapters 10 and 11. Cornelius conversion was unique in that he was the first Gentile to […]
In our lifetime we are going to sin (1 John 1:7-10). Undoubtedly, some of those sins are going to be committed in the presence of others. There are going to be times when we either do not recognize that what we did was a sin, or that we understand it to be a sin but […]
In Matthew 18:13ff, Jesus presents a very important question to these disciples. He says, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” The disciples said that some people are saying that you are John the Baptizer; some people say that you are Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus then […]
There is only one place in the Bible where the expression “faith only” is used. It is much more than significant that the word “not” is right before this expression. James writes, “Ye see that by works a man is justified and not by faith only” (James 2:24). James answers the question whether one is […]
The Bible is the greatest book ever written for man and the words of the Bible prove this fact over and over again. It has been said that it is the “owner’s” manual for life. Certainly it was written by the one who knows man best-his Creator. Just as we would look to the owner’s […]
Romans 1:16 boldly declares that God’s power for salvation is within the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches that the basis of the gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. What does the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus represent? It represents radical transformation. Could there be a more […]
One of the great questions that faces our day is the question of why there are so many denominations around us. It is clear from the scriptures that the followers of Christ were to be united in doctrine and practice. Jesus prayed for the unity of the believers in John 17. Paul condemned the factious […]
Recently I was asked this very important question. It is a question about which many people have pondered. It is a question that largely goes unanswered by many that choose rather to uphold the status quo of mainline religious bodies today. It is a question, however, that is begging to be answered by millions and […]
A couple of weeks ago in the bulletin we looked at the question, “What is our greatest challenge?” The answer to that question is that our greatest challenge is ourselves. If we can overcome our own personal fears, setbacks, difficulties, and problems, then we can go forward to become a better Christian in service to […]
Sometimes the most sublime truths can be stated in the simplest ways. We have a song that is often sung in our children’s classes and vacation bible schools: “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see.” The song continues and speaks about being careful about what we hear, say, do and where we go. Moreover, […]
The question of who will be saved has occupied the thoughts of many throughout the ages. There are some people today who believe that everyone who has ever lived will be saved. There are some today who believe that a majority of people who have lived on the earth will be saved. There is, however, […]
The passage from which the title of this article originates is found on 2 John 9-11. John writes, “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring […]
PBS recently aired a television special asking the question that most don’t want to confront, “Why is there such evil in this world?” “Why would God allow such evil to occur?” Why wouldn’t God stop such an evil event as happened on September 11th, 2001?”
Last year our missionary from Costa Rica and his wife came and visited the United States. While they were visiting, the editor of the religious section of the local newspaper wrote an article regarding their work. During the interview, the gentleman asked what would be the appropriate titles for both the missionary and me. I […]
The mission and work of the church centers around the great mission that Christ proclaimed namely to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). The church as the bride of Christ has the responsibility of support the Christ in this great work (Ephesians 5:23, 24). As we have studied through the work of the […]
Recently, I had the privilege of walking upon the Pea Ridge battlefield in Northern Arkansas. The battle fought here determined control of the state of Missouri, which was crucial for the Union because they planned to use the Mississippi river to split the forces of the south. The union was defending Missouri at the time […]
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is still the same today as it was two thousand years ago. In the book of Hebrews we read, “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). It is based upon this solid fact of scripture that the principles of restoration are preached. If […]
As we read in the Bible we only read about the presence of God in the area of the Old and New Testaments (Middle East, Greece, Rome, etc). Where was God for the rest of the world (China, North America, Island Nations, etc.)? Why didn’t he appear to them? Just because we do not have […]