The first necessary quality of a spiritual leader who “stands out” is the spirit of excellence! He who strives for excellence will not be counted among the also-rans. The question is asked, “How does a spiritual leader develop the attitude of a spirit of excellence in a day when almost anything can be passed off […]

Notice these words of David as he thanks the Almighty for all the deliverances and benefits that he had experienced throughout the whole of his life – a life filled with many dark moments: “Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse saith, And the man who was raised on […]

Put yourself in Abraham’s place for a moment. In the USA it’s difficult because we don’t have famines. Local food shortages are solved by our transportation system. Even if there is a local drought there is still food in the supermarket. This is true for other areas of the world as well. In ancient times, […]

In Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV), Isaiah introduces the concept of the potter and the clay and presents God as the Potter who naturally cares about that which He has created. He does not want to discard his creation. “But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all […]

Today is our fifth annual Family and Friends day at the Berryville church of Christ. We’re glad you’re here, whether you be family or friend! The Bible tells us both what is a family and what is a friend. I hope that you will take the time to study some of these things this week […]

It is clear from the scriptures that in order for one to be saved, one must be baptized (Mark 16:16). Since the word “baptize” is a transliteration from the Greek word “baptizo” the significance of the word is lost to us in the English language. So it is within the context of how the word […]

It is impossible to be consistent when one holds doctrinal error. A long time ago men started believing that the human soul was corrupt at birth. As a result of this false belief, these men had to develop a whole

To the Ephesians, Paul said that “…Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be […]

Please open your Bibles to Job 3:20-26. In this section, we find the key question to the entire book of Job. Rephrased into today’s vernacular we would ask, “Why do good men suffer bad things?” or “Why is there suffering in the world?” The burden of the book of Job is to answer this question […]

Last week I had an article in the bulletin entitled, “Why the Catholic Church Ought Not Select A New Pope.” Biblical reasons were given as to why the papacy is an unscriptural arrangement in the New Testament model of organized church leadership. But as I mentioned, I’m not so na�ve as to think that the […]

The apostle Paul described the preaching pleasing unto God as being the “manifestation of the truth” (2 Corinthians 4:2). The charge is that those who proclaim the Word of the Lord “preach the Word!” (2 Timothy 4:2). Jesus’ own statement regarding the Word, in His prayer to the Father, was that “Thy word is truth” […]

On our recent trip to Maine, we had the opportunity to see several lighthouses. One we were able to visit up close as it was located within the boundaries of the national park and accessible by car. This particular lighthouse was not one of the tall, stately, and grand lighthouses that one is accustomed to […]

This passage illustrates well the meaning of faith. Noah had never seen rain but God told him it was going to flood. Noah couldn’t know by experience whether the untested Ark would float. At God’s word Noah obeyed and did His will. We have never seen the new Jerusalem, the resurrection, or the Lord that […]

Last week we noted that an offence is when we cause someone to be upset or troubled through our actions or words whether justified or not. We also noted the following: 1) we ought to live lives void of offence to others; 2) it is impossible to live the Christian life without offending someone; 3) […]

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. (Psa 51:6 NKJ) One summer, a friend of mine and I went to Colorado to climb mountains. To get there, we drove all night from the very southeastern tip of Texas (near Beaumont) beginning Sunday […]

We have all seen one version or another of the mobster shows where the “hit man” walks up to his good buddy who has had a contract put on his life and say, “Sorry, Rico. It’s not personal, it’s just business.” At which point, Rico’s left ventricle gets very personal with a 32-mag bullet. How […]

The Birth of The King Vs. 18 – Matthew begins to describe how the birth of Jesus took place. He makes it clear that Mary and Joseph’s relationship was in the betrothal phase and that this was prior to any sexual activity (i.e. “before they came together”). Betrothal was similar to what we would consider […]

Our Lord proclaimed, “In your patience possess ye your souls” (Luke 21:19). From this passage it is clear that patience plays an important role in the salvation of the soul. Realizing this, it is imperative that we understand what it is not, what it is, what it accomplishes, and how it is acquired. Patience is […]

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt stands as a monument and memorial to the pride of Pharaoh Khufu. The pyramid’s base covers 13 acres. It is estimated to contain 2 to 2.8 million blocks of stone, each weighing from 2 to 15 tons. Some 100,000 slaves spent 20 years in its construction. How unlike […]

One of the more curious appellations that we find in the scriptures is the name that Jesus gave to the brothers James and John–Boanerges. Mark records this moniker in 3:17 “And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder.” One does […]