Last week we noted that denominationalism doesn’t recognize the inherent division within its organization because it fails to acknowledge any other doctrine of the Christian faith as truly important and grounds for unity except belief in Jesus as the Christ. On this account, denominationalism fails to realize that there could be any distinguishing marks that […]
In preparation to teach our high school class about the beliefs of the various denominational bodies, I have noticed one common and consistent practice among them. While most denominations varies widely in their unique doctrines, when it comes to the plan of salvation they mostly agree on the doctrine of faith only. Typically associated with […]
A true Bible student comes to appreciate the book of Romans all the more with the passing of time. The appreciation is rooted in an understanding of Paul’s message, which message is not understood by the larger portion of the religious world. The very fact that throughout denominationalism the teaching prevails that men are justified […]
Our fellow Christians constitute one of the most cherished blessings we enjoy in the Lord. Our Lord’s promise of an hundredfold abundance of “brothers and sisters and mothers and children” to those who forsake the attachments of the world for His sake and the gospel’s (Mark 10:29-30 – ESV), is fulfilled in the brothers and […]
Recently, I have received several questions from our web site on the subject of discouragement. One person writes, “I am an evangelist but I feel let down, not wanted?” Another writes, “I am really confused right now. Everybody I ask is going to give me a different answer and I don’t know which one is […]
The word “offence” is used in the KJV of the Bible in one form or another some 73 different times. Out of those occurrences, 23 are found in the Old Testament and 50 in the New Testament. In the New Testament, the vast majority of these instances are from a word which means to cause […]
An elderly lady, dreadfully crippled with arthritis, used to hobble painfully to church services on two crutches. It was an agonizing ordeal for her. Someone in the congregation asked her how she managed to be at every service. Her answer was, “My heart gets there first and my legs just follow after.” Can it be […]
The Word Was God — Bible Lesson by Tom Moore explaining that “the Word in John 1 is the Christ of eternity.
Please open your Bibles to Job 3:11-19 Vs. 11-12 – In these verses, Job questions why he didn’t die at or near birth. He indicates this in several manners. First he wonders why he did not die in the womb from complications of pregnancy. Second he wonders why he didn’t die after childbirth perhaps due […]
In 1 Corinthians 1:10 the apostle Paul makes the following plea: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” […]
One of the characteristics of the people at Athens was that they were always interested in hearing about something new. Luke records this attitude for us in Acts 17:31 where he writes, “For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some […]
Names of the Church — Bible Lesson by Tom Moore showing that the various descriptions (names) of the church instruct us on its different aspects.
6) Desire To Understand God’s Word! Psalm 119:34 states, “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” There are two common reasons why man is unwilling to understand the Bible: (1) “self-satisfaction” and (2) “self-conceit.” This is the way a selfish young man often loves […]
When we water something down, it is diluted, weakened, and made less potent. In the old days, taverns “watered-down” firewater to make it go further. This writer has been in restaurants that did the same thing to ketchup (or catsup) for the same reason. Some medicines are “watered-down” so they will not be too strong […]
From time to time a short refresher course is needed to refresh our memory (2 Peter 1:12) regarding key words, key verses, key phrases and key messages contained within the books of the Old Testament.
This past week I was having a conversation with a friend who is a member of a denominational church. She mentioned to me that she wanted to come visit us and that she had told her “pastor” that she was going to visit us. Her “pastor” asked who we were and my friend responded, “the […]
Why are there so many different churches today? When we open the Bible, they are not all there. Do all of these different religious organizations belong to Jesus Christ? The psalmist wrote that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it, (Psalm 127:1). Jesus said that every plant the heavenly […]
Catholicism teaches, referring to Mary, “To thee we lift our prayers, for thou art the Mediatrix, powerful at once and pitiful, of our salvation” (cf. Catholic Encyclopedia). Such an affirmation exalts Mary to the same plateau as Jesus, for they call her “The Mother of God” (cf. Catholic Encyclopedia). Their attempts to deify Mary contradicts […]
On September 6, 1863, forty-eight Confederate soldiers, commanded by Lieutenant Richard “Dick” Dowling (who was only twenty-five years old), waited for the Union invasion of Texas on the muddy banks of Sabine Pass. The Union had sent four gunboats, and seventeen transport ships that contained 1500 troops. Dowling and his men were holed up in […]
Many honest and sincere folk in the religious world oppose the idea that baptism is an essential element in the salvation process. They argue that we are not saved by works and since baptism is a “work”, it follows that baptism has nothing to do with our salvation. The Bible declares that man is not […]