The Bible doctrine of fellowship is a difficult subject for many because of the strong emotions involved in personal relationships. No one wants to withdraw fellowship from anyone, especially their friends and family. Yet the Bible teaches clearly in such passages as Matthew 18, 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Thessalonians 3, and Romans 16:17 that sometimes […]

After the mingling of the righteous line of Seth with the unrighteous line of Cain mankind became so corrupt that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was ONLY EVIL continually.” Mankind became a cesspool of sin. Imagine the evil that goes on […]

The game of pretense. We know that children play the game, and in their time of life it is innocent and a great deal of fun. But then, there’s the grown-up world, and for those in Christ, there is the reality set forth in the Word of God. Christianity is not the religion of pretense. […]

One of the arguments that is used to defend church tradition as a source of religious authority is that the Bible speaks regarding traditions that the apostles held. It is pointed out that in 2 Thessalonians 3:6 Paul demands that Christians walk in submission to the traditions that they received from the apostles. Moreover, others […]

As people, we sometimes have funny concepts about growing old. We don’t want to become old, but neither do we want to die young. Douglas MacArthur is quoted as saying, “Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to […]

Have you ever heard of the Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus Freiherr von Munchhausen? He was a German army cavalry officer who was born in Bodenwerder (Germany) and lived from 1720-1797, but so far as we know, he never accomplished any great or notable feat worthy of historical fame. So why is the good Baron famous? […]

In Mark 16:20, the inspired record states of the apostles: “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following, Amen.” Today one can simply turn on the television and hear claims being made of “miracles” on every hand. It’s a wonder anyone is sick […]

March 16th, 2003 In reply to your comments below, even in 1 Corinthians 11 the use of the word “church” and “together” does not preclude individual action because Paul states in verse 28, “but let a man examine himself.” My position is clear. The use of the singular in 1 Corinthians11:28 is within a plural […]

One of the reasons Paul was able to live as he lived, preached as he preached, and endured what he endured is found in 2 Corinthians 4:18 where he said, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are not seen […]

There is in the Lord’s church a growing number of individuals who are seeking to change the practices that we find in the scriptures to conform to a more denominational perspective. These are departing from the teaching that is found in the Bible regarding salvation, worship, the church, and Christian living. It is good for […]

Enemies come in all different shapes and sizes. There are physical enemies who seek to take our lives. There are enemies in the business world who would destroy our way of earning a living. There are enemies within families when close bonds have been severed due to a “falling out.” And, there are spiritual enemies […]

The remainder of the chapter is a list of men whose only importance is that they are the ancestors of Abraham, a man not yet mentioned. If not for this connection they would certainly be unmentioned in history. They are mentioned because of the importance of the ancestry of Abraham. From Noah to Abraham, this […]

By now, no doubt, you have heard of the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” directed by Mel Gibson. The subject of the movie is, more or less, the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus. I saw the movie this past week and it accurately, vividly, and gruesomely portrays what the physical experiences […]

Ours is certainly the age of change, and no one in the kingdom who is alert can say that most changes are for the better. Almost daily, through the communications means we have in this modern time, news comes to us that is distressing. The nation is imperiled, and not nearly so much from another […]

More and more I hear of members of the church speaking about “witnessing” and less frequently do I hear about members of the church speaking about teaching the gospel of Christ. While the term “witness” is a biblical one and while many people speak of “witnessing” within the denominational world, perhaps we should wonder if […]

ESV Genesis 7:17 The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the […]

10) What happened after Jesus was baptized? Jesus prayed (Luke 3:21), the Holy Spirit “descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Following this Jesus was immediately led by the Spirit into […]

Shortly after Simon Peter made his confession to Jesus (Matthew 16:13-20 – NKJV), the gospel account next records the following exchange between Master and disciple: “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be […]

Witches, warlocks, bards, ovates, and druids: you’re probably thinking that Halloween is over for this year, so why the strange list? Well, according to Reuters news service, pagans are celebrating Samhuin, the Celtic new year, and “a time for remembering dead ancestors before the darkness of winter” explained one pagan priestess. According to the article, […]

We have repeatedly stated that the child of God is a controlled being. He, after all, once lived to his own will and pleasure, fulfilling all the desires of the flesh and mind (Ephesians 2:3), but in coming obediently to the Christ he has denied self (Luke 9:23) and willingly subscribed to the Master’s will. […]