Our spring gospel meeting at the New Boston Church of Christ is one month away! It begins on February 23rd and continues through the 26th. The theme of this meeting is “Living By Faith.” Brother Jeff Whatley, one of the preachers at the North Jefferson church of Christ in Mt. Pleasant, will be speaking. We […]
Some try to avoid it, but many are happy to have the discussion. Most of the time, the problem is that we are not comfortable talking about the Bible, and that makes others uncomfortable. Think of your favorite subject. What did you do to learn how to talk about it to someone else? Are you comfortable talking about it? Can you put the same attitude and effort into talking about the Bible? If we demonstrate that we are comfortable talking about the Bible, others will be too. “As He spoke these words, many believed in Him” (John 8:32).
We need to determine to get out and start evangelizing for Christ. The stakes are too high, and the souls of men hang in the balance. Let’s resolve to make an effort to evangelize our community. “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:25).
It is an awesome and daunting responsibility to take the gospel to others. I have been involved in several efforts to get the word out. I have knocked doors and spoken to folks about the gospel. I don’t know everything about personal evangelism, but I have come to learn about several misconceptions.
Does the name of the church you are a member of reflect and honor our one Lord and God Jesus the Christ? I hope so. I also hope that the church of which you are a member reflects the identity of the New Testament church. If your church does not reflect that then I suggest you find a church that does. At the church of Christ, we strive to do just that, and we invite you to come and judge us in this regard. We invite constructive criticism. We want to know if we are not. We want to be transformed into the identity of Christ.
The apostles and writers of the New Testament referred to the church as the “church of God” eight times in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:13, etc.). It is interesting to note that at least one of these references refers not to God the Father, but to God the Son (Acts 20:28). Local congregations are called “the churches of Christ” in Romans 16:16. The Holy Spirit names individual congregations in the scriptures such as the church of the Thessalonians and the church of Ephesus (1 Thessalonians 1:1; Revelation 2:1). Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church.” It is right, therefore, to call the church, the church of Christ!
“Brain Rot” is Oxford Word of the Year. Each year the Oxford University Press, the publishing house responsible for producing the Oxford English Dictionary (considered by many to be the defining dictionary of the English language) puts out a word of the year. This year’s “word” is two words: “Brain Rot.” The “word” increased in […]
Does Christianity involve a recognition and commitment to God’s pattern? Yes. Paul told Timothy, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). Paul Himself received this pattern from the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
When one worships according to the God-given pattern, God will count him as righteous. When one steps outside that pattern and acts on his own, he creates his own righteousness and cannot please God (Romans 10:3). Without revelation, man can never restore God’s order. However, if one humbles himself and returns to God’s pattern beautiful restoration occurs.
Abel had a pattern from God and he followed it. Cain did not. Cain offered worship that he invented. It was an offering of his own righteousness. It was not what God wanted. It was not pleasing to God. Mankind needs a pattern to avoid presenting his own righteousness to God. However, when we follow God’s pattern, God counts it as righteousness (Romans 4:3, James 2:23).
The plea of churches of Christ today is to restore New Testament Christianity into the lives of as many as will receive the gospel. It is not sufficient to preach the gospel without expecting those who believe it to change their lives. To this end, the churches of Christ preach, and the Bible teaches, that the gospel contains all the information that we need to do this (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:17).
Where does our heart stand? Are we at absolute zero because we are covetous, stubborn, or selfish? I hope not. Instead, we need to be pliable and plastic so that the Lord may mold and shape us to His will. You can’t bend something that is at absolute zero, only break it.
Jesus is precious because His blood is precious.1 Peter 1:19 says that we were not redeemed with corruptible things “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” This blood paid the price for my sins and bought me back from perdition (1 Cor.6:20). This blood purchased the church (Acts 20:28). This blood speaks greater things than that of Abel (Heb.12:24). The blood of Jesus is precious.
The Bible says that Jesus is precious to us who are born again to righteousness, edification, and sanctification. In 1 Peter 2:7 we have this statement, “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious.” Is Jesus precious to you? Do you value Him like you would value your most prized possession?
God calls lawlessness and unrighteousness sin (1 John 3:4; 5:17). He doesn’t distinguish right from wrong and righteousness from sin arbitrarily. Because God sees and knows all, He sees how sin ruins and hurts us. He calls wickedness and lawlessness sin, because He loves us and doesn’t want sin to deceive, enslave, and cause us to die spiritually.
The book of Hebrews tells of Christians who are slowing growing dull and falling away from the faith. Some were drifting (Hebrews 2:1-3), some were dull of hearing (5:11), and some had fallen away (6:4-6). They had fallen into the habit of forsaking the assembling. It was not that they missed an “assembly” or part of an assembly; they had abandoned meeting with the saints altogether! They quit going to worship and bible classes.
In our confused, broken, and chaotic world, there are some fundamental things every person needs! Yes, they need each of these things. These things are not to be taken lightly or dismissed as trivial. They are basics of life.
Paul faced many challenges in preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul wrote that when he came to Macedonia, “our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within” (2 Corinthians 7:5). “I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:27-29).
The gospel provides salvation from a lawless world. How? First, by providing forgiveness of man’s lawless deeds through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. And second, by providing a law of love (Romans 13:10, Galatians 5:14) by which we can live lawful lives in service to God. The gospel is, therefore, God’s perfect law of liberty (James 1:25), the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that frees us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
In 1 John 3:4, the ASV reads, “Every one that doeth sin doeth also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” That one verse tells us why we live in a lawless world today, because we live in a sinful world today. The world doesn’t have to have cattle rustlers, corrupt sheriffs, or saloon bosses to be lawless (though it often does). Sin, in and of itself, does the job. Truth be told, we probably don’t think of people’s sins as being lawlessness, but they are.