By reading 1 Thessalonians 1-5, we can look at the first century church in action. Let us notice the following characteristics of this spiritually productive congregation: They steadfastly did the Lord’s work, setting an example and standard for all other congregations to follow (1 Thessalonians 1:1-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:58).

The story is told of a treasurer of a congregation who resigned after many years of service. The elders asked another member to take his position. The man who they asked was the manager of the local grain elevator. He agreed to take the job on two conditions:

Recently, I received the following touching human interest story from one of my online Christians friends via email. The story of this young boy and a kind telephone operator, has been circulated around the Internet for a long time, but the message of the story still needs repeating:

After being on this earth for sixty-seven years and having observed a growing trend of spiritual lethargy over the past fifty years, I have come away fully believing that Christianity must become our passion — not simply a passing fancy or hobby that is reserved for only two days a week.

From an unknown author, comes this very personal and meaningful prayer that each of us can think about this coming week:

Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes are ever observant; their ears are always listening; their minds are always processing the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives (Ephesians 6:1-3; cf. Exodus 20:12). The wise parent […]

The story is told of a little girl who wore a white frock and was carrying a large bouquet of flowers. As she passed by a boy who was playing in the dusty street, he saw how she was dressed. Having a mischievous spirit, the boy threw a handful of dirt at the little girl, […]

From time to time, we hear of various workers going on strike for whatever reason. Perhaps we need to ask the question, “What if God should go on strike?” The following is a poem by an unknown author, that emphasizes our need for God and His gracious supply of everything we need to sustain life […]

The story is told of a man who owned and operated a sign company. Some of his signs were life-size cardboard pictures of kids, which he put close to the street. As motorists drove down the street, they thought the cutouts were real children and began to lower their speed. Now the owner sells the […]

There’s no question that living for Christ is an uphill climb — a climb marked by triumph over our weaknesses by God’s grace (2 Corinthians 5:8-15). Like the apostle Paul, we will never achieve a level of spirituality where we can say, “I have arrived, and this is where I’ll stay” (cf. Philippians 3:12-14).

In Edith Schaeffer’s book entitled, “The Tapestry,” she describes a summer when her husband was away in Europe for three months. During that time of missing him greatly, Edith and her sister Janet took their five young children to live in a former schoolhouse on Cape Cod. On a shoestring budget, they shared the rent, […]

The task of defining worship is made easier when we understand what worship is. Worship is the expression of loving reverence and honor bestowed upon a being “worthy” of such reverence and honor. With reference to God, worship has to do with God’s “worth.”

While preparing for a long trip, a traveler said to his friend: “I am just about packed. I only have to put in a guidebook, a lamp, a mirror, a microscope, a telescope, a volume of fine poetry, a few biographies, a package of old letters, a book of songs, a sword, a hammer, and […]

The primary reason for studying the Bible is because it is a command from God (2 Timothy 2:15 ASV). The following are additional reasons as to why we should study the Bible: That we may live spiritually by being born anew by God’s word (cf. Luke 8:11; 1 Peter 1:23). Unless one is born anew, […]

One day a man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so […]

From The Fellowship Room, comes the following poem by Alice Leedy Mason entitled, “A Mother’s Gift.” There are many mothers across our land who cannot financially give their children what they “want” but they can give them what they “need” — far exceeding anything that money can buy.

In the parable of the marriage feast (Matthew 22:1-14), we see that one man in attendance did not have on the proper wedding garment (Matthew 22:11), even though he knew that he should have come prepared wearing one (Matthew 22:12).

In Proverbs 8, we see wisdom as being “possessed” by the Lord “in the beginning” (Proverbs 8:22 KJV; John 1:2) — the same Lord who is the [Logos] Word — the creative agent, instrumental in the creation of all things (John 1:3; Psalm 33:6).

In Amos 2, we see the depths to which Israel plunged headlong, in its callous attitude towards sin: “They sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals” (Amos 2:6). They were so obsessed with silver and shoes that they would do whatever it took to possess them. They had a […]