Posts from December 2021

Posts from December 2021

Will 2022 Be The Year…

The new year has arrived; it has been ushered in with celebrations and greeted with resolutions, most of which will fail. Rather than the annual bulletin article to encourage “spiritual resolutions,” let us consider a series of questions, each framed with the idea of “will 2022 be the year.” Will 2022 be the year that you make my life right with God? Am I walking in the light with God? If not, how long have I been living with my…

How to Excel in Personal Evangelism

The churches of Christ in America are on a steady decline. Over the past three years, we have lost 225 congregations and 55,334 members. Those who seek RATIONALIZATION minimize our losses by pointing to similar declines among our denominational friends. Those who seek EXPLANATION (should we dare say excuses) cite increased distractions, entertainment, secularization, busyness, and muchness. While all of these things may be true, it does not change the numbers. The only way to address this crisis is by…

He Came Down From the Mountain, But Not The Cross (Part 2)

He Came Down From The Mountain Of Honor To Become A Servant Prior to His descent to this world of woe, our Lord enjoyed honor and majesty alongside the Father. He basked in heavenly sunshine, and was worshiped by the angels (Heb. 1:6). He enjoyed the “power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12) deserving of the Godhead. Existing in the “form of God,” He “counted not the being on an equality with…

He Came Down From the Mountain, But Not The Cross

If the Sermon on the Mount were all that Matthew recorded, that small piece of inspired literature would declare the very majesty of the One Who spoke those words. The sermon now complete, our Lord leaves the mountain to enter His market place. The very first words we encounter as we enter the eighth chapter of Matthew capture our attention: “And when he was come down from the mountain” (8:1). Strictly speaking those half dozen English words describe His descent…

Keep Moving Forward

“Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.” (Ecclesiastes 7:10) Have you ever thought, “I miss the old days?” Or, “Remember them good ole days?” Sometimes we get caught thinking about how good our past was and forget to continue looking forward. This problem has been around for many years. For example, consider the nation Israel. They were in bondage under Egypt and were taken out by the powers…