Posts from 2024 (Page 3)

One simple way to view life is to think of how it is a journey up a mountain trail. There are many times when on this journey there are forks in the path ahead of us, and we must choose which one to take, knowing that one of them leads to the place you have heard so much about. You want to get there, but sometimes it seems so hard. Early in your life you heard about the Hiker who…

You’ve heard of people trying to “make a deal” with God, haven’t you? Maybe you have been one of those people. “Lord, if you will ______, then I will _____.” Those “deals” are usually designed for the good of the recipient, aren’t they? Would you ever try to “make a deal” with God for the good of someone else? In Psalm 71, the psalmist does exactly that. We will look specifically at verse 18, but get the feel for the…

There are many wonderful things to know about Jesus, and oh, how we ought to wish that the whole world would know them! He was born of a virgin in the city of Bethlehem. He had Divine power on this earth and taught many magnificent things. He lived a sinless life but was still murdered by crucifixion. He was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven to reign on high. It is easy to “know” facts about Jesus, but…

So, your friend invited you to come to the church of Christ for a worship service. Or, maybe you were surfing the web and came across a site for the church of Christ. Or, maybe you saw a building with the words “Church of Christ” on a sign in the front yard. And maybe you’re wondering, “Why should I look at the church of Christ?” That’s a great question, which deserves a multi-chapter book to fully address, but consider these…

So, your friend invited you to come to the church of Christ for a worship service. Or, maybe you were surfing the web and came across a site for the church of Christ. Or, maybe you saw a building with the words “Church of Christ” on a sign in the front yard. And maybe you’re wondering, “Why should I look at the church of Christ?” That’s a great question, which deserves a multi-chapter book to fully address, but consider these…

God said, “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Deut. 5:12). So, are we supposed to “observe the Sabbath day” today? The Biblical answer to that question is, “No.” Let’s study the Bible together. First, we must observe to whom the command was given. “God made a covenant with [Israel] in Horeb” (Deut. 5:2). The command to keep the Sabbath was part of that special covenant that God made with the Jews, while they were at Mount Sinai. “The…

The precision with which the solar eclipse could be calculated two weeks ago was astounding. I was in Henderson, Tennessee when it occurred. Here were the details that were available in advance of the eclipse (for where I was located): You “will see a partial eclipse for 2 hours 36 minutes. 96.1% of the sun will be obscured by the moon at the peak.” It will “start” at 12:40 p.m., “peak” at 1:59 p.m. and “end” at 3:17 p.m. It…

Shame is an interesting emotion. Sometimes shame and embarrassment are terms that are used synonymously. What causes this emotion? Perhaps if I’ve done something that I should not have done. Or perhaps when others make fun of me. Or perhaps when I feel self-conscious about something from my past or an uneasiness about a current situation. There are, obviously, myriads of things that can lead us to feel ashamed. That makes Paul’s affirmation in Romans 1:16 all the more intriguing.…

Are you a good person? Many people would quickly answer, “Of course! I do lots of good.” But, by what standard could someone say if they are? For Christians, the standard is God. Jesus proclaimed in Luke 18:19, “No one is good but One, that is, God.” If God is the standard, then I don’t even come close. Since we have God as a standard of good and evil, Christians have a unique ability to judge what is right and…

Reasons abound for knowing and loving the book of Acts. The list could go on and on. We have seen that from the book of Acts we can learn about (1) how to become a Christian, (2) the power of the gospel (3) the establishment of the church, and (4) the importance and urgency of evangelism. Let’s add only one more. We need to study this book to learn about the nature and imparting of miraculous gifts. As God on…

No book of the Bible is more important than another, but where would we be without the book of Acts? We need this book! And we need to study and know it, so that we can learn about (1) how to become a Christian, (2) the power of the gospel and (3) the establishment of the church of Christ. A fourth reason we need to study this book is to learn about the importance and urgency of evangelism. Evangelism (i.e.,…

The book of Acts (and particularly chapter 2) has been coined, “The Hub of the Bible.” It is truly a book that we need to know and love, for within its exciting pages we learn about (1) how to become a Christian and (2) the power of the gospel. In the third place, we need to study this book to learn about the establishment of the church of Christ. The church! What a beautiful and central theme in the Bible…