Posts from 2024 (Page 3)

Similarities and differences. In any group of people, you will probably find similarities and differences. This is true in a third grade classroom, in a boardroom of executives, on a football field, in a grocery store, etc., etc. This was also true of groups of people that Jesus encountered. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus met ten men. Now let’s consider their similarities and their differences. Similarities: all ten were men, all were lepers, all stood afar off, all asked Jesus for…

It happens a lot! In fact, it seems to be happening more and more. Young people grow up in a Christian home, with godly parents who teach them God’s Word and regularly take them to Bible class and worship. But then, when the young people graduate and get out on their own, what they once believed themselves (and even taught, in some cases) is abandoned for something more palatable or popular. Some will say under their breath or some may…

It is not true that all who claim to be working for the Lord are godly. Because the Holy Spirit guided the apostles and prophets, we have the totality of the very spiritual truth in the Bible (John 16:13; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). It is the measuring rod to be used to identify false teachers. The Bible warns against the presence of false teachers, those who do not preach exactly what He revealed (Matt. 7:15, 21-23). When the church began, one…

It seems that we are living in a time when there is a constant sense of conflict and hostility from one person toward another. Have you noticed that we seem to have trouble speaking to one another, speaking about one another or doing anything in regard to each other with any semblance of peace, humility, courtesy or common decency? What has happened to our hearts (regardless of what people have done to us) to make us treat others with such…

In the world, there are many religions. Each one of them claims to hold the solution to sin. Some ask their followers to reject sin. Some ask them to be unconcerned about sin. There are even some that ask them to embrace or even celebrate sin. The Bible, however, makes it clear that sin is something of deadly seriousness. Sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:2). To be more specific, in Romans 6:23, it is revealed that sin carries a…

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…