Posts by Midtown Church of Christ

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…

There are dozens of reasons that Christians should love and study the book of Acts, but we are narrowing that down to only five in this study. The first reason we noted is to learn about how to become a Christian. A second reason we need to know this book is to learn about the power of the gospel. In the book right after the book of Acts (i.e., the book of Romans), we read the words, “the gospel of…

Of the 66 books in the Bible, which book should Christians know the best and study the most? That’s a hard question and the answer varies, perhaps, to each individual Christian. But, the book of Acts is such a key book to Christianity, for it shows the inception and the early years of the religion of Jesus Christ on this earth. There is much to learn, to love and to live in this book. Let’s consider five reasons that every…

When Covid-19 struck our nation, we became willing to take whatever precautions we had to prevent contracting and spreading the virus to our friends and families. Immediately, people began buying sanitary masks in bulk. Soon, the CDC told us to stop buying them. The masks cannot prevent you from getting the virus. They said, “Trust the science!” A few weeks later, the CDC changed their stance. Now, we need to wear masks everywhere we go. “Trust the science!” they said.…

The most powerful bomb ever detonated on earth was the Tsar Bomba in 1961. The test was carried out on October 30, 1961. According to Britannica.com, “…it was modified to yield 50 megatons…about 3,800 times the strength of the U.S. bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. It exploded about 2.5 miles (4 km) above the ground, producing a mushroom cloud more than 37 miles (60 km) high.” The Hiroshima bomb alone was devastating, killing 135,000 Japanese people. It…

What is it that sets a servant-hearted person apart from everyone else? What could I do to become more servant-hearted? Jesus said that He “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matt. 20:28). That demands introspection! Am I a true servant? I should want to be a servant! But how? After many long years of sacrificial service to others, a faithful and active child of God passed from this life. To discover what made this Christian so servant-hearted,…

When one is baptized into Christ and becomes a Christian, he begins a new life (Rom. 6:4), in which he is to set aside those things of his old way of life (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:22) and excitedly pursue his new life in Christ and his new relationship with his Savior and Lord. Jesus summarized His expectations and made this promise, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). What is involved…