What Paul Said About the Church
It is interesting to see how someone’s opinion is valued after they become famous. All you have to do is see how music and movie stars, once they reach stardom, are asked their opinion on issues like raising children, global warming, and politics. But when you get right down to it, they are only human […]
The Jews’ Religion
Isaiah declared that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Therefore, in order to get back to God, we have religion. The word “religion” basically means to “tie or bind back to God again.” This fundamental belief in sin and redemption has fueled the development of many varied religions in the world. It would probably […]
Instruments in Church Worship
An important and serious question directed to members of churches of Christ is, “Why don’t you worship with instruments?” With every opportunity, we want to be “ready to give a defense to everyone” in order to appropriately express biblical truth (1 Peter 3:15). People frequently want to go back to the Old Testament, in passages […]
“The New Heavens and the New Earth”
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away, and the sea is no more…” (Rev. 21:1). Some, even some brethren, see this passage as literal and conclude that the eternal dwelling place of the redeemed, resurrected souls will be planet earth. Before […]
Where do we Find New Converts?
A recent survey of several churches of Christ turned up some interesting statistics about the people who are being converted to Christ. The first trend considered is racial. Although some Christians may unfortunately look down on minorities, there were about equal numbers of men and women who became Christians. And people from different races were […]
Missed Summit Attempt
A story a couple of weeks ago made me think of evangelism. An Israeli, Nadav Ben-Yehuda, rescued a distressed climber, Aydin Irmak, who also was his best friend, on Mount Everest instead of pushing onward to the summit. Ben-Yehuda was climbing with a Sherpa guide when he came across Irmak near the summit. During a […]
“The Temple of God”
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God …” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Every so often, it is beneficial for us to look deeper into the text of the Bible. Although it is not necessary for one to be a student of the languages of the Bible in order to understand it, a cursory […]
Would You Treat Your Guests Like This?
Some guests visit our assembly. Upon their arrival, we barely notice them. Perhaps we nod or grunt a “hello” in their direction. We have already expected them to park far from the door, because our own members conveniently use the nearest parking spaces. When they enter the auditorium, they find that all the best seats […]
Christ our Refuge
Under the Levitical system, God appointed or sanctified cities for the purpose of protecting those who had accidentally slain a fellow Jew. Of the 48 cities assigned to the Levites, six were designated as cities of refuge, three on either side of the Jordan River (Numbers 35:6-7; Joshua 20:7-8). In the ancient Near East if […]
Does Silence Authorize Opinion?
Have you ever been discussing applications of authority with someone, and run into the argument that if the New Testament is silent on a specific subject, then man is free to exercise his opinion on that matter? It usually goes like this: “Yes, I realize the New Testament does not authorize it, but neither does […]
