“Dominion”
“Dominion” means “mastery” and the power “to rule.” The precise nature of the rule or dominion varies with the situation or context. “Dominion” occurs 55 times in the KJVS, and ultimately all dominion belongs to God (Job 25:2; Psalm 72:8; Daniel 4:3, 34; 1 Timothy 6:16; 1 Peter 4:11). The word can either denote political […]
Dating Hezekiah’s Reign
One of the thorniest issues of Old Testament chronology is the dating of Hezekiah’s reign. In 2 Kings 18:3, the Masoretic text states, “Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.” Since Sennacherib’s own record in the Taylor Prism […]
Water Baptism #2
Before Christ left this earth and ascended to His Father, He said to the disciples, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). At this point in time, 11 of the original 12 apostles were present to hear Jesus (Judas was dead, Matthew 27:5). After […]
How to Be Useful
One of the saddest circumstances for a gospel preacher is to talk to an older member who feels that they’re no longer useful. Or maybe a younger person feels that they haven’t “come into their own” and therefore aren’t very useful to the kingdom of God. But people can be more useful than they think, […]
Jeremiah’s Prophecy Concerning Coniah
These words are found in Jeremiah 22:28-30: “Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel wherein none delighteth? Wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed and are cast into the land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah, write ye […]
Water Baptism #1
Baptism is a controversial subject with many. I am not sure why this is the case, but it is. The New Testament is quite clear about the mode and purpose of baptism. Put simply, baptism is an immersion or burial. In the New Testament, the element used for baptism/burial is water (Acts 8:36; 10:47-48). Bible […]
Jesus Had a Wife?
A Harvard historian revealed a faded, fourth-century scrap of papyrus she calls “The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife.” One line of the torn fragment of text purportedly reads: “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife …’” The following line states, “she will be able to be my disciple.” The finding was announced to the public on September […]
The Beginning of the Deerfield Church
In March 1827, five or six couples formed “a society for the investigation of Scripture subjects.” They were Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and noncommunicants. They wrote, “We assumed that the Christian religion, in its fullness and perfectness, was recorded in the New Testament. We also assumed that this was an intelligible document, for, if not adapted […]
The “Cowboy Church”
The “cowboy church” is a relatively recent innovation that has seen an explosion in growth. “Cowboy churches” are based upon the Western, cowboy culture. They are also denominational in nature. For example, the AFCC (American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches) models itself after the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Their culture and heritage show when they […]
Why Are New Concepts Developed?
Over the past couple of decades the churches of Christ have been exposed to many new views. Change agents have been, and still are, at work. Some of these new views wither and die, while others stick. Before we attempt to answer the above question, a brief discussion of these new views is necessary. The […]
