Musical Instruments in the Psalms
Lots of people want to know why churches of Christ do not use instrumental music in their worship. Before we consider the psalms, I would like to say that we do not object to instrumental music to be peculiar. We do not object to instrumental music because we cannot afford the instruments. Neither do we […]
More Than Once for More Than One Reason
Too many churches are plagued with an attendance problem. Some Christians think if they partake of the Lord’s Supper Sunday morning there is no need for them to assemble with the saints that evening or mid-week. This accounts largely for the difference between the crowd Sunday morning and the few that assemble Sunday evening and […]
“I Perceive That You Art a Prophet …”
These were the Samaritan woman’s words to Jesus, after He had told her to call her husband and she had responded, “I have none.” Jesus reveled intimate, personal details of her life when He said, “You have said well, ‘I have no husband’ for thou hast had five husbands and he whom thou now hast […]
Lesbians and the United Methodist Church
Our local newspaper, The Lufkin Daily News, carried an Associated Press article several years titled “Minister won’t face church trial” under “Religion Briefs.” The article stated, “A ruling by an appeals committee within the United Methodist Church will allow a lesbian pastor to avoid a church trial and pave the way for her return to […]
Studying With the Master Teacher
Nicodemus heard wondrous things from Jesus when he searched Him out. Jesus turned his understanding upside down when He said, “Ye must be born anew,” and then when Nicodemus asked, “How?” Jesus said, “Except a man be born of the water and spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” Jesus cited the need for […]
A Message to Those Who Think We Should Be More Tolerant
We receive feedback on our articles that appear on our website. Some of it is positive; some negative. The negative ones usually condemn us for condemning others, a hypocritical action (cp. Rom. 2:1). They say we should be more tolerant of others, while they are being intolerant of us. For those who hold this attitude, […]
“The Wind Bloweth Where It Will”
Jesus’ statement, “Verily, verily I say unto thee, except one be born anew he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3) brought an astonished response from Nicodemus, a Jewish ruler who had already accepted Jesus as “a teacher come from God.” Although Nicodemus was slow in understanding Jesus’ teaching, he had seen Jesus’ miraculous […]
The New Birth #2
I have heard of some things affirmed by God to be essential to salvation that were denied by some. I have never heard a single person deny that one must be born again to be saved. That being said, suffice it to say that I have heard many who dispute what Jesus said the new […]
The New Birth #1
In keeping with John’s obvious (but not stated) purpose in writing his gospel — to add pertinent facts about Jesus not recorded by other writers, we come to chapter 3 where John records a very significant record of Jesus’ conversation with a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus. This account tells of the necessity of […]
“Give Us a Sign”
When Jesus began His ministry with a journey to Jerusalem and a cleansing of the temple (John 2:14-16), He was challenged for His actions by Jewish authorities: “What sign showest thou unto us, seeing thou doest these things?” (John 2:18). His immediate response was, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it […]