Loved ones, one of the saddest contexts in the New Testament, in my opinion, is the sixth chapter of John. Not because of the great miracle of feeding the multitude with the five loaves and two fishes (vs. 1-14); that was anything but sad. It filled a benevolent need and furnished indisputable proof that Jesus was in fact the Son of God. And not because of the subsequent miracle of the Lord's wal…

Loved ones, in Luke 6:47-49, Jesus says that a man should listen to His words. He is NOT talking about just letting the words fall on one's ears. Just because a person is within hearing distance, and just because he is looking at the person talking, does not mean he is actually attempting to think about what is being spoken. The same holds true for reading. Just because one allows his eyes to sca…

Loved ones, suppose that anywhere in the world on the equatorial line, a pilot decides to take off 20 degrees north-northwest. He stays on this course, never correcting his flight position. Would our pilot come out at a point he thought of, or would his airplane put him totally out of course? Our life needs a fixed course and a constant control and correction of our walk toward the goal. Marketi…

“5 Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return… 20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:5, 20, KJV). Loved ones, the above two verses in the 8th chapter of Jeremiah tell us something about the condition of Judah in that time period. They were “slidden back by a perpetual backslid…

Loved ones, it seems to be difficult for some Christians to think of themselves as ministers of God. All Christians are servants; thus, they are ministers. We have made a great difference between the ministers who preach the Gospel and receive support from the church and the brethren who do not receive support. We believe this is one reason many will not accept the responsibility of being soul-wi…

Loved ones, these statements could be made about any local congregation, anywhere in the world: “The church isn’t as evangelistic as it could be. We’re not doing enough to reach out to lost sinners.” “We don’t do enough to support the weak and to encourage those who are struggling with hardships in their lives.” “The church isn’t as friendly as it could be. We don’t do as well in welcoming visi…

Loved ones, in 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul told Timothy (and us) to “... rightly divide the truth.” What does this mean? It means to handle the Word of God properly, not to put one's own private interpretation on it, but to leave it in its context, and compare it with other related Scriptures in order to see what God is saying. It is only when a verse or passage harmonizes with other teachings on the sam…

Loved ones, Paul, knowing the importance of continued teaching and encouragement approached Barnabas about visiting the brethren in all the cities in which they had previously preached. Barnabas strongly desired to take his cousin John Mark on the journey. Paul did not want to go with the man who had left them at Perga (Acts 15:36; 13:13). Paul and Barnabas were so firm in their opinions, even to…

Loved ones, never did a day begin with such gloom and end with such glow! Those faithful women who had viewed the crucifixion from afar were now making their way to the garden plot where the body of Jesus had been tenderly laid. They were wondering how they would manage to roll aside the stone which blocked the entrance to the cave-like tomb. The anguish of the stark tragedy which they had so lat…

Loved ones, in the two decades that followed the end of World War ll, we heard a lot about soul-winning. This was the era of the "cottage meeting" and of courses in personal evangelism. Churches of Christ grew and their works expanded. We don't hear as much about soul-saving projects any more. Several things have happened. One change was the radical cultural shift in this nation beginning in the…

Loved ones, we received a letter from a woman who said she had heard the church of Christ did not believe the Old Testament. "It this true?" she wanted to know. Our response was what the New Testament itself says about the Old Testament. It is evident that the Old Testament was the Bible of the early church. It was the Scriptures that Timothy knew from his youth (1 Timothy 3:15). The Scriptures…

Loved ones, the Living Word of God has much to say about relationships. When we are Christians, our relationship with each member of the Godhead (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) is to take top priority. It is imperative that you and I draw near to God daily (James 4:8), as there are so many worldly influences trying to come between us and God, to lure us away from our Savior. What is t…