Church Blog (Page 6)

The Lord’s church is composed of both strong and weak members. Each one needs encouragement at times, but certainly the weaker brethren need a greater amount of special attention. Also, there are some members who are not necessarily weak, but who have special physical problems, causing them to need special attention. The apostle Paul taught that the responsibility of helping the weaker members rested upon the shoulders of those who were mature, full-grown Christians (Romans 15:1; Galatians 6:1-2). In the…

As Jesus journeyed through a certain village, He encountered ten men who were lepers. They cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” The Lord instructed them to go and show themselves to the priest (a requirement of the Law of Moses) and as they went, they were cleansed of the leprosy. One of the men, realizing that he had been healed, excitedly returns to Jesus, glorifies God and gives Jesus thanks for the wonderful gift of healing. Oh, by…

David had 37 mighty men who fought with him in battle (II Samuel 23:8-39). Three were set apart for their valor: Josheb-Basshebeth, chief of the three, once killed 800 men in one battle; Eleazar stood against the Philistines when everyone else fled, taking the victory by himself; Shammah once stood in a bean field and killed Philistines until he was victorious by himself. They were labeled, “The Three.” Others gained notoriety on the battlefield, like Abishai, David’s nephew, who killed…

One method that is used to change people’s belief is the use of public opinion polls. It’s a clever approach because we as humans — for the most part — like to blend in with the rest of society. Daily we are confronted with “statistics” which are gathered from polls as to whether something is right or wrong. A colorful bar-graph in the corner of a newspaper may inform us that 55 percent of all Americans believe that one’s “sexual…

A young man preached his heart out. He was barely 23 years old and this was his first gospel meeting. How his heart did beat when he received the invitation to come and preach for the small group of brethren in this little community. Visions of huge crowds, high excitement, lots of responses filled his head as he contemplated the coming event. When the time came he was almost out of breath with excitement. Although the crowds were fair, there…

The apostle Paul wrote to two young preachers. Both were encouraged to set good examples. Timothy was admonished: “Let no man despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Titus was challenged: “In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may…

WHAT WE SAW Steve, Trae and I had a very productive trip last week. Every single night after we shared the Word of God with the local congregations, they had a fellowship meal. As soon as we had the last prayer the whole congregation started taking the chairs and pews outside so they can eat together. Only a few were able to get a table to eat and the great majority did not, but nobody minded; they were just happy…

I learned a lot of Spanish phrases this week during the trip Trae, and I made with Justo to Merida, Mexico. Mucho Gusto (Nice to meet you), dios te bendiga (God Bless You), and el cazador (the Hunter) that was the nickname the brothers gave Trae. His Elk was a great hit with all our extended Christian family in Mexico. Feel free to start calling him that, I think he really likes it! I learned much about language and culture…

In The book of second Timothy, Paul encourages Timothy to preach and defend the truth of the gospel. “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). THE GROWTH OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN…

There’s about a million questions I want to ask God. I’m sure you all do too or have thought about it at one point in your life. My family and I always talk about what we would like to ask our Heavenly Father when we finally get to meet Him. Once we finally catch our “spiritual breath” that is. Some of my questions would include: What was it like to create the stars? How big is the universe? What did…

Offering sacrificing to God has always been a part of spiritual service. While under the Law of Moses the people were to offer to God animal sacrifices, today our sacrifices are spiritual in nature (1 Peter 2:5). Regardless of the type of sacrifice offered, God has always demanded that those offering give their best. “Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to…

Harvey Lehman, in his book Age And Achievement, insists that a man reaches his peak of achievement at about 35. According to Mr. Lehman, the peak age for: painters is about 34 playwrights is about 35 philosophers is about 37 inventors is about 32 There may be some truth to his observations. Sinclair Lewis wrote “Main Street” at 35; George Gershwin composed “Porgy and Bess” at 37; and Thomas Edison invented the electric light at 32. However, before you accept…