Where does the Bible say I can’t smoke marijuana? Where in the Bible is social drinking condemned? If the Bible does not specifically condemn dancing, then don’t tell me I can’t dance! How do we answer people who demand a specific Biblical condemnation for behavior that most of us recognize…
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy,…
You may remember those old TV commercials that featured a television actor – typically in some popular “doctor show”– who was pitching a new pill, potion or medical procedure. The commercial began with the pseudo-doc, complete with white smock and stethoscope, saying, “I’m not a real doctor, but I play…
(Part one) THE PRESENCE OF MONEY IN OUR lives is natural and constant. Like time, oxygen or gravity, money is a part of reality – a principle of life that cannot be escaped. Even in very simple cultures, where personal and business transactions were carried on through a system of…
Do you have a good reputation? I know most of the people in this congregation well enough to know that your answer to that question is probably “Yes!” However, I may not know you well enough to answer the next question, “Have you honestly earned the good reputation that you…
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” This past Tuesday evening as most of us were eating dinner, occupied with household chores or just relaxing after a hard day at work, the news of…
What more unlikely candidate to utter a wise saying than the wicked and wily King Ahab? Yet, in spite of his idolatry, immorality and selfishness he had a few positive traits. Although the inspired record clearly reveals in Ahab a weak moral character, it also bears witness to his strengths, one of which…
Good Lord’s Day morning! It is a wonderful joy for the Christians here at Chester to join together in body and spirit to worship God. The Psalmist David said, “I was glad when they said unto me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Ps 122:1). His sentiments…
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden…
One of the most encouraging observations which I made during my preaching trip to South Africa a few years ago was in the life of a young South African preacher by the name of Darlington Ndlovu. Darlington is a native South African from the famed Zulu nation. He has been…
ON a Sunday morning past, exactly sixty-seven years ago today, the United States was drawn into World War II when our military base at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor was attacked by the imperial forces of Japan - “A day of infamy”, as President Roosevelt described it. Our armed forces were encouraged…
The question that immediately comes to mind is, “Did the parents involved totally lack moral principles?” Had they somehow not picked up on the basic role of parents in a child’s life? As if it were not bad enough to allow a teenage son or daughter to drink alcoholic beverages,…
The appointment of our nation’s judges for the purpose of not only dispensing justice, but in fact identifying justice, is an immensely important matter in the life of our United States or any other country. The laws which a nation adopts and the manner in which those laws are applied…
Doing anything successfully requires planning. This principle is as true in learning the Bible as in any other area. Before the Bible student applies himself to learn a particular scripture, he ought to understand the kind of learning he must aim for. And he ought to realize that there are…
The Apostle Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” Paul’s success as an apostle and an evangelist can no doubt be attributed to his practice of following the example of Jesus Christ. In doing so, Paul became the most influential Christian the world…
- by Jon Quinn (preacher and elder at the Bradley, IL Church of Christ; Ed’s brother-in-law and our website guru) Of course, the answer is “YES!” Lots of people were born on December 25th and Christmas day is their birthday. But you know who I am talking about. The following…
The book of Isaiah begins with a description of ancient Judah as a very sinful nation. God’s prophet seeks to bring the rebellious nation to repentance. His appeal to them could have been based on many things. He could have appealed to their sense of shame. He could have appealed…
Do you live your life by certain principles? If so, what are they? Where did they come from? I might ask, “How important are your principles to you?”. That would be a redundant question, however, because by definition principles are supremely important. If a principle is not more important than…
Paul’s remarks on marriage in 1 Corinthians chapter seven address one of the major problems that plagued the Corinthian church. Previously Paul had dealt with the problems of party divisions, gross immorality and lawsuits among brethren. First Corinthians chapter seven and verse one marks the beginning of the second section…
The New Testament contains numerous references to the blessings of Christ. Most of these blessings are obvious and are stated in language that is easy to understand. There are other blessings that are not so obvious and represent what is called a paradox. By definition, a paradox is a seemingly…
The Apostle Paul established more churches than any other apostle or first century evangelist. He was chosen to write more New Testament books than any other inspired writer. More about Paul’s life is revealed on the pages of holy writ than any person other than our Lord. He is known…
REMEMBER NOW YOUR CREATOR in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come and the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them.” The context of Eccl. 12:1 indicates that those being addressed as “youth” includeS anyone who is still healthy enough to take pleasure…
I was listening to a radio talk show recently and the topic was homosexuality. The practice that some Christians have of shunning homosexuals, even repentant, former homosexuals, was being considered. During the conversation a somewhat flippant suggestion was made that the name of the Lord's church be changed to Sinners Anonymous,…
Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and…
Most of us are familiar with the words of Jesus in Luke 8:18, “Take heed therefore how ye hear” (KJV). It might also be suggested that we take heed how we see as well.. Generally speaking, our eyes play an important role in our faith because the Bible is a book to…
THE lost parables of Jesus have been found. Everyone can rejoice at this great discovery! Take a moment to look in your Bible at Luke chapter 15 and you too can benefit from what others have discovered – a group of three lost parables. However, the parables are not lost…
As we have now begun a new year and kicked off our Bible reading program (Learn About the Way to Heaven in 2011)an important question comes to mind. Are we really interested in reading and learning ALL that the Bible has to say? In other words, are we satisfied with the…
Jesus was the son of a carpenter; a fact attested to by the local residents of Nazareth, the town where he grew up (Matt. 13:55). There is little doubt that the wood craftsman skills of his father Joseph were also learned by Jesus. The custom in those days among the…
One of the most important objectives to be realized and soon undertaken by a Christian is that of maintaining a proper relationship to the world. In a very colorful way the book of First Peter teaches us how to live in this world – an often unfriendly and even hostile…
MUCH can change in the span of a single generation. Forty-five years ago I was ten years old. That same year my father was about the age that I am now. My father also was a preacher, but I doubt if he ever preached a sermon in the mid 1960's…
The imagery for New Testament descriptions of Hell is found in the Old Testament. Passages such as Jeremiah 19:1-9 describe a place called The Valley of Ben Hinnom. To this day it is still remembered as one of the most infamous places on earth. The Imagery The Valley of Ben…
Mankind stands in constant need of being reminded – of the way things ought to be; of the way life ought to be lived. Never in our lifetime has the need to be reminded been more obvious. It seems that on every level of society we have forgotten the basics…
Jesus points out in Luke 14:28 that a wise king will ascertain the strength of his enemy before going to war. Someone wisely stated “a problem well defined is half solved.” That is why we need to be like the men described in 1 Chronicles 12:32. The general context describes…
What think ye of the boldly expressed title of this article? Are you comfortable with the wording or are you offended? Comfortable - if you are a Christian and recognize that God indeed has the right to direct our lives, even to the extent of regulating our choice of a…
The withdrawal of our unity and spiritual fellowship from an unfaithful Christian is a serious matter and involves the taking of drastic measures. In commanding and describing the action of withdrawing fellowship the New Testament uses language that implies urgency. Notice the following examples taken from 1Cor 5:1-13 and 2…