Four Generations

From time to time we see a photograph that pictures four generations of family members. These photographs are very special, because they show that there are shared values and memories among those who span the decades and yet represent the same family. There is a Bible verse that mentions four generations. It’s 2 Timothy 2:1-2: “Thou […]

Five Great Lessons from the Book of Ezra

The late gospel preacher Frank Dunn, in his book Know Your Bible, noticed five great lessons from the book of Ezra, each of which is relevant to the present-day Christian. ((Temple: Frank and Yvonne Dunn (1997), 163-165.)) I have adapted these five lessons here: There are disastrous results from failing to study God’s word. The people’s ignorance […]

Naaman and Us

The biblical account of Naaman, the commander of the army of Syria (2 Kings 5:1-14) is a beautiful living picture of how God saves man. Naaman was afflicted with leprosy, a terrible disease. His wife had a servant girl who had been captured from Israel. The Hebrew servant girl urged that the family consult with […]

What If Apollos Had Said…

The Alexandrian saint named Apollos is a great friend to every Christian. In Acts 18:24-28 we read about his powerful, Bible-based preaching, by which he refuted Jews who were claiming that Jesus was not the Christ. We should emulate his development of skills in apologetics. Before Apollos could preach both eloquently and rightly, however, he […]

Running From Repentance

In a society that is increasingly secular, there is pressure on Christendom to take the focus away from sin (the most pressing human problem) and salvation from sin (the most pressing human need), and instead focus on merely helping people feel better about themselves and about worldly gain. Secular people want either to be entertained […]

The Kingdom in the Model Prayer

I have paragraph headings in my Bible, and the paragraph heading above Matthew 6:5-15 says, “The Lord’s Prayer.” This is misleading, for the prayer in the passage is a sample or model for prayer given from Jesus to his disciples, and not a prayer that Jesus prayed to the Father. (If you want to read […]

There are No “Church of Christers,” and One Person is Not “a Church of Christ”

We must think and speak in biblical ways (Philippians 4:8; 1 Peter 4:11). One important instance of biblical thinking and speaking is this: We must understand what we mean when we speak of the “church of Christ” (Romans 16:16). It may surprise some to learn that the designation “church of Christ” is not is not […]

Do Bible Topics Get Too Old?

Once in 1893, the great preacher and scholar, J.W. McGarvey, was preaching on baptism. ((McGarvey’s Sermons (Delight: Gospel Light, n.d.), 109-121.)) He began by noting that many people in his audience might think it strange for him to focus on a topic that religious teachers have covered so many times without producing a general consensus. If many preachers […]

“There’s a Movement Coming”: A Response to Patrick Mead and Lauren King, Preachers

Christians have been warned, and we had better be ready. Recently, the Fourth Avenue Church of Christ, in Franklin, Tennessee hired Lauren King to be their preaching intern. That King, a Bible major at Lipscomb University, is using the preaching internship for university credit, is remarkable in itself given that female biblical studies majors regularly meet […]

What the Devil Wants Us to Do

Dr. Thomas B. Warren, the great Christian preacher and philosopher, once preached a sermon about the various things that the devil desires for us to do and to become. I have adapted Warren’s remarks here, showing that the devil has a multi-layered plan for us: Initially the devil wants us to be atheists, because he […]

- 2024

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