The Book of Ecclesiastes reveals Solomon’s effort to evaluate the world. Having great wealth, power and wisdom, Solomon set out to test life. He used his keen mind in a search for the best life has to offer. He tried to discover how to maximize happiness and minimize sorrow. He sought to understand the world and wanted to unravel its mysteries and discover the meaning of all its workings, both good and evil (Ecclesiastes 1:12-13, 16-17). Solomon experienced this with his own life. He tried every kind of pleasure — the best food and drink, the best music and entertainment, the finest material goods, the most beautiful women. He took on great challenges and tried to improve everything around him. Solomon pursued happiness in every conceivable way (2:1, 3-10). Solomon, it seems, pursued happiness with as much zest, gusto and vigor as any man. Certainly, if anyone was ever both wise enough and wealthy enough to succeed, it was Solomon. The Bible states that Solomon’s glory — his riches, possessions and honor — was unexcelled (Ecclesiastes 2:9). No king has ever had more personal resources for the pursuit of happiness than Solomon. Yet, he failed. Whatever he tried, wherever he looked, he found frustration and futility. He discovered that pleasure, possessions or any endeavor would not bring lasting happiness (Ecclesiastes 2:11). He pursued happiness but found vexation, disappointment and emptiness. He ended his great quest, lamentably, hating life (Ecclesiastes 2:15-23). Let us notice what Solomon discovered. Solomon discovered the vanity …

Some people think that when one is saved, he is saved in such a way that he can never be lost. However, the New Testament teaches three salvations. 1. One is saved from past or alien sins when he by faith does what God requires of him. That is the salvation Jesus was talking about when he said: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). It is the same salvation that the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of the apostle, referred to when he told believers to “repent and be baptized for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). It is the salvation of Acts 22:16 where Saul was told to “arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins.” The New Testament plainly teaches that in being saved this way from his alien state and sins, one becomes a child of God or a Christian. This means he enters into the body of Christ, which is the church Jesus purchased with his blood (Colossians 1:2, 18; 3:15; Acts 20:28). After one thus becomes a Christian, he can still sin. 2. When a child of God sins, he should ask his Father in heaven to forgive him. A child of God who sinned was told by the apostle Peter to repent and pray that he might be forgiven (Acts 8:22). Of Christians the New Testament says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 …

An Old Testament example serves to teach us some very valuable lessons. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:14, “The things which were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” The account of Naaman is found in 2 Kings 5:1-14. Naaman was a very prominent man of his day. He is recorded as being Captain of the host of the king of Syria. Naaman’s problem was that he had leprosy. Through a captured Israelite maid who served Naaman’s wife, Naaman learned that he could be cured of his leprosy by the prophet in Samaria. The first mistake made by Naaman was going to the wrong source. He first went to the king of Israel. Many people in the religious world make the same mistake. They go to the wrong source for the cure to the sin problem in their lives. The correct source can only be found in the Word of God. Preachers who teach the doctrine of “faith only” or “grace only” are not the proper source for one’s salvation. The next segment of the story of Naaman deals with a problem. That being: Naaman became angry. Verse 11 says, “But Naaman was wroth…” And in verse 12, “. . . so he turned and went in a rage.” The reason for Naaman’s anger stemmed from two sources. First, the prophet did not heal Naaman in the way in which he expected. He already had in his …

One fourth of all the material within the epistles of 1 and 2 Thessalonians addresses the subject of the Second Coming. A close investigation of the Scriptures reveals at least two reasons for this striking emphasis in Paul’s correspondence. (1) There seems to have been a general misunderstanding within the Thessalonian church regarding Christ’s return (i.e., the parousia — 1 Thessalonians 4:13ff). (2) Members of the congregation were facing severe persecution due to their faith (2 Thessalonians 1:6; 2:14; Acts 17:1-9). These, along with other factors, prompted the apostle to send an inspired message of clarification and encouragement. Despite the fact that these two letters were penned around 51-52 A.D., they continue to be as fresh and as relevant as ever (2 Peter 1:3). Consider but one excerpt from the apostle’s inspired hand: “. . . When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his might angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction form the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he comes, in that day, to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all those who believe . . .” (2 Thessalonians 1:7b-10a). What was Paul’s point? Don’t despair — remember Christ’s revelation! Carefully study the following: The word, “revealed” (v. 7), Greek — apoklupsis, has reference to an unveiling or disclosure,1 the uncovering of a …

Some years ago, I spray-painted a white stripe across the lower end of my driveway. I was prompted to such action out of concern for my two daughters — Bethany and Katie. I did not want the girls to ride their bicycles too close to the street, (where traffic often rushed by) and be injured — thus the boundary. At first, the girls were a bit confused as to its purpose. I assured them that the stripe was there because of my love for them, in addition to my concern for their physical welfare. In the intervening years, they never crossed over the stripe. It is interesting to note that when we go to the Bible toady, we often find God’s white strips (i.e., commandments). The purpose of these commandments is not because God wants to rob us of our liberty, pleasure and our enjoyment, or that he — for some selfish reason — wants to restrict our behavior. Rather, they are in the Bible because God loves and cares for us. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 3:5). Are you staying within God’s white lines? Are you living inside his divine boundaries? He put them there for our benefit!

Paul wrote: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The inspired Word of God provides us with instruction on how we, as God’s children, are to live our lives on a daily basis. One area that we should always remember is that of humility.  In the scope of our discussion, we shall consider, 1) What does it mean to be humble, 2) Some examples of humility, and 3) The consequence of lacking humility. What does it mean to be humble? James wrote, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (James 4:10). Humility is a state of mind. It is a characteristic that is taught rather than a natural instinct. One word we often hear synonymously with humility is meekness. A proper understanding of the concept of humility is a must in order to make the proper application to our lives. So then, what does it mean to be humble? Webster defines humble as, “(1) not proud or haughty: not arrogant or assertive, (2) reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission.” It is impossible for a person to possess the characteristics of humility and arrogance at the same time. When one obeys the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he is lowered into a watery grave of baptism and rises to …

Medical Considerations Social drinking (i.e., the pleasurable consumption of alcohol) is popular in modern society, despite insurmountable evidence that alcoholic beverages greatly jeopardize one’s physical, economic and spiritual well-being. One’s spiritual welfare should primarily concern Christians, though allusions to the effects of alcohol on one’s physical and economic health also indict alcohol for the evil that it is. Therefore, the references in this series pertain to spiritual, physical and economic matters to more completely paint the picture of alcoholic beverages and their effect on us. Be assured that neither I nor others who speak against alcohol, especially from a biblical perspective, have the least desire of arbitrarily preventing anyone from having a good time. Some critics presume that for some unexplained reason that I (or others) speak against alcohol without cause. We are further charged essentially that we derive misguided gratification from forbidding indulgence in something that God purportedly recommends to mankind as a blessing. Let the evidence be allowed to speak for itself. Please, with as much objectivity as possible, examine the following information carefully about medical considerations. Our spiritual, physical and economic well-being is at stake. Medical Hazard Generally, the medical complications from the consumption of alcohol have been recognized from times immemorial. Only, individuals have as generally excused themselves from culpability for their social drinking on the grounds of a distinction between drinking in moderation versus drunkenness. Of course, everyone universally pleads the former for themselves, unless the latter cannot be successfully contested. Then, personal responsibility is mitigated by relegating the inebriation to an illness. Naturally, people are …

All of us who study the Bible are keenly aware of the fact that on more than one occasion the nation of Israel, which had been chosen before the world began to be the people through whom God would bring his son, followed the heathen people around them and began to worship idols. Sometimes they became so brazen in doing this that they had the audacity to bring various idols right into the Temple of the Living God. When they did this, although they sometimes retained God as one of their deities, God rejected their worship and called upon them to change their hearts before he would accept their worship. It was not that God did not want their worship and devotion, but he did not want it as long as their hearts were, in whole or in part, given to other gods. So again and again, God would plead for them to come back to him with all their hearts and give up their devotions to the dead gods around them. These incidences in history teach us as clearly as anything can be taught that it is possible for one to give up worshiping God and begin to worship idols. But the question with which we hope to deal today is: “Can one when he thinks he is worshiping the one True God, actually be engaged in a form of idolatry?” We answer that question in the affirmative, and will through the rest of this brief article show how …

Keith Sisman is living in Huntingdon, Cambs England. He is writing a history of the Lord’s church during the dark ages. Brother Sisman writes in the current issue of The Voice of Truth International: From the various available records, the following summarization can be made of the state and beliefs of the Lord’s people in Europe from the 1200s onwards: They believed that baptism was by immersion for believers for the remission of sins, whereby entry is made into Christ’s church (the only true church). They taught that children are innocent, rejecting the teaching of original sin and proclaiming free will. They rejected the use of special buildings, altars and other paraphernalia. They rejected the idea of the clergy, teaching that all believers were of the universal priesthood of believers. Each congregation was autonomous and, wherever possible, had elders and deacons. The Lord’s supper was taken each Sunday and was served as a memorial, not as an ordinance. They rejected the use of special holy days. They taught the triunity of the Godhead. These believers were spread throughout Europe, including Britain, and were also present in the east. They used their own vernacular versions of the Scriptures and were strongly evangelistic in promoting the true faith. They referred to themselves as Christians and members of the true church, in spite of the fact that other ‘names’ of identification were sometimes used by others in reference to them.

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on opposite ends of a pole he carried across his neck. One pot had a crack in it; the other was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house. The cracked pot arrived only half full. For two years the bearer delivered one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house daily. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. The cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection, and miserable that it was only able to accomplish half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said. The water bearer said noting to the old cracked pot, except, seeming to change the subject, replied, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers …