[Matters of The Faith, Vol. 5, No. 3, October-December 1999, p. 11.] I recently came across the acrostic for this word, evangelism. I found it not only interesting and accurate, but a good reminder as well. I added some Scripture references to the acrostic to help us consider the word “evangelism” and some of those things for which it stands. Evangelism is Every member active. “They therefore that were scattered abroad, went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). This was written regarding “the church in Jerusalem” (Acts 8:1). EVangelism is Visitation practiced. “I was sick, and ye visited me” (Matthew 25:36). This is a necessary part of helping to keep the saved, saved. EvAngelism is Absentees contacted regularly. “Brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). Let us not wait until a member is back into the world before we wonder where that one is. EvaNgelism is New members involved. “As newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). Let us encourage our new brethren to attend the classes and every worship assembly. Let us teach them often as we may have contact and opportunity. EvanGelism is Giving. “But first they gave their own selves to the Lord” (2 Corinthians 8:5), then they “gave of their own accord” (2 Corinthians 8:3). This avenue of worship (1 Corinthians 16:1-2) reflects our …

[The Forest Hill News, Memphis, TN, Forest HillChurch of Christ, August 8, 2000, Vol. 26, No. 31, p. 4.] It made some people question the reality of my religious faith (James 2:17). It set an example of neglecting the assembly and failing to obey an inspired command (Hebrews 10:25). I failed to observe the example set by the early church in partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7). It made it impossible for the elders of the church to see that the entire flock was fed or taught the Word of God (Acts 20:28). It indicated that I was not concerned about assembling with my brethren and the Lords promise to be in our midst (Matthew 18:20). Some must have concluded that I found more pleasure in fellowship with the world than with the Lord and my brethren (2 Corinthians 6:14). I set the wrong example before my children and before others who were influenced by my absence (1 Timothy 4:12). If I chose to be absent on a pleasure trip and made no plans to worship God, it would prove that I love the Lord too little and the world too much (2 Timothy 4:10). It set a pattern of irregular church attendance, violating the steadfastness in teaching, fellowship and worship which was practiced by the apostolic church (Acts 2:42-47). On the day that I willfully chose to be absent, I failed to walk in the light and did not enjoy the fellowship of my …

We may freely write about “the day of Pentecost,” and some may not know what we mean by “the day of Pentecost.” We may assume that people know, when they actually do not know. The word “Pentecost” is not in the Old Testament, and it is in only three passages in the New Testament, which are Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Corinthians 16:8. These passages do not mean that Pentecost was a Christian festival day, or a special day observed by churches of Christ in the days of the apostles. Instead, it was one of the religious festival days about which God through Moses gave instructions to the Israelites and commanded them to observe it once each year. Accordingly, they observed it on the day after the seventh Sabbath following the Passover feast. Because of this, in the Old Testament it is called “the feast of weeks.” Because it occurred on the fiftieth day after the Passover feast, it was called “Pentecost” in the New Testament because that word is the Anglicized form of the Greek adjective that means “fiftieth.” Even though the death of Jesus did away with the Law of Moses and all its festival days, including “the feast of weeks,” or Pentecost, the Jews generally did not know this. Therefore, the first day of Pentecost after the death, burial and resurrection was observed according to Dr. Luke’s account in Acts 2. The Church of Christ and Pentecost Pentecost was on the first day of the week, which is now called Sunday. The church of …

Reincarnation is the belief that after this life, one will be reborn into another life on earth; and some in this life lived as another person in a previous life. In a survey taken a decade ago, nearly one in four Americans said they believed in reincarnation. It may be more than that now. Where do people in a “Christian nation” come up with such an idea? It certainly does not come from Christian teaching. It has infiltrated from Easter religions, but it is based chiefly upon the reasoning: “If I don’t get it right the first time around, I will have another chance.” It is not a new belief. It was introduced into organized religion by the Hindus and later by the Buddhists. Some believed it in New Testament times: Hence the Nero redivivus myth – that Emperor Domitian was a reviving of Nero, the beast of Revelation who received the deadly wound and survived: “the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven” (Revelation 17:11). Is reincarnation the truth? Or is it just a product of fertile human imagination? The only sure information we have of life before or beyond this life is the Bible. It is the Word of God. If reincarnation is the truth, the Bible will somewhere reveal, confirm and support it. Where is it? Its proponents who claim affiliation with the Christian religion are hard-put to find any Bible support. Some appeal to Job 1:21-22, where …

To the man on the street, one of the most impressive arguments for an ancient Earth is the testimony of sedimentary rock layers (many of which are thousands of feet thick) strewn around the planet. Scientists (and park rangers) subject us to examples like the Grand Canyon and present their spiel so effectively that — as we observe layer after layer of sedimentary rocks piled one on top of another — the only explanation seems to be that vast amounts of geologic time must have been involved. Each division of the rocks, we are told, represents a time that long since passed, and an ancient world that long since has ceased to exist. Creationists, however, beg to differ, and suggest that a closer look at the “record of the rocks” suggests youth, not antiquity, for our home planet. Embedded in sedimentary rocks all over the globe are what are known as “polystrate” (or polystratic) fossils [N.A. Rupke, a young geologist from the State University of Groningen in the Netherlands, first coined the term “polystrate fossils” (see Morris, 1970, p. 102).] Polystrate means “many layers,” and refers to fossils that cut through at least two sedimentary rock layers. Henry Morris discussed polystrate fossils in his book, Biblical Cosmology and Modern Science, where he first explained the process of stratification. Stratification (or layered sequence) is a universal characteristic of sedimentary rocks. A stratum of sediment is formed by deposition under essentially continuous and uniform hydraulic conditions. When the sedimentation stops for a while …

Some people believe that the gift of tongues and other miraculous signs mentioned in the New Testament are supposed to be present in the church today. “Charismatic,” a term based on the Greek word for “gift,” is often applied to this movement. First Corinthians 13:8-13 is a key passage in the debate over the tongues phenomenon and related claims of the Charismatic Movement. In this passage, Paul says clearly that the gift of tongues and other miraculous signs would cease “when the perfect comes” (1 Corinthians 13:10, NASB). Other translations say, “when that which is perfect has come” (NKJV) or “when perfection comes” (NIV). Charismatics claim that this text is talking about the second coming of Christ at the end of the present age. Most New Testament scholars say that it is talking about the maturing of the church or the writing of the New Testament. Scholars have debated for many years over the meaning of this language in the original Greek text, but the results of this debate have not been conclusive. Some critics of the Charismatic Movement, therefore, have been reluctant to use the argument based on this passage. But there is another way to determine when the miraculous gifts were supposed to end. The rhetorical structure of Paul’s argument shows clearly that he was not talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ. “When that which is perfect has come” must refer to something that would happen before the return of the Lord. The contrast in 1 …

The task of an editor is to correct mistakes of orthography, mistakes of grammar and mistakes of lack of clarity. The translator’s task is to translate the author’s message from one language into a second language. He is to do this with as close verbal equivalence as possible. Simply because the language is different and he cannot use the same words does not justify a translator in failing to strive for verbal equivalence as close as possible. In the history of the translation of the Bible into English, the earliest translators, Wycliffe, Tyndale, Coverdale and the King James translators, attempted as nearly as possible to bring about verbal equivalence. The translators of the American Standard Version did the most accurate job that has ever been done in translating the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into English. Their effort proves that it can be done. After 40 years of working with Greek and Hebrew and teaching these languages, I know that when I give my students a photocopy of the Greek and Hebrew text as a test, they can translate very accurately into the English language. When I give them a copy of the American Standard Version, they can translate back into Hebrew and Greek more accurately than from any other version. As I visit churches, I am appalled at the wide range of versions that I find as pew Bibles and hear from the pulpit. Recently I encountered some worship leaders using paraphrased versions that edit God. Those who …

Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and boating under the influence of alcohol (BUI) are monumental problems in our society today. Every day in nearly every local newspaper (largely excepting only papers in those few communities whose laws prohibit alcohol sales) one can find lists of citations issued for DUI. Frequently, automobile accidents are attributable to DUI and the more spectacular the crash, the higher likelihood that alcohol was a factor. “. . . in 1992, alcohol-related accidents resulted in approximately 20,000 fatalities.” (John Brick, Ph.D., “Facts on Driving While Intoxicated,” New for 1997: Fact Sheets, https://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cas2/clearinghouse/factSheet/fact5.html. [15 Sep 1998]) Boating while intoxicated is quickly being recognized as a serious epidemic, too — contributing its own share of accidents. BUI has an added risk over DUI of drowning. While alcohol consumption may not always technically and legally qualify as DUI or BUI, even a little alcohol greatly increases one’s probability of being involved in a serious accident. Alcohol impairs the ability to attend and respond to complex stimuli at very low BACs (e.g., .02%  .03%). It is believed that such laboratory findings translate well to real-world driving situations where it is necessary to pay attention to many different events, such as road and traffic conditions, speed, traffic control devices, lane position, pedestrians, other vehicles, roadway signs, etc., often in a nearly simultaneous fashion. (Ibid.) A BAC as low as 0.02 percent has been shown to affect driving ability and crash likelihood. The probability of a crash rises significantly after 0.05 percent and even more rapidly after about 0.08 percent. (Ibid.) Rationalization regarding the …

For many, many years this preacher has been quoting Matthew 10:32-33 to prove that it is necessary for one to confess with his mouth that he believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And while it is true that all who become Christians are to confess with their mouths that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, in order to be saved, except for the deaf mute, who would confess with his hands, that is not what the passage in Matthew Chapter Ten is speaking of. Such passages as Romans 10:8-10 teach us very clearly that we are saved by the confession of the name of the Son of God, and there is nothing wrong in asking a person who comes to be baptized if he or she believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. But again, this is not the subject under discussion in the passage in Matthew. And those of us who have used the Matthew passage to prove that one must confess Christ in order to be saved, have done so ignoring the context of the statement Jesus made, and the reason why Jesus said what he said, and the type of confession of which he spoke on that occasion. Matthew Ten tells the story of the “twelve” being sent out to preach to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Not only were they to preach but they were to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. …

An issue of U. S. News & World Report (February 27, 1995) revealed the appalling state of fatherhood in America in the 1990’s. It states that “Nearly 2 of every 5 kids in America do not live with their fathers” (p. 39). “…[A]n astonishing 38 percent of all kids now live without their biological fathers – up from just 17.5 percent in 1960” (p. 39). “More than half of today’s children will spend at least a part of childhood without a father” (p. 39). “Only 51 percent of kids still live with both biological parents” (p. 39). Have people sorely second-guessed the importance of stable, two-parent families? Consider these remarks from the same U. S. News article: “Studies have shown that only 43 percent of state prison inmates grew up with both parents and that a missing father is a better predictor of criminal activity than race or poverty” (p. 39). “The absence of fathers is linked to most social nightmares – from boys with guns to girls with babies” (p. 39). These frightful statistics and statements point up the fact that men have left God’s way for the home and family. Some recognize that there really is a problem and they are trying to fix it in their own way. There are scores of grassroots organizations all over the country trying to reconnect fathers with their children. I am sure that these organizations are good and have their place, but the only way back to healing the broken family structure in this country …

I have been blessed to live a relatively calm and stable life upon this earth thus far. Of course, there have been some critical moments to come and go, but nothing that the Lord and I could not handle. With any crisis that has come my way, there has been the accompanying knowledge that there are others whose situation is far worse than my own. Life can present the following picture: For long enough, life can go on rather smoothly. The sunny days far outnumber the dark and dreary ones. The road is pleasantly level. There is no effort beyond our power. There are no sorrows too great for us to bear. There are no agonizing struggles with evil. We can cope. Then, all of a sudden things go wrong. Tragedy strikes the dearest on earth to us, and there comes a demand for an effort that we may well think is beyond us (Cf., 1 Corinthians 10:13). There comes an illness or a breakdown, which lays us low. The sun sets at midday and we find that life becomes nearly unbearable. In that moment many turn to God, because, as Abraham Lincoln said, “there is no place else to go.” But it will make all the difference in that moment if a Christian has been faithful to Christ through the years. He does not turn to the Lord as a last resort. He is able to seek refuge, not as a stranger, but as a familiar friend. The more closely we walk …

Death hurts. We see this in Martha’s words and Mary’s tears. When the Visitor welcome above all others finally arrived at Martha’s house, he did not find a party. He found tear-blurred eyes, faces red and swollen from crying, and emotions on edge. Death had charged a high toll and left poverty in its wake. Death hurts because of the initial shock. Mary and Martha’s grief was doubtless intensified by the fact that Lazarus was cut off in the midst of this life. We never know when death will come. The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power,To tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour.Now is the only time you own, live, love, toil with a willPlace no faith in tomorrow, for the hands may then be still. Often death comes unexpectedly — as in an accident or an emergency surgery that failed. Even if it comes expected — after several hard months dealing with a terminal illness, it still leaves a shock in its wake. If you’ve been to a funeral, then you know that death still hurts. If you’ve lost a parent, child, spouse, grandparent, friend or someone else dear to you, then you know about the pain you feel deep down. You had time to tally the loss that continues long after everyone has gone home. Death hurts because it leaves us lonely. These sisters missed their brother. When death leaves an empty chair at the table, an …