(Carolina Messenger, Vol. 8, #10, Oct. 2001) This short article does not address all the issues of this controversial question. But, it does raise a point that those who are opposed to Christians bearing arms need to address. The Greeks had two words for sword. The first was rhomphaia which referred to the great Thracian battle sword. This was a large offensive weapon. The second word was machomai which referred to a small sword or dagger. In our modern world the assault rifle would be the equivalent to the rhomphaia and the sidearm or revolver would be the equivalent to the machomai. In Luke 22:35-36 we have the record of Jesus in the upper room referring to the limited commission (Matthew 10:5-11) and asking his disciples “when I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing?” They replied “Nothing.” He then went on and “said … unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword [machomai], let him sell his garment, and buy one.” Notice when sending them to their own brethren in their own land, where they would be relatively safe, he told them to not take purse, (money bag), knapsack (clothes bag) or extra tunics, sandals, or staffs. But when he sent them to the whole world, where they would not be safe, to preach the Gospel to every creature, he told them that they would have to take purse, knapsack and a short sword which was …

A series of lessons on moral issues would be incomplete if we did not give notice to the problem of the modern dance. I confess that I broach this subject with fear and trembling. It is the one sermon that usually gets me into trouble — not so much with elders and deacons, or Bible class teachers, or even with fathers and sons, but with mothers and daughters! An old fashioned sermon on dancing seems to prompt more exasperation and frustration than just about anything else I am liable to say from the pulpit. Of course, those of you who are older and more mature in the faith have heard sermons on dancing before, although it’s probably been a while. It may be that our youngsters are hearing this lesson for the first time this morning. I hope not. The August 9, 1997 Ledger (Lakeland, FL) printed an article by Clark Morphew that poked fun at preachers who rant and rave about dancing. One of Mr. Morphew’s readers sent him an old tract written by a medical doctor, E.S. Sonners. Dr. Sonners said, among other things, that dancing is a “reversion to savagery” and that a “young girl enjoys the dance because she is drugged by suggestive music and emotional over-stimulation into drunkenness, a frenzy that takes her back nearer to the beast.” Dan Osterhus, the preacher, told Mr. Morphew that the tract “was printed 40 or more years ago. My records show we haven’t reprinted that tract for nine years. I …

Probably all of us are familiar with the children’s song, “This Little Light Of Mine.” I have specific memories of enthusiastically singing it as a child, and I still sing it today with Matthew. The song teaches the importance of our Christian example and how we need to demonstrate Christ to our communities through the way we live our lives. In particular, one verse of the song says, “Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine…” The danger of allowing the Devil to “blow out” our lights is very real. Through enticing temptations, Satan can, in a moment, destroy our influence in the eyes of our community. Through sexual temptation, alcohol, drugs, dishonesty and greed, our Christian light can be “blown out.” That’s not to say we are helpless from then on out. It is to say, however, that re-lighting your candle so that it shines brightly before your neighbors and peers is often difficult. It’s like trying to start a fire going, but it will probably take time. Yes, the Devil can through worldly devices, “blow out our candles.” But that’s not the half of it! Not only can the Devil use worldly devices to destroy our example, he can use my very own brethren to accomplish the same thing. Allow the Devil to get a grip in the lives of some members of the Lord’s church, and just see what damage he can do! Let the Devil get a hold of some brethren and see …

We live in the age of the mega church. These churches have thousands of members, mulit-million dollar campuses and resemble a shopping mall more than a meetinghouse for Christians. They sometimes include bowling allies, coffee shops and gymnasiums. One even added a fast food restaurant to its facility. The focus is not salvation but self-help, softball and socializing, and they pack them in on Sunday. Success is measured by the size of the crowd and the contribution. But, is this what New Testament Christianity is all about? If big crowds and large contributions are all that is important, then I suggest that there are better ways to accomplish both. Major league sporting events, for the most part, can draw crowds and raise money. And, when the event is over a large number of folks go home quite satisfied with the outcome (assuming their team won). Surely there is more to Christianity than crowds and contributions! A great church is not great because of its budget or its big crowds. Great churches are great because of their faith in the greatness of God. Paul commended the church at Colosse for its “faith in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:4). Great churches put their trust in the Gospel, not in gimmicks. It is the Gospel which is God’s power to save (Romans 1:16). Great churches are great because of their love. The church at Philippi was a loving church. They were encouraged to abound in love (Philippians 1:9). Great churches have members who love …

“Where was God when my child was killed by a drunk driver?” “I’ll never forgive brother Jones for that time he… He’s a big hypocrite!” “It’s not fair what they did to me. I hope they get theirs!” Persons raising clenched fists or pointed fingers and growling through gritting teeth epitomize that common, though repulsive, display of bitterness. Sadly, bitterness is not a disease confined to the alien sinner. Christians in crisis, dejected elders and preachers, and offended brethren are not immune to that sourness of spirit. What, exactly, is BITTERNESS? Eadie says, It is a figurative term denoting that fretted and irritable state of mind that keeps a man in perpetual animosity — that inclines him to harsh and uncharitable opinions of men and things — that makes him sour, crabby and repulsive in his general demeanor — that brings a scowl over his face and infuses venom into the words of his tongue (Rienecker, 534). In motion, bitterness is a deadly snake. In result, it stings both predator and prey. In fruit, it is destructive. In category, it is sin! Ephesians 4:31, in part, reads, “Let all bitterness … be put away from you…” One source says of bitterness in this verse, “Bitterness” is the opposite not only of sweetness but of kindness. It is the spite that harbors resentment and keeps a score of wrongs. Aristotle defined those who display it as “hard to be reconciled” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 11:65). Paul says such an attitude must …

“Religion And Ethics” is the title of an article in The Oregonian (5-26-01), but I look in vain to find anything in the article pertaining to religion and ethics. Michael and Dianne Alexanian (East Lansing, Michigan), “fed up with the stress of their daily grind,” have “built a Japanese meditation garden in their backyard.” Dianne says, “It’s completely changed our lives. We look forward to getting up each day. When we can’t take other people, we go to hide in the solace of our garden.” Dianne’s blood pressure has fallen, and Michael “has kicked his smoking habit.” “Millions of Americans hunger for the kind of spiritual solace the Alexanians have found in their own back yard, according to a new national survey. But people aren’t flocking to churches to find it” (David Crumm and Alexa Capeloto, Knight Ridder News Service, 5-26-01). But if “millions of Americans” and millions of non-Americans build “Japanese meditation” gardens “in their” backyards, in search of “spiritual solace” (selfish contentment?), and finally dying, what then? A young man was asked by an aged person, “What are your plans for life?” He replied, “I aim to live a clean moral life, get an education, and begin a business career.” Then the aged man asked, “What then?” He replied, “I aim to find a nice girl, marry, have children, and enjoy my family.” The aged man continued, “What then?” The lad replied, “I hope to retire and to enjoy the rest of my life.” The aged man continued, “What then?” …

Jesus said to his apostles, “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20:23). A passage of Scripture should be studied in light of all other passages that speak on the same subject. Did the Apostles Have Successors? Some affirm that the apostles had successors, and that there continues until the present a religious hierarchy consisting of men who are successors of the apostles, and that these men are endowed as were the apostles with power to forgive sins. It is said that through the “sacrament of confession” these “clergymen” forgive sins. The Bible says nothing of confession as a “sacrament”; it says not one word about anything being a “sacrament.” The apostles did not have successors, and they could not have had successors. They were witnesses of the risen Christ. Witnesses cannot have successors, unless other witnesses of the same things succeed them. Matthias was selected to be an apostle to take the place of Judas who fell by transgression. Matthias was selected because he possessed certain qualifications. These qualifications were: (1) he had been with the apostles while the Lord Jesus was in and out among them, and (2) he saw Jesus Christ after Jesus was raised from the dead (Acts 1:21-22). The Holy Spirit guided the apostles of Jesus into all truth (John 16:13). “All truth” is recorded for us in the New Testament and, therefore, we do not need successors to the apostles! How They Remitted …

In the long-ago biblical ages, there were occasions when God spoke personally to men (Genesis 3:9; 12:1ff; cf. Hebrews 1:1). That method of communication is not operative today. Eventually, the Lord had his will committed to written documents (collectively known as the Bible). These literary narratives can be investigated and verified, thus establishing their claims of divine origin. There is a sense in which written revelation transcends miraculous communication (see 1 Corinthians 13:9-12). There are three steps in that chain of written communication from the mind of God to that of man. They are: transmission, translation and interpretation. Let us consider each of these momentarily. Transmission It surprises many to discover that we do not now possess the actual manuscripts which were produced by the inspired writers. How, then, does one know that these Scriptures, completed almost 2,000 years ago, have come to us with their integrity intact? The restoration of the biblical documents is accomplished by the science of “textual criticism.” Careful scholars, using various data, assemble the materials and produce a basic “text.” In this brief article, we will limit our attention to the New Testament. There are three principle sources for the restoration of the New Testament text: Greek manuscripts, early translations and New Testament quotations from ancient writers. (1) More than 5,300 Greek manuscripts (in part or whole) of the New Testament are available to the very shadows of the first century. There is a fragment of John’s Gospel that dates to the first half of the second century. By way of …

The city of Hazor lay almost nine miles north of the Sea of Galilee. During Joshua’s time, it was a Canaanite stronghold in northern Palestine. In conquering Canaan, as Joshua marched his army northward, he was confronted by a coalition of forces under the leadership of Jabin, king of Hazor. The Israelites defeated this confederation and burned Hazor to the ground (Joshua 11:1-14). In excavations at Hazor (1955-1958, 1968), Yigael Yadin discovered evidence that this city had been destroyed in the 13th century B.C. He identified it with Joshua’s conquest. The problem was this did not harmonize with scriptural chronology regarding the time of the exodus from Egypt. First Kings 6:1 indicates the exodus occurred some 480 years prior to the fourth year of Solomon’s reign (c. 966 B.C.), thus in the mid-15th century B.C. Critics simply dismissed 1 Kings 6:1 as an addition of some later time, and therefore chronologically worthless. It is interesting to note, however, that “the name of the month which appears in that text is the archaic form of the name and not the late one” (Davis, 1971). The fact of the matter is, Professor Yadin’s discoveries revealed that there were two destructions of Hazor — one in the 13th century B.C. and another in the 15th century B.C. (Avi-Yonah, 1976, 2:481-482). Actually, this is precisely the picture presented in the Old Testament. In addition to the conquest of Hazor during the time of Joshua in the mid-15th century B.C., two centuries later, in the period of …

We are living in a time of amusement and entertainment. If the entertainment is good and clean, there is nothing wrong with enjoying that amusement and entertainment for a period of time. But life cannot be just amusement and entertainment. If that becomes the case, then the joy that comes from the entertainment is soon obliterated so that it no longer holds for us the entertainment factor that it once did. So entertainment conscious have we become that we are now being told by our school officials that schooling should not be in any manner like work, that it should always be fun and pleasurable to the children whom we are attempting to teach. We believe that this is a mistaken view of life, and that children should be shown the value of work and accomplishment, and not left with the impression that everything they do must entail some sort of entertainment. This view has become so prevailing that many of the religious bodies in the US, and other places, have turned away from the concept of worship to the concept of entertaining people and calling it worship. The idea that every moment of the day for a child, or a young person, is to be one grand round of pure enjoyment is not in touch with either the realities of life or with good common sense. Life is not that way, and one of the days in the future of these children, they are going to have to suffer …

[Christian Courier, ] The Jews had no intention of submitting to the pagans. In A.D. 66, a false hope that God would help overthrow their oppressors led to some initial military success. But the tide quickly turned against them when Vespasian took command of the “Jewish War.” By the spring of A.D. 70, the children of Israel found themselves defying the Roman armies surrounding their capital. Vespasian, now the Roman Emperor, had given his son, Titus, the charge to complete the victory. Titus brought five legions of Roman soldiers, in addition to auxiliaries, engineers, cavalry, etc. — some 80,000 men in all. His mission: force the Jews to submit, and, if possible, preserve the famous city of Jerusalem as a prize for Rome. Titus surrounded the city and hoped the display of force would convince the Jews to surrender. They did not. The city had natural defenses by cliffs on all sides — except the north. Titus attacked there. His war machines broke through the first of three walls in early May. Within five days, they were through the second. Food rations inside the city were scarce. During the nights, ghostly figures would sneak through hidden passages to steal food and supplies from the soldiers’ tents. Titus decreed that those captured were to be crucified. A forest of crosses littered the countryside as trees were stripped off the land to satisfy the orders for crucifying some 500 Jews per day (cf. Matthew 27:25). A rampart was built around the city …

God has not promised to grant the requests of those who are not Christians. Scripture reveals that there are prayers God will not respond to in a positive manner. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalms 66:18). “Set a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer become sin” (Psalm 109:6-7). “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9). “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12, quoted from Psalm 34:15-16). In order to receive what we request, we must: (1) be God’s people who are called by his name (2 Chronicles 7:14); (2) ask in Jesus’ name (John 14:13); (3) ask in faith (James 1:6-7); (4) ask for right things (James 4:3); (5) keep God’s commandments and do those things pleasing in his sight (1 John 3:22); (6) ask according to his will (1 John 5:14). No non-Christians in this Christian age were ever told to pray for anything, much less told to pray to be saved, to be forgiven of their sins. Bible examples. Sinners on the day of Pentecost were not told to pray to be forgiven. Peter, in Acts 2:21, quoted an Old Testament passage (Joel 2:32) which …

When Al Kaline finished high school, he walked off Baltimore’s sandlots to play right field for the Detroit Tigers. Without playing a day of minor league or college ball, he played right field for the Tigers like no one before. He once turned down a $100,000 contract saying it was too much. (He signed for $90,000.) At thirty-four, Kaline batted .379 in the 1968 World Series. Near his career’s end, he was asked how he wanted to be remembered. He replied, “As a man who gave his best every day.” When we come to the end of our “Christian careers,” we hope that Jehovah might say, “He did his best worship for me each Sunday.” God deserves the best we can offer him (cf. Genesis 4:4; 22:16). What Is Worship Offering? “What did you get out of worship?” is the wrong question. “What did you give in worship?” is the question. Worship has always involved giving. Elhanah “…went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh” (1 Samuel 1:3). It was called a “sacrifice” because that was what it was — sacrifice.1 Who paid for the animal that was killed? The worshiper. The average person in those days did not lose a sheep, goat or heifer without feeling it in the pocketbook. (Remember the story of the man who left his ninety-nine sheep to search for one that was lost?) An animal sacrifice was a meaningful offering of something of value …