The question was raised primarily in reference to applauding at a baptismal service. The one who asked it remarked that it seemed to him that it was equivalent to saying “Amen” at the end of someone’s prayer, and merely indicated approval of what was being done. If it were merely equivalent to taking his hand and saying, “I rejoice in your obedience,” I would have no objection to it. However, it involves other significant principles. Let us examine some and try to arrive at a scriptural answer to the question. When we say “scriptural answer,” we do not claim that we know a Scripture that deals directly with the question, for if there was an approved example of early Christians doing it, or a command that indicated the propriety of it, we would not need to discuss the matter. If we could find a Scripture that said, “Do not clap hands,” we would not need to discuss the matter. So, we must examine principles and Scriptures that deal with broader matters, and strive to make logical application of them. First, let us look at the assumption that the clapping of hands is no more than simply expressing agreement with a statement or action, as “Amen” might be. When an audience claps and shouts approval of Michael Jackson’s performance, would it evidence about the same thing if the audience said, “Amen?” The basic meaning of “Amen” is “May it be so.” It has various nuances in other contexts, but the basic …

There are many Bible characters that we know much about. Such people are the subject of frequent studies and may even have whole books or chapters of books devoted to them and the lessons we can learn from them. There are other people mentioned in the Bible about whom we know very little. These people may only be mentioned in passing or are found in only one or two places in the Bible. Often these people are overlooked, yet they appear in our Bibles for a reason. John 20:30-31 tells us that Jesus did many things that were not recorded in the Bible. The things that were recorded are to strengthen our faith. Second Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that everything in the Bible is from God and is for our learning. With this in mind, there can be no doubt that these little known, “forgotten” men and women of the Bible can teach us valuable lessons today. Most people who have any knowledge of the Bible at all know of King David. Those who know of David probably also know of his wife Bathsheba. Fewer possibly remember his first wife Michal and fewer still might recall his wife Abigail. Even though Abigail’s short story is found only in Chapter 25 of 1 Samuel, there is much that can be learned from this amazing woman. When we first read of Abigail, David is having a difficult time. King Saul, due to his disobedience to God, was told he would be the …

His name was Bobby who came from a Christian home in Southern Mississippi. He was nineteen years old, married to a beautiful young Christian woman and had a year old son. Bobby’s mother was a faithful Christian and taught Bobby along with his siblings the tenets of Christianity and the basic principles of right and wrong. This young adult, with all the advantages that one might have, died in a jail cell hanging himself to death. Bobby was obsessed with a drug addiction that he could not conquer. The writer visited him one evening before his incarceration and attempted to show how fortunate he was to have a wife and son that loved him along with his parents and siblings that cared desperately for his well being. Bobby replied, “The drugs are so powerful that I cannot give them up.” Trying to talk to someone that has his body poisoned with an illegal substance is a pointless exercise. What a heartbreaking circumstance when we cannot persuade such pitiable young man to see that he is self-destructing. One of the saddest events in this preacher’s ministry of thirty years was to preach the funeral sermon on behalf of the family, friends and scores of brethren to Bobby. There has never been a more emotion charged atmosphere than the one just described. We are not the judge and cannot change the state of anyone that has crossed the chilly waters of Jordan to the other side. It should be stated that our …

Benjamin Franklin wrote: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of. If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality; since lost time is never found again and what we call time enough always proves little enough. Let us then be up and doing to the purpose; so by diligence shall we do more with less perplexity. Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy. Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to gain leisure. Since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour.” Jesus observed: “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Time is a precious commodity. Life’s moments are fleeting. Moses observed: “We spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is there strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:9-10). Tragically, too many people do squander time. They spend the present regretting the past or dreading the future, neither of which should be our greatest concern. We cannot change the past, and there is no future if we neglect the present. The crucial question is not, “What have we done?” Nor, is it, “What are we planning to do?” …

What do we know for certain about tomorrow? What will the weather be? Will the market be up or down? Who will win the big game? Is there a major tragedy or triumph in our future? There are those who claim to have the answers to these questions, and similar ones, but they don’t. The only certain prediction about the future is that it remains uncertain! It is not wrong to look to the future, but we must consider the uncertainties. James wrote: “Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that. As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16). I am reminded of something Ahab, king of Israel, said to Ben-hadad, king of Syria. Ben-hadad demanded of Ahab all of his gold and silver, and the best of his wives and children. Believe it or not, Ahab agreed. Then Ben-hadad went a step further. His representative would enter Samaria and seize anything of value. That, too, would become Ben-hadad’s property. This was more than Ahab could stomach. He had agreed to forfeit his silver and gold. He would even allow …

In 1 Peter 4:8, we read, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” The word “charity” as used in the KJV is the translation of the Greek word AGAPE, love. This passage, then, is urging brethren to love each other and indeed to be “fervent” in that love. Peter also tells us that this love “shall cover a multitude of sins.” How does love cover sins? The meaning of the word “cover” as used in the passage does not mean “whitewash” or “overlook.” This passage is not teaching that brethren should ignore the sins that their brothers and sisters commit and to let them pass off without any effort to correct one another when sin is committed. Rebuking a brother for his sins is not the same as disowning him. The way in which we should seek to correct is for the purpose of restoring the erring brother (Galatians 6:1), not to seek to dismiss him from our company or to merely expose his sin. We need to realize that the steps that are taken to bring about correction might sometimes have to be severe, but even in this we should never forget that we are to confirm our love toward him (2 Corinthians 2:8). There is no one who could love us more than our heavenly Father loves us. However, one sure sign of that love is his chastening of his own (Hebrews 12:6). The apostle Paul had had …

A “miracle,” says Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, p. 1147, is “an event or effect that apparently contradicts known scientific laws and is hence thought to be due to supernatural causes, especially to an act of God.” The New Testament uses the word semeion, a sign, to describe a miracle. The word is used “of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God’s” (Thayer, p. 573). The New Testament uses the word “signs” (and so, “miracles”) to validate the work of Jesus and of his apostles. 1. Jesus’ Miracles Jesus’ first miracle was to replenish the supply of wine at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1). Six jars of water, each holding 20 or 30 gallons, Jesus instantly converted into “good wine” (John 2:10). This miracle was “the beginning of signs,” proving that Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; 2:11). A list of some of Jesus’ miracles, substantiating his deity, during his four to five years of preaching (25-30 A.D.), is given by the four Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The list is climaxed by Jesus’ dead body coming to life again (Luke 24:44-48). “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. If each was written, I suppose the world itself would not have room for the books” (John 21:25). 2. The Apostles’ Miracles The “all authority in heaven and in the earth” that the Father had given to …

Modern relativistic thinking suggests that we have no rule or standard by which we can distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and immoral. Hilary Putnam — a Harvard University professor — sums it up when he declares that moral/ethical judgments are “something that we ultimately judge by the ‘seat of the pants’” (Alan Crippen II, ed., “The Train Wreck of Truth and Knowledge,” Reclaiming the Culture, 59). “We must come to see that there is no possibility of a ‘foundation’ for ethics…” (Ibid.) he asserts. Is the professor correct? Are morals and ethics based upon our own subjective opinions? Are there no moral absolutes? Consider for a moment the repercussions of Mr. Putnam’s philosophical extreme. (Author’s note: the following excerpts are very explicit): The pro-life groups are right about one thing: the location of the baby inside or outside the womb cannot make such a crucial moral difference. We cannot coherently hold that it is all right to kill a fetus a week before birth, but as soon as the baby is born everything must be done to keep it alive. The solution, however, is not to accept the pro-life view that the fetus is a human being with the same moral status as yours or mine. The solution is the very opposite: to abandon the idea that all human life is of equal worth” (Watkins, “Death What A Beautiful Choice,” The New Absolutes,85). A principal at an elementary school in New Hampshire invited a homosexual men’s chorus to give a concert to …

(West Virginia Christian, Volume 8, May 2001, No. 5) “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:1-12). In this article, I am implying that the Gospel of Christ is rather simple and can be understood when we dismiss from our minds what we think it ought to say and accept what it says. This will eliminate a lot of confusion. Jesus did not write one word of the New Testament, but he said to those whom he sent out to preach or write his word, “He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me …” (Luke 10:16). That means we can depend upon the written Word. Jesus began his personal ministry with these words, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). There is a terrible penalty for those who do not believe and obey the Gospel. “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Jesus said, “Repent or perish” (Luke 13:3, …

Of all the expressions that Jesus used to refer to himself, none more clearly expresses his divinity than “the Son of God.” No subject is more grand, nor any relationship more important than that of Jesus to the Father in heaven as expressed in the word “Son.” In a sense all Christians are “sons of God.” Paul said, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14, note also vss. 16-17). However, Jesus is the Son of God in a sense in which none of us are, nor can be sons of God. In a conversation between Jesus and a man to whom he had restored eye sight, the Lord inquired, “Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and he it is that talketh with thee” (John 9:35-37). Not only did Jesus acknowledge himself to be the Son of God (Revelation 2:18), but that relationship is sustained by the power of various testimonials, as we shall see later in this study, which include representatives of the demonic realm. Our text in this contextual study of the account of Mark states, “And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God” (Mark 3:11). Who Is Jesus Christ? Jesus once put the question to the Pharisees, …

Before you say no when asked to take a job in the church, think about some reasons why you should say yes. There are at least three good reasons why every Christian ought to serve in the church. 1. Your Christian life needs a service outlet. Nothing helps you to grow as a Christian like putting your faith into practice by using your talents (Ephesians 2:10). 2. You have a talent to share with others. The reason why you are asked to serve is that your brethren have confidence in you and your ability. Your Christian service will be a good influence in the lives of those whom you lead and serve. 3. Your church family needs you. There is no way for our congregation to get its work done unless members volunteer their time to teach and lead. When you accept a place of responsibility, you help the church move forward in the name of Christ.

With so many churches, denominations and religions in this world it is easy to become confused and even skeptical. How would a person ever know if he was doing the “right” thing religiously and how would he know if the church he goes to is the one God approves? We know that two opposing conclusions cannot be correct. If person “A” is doing one thing to please the God of the Bible and person “B” is doing something totally opposite to please God, then either one or both of them is wrong. Isn’t it important for us to search the Scriptures to find out what, if anything, we must do and which, if any church, we should attend? Isn’t it sensible to find the correct way that pleases God? Let us notice a few things about Matthew 16:13-19. These verses are actually a record of Jesus’ words regarding the establishment of “his” church or kingdom. “I” will build “my” church. Notice to whom the church belongs. Christ says it would be “my” church. He makes the statement that he was going to build a church and nothing, including his own death, would stop him from doing just that. In other places, we see that Christ bought the church (Acts 20:28). The apostle Paul called it the “church of Christ” (Romans 16:16). Elsewhere, Paul says that Christ is the “Head” of the church (Ephesians 1:21). There is no doubt that Christ intended to build “his” church. God planned for the establishment of the church in purpose “before …