There are two settings for prayer; private and public. Prayer is speaking to God through Jesus Christ, for he is our Mediator with God (Hebrews 12:24) and our High Priest (Hebrews 9:11; 8:1). Private, individual, prayer is encouraged by Jesus. “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6). Jesus often prayed in private. “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when evening was come, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:25). Jesus found that being alone with God had rewards, and took of them often. Shouldn’t we? Surely. For this is a time when we can relate our every care to God, including those cares that we would not speak of in public. God is there and he listens when we pray through Christ. Private prayer is private, and remains so unless God has answered prayer in an obvious manner, or the one praying relates it to others. The apostle Peter said, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7). God does care about his people. The apostle Paul stated, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts …

Satan has a large arsenal of weapons with which he attacks humanity in order to try to bring about its destruction. Which of these weapons, however, is his most powerful and ultimately successful? 1. How about the society around us? There is no doubt that society as a whole is used by Satan to draw us away from God, the church, the Bible and the truth as a whole. Society tends to call the bad good, and the good bad. Society is going to push evils, such as abortion and homosexuality on us at every turn. But society is not Satan’s greatest weapon. 2. How about humanism and organic evolutionary theory? These two philosophies, which tend to go hand-in-hand, are very effective in destroying the faith of many people. They are Godless, evil and patently false. It almost amuses me, if it were not so serious, that these theories combined teach that we are nothing but glorified apes, and yet we are the ultimate of all that exists. A built-in oxymoron. I submit, however that these two extraordinarily dangerous dogmas are not Satan’s greatest weapon. 3. How about our educational system? Sadly, I am convinced that Satan is making the best use for his purposes that he could of our educational system. That is not a condemnation of the good, solid and often Christian teachers in the public schools. It is a fact, however, that many of the major thrusts of education for a long time now have been anti-God, …

The truth of the matter is that the church of Christ is the only church that has ever been able to perform miracles. We definitely do believe in God’s power to perform any feat he chooses that is so far beyond man’s abilities, that it is undeniably a miracle. Some who accuse us of not believing in miracles are still trying to speak in tongues and perform miraculous healings today. A sincere look at the miracles recorded in the Bible reveals a characteristic that is absent with these modern day “miracles.” A true miracle is undeniable. When the horrible lesions of leprosy are instantly replaced by skin as soft and fresh as a little child’s (2 Kings 5:14), no one can honestly deny that a miracle has occurred. If you know someone who from birth has been lame, lying down in public places, begging in order to survive and is suddenly able to walk and leap (Acts 3:2-8), you can not honestly deny that a miracle has occurred. But I can easily and honestly deny that anything miraculous has happened when I see modern day events that some claim to be miracles. In fact, most anyone who doesn’t want to believe in such events will have no trouble dismissing them as fake. That is not the case with the miracles we read of in God’s Word. Even the men who wanted Jesus dead, believed his miracles were genuine (John 11:47-53), not because they wanted to believe, but because his miracles …

Recently, we received an inquiry which said in part, “Do demons really inhabit people today as they did in the days when Jesus lived on the earth?” The person asking the question explained that he had been in a discussion with a person who held that such illnesses as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, various psychoses and other life-threatening illnesses were nothing more than demons living within our bodies and when the demons were cast out by someone claiming to be a faith healer, the illnesses would go away. My first response was diabetes was not really a demon, it just seems that way! But we will do well to take a serious look at whether demons possess people today as they did in the days when our Lord was on the earth. Firstly, we would point out that if the Bible is true, and it is, demons did indeed inhabit human bodies in the days when Jesus lived on the earth. But to the best of our recollection they were never associated with physical illnesses such as leprosy, palsy, various paralyses and things of that nature. It is true that demons did give a person the appearance of being psychotic, and after at least one “casting out of demons,” the Bible described the recipient of this blessing as sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind (Luke 8:35). However, psychoses are today treated with various medications and there is no hint that there is a connection …

We tend to agree with our esteemed brother, David Lipscomb, when he said, “You have a pretty tough and gristly piece of meat for a babe to masticate and digest if you undertake to define the difference between soul and spirit.” However, every sincere Bible student surely wants to know whatever the Bible does teach on this and every other subject. Most of us are accustomed to picking up expressions like “the immortality of the soul” and assuming that most everyone understands what we mean by them. We presume that the average person means that after the resurrection each of us will exist somewhere. But the average person might think it would make good sense to ask, “Does the soul (psyche) of man die?” but could see no sense in the question, “Does the life (psyche) of man die?” Thayer says on page 520, with regard to the spirit: “the vital principle by which the body is animated.” We presume he means, “That which gives the body its life (psyche).” He also says, “協or the most part the words pneuma and psyche are used indiscriminately.” It is true that the words are used interchangeably in this sense: If we should say, “Remove all the furniture from this room,” then say in another context, “We said to remove all the chairs from the room,” and in another context, “We said to remove all the desks from the room,” we are using the words “chairs,” “desks” and “furniture” indiscriminately. That is, they may be practically synonymous in some contexts. That …

It was in the early morning hours of September 8. Eyewitnesses say that it was a stormy evening on Lake Michigan. Nighttime navigation was always difficult in 1860, but especially so on this occasion. Gale-force winds made the trip all the more perilous. Passengers were nervous and with good reason. Around 2:30 a.m., about twelve miles off the Illinois coast, the steamboat “Lady Elgin” was suddenly rammed by a large, wooden schooner. The “Augusta” had been laboring under the tempest and collided with her on the port side, just aft of her paddlewheel. Lady Elgin’s crew attempted to plug the hole in the hull with a mattress, but to no avail. The breach simply could not be repaired and pounding waves quickly forced water into her oak-framed body. Edward Spencer was on board the Lady Elgin when the accident occurred. He was a student from nearby Northwestern University and decided to help. Oblivious to the storm and its attendant dangers, Edward plunged into the icy waters and began rescuing fellow passengers. There had been approximately 485 patrons on board (the ship was rated to carry only 300 people); about 380 of them drowned on that awful day. Edward lived–and so did seventeen other people whom he had saved during the deluge. However, the strain of the occasion exacted its toll on his young body. The nerves in his legs had been irreparably damaged during the mishap, and doctors were forced to confine him to a wheelchair for the rest of …

The Holy Scriptures are replete with lessons concerning the way of Christian living, and many are drawn from the analogy of walking. On one occasion Jesus pronounced, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Those who have put to death the “old man” having been crucified with Christ, then buried together with him in the water of baptism are risen together with Christ to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). The word of Christ teaches us to “walk after the Spirit” and to “walk by faith.” We’re not to walk as the Gentiles walk “in the vanity of their mind” but rather to “walk worthy” of our calling and as “children of light.” We are to “walk in love,” just as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). There are men, women and young people at various stages of development in their Christian walk. There are some walking at a brisk pace. They’re out in front and swiftly approaching the finish line. These are leaders, strong and mature. They have cultivated the Christian graces (2 Peter 1:5-7), and still continue to press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). They will not let up until they have drawn their last breath and are ushered into “Abraham’s bosom.” There are some who are just beginning their Christian walk. They have been “born again” and are feeding upon …

The world in itself and of itself is not getting any better. The truth of the matter is mankind, without God, is becoming worse. God’s wonderful creation, the human race, had lost its golden glow with the introduction of sin into the world. With the passing of time, it repented God that he had made man in his image because of the terrible blight of sin that had tarnished the golden innocence of his creation (Genesis 6-7). Think about it, only eight souls were saved from the vast multitude of people who lived on this globe when God deluged the earth with water. There was a new beginning but it was not long before the sins of those who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of sexual perversions caused God to destroy those cities with fire and brimstone (Genesis 19). Societies over the centuries that have forgotten God have suffered the inevitable consequences. The Psalmist wrote, “The wicked shall be turned to hell, and all the nations that forget God.” The populace of our great nation has not learned the lesson that we eventually reap as we have sown in moral issues (Galatians 6:6-7). The devil has an agenda and it is slowly but surely being carried out by influential individuals and organizations. In fact the television and movie industries are doing what they can to influence the citizens of our country to accept the lifestyle of the homosexual, bi-sexual and transsexual. I might also mention that many major …

God “knew” Jeremiah (1:5) before he was born (c. 642 B.C.) and had something he wanted Jeremiah to do all of his life, even in his old age. Admirably the “weeping prophet” (Jeremiah 9:1) kept “nothing back” in his preaching “the word of Yahweh” (Jeremiah 42:7-10), but his listeners did not like his preaching. The listeners kidnapped him, and forced him to accompany them to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:1-7). There, “according to Christian tradition, he met a martyr’s death, being stoned by the Jews, who resented his faithful reproofs” (J.R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible, p. 454). Yes, even on the last day of his life, with rocks coming from angry people, Jeremiah showed that he believed the Lord has something for every faithful person to do, even to his last breath. Paul, like Jeremiah, though he was a prisoner under house arrest “for two whole years” (A.D. 61-62, Acts 28:30-31), with the left hand of a soldier chained to his right hand (Conybeare and Howson, Life of Paul, II, p. 394; Ephesians 6:20), knew that Lord had something for him to do every day: “I face a dilemma, desiring to depart and be with Christ, which is far better, but to remain in the flesh is more pressing” (Philippians 1:23-24). Later, on death row in Mamertine Prison in Rome (A.D. 67-68), Paul still knew that he should be busy every day in the Lord’s work. There he wrote a letter to “Timothy, my beloved child” (2 Timothy 1:2). I know …

It’s that time of year again, the “Holiday Season,” and as we begin the usual activities of this time of year we should take a little time to reflect on just how this “season of giving” affects our Christian life. The world around us begins to seem like a friendlier place for some reason; various organizations have food drives, offer holiday meals to the needy and spend countless hours in front of department stores ringing bells while folks walk by, throwing a handful of change into a black pot. People spend literally billions of dollars on gifts for family and friends. Yes, it’s time for the holidays! But as the world shifts into the “giving spirit,” life for the Christian should really see no significant change. What? You mean to say that we shouldn’t participate in all of the holiday cheer? Not at all. We are so blessed to live in a free land where we can celebrate traditional holidays as we please and the Christian is also free to join into this festive season. But the Christian’s life should be a shining example of the “giving spirit” all year long, not just for a couple of weeks or months. People in the world should be able to see the unselfish nature of the child of God at any time. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The key point here is …

Do you prefer to hear good news as opposed to bad news? Most, if not all, of us do. But, what we are willing to pay for tells a different story, and the news media knows it. I remember a television news program in the middle 1980’s that was solely dedicated to reporting good news. It lasted only a few months. In Sacramento, California a tabloid called The Good Newspaper had a short life of thirty-six months until it went bankrupt. The good news that people say that they want to hear and read they are not willing to support financially. As consumers of the news we don’t want to read about the rich celebrity who is healthy and happily married. But, we are eager to learn every sordid detail when he finds himself divorced, diseased and destroyed financially. Noisy news sells! Bad news pays! On August 31, 1997 Chicago Tribune sales soared due to the tragic death of Princess Diana. Time and Newsweek broke sales records on September 8th and 15th, 1997 for the same reason. For a month after the crash, Britain’s biggest newspapers gave thirty-five percent of their total news coverage to the death of the Princess. Paul Harvey said, “Not even the end of World War II got this much ink.” Noise makes news! One gunshot gets more attention than a thousand prayers. That doesn’t mean that the gunshot is more important–it just sells more newspapers. What is the best news that you have ever heard? Would the Gospel qualify? The word Gospel means good news …

Have you ever accidentally thrown something important away, and then had to spend time going through the garbage to find it? When it was all over, you probably showed the marks of where you have been. Either on your hands, or clothes, or by the aroma you now carried, where you were is clear. Even after going through all that, you may not find what it was you were looking for. It was this way for King Saul of Israel. God, through his prophet Samuel, had told Saul to destroy the Amalekites. Instead, Saul kept the best of the spoils of war, and spared the life of Agag, their king. Samuel told Saul, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams ” (1 Samuel 15:22). Because Saul had rejected God by his sin, God rejected Saul as king (15:23). Saul had tried to find something good in doing evil, but only came out stained by sin. The effects of sin would ultimately lead to his demise (1 Samuel 28:15-19). It can be the same for us, as well. We can’t become involved in sin without the contamination of sin clinging to us. If we fill our minds only with what is in today’s books, television, music or philosophy, we will sooner or later reflect it, in our thoughts, speech and actions. We should cultivate …