Five farmers bought a big sack of seed and agreed to plant their respective fields with the seed that came from that one bag. The seed was supposed to have been pure and unmixed. After some weeks had passed, the famers met together over breakfast and reported their yield. The first man said, “Fellas, the seed that I took from that bag produced some of the finest sweet corn I have ever seen.” Somewhat chagrined, the second farmer said, “That’s odd, because the seed I took out of that bag produced yellow squash.” The, the third spoke, “This is weird. The seed I took from the bag yielded yellow bell peppers.” The fourth farmer chimed in, “My seed yielded yellow onions.” Finally, the fifth man reported, “The seed that I took from that bag produced little, yellow tomatoes.” We have the same predicament in the religious world today. Different men claim to be reading from the same Word of God. They plant “seed” into the fertile heart-soil of men, but it is obvious that different seed is being sown, because different crops (e.g., Christians, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, etc.) are springing up! Seed produces after its own kind (Genesis 1:11-12; cf., Galatians 6:7). Corn seed doesn’t produce squash, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. Roy Lanier once observed, “The seed of the kingdom (Luke 8:11) will produce the kingdom; it will not produce anything different from the kingdom… It has never been known to produce anything other than the kingdom of God, the church …

“Brothers, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you the spiritual ones restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the Law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1-2). I cancelled my television service. I have needed and been meaning to do it for a while, but just didn’t get around to it. What was my reason? Well, about the same as anyone’s–hundreds of channels and less than zero on, but paying more and more for it. When I called, however, they simply did not want to let me go. I bet I talked to three different departments, including one called “customer retention.” They offered “free” this and “expanded” that and just about everything but George Bailey’s moon to get me to stay. In the end, I turned them down. It took nearly an hour, but they finally figured out that I was resolved to let them go. Even then, they said they were sending me an email with a code that would enable me to hook back up without having to pay a new service connection charge. The saga doesn’t end there, however. Two days later I received a call from the retention office again, telling me that I will receive the next two months free, whether I chose to stay or not, even though I am only paid up through the end of the month. A day after that, I received confirmation of …

Jesus was buried in a rock tomb. These tombs were carved out of the solid rock. A stone was carved and positioned in front of the tomb. This stone was allowed to roll down an incline to seal the tomb once a body had been placed inside. It is believed that the stone used for Jesus’ tomb was very large. In Matthew 27:60, we are told it was large. Mark 16 tells us the same thing. One of the ancient manuscripts of the Bible, the Bezae manuscript, adds that ‘20 men could not roll it away.’ It has been estimated that such a large stone would have weighed as much as 1.5 to 2 tons. In Matthew 27, it is said that a ‘large stone was rolled against the entrance of the tomb.’ The Greek word for ‘roll’ is kulio, which means ‘to roll.’ In Mark 16, Mark used the same root word but added a preposition to explain the position of the stone after the resurrection. He used anakulio, which means to ‘roll something up a slope or an incline.’ Thus, we can conclude that the stone had to go up an incline to be rolled away from the opening of the tomb. Luke used the term apokulio, which means to roll the object away from another in the sense of ‘seperation’ or ‘a distance from it.’ The indication is that the stone was rolled away from the entrance so far it was away from the tomb itself. The stone had been …

“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21:22-27 NKJV) We will all know God.

Does this sound like a strange title for an article? After all, doesn’t the Bible prohibit one human from murdering another human? We are not talking about the law of the land exercising capital punishment; we are talking about murder, the kind that is so much in the news now-a-days. High school students go loaded with guns into a school and deliberately murder as many as they can. A woman murders her husband. Out of apparent jealousy, a teenager kills his friend and his friend’s parents, and on and on we could go. Why have these horrid and senseless murders increased in the last few years? Many of us are old enough to remember when such incidents were far from common. They were virtually unheard of. Again, why are they taking place in so many places today? I believe I know the answer, an answer that modern society will not accept. Do you remember the approximate time when it became the rule that the silly philosophy of evolution began to be taught as scientific fact. Evolutionists are God-haters and God-denying infidels. One of the major tenets of this philosophy is the belief in the “survival of the fittest.” Our children are being taught that they are just a higher product of evolution, just a segment of the “survival of the fittest” existence. Connect this fact with the denial of the existence of God and one comes to the irresistible conclusion that man is nothing more than an animal subject to …

The program committee for a national barber’s convention devised a graphic means of demonstrating the effectiveness of their profession. They found a social derelict on skid row with long, dirty hair. His face was unshaven and his clothes were ragged and filthy. His body reeked with odors of cheap liquor and filth. The barbers cleaned him up. They gave him a bath, shampoo, shave, haircut and manicure. They liberally sprinkled talcum powder on him and added spicy cologne. He was dressed in a new suit and was presented before the convention as a changed man. He certainly looked the part. However, within a week the man was back on skid row, back in the gutter, back in his former pattern of living. The barbers had altered his appearance, but their tonsorial services had not changed him on the inside. Due to our sin, each of us is on “skid row,” destined to die (Romans 6:23). However, God loves us so much that He gave His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16) so that we might have forgiveness, transformation and the hope of eternal life (Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:7). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The change that Christ desires to bring about in our lives is not superficial. Rather, we are transformed by Christ from the inside out! Our hearts are changed by …

No doubt you’ve heard the above phrase before. Typically it’s used by people to condone a sinful lifestyle. Since they can’t appeal to Scripture to justify their behavior, they appeal to this statement. While it is oft-repeated (which many times seems to give phrases a sound of authority), it is incorrect. While God does offer us joy (Philippians 4:4), and a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7), nowhere does Scripture even hint that God condones activity simply because it makes us happy. First of all, we understand what makes one happy today may not make one happy tomorrow. Happiness is a subjective, emotional response subject to change. I am reminded of Tigger, when asked by Winnie the Pooh if he liked honey, responded quite enthusiastically, “Tiggers love honey!” It was after tasting it he would, in disgust, say, “Tiggers do not like honey!” with equal enthusiasm. What we think we would enjoy, after experiencing it, may not bring the happiness we thought it would, or desired it to. God has our eternal well-being in mind, and as our Creator, knows best what is good for us, even when we may not. He will not do that which ultimately would harm us, just to gratify our whims. James clearly tells us, “You ask and don’t receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasure” (James 4:3). Also, God would not, for my pleasure or short-term happiness, use another person in a way that is …

There is a common illustration you have probably heard that is often called The Snowball Effect. The premise behind it is simple: Even the smallest snowball, when allowed to roll down a snowy hill, will collect more and more snow, and eventually, if allowed to roll long enough, will become a very large snowball. We can apply the illustration to many things, but think about it today in regard to sin. Sin often starts small. An addict doesn’t just wake up one morning an addict. There is a process involved, which began, at one point, with one first sample. The same is true for many situations. Take the example of the Gentiles of whom Paul spoke in Romans 1:18-32. We are aware that these people ended up in a vile state of living. In verses 22-32, Paul recorded their complete abandonment of God. They had forgotten about Him, and replaced His worship with worship of idols and the like. Romans 1:24 tells us God gave them up to uncleanness, and the “lusts of their hearts.” What a shameful situation in which to be involved! How did they get there? In verses 20-21, we are told that they at one time knew God, but simply refused to glorify Him as God. They knew that He was there, and knew all that He had done; they just simply turned a deaf ear. In familiar terms, we might say they didn’t “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). How many can say …

Jesus said, to the congregation at Philadelphia, “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it, for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name” (Revelation 3:8). Some thoughts from this passage follow. 1. The church at Philadelphia had a “little strength.” That is all that it takes if we are on God’s side and willing to work for God. God did not judge them based on what their assets were, financially and numerically. God judged them on their willingness to use those things for Him. We need to realize that it is not our list of abilities, but our use of those abilities that matters. Small congregations and large ones have the same responsibility in the eyes of God–to spend themselves in His service. 2. The church at Philadelphia kept His Word. In a time when many were denying the Word of God, even among some of the other six churches to whom Jesus speaks through John in Revelation 2-3, this congregation stood firmly in the Word of God. There is no strength for God at all, no matter what assets a church may claim, if its members do not stand with the Word of God. There was no doubt where these brethren stood, they stood with God. Too many today are going out from God’s Word, because they think they are “strong” enough to ignore God’s will, and think they are …

This month millions of people around the world will pause to think about Jesus. Practically the whole world will recognize something this weekend that Christian’s think about every week of their lives. Jesus Christ was crucified on Mount Calvary, buried in a borrowed tomb, and three days later, He was raised from the dead. The New Testament calls this the Good News, the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-3). The rest of the Good News is that the King of Kings offers to every person in the world a place in His kingdom (Titus 2:10-11). Recently in our Sunday morning Bible class, we studied the life of Mephibosheth. This lesser known man of the Bible was the grandson of King Saul. He lived a difficult life. Because of Saul’s failures, his family was forced to leave the kingdom. As a small child Mephibosheth, due to a terrible fall, became crippled in both feet. He was taken to the land of Lo-debar. The name Lo-debar means a place without pasture, a place of desolation. Mephibosheth was destined to live the rest of his life away from his home in a desolate place. King David, because of his friendship and covenant with Jonathan, son of Saul, sought out Mephibosheth. When he was found, David ordered that he be brought to him. David told Mephibosheth that he would restore to him all the land that had belonged to his grandfather and that there would be a permanent place reserved for him at the King’s table …

The devastating earthquakes that occur in various countries from time to time and destroy cities and kill thousands of people makes us realize more and more the uncertainty of life. The magnitude of destruction wrought by such force is overwhelming. There is a Scripture I want to mention presently that deals with a particular earthquake. In the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Acts, the account is given of the conversion of a Philippian jailor and his household. The jailor, a Gentile, was a non-believer in the deity of Jesus Christ. The day that Paul and Silas were beaten and cast into prison was perhaps an ordinary one for the jailor. While the day may have started out like any other day for this particular person, it certainly did not end in a common fashion. Something transpired that transformed the life of this Roman and the lives of his loved ones. Something drastically happened. An earthquake occurred in this man’s life. It was a literal tremor, a movement of the earth that the shook the foundation of the building that housed those people in the prison. The jailor was awakened by this event and was about to take his own life because he thought his prisoners had escaped. Paul prevented this tragedy by shouting, “Do thyself no harm; for we are all here!” It was at this time that the jailor sprang forth and asked the most important question: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” After hearing and believing …

One of the most well known, often quoted, but misunderstood passages in all the Bible is recorded in Matthew 7:1–“Judge not that you be not judged.” For some people, this is their only defense for their ungodly, disobedient lifestyle. However, I don’t believe that God intended for this statement to be a defense for the ungodly, and any interpretation that would lead to such a conclusion is surely flawed. Consider the following argument I recently heard. What would you think if someone said, “We need to accept people regardless of their past. It’s not for us to pass judgment on anyone. God is the judge of that person. Let’s do the loving and accepting and let God do the judging.” The problem with such a statement is that it ignores and contradicts biblical truth. While it is true that God is our Judge (Acts 17:30-31; Hebrews 12:23, 13:4), it is not true that the church, therefore, cannot make any judgments of its own based upon the Word of God. Is the church not only allowed, but charged with obligation to “judge those who are inside” (1 Corinthians 15:12)? Remember the situation in Corinth? A man was having sexual relations with his father’s wife. What was the church instructed to do with him and his situation? Was the church instructed to love and accept him and let “God be the judge? Absolutely not! Rather, the church was instructed to withdraw their fellowship from this man because of sin in which he …

I guess this idea, that one has the right to do wrong, has been around a long time. It is possible that the great magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini (1874-1926), may have popularized this idea. He wrote a book entitled, The Right Way to Do Wrong: An Exposé of Successful Criminals. However, there is an even better-known quotation from Abraham Lincoln that presents the truth concerning this idea—that one has the right to do wrong. Lincoln said in his debate with Douglas, “When Judge Douglas says that whoever, or whatever community, wants slaves, they have a right to have them, he is perfectly logical if there is nothing wrong in the institution; but if you admit that it is wrong, he cannot logically say that anybody has the right to do wrong” (October 13, 1858 Debate at Quincy, Illinois). Yes, Abraham Lincoln was logically and biblically correct, it is never right to do wrong. I believe the misunderstanding concerning this idea is that one has the power to do wrong. As free moral agents, we can choose to do whatever we want to do. With that choice, however, comes the consequence of our actions. One can plot a premeditated murder, but he never has the right to murder. One can steal, but he never has the right to steal. “It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void they law” (Psalm 119:126). Question: Does one have the right to make the law of God void? You …

When one is cutting down a tree, it is not necessary to cut off each twig or branch. If one cuts it off at the base, or uproots it, the tree is down. However, there are values in cutting it up in smaller pieces for other purposes. The same is true with any false doctrine. For example, there are numerous verses in the Bible that show the falsity of premillennialism. Any one of them cuts it off at the roots. When a doctrine is based upon the idea that the kingdom that God promised has not yet been established, but God’s Word plainly teaches that it has, we need go no farther to show that the doctrine is false. Mark 9:1 says, “And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There are some of them that stand by, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power.” Since it is evident that none of them are still living, the kingdom has come with power. Many other passages are equally decisive. However, we want to examine some roots of the tree and see that it is rotten from the roots up. Also, when we examine it in smaller parts, we can better understand and combat other related false doctrines. One of the foundations of the premillennial doctrine is that God made a covenant with Abraham that has never been fulfilled. It, therefore, must be fulfilled in the millennium, a thousand-year …

One reason many people become confused, even to the point of teaching false doctrine, is because they fail to understand the language of the Bible. For example, Dispensational Premillennialists misunderstand the Sermon Jesus preached to His disciples on Mount Olive because they do not understand that words can be used in different ways. For example, after giving many signs of the fall of Jerusalem in Luke 21, he told His disciples, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Because they always think of “redemption” in terms of being bought back to God spiritually through the sacrifice of Christ, they mistakenly believe that is what the word redemption refers to in Luke 21:28. However, a moment’s reflection will demonstrate that this is not what Jesus was speaking about when He made the statement recorded above. Why? Because the spiritual redemption of these disciples had already taken place when the Lord made this statement to them. One of them would later “fall” from his state of redemption by selling the Lord for thirty pieces of silver, but these men were the servants of Christ and were cleansed by the same blood by which all the rest of the Old Testament faithful were cleansed, according to the statement made by the Hebrews author in 9:15 of his book. The redemption that was to come to these disciples at the fall of Jerusalem was not spiritual redemption, for they already had that! …

From time to time there are criminal or civil cases brought before the courts, and because of connections to the defendant in order to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest, a judge will recuse himself.  In an ideal world, the judicial system is to be fair, impartial, objective and in search of the truth to ascertain a party’s guilt, innocence, what rights have been violated, etc. Our national, state and local laws are made to serve as a standard of rule for its citizens so we know what is right and wrong.  Thus, we are able to conduct ourselves within the guidelines of the law, and therefore, be “law-abiding” citizens as Jesus teaches his followers to be (Romans 13:1-5; 1 Peter 4:15-16).  Unfortunately, sometimes there are cases brought before the church where judgments must be made, and actions must be undertaken because one or more parties have committed wrong and through a rebellious, defiant spirit are unwilling to repent and confess their fault(s).  We are getting into an area, regrettably, where the church has suffered to an immeasurable extent because brethren often “take sides” and line up behind one personality or another, and the church becomes divided and loses its focus as well as its influence. The brethren in the church in Corinth turned their heads while a brother in their midst was guilty of immorality.  No one had the courage to raise his voice, even though the brother was severely in danger of losing his soul …