I once read the story of a man by the name of Joe who stopped outside of Montgomery, Alabama for gas. He got back in his car and drove for five hours before noticing that something wasn’t quite right. Then, he realized just what it was; he had left someone behind—his wife! Now, keep in mind this incident happened before cell phones were in wide use. So, Joe went to the next town and asked the local police to help him get in touch with her. Joe was rightfully embarrassed. What could have happened to him that he would leave his wife behind? He admitted that he just didn’t notice she was gone. We don’t understand how something like this could happen, but we hear stories from time to time of similar things happening, especially where children are concerned. However, we are not much different in our relationship with God. We fail to remember that the One who created us is the One who redeemed us. Israel was just like this during the wilderness wandering. Notice what was said in Deuteronomy 6:1-12. So how, then, do we acknowledge God and keep him in our minds? Just the way Israel of old did throughout each day. Sometimes God can seem so far away, but He didn’t move away, we did! The warning for the Israelites is the same for His church today. Deuteronomy 6:12 says, “then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of …

Half of the Israelites were on Mount Gerizim and half were on Mount Ebal. The cursings were on Mount Ebal, and the blessings were on Mount Gerizim. It is interesting that Moses had instructed Joshua to do this before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 8, the reasons for the blessings and cursings were given. God said there was the danger that after they were in the land that the many physical blessings such as land, silver and gold would make them forget God. They would be tempted to believe that they had gotten those things on their own. Achan was deceived by the lure of riches at the very first city the Israelites conquered – Jericho. The defeat at Ai was a direct result of that sin. It was only after the nation of Israel made things right with God that they conquered Ai. This was a quick picture for Israel of the blessings and cursings. Immediately after the taking of Ai, they gathered at the mountains and reminded themselves of the blessings and cursings. Today, we can have the blessings of the Christian life. As a Christian, we have the hope of the blessing of Heaven. If we do not live for Christ, we will neither have the spiritual blessings here nor will we have them in Heaven. Study your Bible. Learn all you can from it. Obey God. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

American society has become obsessed with the idea of “rights.” Everybody is always talking about his or her right to this or that. We hear of everything from human rights to animal rights, the right to health care to the right to broadband Internet access. We talk about our “rights” in such broad terms that most people do not even know what the word means anymore, much less the far greater underlying admission of such a declaration. Consider the meaning of the word “right.” If you were to look in a recent edition of Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, you would find 62 different definitions for the word. Some of them are old definitions not commonly used today; some are specific to certain fields of study or practice. However, in our discussion, the 20th of these definitions is the pertinent one; there the term is defined as, “that which is due to anyone by just claim, legal guarantees, moral principles, etc.” The definition continues with the example of freedom of speech in America being a right. A right is something that is due someone, something they are owed for any number of reasons. When most people talk about a right, they mean that they are owed or deserve whatever is under discussion because of whom and what they are. However, have you ever considered the declaration that is being made with such an argument? On one hand, we are being taught and force-fed the idea that there is no God, and that we …

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6 NASU). That last part of verse 5, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” is well known, but what is entailed in trusting in this promise? Well, entailed in it is how we view money. According to Dave Ramsey, the number one cause of divorce is “money fights and money problems.” He also says that the Bible has over 800 Scriptures about money. It sounds like we are not doing well at heeding the teaching. Money issues is one of those things that most easily causes people to lose trust in God, as if the sign that God is with us is having financial security. The reality is, Scripture shows that there are those who suffered financial hardship because they trusted in God. In the text under consideration, the one who “is free from the love of money” is the one who will trust in God’s promise to not leave us. This person “will not be afraid.” Yet, money issues seem to too easily make us afraid (I said us, including myself). Those Hebrews were experiencing persecution, which commonly resulted in being burdened financially. When this happened, it was …

This is not an article promoting a particular party or candidate. It is an article promoting Christian values. There is definitely a lot being said about politics lately. Regrettably, many politicians are not influenced by morality or the Bible much anymore. They want to do and say the politically correct thing. They don’t want to offend anyone. They try to determine from the polls and focus groups what positions are popular and what they think will get them elected or reelected. While some say “religion and politics don’t mix,” we better hope there is some religion mixed in with the politics of today! Christian principles were the center and core of all that was said and done in the founding of our country. If our leaders do not live according to Christian ethics, the nation and especially the righteous will suffer for it. There are a number of issues that directly affect the morality of our nation and the lives of godly individuals. Christians had better be concerned about these things. Who will get your vote? Would you want to vote for someone who favors higher taxes and bigger government? Can you conscientiously support a candidate or party that wants to give away more of your hard-earned tax dollars? Could you vote for a person who supports keeping prayer and God out of every aspect of American life? What about those who favor abortion? Christians certainly cannot support the politician who approves of “same-sex” marriage. Sin is still sin whether a politician …

Humanists would say, “Religion is a crutch for the weak mind.” Some religionists say, “Take the leap of faith.” Yet, God does not desire mankind to be gullible. Quite the opposite. The Creator has provided mankind with two basic forms of evidence: (1) Physical, and (2) Special. The observable, tangible creation silently testifies to a Designer and Builder. “For every house is builded by someone; but he that built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4). About 1,000 years B.C. David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Why do we have the word “universe” and not “multi-verse”? Even the ancient Greeks recognized the meticulous order all around and used the word “cosmos,” meaning “harmonious arrangement, order.” Arrangement for intricate working is the opposite of randomness. “For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse” (Romans 1:20). The world around us can cause us to know there must be a Powerful Orderer. Yet, by gazing at His handiwork, we cannot learn what He wants us to do. Special revelation is provided by the Word of God. The Bible is not the words of men, but “men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Included are eyewitness accounts of miracles performed as proof for us to believe. “Many other signs therefore did …

Those who ruled Israel during the period between Joshua and Samuel were called “judges” (Acts 13:20). Thus, the name for the book derives from those judges. During this period, the rulers of the people were not merely civil magistrates who administered justice and adjudicated disputes. Primarily, they were deliverers, endued with power from God and were called upon to govern the people in difficult times. The days were difficult because the children of God had foes, not only within the land, but without as well, namely, the Moabites, the Midianites, the Amorites and the Philistines. During the time between the death of Joshua and the rise of Samuel, the children of Israel were to take possession of the land allotted them by driving out the Canaanites and establishing a nation to be governed by God (Joshua 13:8-22; Numbers 32). However, they grew weary of the task and often adopted friendly terms with their enemies, the Canaanites, and sometimes they adopted their idols. God would, then, punish His people by giving them over to their enemies. When His people repented, the Lord raised up judges who delivered the people from oppression. However, no sooner was a judge dead than the people apostatized again. During this time Israel had no political capital. Shiloh, which was established as the religious center in the days of Joshua (Joshua 18:1), continued as such into the days of Eli (1 Samuel 1:3). There was no central place where a judge had the “oversight.” Their work most …

Recently, when a city in the United States of America exploded into rioting and anarchy over the weekend following the death of a young African-American man in dubious circumstances at the hands of the police, hundreds of African-American agitated youths swept across the city burning and destroying properties and looting at will. However, the young man who was chased down by the police and killed had been arrested eighteen times previously by the police and had several convictions, mostly for drug possession and distribution. It also turned out that he had a difficult childhood. However, the person who was grabbing the headlines, around the same time, was the mother of another African-American 16-year-old boy who publicly smacked her son for taking part in the riot. She was caught on camera berating and clobbering her son and chasing him home after she spotted him carrying rocks to hurl at the police. She was even heard saying, “That’s my only son and at the end of the day I don’t want him to be another Freddie Gray.” The question is not just whether the young man was killed by the police, but what caused him to get to the station in life where he was chased down by the police. The wise one at Proverbs 22:6 wrote, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Parents are custodians of their children. To them it is enjoined that they train …

What is so different about the Laings (Ohio) Church of Christ than any other church? Well, the first thing people seem to notice about it is that we do not use instruments in our praise and worship to God. When people see this, they think that we do not praise God or do not have any type of music. This is far from the truth, because the churches of Christ have the best music and the largest chorus in town (everyone is included). The type of music that we use is very biblical, and it is how the first century Christians also praised God. The type of music we use is called congregational singing or a cappella music, which means in the likeness of the church, vocal music or without instrumental accompaniment. The meaning of a cappella comes from the historical way that the Christians in the New Testament sang to God. The church has not always had instrumental music. Although instrumental music has been around since Genesis 4:21, instruments were not brought into the church assembly until hundreds of years after Christ built His church (Matthew 16:18). This means that this was a new practice humans brought into the worship assembly, rather than something introduced by Christ. If Christ had authorized instrumental music, He would have taught about the use of instruments in worship. In reading the Bible, we can see why the first century Christians were known for their a cappella music and why it is important for …

A bulletin crossed my desk years ago. It contained this clip ~ “Twenty four years in the First Grade. That is how long it would take to pass if public schools met only as often as Sunday School, and if no Bible classes were missed!” The Word of God, according to a 2012 survey (Rankin), revealed that only 19% of “churchgoers” read the Bible daily. As many as 25% stated they read the Bible a few times each week. A staggering 14% indicated they read the Bible once a week. Then 22% confessed to reading the Word of God “once a month or a few times each month.” Several months ago, brother Jack Wall, brother Dale Vann and I had a long discussion about our Bible class curriculum. So much of “our literature” has to be proofed to make sure it is scriptural, and so much of the instruction has to be “weeded out,” and then the price of ready-made material is atrocious. We decided to write our own material. In asking around, I contacted Gary Summers, who responded by saying, “We’ve done that!” The elders looked over that material, ordered it, and we are now implementing Bible material that covers the Bible in 5½ years! This means our very young kids could cover the Old and New Testaments twice before High School graduation. The late brother Eldred Stevens once observed that if a person spent 20 minutes a day on any given subject for a period of 20 years, that …

We love homosexuals. You read it correctly. The church of Christ in downtown Branson loves not only homosexuals, but also fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, sodomites, thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. We love all unrighteous people. Why? Because we have also been guilty of unrighteousness: “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But because God first loved the world, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16; 1 John 4:19), He, by His grace, has taught us how to become righteous (Titus 2:11-14). For this we should be eternally grateful and desire to share this soul saving information with others (Romans 1:16). The issue of homosexuality and same sex marriage is a moral issue. God’s laws concerning morals are everlasting. Moral laws never change. It has always been wrong to kill, steal, commit adultery, practice homosexuality, etc. From the beginning of time marriage has always been one man and one woman for life: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; 1:27-28; Romans 7:2-3). Homosexuality is not a civil issue. Comparing it to the treatment of different races is like comparing apples to oranges. They are not the same thing. People have no decision over their race, but they do have the ability to abstain from or to commit …

On June 19, 2006, the following appeared as a “Letter to the Editor” in the Montgomery Advertiser. Once again the State of Alabama overwhelmingly showed its hypocrisy by voting to approve the ban on homosexual marriage in the state. As a Christian heterosexual married man, my faith teaches me not to judge other people, but to leave the judgment to God alone. As a state, 81 percent have judged those who seek to find fulfillment in their lives by telling them they can’t do something everyone else can, and they are doing so based on a set of beliefs (Christianity) that not everyone holds. It’s ironic how we are so concerned with keeping the “sanctity of marriage” by banning the legal union of homosexuals, and yet the divorce rates in the country continue to climb higher and higher. Last time I checked, 50 percent of marriages in the United States didn’t end in “gay” – they ended in divorce. Allen Goldman, Montgomery Here is the response that I sent to the paper. Hypocritical? Judge Not? It is interesting that in the recent letter by Mr. Allen Goldman, he says, “My faith teaches me not to judge other people, but to leave the judgment to God alone.” Yet, in the letter, beginning with the title, “Marriage Vote Hypocritical,” he passes judgment on everyone who opposed homosexual marriage as hypocritical. I guess his religion teaches him that no one is to judge except him. The amazing thing is that the Bible teaches that …

In one of his sermons, the late Foy E. Wallace, Jr. stated, “No one can be reconciled unto God without the cross. And we can be reconciled by the cross only through the Word of the cross. There is no way for the cross to reconcile us except through the Word, through the ‘preaching of the cross.’ The Word of the cross is the power that reconciles men to God.” As one observes the religious attitude of the multiplicity of existing denominations, which substitute their Calvinistic doctrines for the Word of God, and the papal bulls and encyclicals that tout their supposed divine authority, he becomes acutely aware of how little these false institutions appreciate the cross of Christ. It should make us look seriously at the question, “Who really is a good man or woman? By this question we mean, who is a good person in the eyes of God and is reconciled to Him? Is it a person who is highly educated? Is it a person who is powerful in political circles? Is it some Hollywood ‘dream’ man or woman? In reality, is it a relative who is dearly loved? As we look into God’s Word, we never find that God considered an idolater a good person. Any one engaging in homosexual acts was not only not considered good, but he or she was considered to be an abomination to God. In fact, one can study the following Scripture references, and he can get a pretty good idea of one whom God …

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone” (Matthew 23:23 KJV). I must admit that I worry too much about the times we live in. My weightier concern is the lack of overall respect for what the Word of God teaches. At one time, we Americans looked toward the Bible, the Word of God, as a supreme guide in the comportment of people. We notice that Matthew 23:23 indicated an overlooked or making light of “the weightier matters.” Too many of us exalt the fluffy things of this life and minimize the momentous. In our obedience, reflecting on the right and the wrong, we leave these God-given obligations unfulfilled. The “scribes and Pharisees” and mankind in general are engaging in the trivial matters of this life. They were very strict and precise in the smaller matters of the law, but as careless and loose in the weightier matters, Mat 23:23, Mat 23:24. They were partial in the law (Mal 2:9), would pick and choose their duty, according as they were interested or stood affected. Sincere obedience is universal, and he that from a right principle obeys any of God’s precepts, will have respect to them all, Psa 119:6. But hypocrites, who act in religion for themselves, and not for God, will do no more in religion than …

This was said by a ‘gay’ person who planned on marrying his ‘partner’ after the Supreme Court Justices (I shall call them ‘little gods’ since they redefined the definition of what marriage has been understood for centuries, that is, the joining together of a man and woman in matrimony) legalized same sex marriages on June 26, 2015. The man probably was correct in his assumption that his particular marriage ceremony would not affect others; however, the legalization of homosexual marriages will have some of the greatest impact on the citizens of the United States of America like it has never experienced before in the history of our nation. First of all, let me say that the liberal estimate of the number of ‘gays’ living in our nation is only 2-4 percent. Whenever any negative statements are made, or articles written about the homosexual style of living, the words ‘homophobic’ and ‘bigot’ are used toward the heterosexual population. Now that the ‘little gods’ have legalized ‘gay marriages,’ we are going to discover just how intolerant a group of people can be when individuals and businesses will not canter to their demands. The courts throughout the land will be filled with law suits of ‘gays’ demanding their ‘rights,’ whatever they might be. F. LaGard Smith wrote the following in his book, Sodom’s Second Coming (page 8), “Hardly anyone stops to notice that gay rights means heterosexuals having to give up rights – like the right to consider character when renting one’s house or when …

After the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision that legalized gay marriage, my Facebook news feed exploded, and very little of it was positive. There were two things that primarily disappointed me (other than the decision itself), one more so than the other. The first thing that disappointed me was the number of “Christians” who were in favor of the court’s decision. The Bible is very clear on the subject: those who practice unrighteousness will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). What disappointed me more than that, however, was the response by “Christians.” Saying that God does not approve of homosexuality does not make you a bigot or homophobic. However, the manner in which you reveal your disgust and abhorrence does. I was embarrassed seeing the posts of many who claim to follow Jesus because they were full of anger and hatred. These “Christians” jumped all over the hating the sin, but they completely forgot to love the sinner. How many who struggle with homosexuality looked at Facebook, or any other social media site, and became disgusted with Jesus because of His followers? How many bridges did we burn in our “righteous anger”? How many opportunities did we lose because we did not apply passages like Proverbs 15:1 or 1 Corinthians 13? We absolutely need to call sin, sin, but we also need to consider the manner in which we do it. Though we have been guided into all truth, if we don’t have love, we are nothing. Please …

Bullying is defined as “intimidation of a weaker person or the process of intimidating or mistreating somebody weaker or in a more vulnerable situation.” For some time now, there has been a national effort to reduce bullying. Bullying may be a cyber-attack, a racial attack or it might even be a schoolyard prank. However, there is another way that people are “bullying” others, and it may be the most common and widespread means of intimidating others. Bullying has become a means by which some attack those who believe that sin is wrong. These “bullies” oppose those who speak out against the homosexual, alcohol and drug agendas. These “bullies” don’t agree with the right to “freedom of religion.” It’s beyond my comprehension as to why people stand up and speak out so quickly to eliminate bullying in the schoolyard and then do an about-face while they themselves bully those who as a matter of conscience and morality speak out against sin. (Don’t get me wrong. I don’t believe in schoolyard bullying either.) Yet, these who oppose righteousness speak up loudly and clearly because they think they now have the majority position of strength. They think that “situation ethics” will be their crutch in gaining moral support from those around them regardless of their sins and transgression against God and their bullying of Christians. For centuries, mankind has accepted the concept that homosexuality is an abomination and goes against all righteousness. This is quite evident in God’s Holy Word as we read …

Most of us take the liberties we enjoy living in the United States seriously. Our Constitution guarantees many of them, including the first amendment to our Bill of Rights. It states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. It is this last part that is now getting trampled on. Resolution 168-08, passed unanimously by the city and county of San Francisco Board of Supervisors, labeled the Catholic Church’s moral teachings on homosexuality as “hateful, defamatory, insensitive, and ignorant.” It urged the city’s local archbishop and the Catholic Charities to defy such teachings. When challenged in district court as violating the first amendment, judge Marilyn Hall Patel ruled in favor of the city, saying basically the church started it, and that the city’s proclamation wasn’t entangling the government in church affairs. How the church started it was by publicly expressing its moral teachings. The Catholic Church isn’t the only religious group the Board of Supervisors has targeted. A rally of 25,000 against “the sexualization of America’s youth” met with one California assemblyman stating, “They’re obnoxious, they’re disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco.” The defense used in support of these religious groups was based on the principle “the government can’t be used as a weapon to condemn religious faith.” It went largely ignored. The implications for New Testament Christianity, in a society becoming increasingly more secular and openly hostile to the teaching of Scripture, is clear. Our religious liberty …

On December 19, 2012 in London, a new Bible was released to the public – the QUEEN JAMES BIBLE – the “first-ever Gay Bible.” The editors say, “The Queen James Bible resolves any homophobic interpretations of the Bible.” They eliminated all references to homosexuality from their Bible, thus changing God’s Word to fit their own agenda. Shame on them! I’m calling on all faithful New Testament Christians to speak out against this perversion of Scripture. To stand and condemn homosexuality in all of its forms as a perversion of the divine order is not an indication of homophobia, heartless prejudice or narrow-minded bigotry, but rather it is to stand on the side of righteousness and truth. God is the only one we need to please!

This article deals primarily with teaching every person who may be teachable. Prospects may be located through friends of members, visitors at church services, a religious survey, through responses to a mass mailing or many other ways. However, we need to be aware of the vital urgency of following up all who may be teachable, no matter from where the names come. Let us consider some principles and procedures that need to be understood and applied with regard to those who respond from close by as well as those who respond from another locality. We also need to consider responses in terms of helping the person with his problems as we strive to lead him to Christ, then helping him to become an active member of the local congregation. This, of course, is in keeping with the Great commission, which has to do first with making him a disciple, then teaching him to observe all things commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). Let us first address the issue of what may happen when 100 to 300 million persons grasp the simple message of the Gospel, with an awareness that the Creator and Lord of the universe is concerned about them personally, and offers a solution to their problems. We anticipate that up to one million or more may respond to that message, for there are millions who are not aware that there is One who cares about them or has any real solution to their problems. Some will respond who are merely curious about …