There are many verses in the Bible that most people can quote off the top of their heads. Many of these verses are taught to children, and, at times, they are even put to the tune of a song to help engrave them in our memories. Galatians 2:20 is a very popular verse in the Bible and can be quoted by most. While this verse is often taught to children, this verse is still so very powerful in its meaning. It is applicable to all Christians of all ages. First let us look at the last line of this verse, “ …who loved me and gave Himself for me.” As we read in John 3:16, the love of God was so great toward mankind that He sent His only Son to us. However, Jesus did more than just come to Earth. We read in Romans 5:8, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus Christ came to earth and willingly died for all of our sins. He rose on the third day and is now in Heaven preparing a home for those who will obey Him. Before I give my life to Christ, it is important that I recognize what God has done for me and how lost I would be without Him. Now, we come to the rest of Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ…” As we look at this opening statement, I hope that we see the power in these few words. Upon our …

“And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14). As a preacher, I have the responsibility and the pleasure of speaking publicly the Word of God on a regular basis. It is what I have been trained to do and the area of my greatest proficiency, since it is the core of my scripturally defined work. Despite the fact that I speak often, there are few times that I “mount the pulpit” when I lack at least some sense of anxiety or what you might call fear. I am not alone here either. We have so many capable men who are great students of God’s Word, but they too have the same fear and trepidation. Perhaps you have experienced such as well. Oh! You may never deliver a sermon in front of a large audience, but we are all called to speak openly about the Scripture, engage in Bible study and win many for Christ. Thus, we are all susceptible to this fear. When examined closely, however, what we will find, from the preacher’s sermon to the individual Bible study effort, is that most of this fear revolves around who we are and our ability to deliver the message. Typically, there are two errors that play into this fear. First, we often labor under the impression that we are being judged actively by the words that we speak. Second, we believe the subject …

“Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ And He laid His hands on them and departed from there” (Matthew 19:13-15 NKJV). When we moved to Highland Home to begin working with the church there, almost ten years ago, Chris, our youngest, was 11-years-old. There were few little ones in the congregation at that time, especially no small children. Now, our Sunday and Wednesday night Bible classes have several children. Our classes are able to be divided by age. I know that doesn’t sound like much to some from larger congregations, but for our little group of around 50, that is exciting news. We have two babies on the way. We have several that range from 9-months to 4-years-old. There is a sizable number that are older than 4, up to about 10 or 11. It is exciting for us to see these little ones heading to and coming from our Bible classes. Sometimes the little ones get a little loud. One Sunday, two of our little boys (both less than 18-months-old) were not in good moods, and they let everybody know it. One mother said, “I think our boys tried to out-preach you today!” Just this past Sunday, one of our little girls was given a quarter by her mother to put …

Before Jesus ascended unto the Father, He gave instructions to His disciples. Why did He give these instructions? Our Lord gave these directives because He wanted us to know what our purpose is as the church. He didn’t want us to get sidetracked from that purpose. Jesus knew that we could get so busy doing good things that we would possibly neglect doing the really important things. In Matthew 28:18-20, we see that disciples of Christ were charged to evangelize a lost world. That evangelization is to be carried out aggressively. We are to go into the world and not wait for the world to come to us. Evangelizing a lost world can be as simple as relating how God freed us from the clutches of Satan. If we share the Gospel, God will anoint our efforts, and we will see some of our fellow men come to know Christ as Savior. Then, we are commanded to baptize those who receive the good news and acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and Savior. The new believer is to be baptized as an act of obedience to have his sins washed away by the blood of Christ. When the new believer is baptized, and he is added to the body of Christ, which is the church, by Jesus (Acts 2:47). Another command Jesus gave preceding His ascension was to teach “them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Notice that Jesus commanded us to observe all things which …

Solomon gave a great lesson in preparation in Ecclesiastes 10:10. A woodsman may be a powerful and energetic person. Yet, he will exhaust his resources if he does not take the time to prepare himself for his task. There is an important lesson for us today. Far too many have assumed the role of teacher without proper preparation. They have become like the men of Ephesus who are “wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying of the matters about which they make confident assertions” (1 Timothy 1:7). It is a dangerous thing for a man to teach others the eternal truths of God. This is why Paul warned Timothy to “pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16), and James said, “let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). What, then, should one do to “sharpen his axe”? First, he must himself be a faithful, trustworthy man (2 Timothy 2:2). This means that he will not take liberties with God’s inspired Word. He recognizes that it is perfect and complete, and he must not tamper with it (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Second, he must be willing to ‘burn the midnight oil’ in intense study. He has to be a “workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). How does he handle accurately the Word of …

The term most often used in the New Testament is simply “the church.” In the original language of the New Testament (Greek), the term does not always refer to the church that Christ built. In Acts 19:32, it refers to “the assembly” of an angry mob. In Acts 7:38, it refers to the Israelites in the wilderness. “The church” refers to a group of people, never to a building. In reference to the Lord’s church,  it means those “called out of darkness into light” (1 Peter 2:9). Note the following ‘musts’ of those called out of the darkness of sin by the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:8-11): We must never separate ourselves from the church, since Christ is its Head (Colossians 1:18). What we choose to do or not do to the church, we choose to do or not do to Christ Himself (Matthew 25:40, 45; Acts 9:1-5). The church is also called “My church” by Christ (Matthew 16:18) and “churches of Christ” by Paul (Romans 16:16). These words designate Christ’s ownership of the church. The church never belonged to any other man, but to Christ alone. When people speak of “my church” as “their church,” it demonstrates their lack of Bible understanding as to the true nature of the church; it shows they only know of the church as denominationalism defines it and as they defend it as their property. If men were not divided into different churches, by their different names, doctrines and practices, we would only speak of …

It has been many years now, yet, I recall a brief passing moment with my friend and brother in Christ, W.N. Bill Jackson. We all have experienced short and seemingly unimportant events, which still stick in our memories. Bill and I were attending the February Lectureship at Freed–Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee. We were walking on the campus, and several feet in front of us, we noticed Franklin Camp, walking alone. Franklin had his hands thrust deep into his pockets with his head slightly bowed down as if he was deep in thought. Bill made a comment, “Look how unassuming Franklin is.” No further comment was necessary; we understood. To be an unpretentious person was part of Franklin’s make up. Brother Camp was a humble man and a well-respected Christian gentleman with a storehouse of biblical knowledge. Franklin Camp was a prince of a man. We need more folks like our down-to-earth Franklin Camp. Too many rude, high-minded people abound in society. We wonder what made some think that the world revolved around them. Give me humble reserved people anytime. Zacchaeus was an unassuming and fair tax collector. And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold , there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: …

My cardiologist had finished examining me during my annual checkup. He then said, “I will see you next year.” I was thankful that my heart seemed to be in good shape. When I entered the hall, I saw several of the ladies who worked in the building, and I said to them, “He said that he would see me next year, but he did not give me a guarantee.” It was then that my doctor walked up behind me, placed his arm around me and said, “You are a God man; has God ever given you a guarantee?” Though my cardiologist is very religious, he is not a Christian. However, since 2001 when he put a stent in a 95 percent blocked artery that was across my heart, he has known that I am a Gospel preacher. That is why he called me a “God man.” I replied that God has not promised me another year to live (James 4:13-14). Yet, God has given to me, as well as to all Christians who endeavor to live faithfully, several guarantees. I have chosen only a few guarantees from God that are mentioned in the inspired writings of the apostle John.

According to Dictionary.com, authority is defined as, “the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, demand, or determine.” When it comes to matters of religion, from where do you derive authority? What is the precedent or source to which you look that governs how you worship? While the religious world will answer in various ways, there is only one answer for those who wish to be pleasing to God. Since Jesus is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and the Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:6; 12:24), and since Jesus was given all authority (Matthew 28:19), our authority must come from Him. So, how can you know what Jesus expects or demands? Jesus told His apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth (John 16:13), which they and other inspired writers wrote (2 Peter 3:2, 15)—the New Testament. This means that the New Testament is where we get our authority for matters of New Testament worship, rather than from visions and dreams, extra revelations or testaments, or tradition. When it comes to pleasing to God, we need to find what the New Testament says and do it.

Proverbs 11:30 states, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise.” The New Testament continues to emphasize the winning of souls by teaching us to make disciples in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15-16. Once one has been won to Christ, he is to continue being taught. Acts 2:42 tells us to be devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. Acts 8:39 tells us to continue to rejoice in our salvation. First Corinthians 1:17 tells us to keep preaching the Gospel. When each Christian makes disciples, teaching the Gospel, fellowshipping, praying, rejoicing and serving, we will win souls. According to Acts 2:47 and Acts 16:5, this is what the church did in the first century; Christians won souls daily. When was the last time you “won a soul for Christ”? When was the last time you taught someone the Scriptures about how to become a Christian? When was the last time you saw a person baptized and become a new creation in Christ? When was the last time you invited someone to worship services? We have seen the church winning souls in the past, and now it is time to get back to winning souls for Christ. Unfortunately, too many Christians are just baptized and are not involved in the work of winning souls for Christ. For too many Christians, they have not been taught that Christianity is a total conversion and commitment to the cause of Christ, …

Most people believe that as long as one is sincere and honest about his religious beliefs that it does not matter what one does religiously and that all religious people will finally enter Heaven. In essence, all humanity is trying to worship and please the same God who is the Creator of all things, including man. All humanity has sinned against God. Yet, the world is very much divided religiously. There are many faiths and many different beliefs about origins. In almost every religion on earth there are many honest and sincere people who are trying their best to please God and thus hope that He will open the door of Heaven for them when they leave their earthly existence. However, the fact is that being sincere and honest does not always and necessarily mean that one is right. One may sincerely drink or swallow poison from a wrongly labeled bottle of medicine, honestly believing it to be the right medicine, and die. Poison will not save one, no matter how sincerely it is taken. The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 16:25). Through the account of the wise and the foolish builder, Christ taught a very powerful lesson on this subject that we all need to heed. He said: Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many …

Marriage is not a human arrangement, but it is ordained of God (Genesis 2:18, 24; Hebrews 13:4). It is an obligation to faithfulness, not only to each other, but also to God. It is more than a legal contract. It is a partnership with each other and with God. Marriage is a union of a man and a woman in need of one another. One of the reasons that marriage is in crisis today is because many have lost this sense of being needed. The crisis in marriage can be seen in that one out of four marriages is broken by divorce. In fact, more divorces are granted in the United States each year than the rest of the world combined. Of the three remaining, desertion takes its painful toll. Of the two that stay together, many are emotionally shattered and functionally do not work. One out of the four is happily married. Since the odds are against a successful marriage, it is to our advantage to watch for symptoms of troubled marriages. Some symptoms are (1) loss of interest in family members and family activities, (2) loss of interest in caring for the house and personal property, (3) a sense of “drifting apart,” (4) chronic and unresolved conflicts, (5) lower than usual achievement levels, (6) poor interpersonal relations at home and other places, (7) defensiveness and overprotection, (8) marked changes in behavior, (9) undue suspicion of the other’s behavior, (10) low level of control over emotions, (11) chronic depression, …

Jesus Christ spoke seven final statements during His last hours on the cross. Christians cherish these phrases because they offer insight into the depth of His suffering to accomplish redemption. The seven last words of Jesus are presented here in chronological order. Let us never forget that Jesus died for you and me.

There are many in the religious world today who believe that babies are sinners from their birth (e.g., the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church [Church of England]). Roman Catholics and Anglicans sprinkle little babies for this belief (i.e., they call it baptism) to protect them, but of course it is not baptism. In addition to believing that babies are born in sin, there are those in the religious world who even teach this as Scripture. What does the Bible have to say about babies—about the innocent—for it is man’s only source of authority for religious practices. “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done” (Genesis 8:21). Note whether man’s heart is evil from his birth! Is that what Moses wrote? No! He said, “…Man’s heart is evil from his YOUTH…”—from his youth and not from his birth. Again, this time from the pen of Jeremiah the prophet we see the same truth. “We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God” (Jeremiah 3:25). Jeremiah concurred with what Moses wrote, also guided by divine inspiration, as were all the writers of the Bible. One of the favorite verses …

Satan is alive and well! We see so much evidence of that being the case. Recently, three teens in Duncan, OK murdered a young baseball player who was out running. The triggerman said they killed the runner because they were “bored.” Also recently, two teens had their “fun” by killing an 88-year-old World War II veteran by beating him to death. After this last murder, I heard a news commentator say that these teens had no moral sense or structure in their lives; they had no role models and no one to teach them right and wrong. I believe he got it right. When most of us were children, the majority of the folks around us believed in God and knew the difference between right and wrong. Not all people professed to be Christians, but they still tried to honor what is right. Today, what is honored is “what makes you feel good.” That brings me back to the point of how evil such a thought is. How could anyone “feel good” by shooting a runner for fun? How could anyone “feel good” by beating an 88-year-old man to death? It’s sick to think that someone could actually find enjoyment in doing those things. That takes us back to the news commentator saying these teens had no moral sense or structure in their lives. No one bothered to teach them the difference between right and wrong. Our nation is in distress because no one is bothering to teach young folks …

Recently, we again heard the argument that since our society is so diverse, with so many different kinds of persons with so many different needs, we need a variety of denominations to meet those needs. We have little doubt that some of our own members will be advancing that argument, if they have not already done so. We admit that there are multitudes with various needs, attitudes and feelings. However, we raise the following questions: First, did not Jesus know that was also true when He built His church? There were twelve apostles, each about as different from the other as one can imagine. Why did He not tell each one of them to start a different denomination? Second, what need does anyone have that could not be met in the Lord’s church? Let us admit that there may be congregations that are so fossilized in their traditional way of thinking and doing that they might oppose having only one song and a prayer before the lesson. It is not improper for us to examine our traditional way of doing things and strive to find a more effective way of presenting the Gospel. Those of us who have been in other nations or cultures recognize that we may do things in various ways without the necessity of forming a denomination. If we were in a society in which there were those who were accustomed to taking their shoes off and sitting on the bare floor with crossed legs, there would …

The ideal congregation is truly committed to the spiritual growth process and the development of spiritual graces, individually and congregationally. The apostle Peter exhorted Christians to “add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (2 Peter 1:5-7). When obeyed, this exhortation assists in developing full maturity in attitude and in daily living. Furthermore, divinely approved fruitfulness is dependent upon the abounding presence of the qualities that Peter herein enumerated. Fulfilled maturity requires one to live up to his potential (Matthew 25:14-30; Mark 12:41-43). We should not be content with past achievements if we hope to reach full maturity. As we seek to be all that we can be, let us do so courageously with unyielding and confident faith, as servants of God and as servants of those about us. Let us give diligence to make our calling and election sure. Personal spiritual security is the blessing awaiting the obedient child of God.

A person “sins” when he disobeys any law of God: “sin is lawlessness”(1 John 3:4). To every mentally developed person, God has given a limited knowledge of right and wrong, good and evil (Genesis 2:17; 3:1-24). God has also revealed His law in its completed form in the Bible. The Old Testament portion of the Bible was God’s law for Israel until Jesus died on the cross. The New Testament portion of the Bible is now God’s law for all people (Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 9:15-17). A person sins when he disobeys the basic knowledge of good and evil, and he sins when he disobeys the laws of God written in the New Testament. To “tempt” means to test or to examine. James writes, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:13-15). This passage shows us that temptations come to us through our desires. Some desires are sinful in themselves. For example, the desire to take a person’s life is an evil desire. Other desires are not sinful in themselves. God created humans with several kinds of natural desires. For example, the desire for food and the desire for a mate are not evil desires in themselves. These …

Since the legalization of abortion in the United States, almost 60 million of them have taken place. What was originally promoted as a procedure that would only be used in emergency situations has become a commonplace occurrence. Certainly, the destruction of life in the womb has become a consequence of this practice. We know the child in the womb is a life, is a human being. Modern imaging equipment has helped us to better understand this, along with other advances in technology. While the abortion rate currently is the lowest since Roe v. Wade, innocent life is still being destroyed daily, as abortion is primarily used for contraceptive purposes. However, Scripture affirms, “For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). So many lives have been terminated by abortion that it’s easy to become desensitized to the process of death. However, are there other ways besides the death of the unborn child that abortion defiles our land? Certainly so! When sin becomes commonplace, it only leads to further and greater sin. Paul reminds us it is lawlessness that leads to more lawlessness (Romans 6:19). What are some consequences that come when abortion is viewed as a normal part of life? One can argue that a cheapening of the view of life in the womb leads to a cheapening of life outside the womb. If one can indiscriminately terminate an inconvenient life before birth, why not afterwards? What is called the …

Paul Simon sang “I Am a Rock” in August 1965. The lyrics portray someone wounded by friendship and determined to live totally alone like a rock that feels no pain. Many have experienced down times like that, but then, they realize they cannot live alone. Each man has four key relationships, beginning with God. We need to give our bodies to Him in sacrificial living (Romans 12:1-2). We will have all our needs provided if we seek His kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). Man’s ultimate purpose is to hold God in awe and do His will (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Christian brothers hold tightly to the good, showing proper affection for brothers, while giving them honor (Romans 12:9-10; Ephesians 4:32). Stealing is given up when we submit to God. God’s children work with their hands so they may be able to supply others’ needs and stay on the lookout for such opportunities (Ephesians 4:28; Galatians 6:10). Those who have God as their Father also have a unique relationship with those who make them suffer (Romans 12:14; 2 Timothy 3:12). We all have enemies. One 93-year-old man said he had no enemies. When asked how he explained it, he said, “I outlived the rascals!” Christians should do their best to live peaceably with everyone, knowing God will take vengeance on those who deserve it because of their treatment of His people (Romans 12:17-21). Governmental authorities have not always treated God’s people well, but any power they have comes from the Almighty (Romans 13:1). Jesus …