Read Acts 17:24-31. Paul characterized God in various ways, each to widen the message about God! Let us all see every one of the attributes of God and praise Him from Whom all blessings flow!

At some time, probably all of us have had someone say something to the effect that they don’t understand the Bible or parts of it. Sometimes, that lack of understanding is valid if a person does not have a background in Bible knowledge or does not have a history of having studied the Bible. There is really no excuse for the lack of understanding, for God didn’t give His followers rules and guidelines to know and follow that were too difficult to comprehend. If that were the case, all of us would be worshipping Him in vain. It is God’s will that we understand His message, for we read in 1 Timothy 1:4 that God “…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (NKJV). God loves those things and beings He created as stated in Genesis 1:31, which records, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” He was proud of His creation and planned for all of men’s needs to be met by the things He provided for them. We know the account in Genesis 3 where Eve listened to “the serpent” – the Devil – and partook of the forbidden fruit and then shared it with Adam. The serpent even sort of warned Eve as he tempted her when he said, “…You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat …

If you have ever been close to falling or drowning, one of the most encouraging sentences you can hear is someone coming to help and saying, “I’ve got you.” If you believe him, then you know that you do not have to depend on your tired strength to save yourself. Nor are you alone. Someone who cares is now assuring you that he or she is by your side and will do what it takes to rescue you. Two things: Realize that our Lord Jesus assures us of this. Satan would destroy us. We ourselves go where we have no business being. Sure enough, we slip, but our Lord is there to catch us – every time. “If I say, ‘My foot slips,’ Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up” (Psalm 94:18 NKJV). Next: Realize you have been saved to save others. You have been helped to help others. Your rescuer had to get into the deep water to get to you. Or, he had to go over the cliff himself to hold you up. Is anyone holding out a hand in need near you? Someone may need your help. Let that person know, “I’ve got you,” by your prayers, in your heart and in whatever you can do.

Last Friday night, I met up with my friend, Jerry. We normally meet up on Friday nights to go fishing. The drive to Dandridge was not extraordinarily exciting except around exit eight. I got off of the exit and started up the small hill. An older gentleman turned down the exit the wrong way. He was coming right at me! I started honking my horn and waving my hands to get his attention, but he drove right past me. The truck behind me turned as to block the gentleman from continuing down the ramp into oncoming traffic. He just skirted around the truck and kept going. As I crossed the overpass, I looked to see if he made it alright. That was all I could do. Why would I tell you this story? I have no idea what ever happened to that gentleman. There are times in our lives when we see people who are not living as they ought. They may believe it is a good way and that it will lead them where they intend to go. However, they are mistaken. Jesus described this type of person in the Sermon on the Mount. Listen to His words, “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 will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our demons in Your name, and done many …

The record of the blind man in John 9, whom Jesus cured, is significant from many standpoints. We probably can gain as many lessons as we consider it as representative of all those who are spiritually blind as we can by studying it as a literal event. We shall touch both aspects in this article. An examination of theories that would allow a person to assume that a man might sin before he was born might be worth something to us, but we shall not discuss them in this article. However, there are two interesting assumptions that may need our attention. First, there is the assumption that there must be a direct connection between a person’s sin and his misfortune. The friends of Job made this mistake, and there are many that still make it. Of course, there is a direct connection in some cases. A person who gets drunk and has a wreck in which he dies suffers a direct consequence of sin. Yet, you may have heard the plaintive cry many times, “What did I do that this came upon me?” The answer is, “Not necessarily anything.” The second apparent assumption is one that has far-reaching consequences, yet I have never read an article that dealt with it. It is the assumption that the two alternatives suggested exhausted the possibilities. Either this man or his parents sinned. Here is a two-valued orientation that is limited and blinding. We find that attitude in persons who think all things must …

It might be scary to you, or it might be a great comfort. One day, we will appear before our God to give an account of our lives. What will you say? What do you honestly think God will say to you? What do you think your emotions will be like? What will you feel? If God could personally tell you one thing right now, what do you think He’d say? Would He confront you about a secret sin? Would He encourage you in your walk? What would He want you to change before the Judgment? Today, what will you do to make sure your eternal destiny is secure? What choices will you make to be pleasing to God?

Sometimes brethren think that God permitted His Son to come to earth to be the Savior of the world of His own desire, and so God allowed Him to do so. However, Scripture does not support that concept. The apostle John wrote concerning the controversy Jesus had with the Jews who did not accept the Sonship of Jesus. They exclaimed that God was their father, but the Lord declared they were the children of their father, the devil. “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me” (John 8:42; 7:28 ESV). It is the last sentence of Jesus’ statement that I want to consider in this article. It was in eternity that God predetermined that His Son would be sent to be the Savior of fallen mankind. The decision to send His Son was a mutual agreement with the Father and the Son because they are one. The apostle Peter wrote that the elect of God “were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver and gold… but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world…” (1 Peter 1:18-20 NKJV). In Revelation 13:8 we read, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him [the dragon and the beast] whose names have not been written in the Book of Life …

When I worked on the summer staff at Short Mountain Bible Camp, I became very familiar with laying stone. I had done very minor masonry work helping my father to lay cinder blocks in various types of foundations, but stonework was a different type of animal in nature. Much of the stonework that one sees at the camp was done by various individuals, but I had a hand in laying and helping with much of what was done. In many respects, there is an art to laying stone. It is almost like working a giant puzzle, putting the stones in place to make some beautiful creation. In doing this work, I obtained a great education that was vocational in nature, and I learned a few spiritual truths along the way. Stones appear in various places throughout God’s Word. Sometimes, they were used to establish memorials for the people (Joshua 4). At times, they were used to build altars for offering sacrifice to God (Joshua 8:31). Sometimes, stones were used for the construction of walls (Nehemiah 4:3), temples (1 Kings 6:7) or other structures. Oftentimes, the idea of a “stone” was used symbolically to refer to Christ and the importance of His work. For a moment, the Bible student might consider the importance of Christ in God’s plan for the redemption of lost humankind. Christ Is a Precious Cornerstone Prophecy reveals the preeminence of Christ in God’s plan to save humanity. Isaiah 28:16 reads, “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, …

Few people who profess Christianity totally reject the Bible. They believe that it is in some way useful in forming their religious beliefs. However, they also claim that one needs more than the Bible in their quest for rules of faith and practice. As one makes a study of the many denominational churches today, he comes to realize that they all subscribe to the latter of the two positions stated above in beliefs and actions. In this article we will notice some examples of those who do not believe in the sole authority and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures of God. Let’s look at some of them. There are those who accept the traditions of men as having equal authority with the Holy Scriptures. In a book, A Catholic Dictionary, it is stated concerning Scripture: “It’s authority is equal to that of sacred tradition.” Then, when it speaks of Catholic tradition, it states, “It is, therefore, to be received with the same internal assent as Scripture, for it is the word of God… Tradition would suffice without Scripture; it is the safeguard of Scripture” (41-42). Man, in his arrogant, contemptible and blasphemous attitude has dared to place his puny and sometimes ridiculous opinions on par with God’s Word. The apostle Paul correctly described the whole system of Roman Catholicism with his statement in Galatians 1:8-9. It reads, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him …

My stepbrother’s mother was determined that he should go to church on Sunday. When he and his wife were at a period in their lives when they were not attending, his mother would call him early on Sunday mornings and let it ring until he or his wife answered. His mother would say, “I know you are not going to church this morning, but you are not going to sleep in either!” and then hang up. Another one of the phone calls was to say, “I don’t know how I am going to be happy in Heaven without you there, but God says I will be happy, so I’ll just have to trust Him, because I don’t think I’ll be seeing you there” and hang up. She would call every Sunday morning with some saying like that. When my daughter Betty was asked why she returned to the Lord, she replied, “My mother never stopped praying for me.” “My mother told me what mattered was my relationship with God, not what others are doing with God.” My stepbrother Charlie and daughter Betty are now active servants of the Lord in His church. [Editor’s Note: Taking the Gospel to the whole world (Mark 16:15-16; James 1:5:19-20) begins with one’s own family. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]

“…You shall separate… You shall prepare roads for yourself… that any manslayer may flee there. …that he may live… lest the avenger of blood… overtake him… though he was not deserving of death…” (Deuteronomy 19:1-6 NKJV). God gave the children of Israel in this passage a commandment concerning the cities of refuge that were to be created in the land of Israel after it received its inheritance. These cities were to be a refuge, not for evildoers but for those who were responsible for an accidental death (i.e., who committed manslaughter). No malice, ill-intent or premeditation existed by those who would seek shelter in the cities of refuge. They would be tried, judged and remain in that city until the death of the current High Priest, at which time they could return home and be safe from harm. This was an important law that had connections to a number of events in the Old Testament, but the law itself is not the focus of this article. Instead, it is the principle God used to explain the command. God provided clear instruction that there was to be no delay in accomplishing this task. The separation was to happen, the preparation was to happen, the clarification was given and the evaluation was mandated, which resulted in protection. Consider those four steps. 1. Separation. God established the value of consecration, sanctification or separation that a specific item (in this case a city) might be available for a special designated service. It is of …

God providentially prepared me for when my wife died of cancer. By the time she was diagnosed, I had taught several Florida School of Preaching semesters on the Book of Job, ethics (end-of-life decisions) and several of Paul’s epistles that teach about the resurrection and the afterlife. The Bible verses below were two upon which I often reflected. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV). God will not allow us to face anything we cannot handle with His help. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain… to depart and be with Christ… is far better” (Philippians 1:21-23). Terminal disease in Christians is a win/win; living means serving Christ on earth; dying begins eternal bliss. The entire Book of Job shows that God has not abandoned us just because we are suffering or facing death. There are things God knows we do not know. Keep trusting God. Keep loving each other. Keep the faith. [Editor’s Note: I’ve been there, and the loss of loved ones experienced by Christians is softened by reliance upon God through resorting to His Word – as well as by leaning upon other children of God. It remains, to some extent, a work in progress. Active Christian service also helps …

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5 NKJV) With these words, the greatest of all books begins. These words are the foundation upon which everything else in the book is based. If these words are true, then everything else stands on its foundation. If these words are false, then nothing else said in the book matters because it begins with a lie. There are many today who want to claim the opening sections of Genesis are nothing more than legend, bearing no more sense of reality than any other origin story out there. Many, even while stating that they believe in God, will argue that these opening chapters aren’t all that important, can’t be trusted, and what we should really focus on is Jesus. However, what they don’t understand is without this account, the rest of the Bible falls apart. Without the creation, there is no Creator of all things to come and save us from our sins (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17). Without the creation, it is Jesus, not Satan who was …

Ruth Pearson is a dear Christian in Cookeville, Tennessee. She is now battling cancer. The chemotherapy she is receiving is so severe that her blood count, both white and red, is dropping precipitously. The doctor told her to stay away from crowds. Ruth expressed her disappointment, and he asked her where she wanted to go. She told him that she wanted to go to worship. He said, “You can go to church. Just stay away from the people.” Ruth told me she thought the church was the people. She is, of course, right. Peter described Christians “as living stones” and went on to say they were “being built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV). Paul said God’s people are “built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). He asked the church in Corinth, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). One interesting feature of Paul’s trip to Rome as a prisoner was the power of getting to visit with God’s people. Julius, the Roman centurion who had charge of the apostle, permitted him to be cared for by his friends in Sidon (Acts 27:3). Paul and his companions found brethren at Puteoli and were invited to stay with them seven days, which may mean they …

Before my wife and I were blessed with children, we discussed how we wanted to raise our kids – if the Lord blessed us in that way. Of course, the number one thing on our list was to raise them in the Lord, and I hope we are doing a good job at that. I know we fall short sometimes. One of the things that we wanted to do to help us raise them in the Lord was to homeschool our children. I know many that disagree with homeschooling for various reasons, but for my family it is what works best for us. Recently, I was being asked about their schooling by someone who was curious about how things were going. He was especially curious about math and wanted to know if we were using the new math. If you do not know, that is a touchy subject with some people. I said we were using old math, which we are, but to be totally clear, we also teach the math that is in the textbooks. We spend a great deal of money on our children’s curriculum, and it would be unwise and wasteful to not teach what is provided and expected. My wife and I want our children to have a great education, to be well rounded and to grow up to be faithful in the Lord. If that means that along the way they learn to do some math in a different way than I learned, that is okay, as …

Satan is working constantly to blind and bind people (2 Corinthians 4:4; Luke 13:16). When we are hurting, broken, beaten down, angered and facing things beyond our control, he uses these situations to get our feelings and emotions to work against God’s will for our lives. His desire is to move us to be controlled by our circumstances and not by the will of Christ. It is his aim to lead us to become captives of, be blinded to and to be bound by our sins. When the painful results attack faith and the desire to pray, his blinders are there. Jesus came to save us, to “bind up the brokenhearted” (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18 ESV). When the unsaved see our reactions to life, this often leads them to question what good serving the Savior produces. If we don’t give our broken, blinded and bound lives to the Lord, what do we expect the unsaved to do? Do we struggle to give ourselves wholly to Jesus Christ? Do we hold back and ignore the life He offers (John 10:10)? Is Satan more powerful than the Christ? We know he is most deceitful, and we must not let him deceive us (1 Timothy 2:14). Let’s oppose and expose Satan and not be ensnared and enslaved by him. How does he bind people? Ignorance and Apathy Choosing to remain ignorant and not being energetic enough to question what we are told is used by our enemy. Imagine not wanting to leave slavery and have …

How much is a 5-dollar bill worth? What if it is old? What if it is dirty? What if I crumple it up, throw it on the ground, step on it with my shoe and grind it into the ground? What if it has a few small tears in it? Though its looks change, it still remains worth the same amount as before. In life, we will grow old, get dirty, get bruised and cut up, become sick, and get stepped on and ground into the dust. These circumstances do not change our worth. Our worth is not diminished one bit. Our worth has already been determined by God, and we need to remember that. Our value changes only in the eyes of people. Sometimes, we will be valuable and important to them, but sometimes not so much. In God’s eyes, however, our worth never changes. How much are we worth to God? Read John 3:16 and remind yourself.

There has never been a time when it was easy to live the Christian life. Such is certainly true today, as the pressure to conform generated by our society is often intense. The temptations we face are not only great, but they can even be deadly. How can we live as New Testament Christians in any generation as God intends for His followers? How can we have an influence for good in the lives of those with whom we interact? Although the problems we face in the 21st century may seem different to us than they were to those in the 1st century, the solution is the same. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John 2:16 NASB). Every temptation ever faced by anyone falls into these categories. Although the exact nature and severity of what one faces may be different today, all temptations still fall under these divisions. If this is true, then the Bible still holds the key for success in making it through life as a faithful child of God. The Bible offers two ways to be successful in overcoming temptation, as well as being a positive example to others. First, remember that Jesus walked this path before us. He knows everything through which we’re going, and Jesus can sympathize with us, as well as offer His help and support in times …

The global life expectancy rate for women is 75 years old, and for men, it is 70 years old. In the United States, life expectancy for women is 81 years old, and men are expected to live to 77 years old (Duffin). Of course, these are just statistics, and they cannot guarantee us anything. Even with the current estimated figures given by experts, we must still conclude with James that our lives are a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14). The question we have to answer is, “How are we going to spend our lives?” One thing Jesus never wanted to do was waste time. He knew the night was coming when no one could work, and so, He made the most of the time He had (John 9:4). Many times, people speak of things they would do if they knew it was their last day on earth. They speak of places they would go, things they would buy and deeds they would perform. It is impressive that Jesus knew exactly when His last day on earth would be, and He did not waste it. As His time on earth was nearing its end, Jesus spent His final moments doing all the good that He could. As with everything else when studying the life of Jesus, we learn how our lives are to be lived well (1 Peter 2:21). If we examine the way Jesus spent His last days on earth, it will …

How is success in life measured? Different endeavors usually have different standards for obtaining and calculating success. For example, a hunter is usually thought of as successful if he harvests the animal that he seeks. Materially, a person is deemed successful if he has a good salary, a nice house and many nice things. A sports figure is successful if he or she has many wins and leads the pack in his or her given game. A “church” is usually seen as successful if the parking lot is full, the building is inundated with people at every service and activities are always going on. While I can certainly understand the draw to gauge success in the above-mentioned ways, there is more to the story than meets the eye. For example, a hunter who relishes nature may be successful by simply seeing a distinctive animal track or hearing a unique animal sound. Materially, a person who loves what he does for a living, who is quite content with the place where he lives and who is thankful to have a few things in this life may be more successful than a millionaire. You see, success and failure are not always easy to define. This is especially true in the realm of religion. What may seem successful to man may actually be deemed failure from God’s viewpoint. So, then, what makes a congregation of God’s people successful in His eyes? Congregationally, success is not seen in people but in a Person. If Jesus is not lifted …