The account in Luke 16:19-31 is about a rich man and Lazarus. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.” Then he said, “I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.” Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” (Luke …

On April 27, 2014, I was in Clarksville, Arkansas along with my daughter Shenay Maria when devastating tornados struck and destroyed the cities of Mayflower and Vilonia. It was unexpected and tragic. Although we were safe, we were only about an hour’s drive from the city of Mayflower. A few days after the storm, we were able to view firsthand the wreckage and ruins left behind in the storm’s path. Lives were lost, many were injured and millions of dollars in properties was destroyed. Storms are catastrophic, especially when people are not prepared. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus described an impending storm. Even though it is spiritual in nature, Jesus said that it is inevitable. Listen to His words. Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.(Matthew 7:24-27 NIV) Jesus said that a storm is coming. The house represents life – yours and mine. Rain is going to fall, indicating pressure from above. …

In a world teeming with uncertainty and fleeting connections, the timeless virtues of trust and compassion emerge as beacons of hope. These are not mere sentiments but foundational principles that have guided humanity through its most challenging moments. Delving into the ancient narrative of the Shunammite woman and Elisha, we uncover a story of miraculous deeds and the profound impact that genuine kindness and unwavering faith can have. This record from 2 Kings 4 does more than recount historical events; it invites us to deeply reflect on how trust in the divine and compassion towards our fellow beings can transform our lives today. We are first introduced to the Shunammite woman when we read that she was a notable person and that she persuaded Elisha, who was traveling through Shunem, to eat some food. Note first that she lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Her nation was not favorable to the life and work of the prophet Elisha, and yet, she sought to serve him. She did not just feed him once but provided him with a standing invitation that whenever he came through her area he could go to her home and be fed. In verse 9, we learn that she convinced her husband that they should go beyond the meals to provide Elisha with a room on the wall of their house to give him a place to stay when he came near there. All of this she did and never asked for anything in return. She …

If we teach what the Lord’s Supper is, then the question about how often to take it will be easier to accept. Taking the Lord’s Supper is an act of worship! Just as we pray, give, sing and preach every Sunday, we take the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…”(Acts 20:7). [Editor’s Note: Two activities in particular strike visitors to the worship assemblies of the churches of Christ as being odd to them, because few religious groups practice them today. First, singing without the accompaniment of mechanical instruments of music is seldom experienced by congregants in our day and time. Second, few churches observe the Lord’s Supper weekly. The Lord’s church – if it’s to be the Lord’s church – endeavors to act out the biblical examples and divinely-given instructions found upon the pages of the New Testament. We haven’t changed! Rather the denominational world changed how it worships and resorts to manmade books rather than exclusively to the Bible. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]

Jude cited three well-known illustrations from the Old Testament history to prove his point that disobedience to God leads to disaster. After exhorting Christians “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (v. 3 NKJV), Jude wrote, “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit and perished in the rebellion of Korah” (v. 11). Regarding Cain we read: And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:3-7). Regarding Abel we read, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4). God accepted Abel’s gift because it was rendered by faith. Faith comes by hearing God’s word (Romans 10:17). …

To the casual reader, the story of our Lord’s encounter with a Canaanite woman near Tyre and Sidon may seem strangely uncharacteristic of what we know about Him (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30). “A woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter” (Mark 7:25-26 NKJV).” At first, Jesus did not respond, and His disciples urged Him to “send her away, for she cries out after us” (Matthew 15:23). Jesus explained that His ministry was to His own people. “…I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). Still, the woman persisted. “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’” (Matthew 15:25). She would not abandon her purpose. It was at this point that our Lord spoke to her in a way that seems harsh and abusive to us. “…It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs” (Matthew 15:26). In any language, to imply that a person is a “dog” sounds insulting. It was common in that age to despise people of other nations. The bluntness of our Lord’s words, no doubt, pleased the disciples, because they wanted to be rid of her. However, it seems very unlike Jesus – Who was so full of compassion and pity, Whose character was the …

Do you still believe in the promises of God when it comes to the future? Do you believe that the future is bright? Do you believe that a follower of Christ can live a quiet and peaceable life? With those questions in mind, think about the apostle Paul living in the Roman Empire under the rule of the cruel and ruthless Nero. The apostle penned to Timothy, “Therefore I exhort [encourage] first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority [a prominent place], that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence [dignity]. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3 NKJV). How could Paul possibly see better times ahead? If he hadn’t, he would not have encouraged Timothy and his brethren to pray for a “quiet and peaceable life.” If Paul were living today, do you think he would be pleased if his brethren painted a totally dark picture for the future? Going back in history, while the Berlin wall was still standing, freedom for many was just a dream, but that wall in East Germany came down. Yes, immorality, wars among nations, struggling marriages and all kinds of evil deeds exist, but our God the Savior is still our hope. He will return and we will see Him face to face (Revelation 1:7). According to Paul in 1Timothy 2:4-6, we …

“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV). It is interesting how many times in the New Testament we find encouragement to be imitators. Twice, Paul told the church in Corinth to imitate him – first as children would their fathers (4:16) and in 1 Corinthians 11:1. Of course, imitating any Christian must never exceed the extent to which one imitates Christ. In Ephesians 5:1, Paul exhorted Christians to imitate God as beloved children, specifically, to live in love. Twice, he praised the church in Thessalonica for imitating him, the congregations in Judea and of God, despite enduring hardship for the sake of the Gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2:14). The writer of Hebrews encouraged his readers not to grow lazy in their faith but to imitate the faith and patience of those intent on inheriting God’s promises (Hebrews 6:12). The term for “imitate” in the Greek comes from the term (mimetes), from which the root term gives us our English word “mimic.” It is not just performing or acting as others do; imitating faith means a readiness to take upon oneself the same type of faith that shows full commitment to Christ, as others have done in their lives. Imitating is not being attached to another person in the sense of reflecting the mannerisms or speech of another but reflecting what it is that has motivated someone to behave as he does. Regarding Christianity, the child of God’s motivation is his spiritual, integral relationship to Christ. …

The thrust of Christianity is to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). The basic meaning of a disciple is someone who follows another, such as, regarding Christianity, disciples follow Jesus Christ. When Jesus came into first-century Palestine, He encouraged people to follow Him and become His disciples (Matthew 4:18-22). From the first century until now, Christians have been persuading the world to follow Jesus. Sometimes, in our efforts to convert our family and friends, we may fail to tell them the difficulty of being a Christian. While Jesus was interested in the souls of men, He sometimes taught hard things that turned people away from Him (John 6:60-66). Christianity is not for the lukewarm or those who are wishy-washy in their commitments. To follow Jesus involves commitment (Matthew 16:24). Jesus seemingly even talked some people out of following Him if they were not willing to count the cost (Luke 14:28). So, we may not want to follow Jesus if any of the following are true for us. Comfort and Ease Are High Priorities Following Jesus is sometimes extremely uncomfortable. On one occasion, a man attempted to follow Jesus, and Jesus impressed him with the difficulty of discipleship. “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head’” (Luke 9:57-58 ESV). This man wanted to follow Jesus, and our …