Toward the end of the nineteenth century, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel awoke one morning to read his own obituary in the local newspaper: “Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who died, devised a way for more people to be killed in a war than ever before, and he died a very rich man.” Actually, it was Alfred’s older brother who had died; a newspaper reporter had bungled the epitaph. However, the account had a profound effect on Nobel. He decided he wanted to be known for something other than developing the means to kill people efficiently and for amassing a fortune in the process. So, he initiated the Nobel Prize, the award for scientists and writers who foster peace. Today, he is more widely known for the Nobel Peace prize than he is for inventing dynamite. Nobel is quoted as saying, “Every man ought to have the chance to correct his epitaph in midstream and write a new one.” As I read this quote, I was hit with a very arresting thought: My obituary has not yet been written. Whatever it is that men think of me, I still have the opportunity to make it better. Whatever mistakes I have made in the past, the possibility still exists for me to correct them. Whatever it is that I have not yet done, but should have, I still have time. As long as God gives me life and liberty, I can make of it something meaningful and lasting. As long as …

Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18-19 NKJV) Grace is free – to us, that is. However, grace was not free to God. He sent His Beloved, Perfect, Unique Son into the world to live a sinless life and to pay the ultimate price to redeem us. “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). Sometimes we see a beautiful, polished cross hanging on a wall, high on a hill or perhaps as a piece of gold jewelry. In reality, the cross is a symbol of the sinfulness and cruelty of man in contrast with the righteousness and indescribable love of Jesus for us. There is no way that we could have ever paid enough money, worked hard enough or done enough good works to earn our redemption. What we deserve is eternal punishment for our sins. We deserve to go to Hell. We deserve to be separated from God forever (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). In spite of our helpless condition, God wants us. He showed His desire by allowing Jesus to die in our place. Under the Old Testament, Passover lambs were to be in perfect health and spotless, the best of the flock. In …

Immediately prior to Saul’s baptism recorded in Acts 9:18, the Lord informed Ananias of what the future held for this new apostle, “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake”(Acts 9:16 NKJV). Let’s look at some of the suffering, both mental and physical, Saul, later the apostle Paul (Acts 13:9), endured as he carried out the evangelistic mission given to him by God. This mission was described to Ananias in Acts 9:15 “…to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” We learn elsewhere in God’s Word that he was an apostle specifically assigned to the Gentles (Romans 11:13), but he was to present the Gospel to the Jews first (Acts 13:46; Romans 1:16) Mental stress and physical trauma were major components of this apostle’s life, who was “born out of due time” (l Corinthians 15:8b). Some of these mentally and physically stressful events can be itemized as follows: Are you a partaker of this grace through obedience to His will?

What is the Unpardonable Sin? Opponents of Jesus persistently disregarded, disrespected and condemned Him and His message.1 He thus warned against and rebuked the sinful attitudes and behaviors of these hypocritical, evil-hearted, murderous antagonists.2 As Jesus cast out demons “by the Spirit of God” (Matthew 12:28),3 he was falsely accused by hostile Pharisees of doing these supernatural works “by the ruler of the demons” (Matthew 9:34; 12:24). This prompted His stern response, “Truly I say to you, all the sins and the blasphemies will be forgiven the sons of men, as many as they may have blasphemed. But whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is guilty of everlasting sin” (Mark 3:28-29; cf. Matthew 12:31-32; Luke 12:10). The plural noun “blasphemies” (Mark 3:28) conveys the recurring actions of reviling with irreverence, slander and hostility. The aorist tense of the Greek verbal form (v. 29; cf., Luke 12:10) indicates a state of mind as long as it lasts, characteristic of conscious and deliberate opposition. It involves not only what is spoken but a corrupted heart from which the malicious words proceed (Matthew 15:18-19; Mark 7:21-23). On this particular occasion, the sinful mindset and speech that Christ condemned was the stubborn dismissal of the obvious working of God’s Spirit and attributing it to the power of Satan. It is not a mere slip of the tongue or unintentional lapse in judgment but is indicative of those who are constantly [present tense] against Christ (Matthew 12:30; Luke 11:23). It …

The first century church was directed to organize itself with elders serving as shepherds of the flock, overseers and teachers. Every congregation should seek to be organized with this biblical leadership structure. Qualifications of elders are provided in 1 Timothy 3:1-2 and Titus 1:5-9. From Titus, these qualifications include (1) blameless, (2) the husband of one wife, (3) having faithful children not accused of dissipation [debauchery ESV] or insubordination, (4) not self-willed, (5) not given to wine, (6) not greedy for money, (7) hospitable, (8) lovers of what is good, (9) sober-minded, (10) just, (11) holy, (12) self-controlled, holding fast to the faithful Word as he has been taught that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort, and convict those who contradict. From 1 Timothy, additional qualifications include (1) temperate, (2) of good behavior, (3) able to teach, (4) not violent, (5) gentle, (6) not quarrelsome, (7) not covetous, (8) one who rules his own house well, (9) not a novice, (10) have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Paul instructed the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:28-30 as follows: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves …

Why and when a person obeys the Gospel of Jesus Christ is very important. Denominations discount the importance of the obedience and timeliness of baptism. Teaching faith only or grace only salvation, they do not believe baptism is even necessary to receive the remission of sins. The When of Baptism When one studies the New Testament examples of conversion, he will find that people were baptized as soon as they realized their sins and were prepared to obey the Gospel’s plan of salvation. These were sinners who believed Jesus is the Christ (John 8:24), having been convinced by hearing the Gospel message (John 6:45; Romans 10:17). When these believers were willing to repent – to turn from serving sin to serving God, they began to change their lives. There was no waiting to be baptized, and in fact, there seemed to be a sense of urgency in every example of obedience in the New Testament, embracing God’s pattern for our salvation. See the following examples. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our …

“I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon” (Hosea 14:5 ESV). Have you ever stopped to think about the morning dew, other than when it is so heavy that it causes you to track part of the outside inside? Dew forms when moist air is cooled by direct contact with cold objects out in the open. Grass, flowers and other plants receive heat from the sun during the day by direct radiation. Heat evaporates moisture off into the air. Heat is lost again at night, also through radiation. Since radiation is most effective on clear nights, objects in the open cool down faster when the sky is clear than when it is cloudy. As these objects cool, the air next to them cools as well. When the air reaches “dew point,” it can’t hold all the moisture present, and so the excess is deposited as dew. For what, though, is dew good? According to botanists, plants don’t actually take in the dew. The heat, evaporating moisture into the air, also causes plants to give off moisture taken in by the root system. Dew covers these plants like an envelope for a time, until it, too, evaporates. This allows plants to retain moisture taken from the soil. Dew, then, provides a temporary environment around the plant. It helps keep precious moisture in the plant, rather than allowing it to escape into the atmosphere. God was to …

History is very interesting, even intriguing, and it is something people must learn lest they repeat the atrocities in it (Judges 10:11-16). This is especially true of church history. From the New Testament church to Roman Catholicism to the multiple thousands of denominations today, there are many lessons to be learned. However, the basics of church history appear in the God-breathed Book of Acts and throughout the New Testament. With an understanding of the facts of church history below, we can better understand and evaluate what has happened to “Christianity” over the past two thousand years, and, more importantly, we can be better equipped to “…keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3 NKJV). Church Established In response to Peter’s confession, “…You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), Jesus promised, “…on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:19). Although future from when Jesus spoke, the building of that church would be during the life of some then present (Matthew 16:28), including Peter (Matthew 16:19). That future time came in Acts 2 when the Lord singled out the twelve apostles as His spokesmen (Acts 2:1-4). Peter’s sermon was the one detailed, but all the apostles preached on that first Day of Pentecost following Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2:14, 37). As Peter concluded, some hearers responded, “…Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (v. 37), to which Peter replied, “…Repent, and …

Outback Steakhouse is a pretty good choice if you want a good steak and baked potato. By now you’ve probably heard their advertisements on the radio and television. After making the pitch for their product, the announcer, in his Australian brogue, says “Outback Steakhouse. No rules. Just right.” That sounds great, doesn’t it? There is some appeal to a place where there aren’t any rules or restrictions and no matter what, everything turns out all right. One day, it dawned on me that many people have “Outback Religion.” When it comes to their relationship with God, they want it to be “No rules. Just Right.” They want to be able to come to God on their own terms and yet have Him welcome them just the same. More and more, it seems we find people who find comforting the thought of having a meaningful relationship with God but who are unwilling to follow the rules. I suppose it has always been so that many wanted God on their terms, but it has always been true that Jehovah has never allowed man to call the shots or make the rules. Either we come to Him as He wills, or we don’t come at all. When I claim a relationship with God, but I want to keep my bad habits, ungodly practices and sinful relationships, then, I’m looking for Outback Religion. However, God does have “rules,” and here are three things to remember about them. When we submit ourselves wholly to living …

There are some subjects in the Bible about which we possess a great deal of information. Then, there are other things on which the Bible touches only briefly. The secret things belong to God, but we should be sure to read and to wrestle with the things revealed to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). Some subjects are hard to understand, and though we wish for more information on other topics, we must be content with what God has told us (2 Peter 3:16). The subject of angels is a fascinating one in the Bible. Many people are aware of their mention in Scripture, but sometimes our view of angels is more informed by popular theology and cinema than the Word of God. We need to allow Scripture, even in its brevity, to inform us concerning the topic of angels. How angels look, function and serve are things we can only learn by listening to God’s Word. Let us notice a few things the Bible does and does not say about angels. Myths and Misunderstandings About Angels Angels are mentioned in 34 of the 66 books in the Bible (17 in the Old Testament and 17 in the New Testament). While some people mistakenly think that angels are mainly an Old Testament topic, they are mentioned in several important places in the New Testament, especially associated with the life of Jesus (Matthew 28:2-7; Luke 2:13-14; Acts 1:9-11). When many people think of angels, they think of cute babies or maybe even having a female …

Men like John Wycliffe, in the 1300’s, saw a corrupted church, which led, in turn, to remarkable wickedness. They called for men to use Scripture only to determine the will of God. Good people are shocked by the changes of recent days. Hatred seems to grow by the minute. Sin is openly practiced and set forth as the way every right-thinking person should walk, or at least praise. Our world needs the Savior and His church, but division has torn believers apart. We must restore the church of the Bible if we are to turn the world around. A restored church is united on the Bible alone. Its members must speak the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11). Those words God spoke are found in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Every believer should, over time, grow in knowledge so he or she can teach others. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food” (Hebrews 5:12 NKJV). A restored church will reject all manmade creeds. A creed is “a brief authoritative formula of religious belief” (Merriam-Webster.com). God’s children must, as Paul told Timothy, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13). He later explained that the young preacher should only preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:1-4). He also told …