By: Mark T. Tonkery It is said that the former Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, used to walk from the palace every morning to the shops to buy flowers and vegetables. A visitor once asked a Danish citizen, “Who guards the Queen when she walks to the shops?” The citizen replied, “We all do.” The same is true of the church. Who will help the church grow and thrive? God, certainly, but we each help (1 Corinthians 3:6–9). Paul stated in Romans 12:4, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function” (NKJV). We each have something to offer the church. There are no talentless people in the church! It is like the fable of “Who Flew the Kite?” “I did,” said the sticks. “I did,” said the paper. “I did,” said the boy. “No, I did,” said the wind. They all flew the kite together. If the sticks had broken, had the tail caught in a tree, had the paper torn or had the wind lulled, the kite would have come down. Each had a part to play. The application is clear. We each have work to do in the kingdom of God. If the work of the Lord is to be successful, then every member of the church must participate. We have the work of visiting, giving of our time and means, teaching, caring for children, widows and widowers, helping feed those who need food, and countless other

By: Mark T. Tonkery Many years ago, a boy got into a terrible argument with his father. The father lost his temper and slapped the boy across the face. The boy ran out of the house and climbed up on some rocks above a lake. He said he was going to drown himself. Everyone knew he meant it. The father ran after him, still screaming. All the family and half the town became involved. Finally, they got the boy to come back home, but awful bitterness remained between the father and the son. The bitter son grew into a gruff man. He reached a point where he was considered one of the most dangerous men in the world. His name was Mao Tse-tung, the former Communist leader of Red China. God calls Christian fathers to be different than what we see in the father of Mao Tse-tung. Ephesians 6:4 teaches, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Although Timothy’s father is not mentioned in Scripture as a person of faith, we do see Timothy was born, reared and instructed with the faith of his grandmother and mother, which became his faith, too (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15). Christian faith made a difference in Timothy’s life, and we know him as a young man trained by the apostle Paul to be a great evangelist in the early church (2 Timothy 4:5). What could have been if Mao Tse-tung’s father

A blind man once walked into a dark room carrying a lantern. When he was asked why he carried the lantern since darkness and light were the same to him, he replied, “I have it so others will not stumble over me.” What a wise man! God’s Word is described as a lamp that guides us through life. Those who attempt to go through life without this light, God’s Word, are dangerously ill-equipped. This is why daily Bible study and regular worship with the saints should be the most important thing we do in our lives. When we neglect to study and live by the Bible, we open ourselves up to being a stumbling block to others. Psalm 119:105 states, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (NKJV). May we let our light shine so that we will not become stumbling blocks to others. Remember also, Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Due to the pandemic, most parents with school-aged children have been introduced to the world of homeschooling, like it or not. Even before the pandemic, many Christian families chose to homeschool their children, and they feel their children learn better in this type of an environment. Regardless of how parents choose or are compelled to educate their children, it is vital that all parents home Bible school their children. This is especially important since the pandemic has interfered with our regularly scheduled children’s Bible classes. The Bible teaches us that it is our job and responsibility as parents to train our children in the ways of the Lord. Deuteronomy 6:5-7 teaches us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (NKJV). Then, in the New Testament, Ephesians 6:4 commands, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Further, we learn in 2 Timothy 1:5 and 2 Timothy 3:15 how Timothy was taught the Scriptures from his youth by his mother and by his grandmother. Josh McDowell once wrote, “God emphasizes the importance of parents teaching the Bible to their

Several years ago, there was a football team that became famous. It had a backfield that rang up so many touchdowns that the backfield players became somewhat conceited. One day the coach decided they needed to be taught a lesson, and so he pulled out the first team and sent in a string of substitutes. Very quickly the opposing team crashed through the substitute line and stopped the backfield cold. They were not the unbeatables they thought they were. After a few plays, they frantically signaled the coach for help, and the first-string line went back in again. The backfield players learned that without the support of a strong line they could not score touchdowns. It takes all eleven men to win a football game. The same is true of the church. Although not called a team in Scripture, the church is called “the Body,” and the same principle applies. First Corinthians 12:12-27 teaches that there must be cooperation of every member if we are to accomplish the goals of our Lord here on earth. The Bible continues to teach us that each member must work together with God (2 Corinthians 6:1). This means we are to not only pull together, but we must pull in the right direction. Thomas Carlyle said, “Ten men banded together in love and unity can do what ten thousand separately would fail to do.” This quote points out that there is strength in unity and working together. Jesus said in Matthew 12:25 “…Every kingdom

It’s an interesting fact that the Masai tribe in West Africa has an unusual way of saying, “I thank you.” They say literally, “My head is in the dirt.” When the Masai express thanks, they literally put their forehead down on the ground. They want to acknowledge gratitude with humility. It is also interesting that members of another African tribe express gratitude by saying, “I sit on the ground before you.” When one of them wants to express gratitude to another, he sits in front of the hut of the person to whom he wishes to express gratitude and just sits there in humility for an extended length of time. (Joel Gregory, “The Unlikely Thanker,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 110). How do we show our appreciation to those we want to thank? Maybe the best way is by just saying, “Thank you.” Thank you is an expression that seems to be rarely spoken today. Yet, next to “I love you,” they may be some of the most powerful and thoughtful words we say to one another. The Bible is full of examples of the thankful attitude that we as Christians are to have daily. The following list is just a sample of what the Bible teaches about giving thanks. As we think about giving thanks around the holiday of Thanksgiving, may we be reminded that the Bible tells us as Christians to have the attitude of gratitude every day.

As one reads about the life of Samuel in 1 Samuel, there are many life lessons one can apply to his or her own life. Here are four life lessons from Samuel that every Christian can use to help someone to be a better Christian. First, we can learn the power of prayer. In 1 Samuel 1, we see Hannah could not have children, and so, she prayed fervently for a son. God answered that prayer by providing Hannah with Samuel. Samuel continued the discipline of prayer. We read about Samuel praying for Israel in 1 Samuel 12:23, where Samuel stated, “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you in the good and the right way” (NKJV). May we have the confidence and faith as Hannah and Samuel did when they talked to God in prayer. James 1:6 reminds us, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” May we pray with confidence and faith. Second, we can learn how to be faithful to the Lord. Samuel grew up knowing the Lord, and the Lord used Samuel to do His will (1 Samuel 3:19). Samuel never fell away from the Lord. Samuel remained steadfast in his faith and devotion. What an example for us, especially when we understand that people of faith in

Jesus said in John 3:5-6, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (NKJV). There are many who want to argue that baptism, which one must enter to become a Christian, is not immersion; some say it is sprinkling or pouring of water. A quick word study of the New Testament Greek can help us to understand that baptism is immersion. When one compares the Greek words for sprinkling, pouring and immersion, it is clear that the Holy Spirit meant immersion regarding Christian baptism. The word “sprinkle” in Greek is rhantizō. The word “pour” in Greek is ekcheō or ekchunō. The word “baptism” in Greek is baptisma, meaning “immersion,” and the verb form is baptō, which means “cover wholly with a fluid” (Strong’s). The Greek verb baptizo means to “dip,” “submerge” or “immersion.” (Vine’s 96). With this said, if the Holy Spirit wanted to use the Greek words for sprinkling or pouring for baptism, the Greek words were readily available in the first century to do so. Therefore, we can see that the meaning is clear that God desired people to be immersed into water to experience the New Birth. Some may say, “Well that is pretty technical. I don’t know Greek; is there a simpler way to understand this?” The answer is, “Yes.” One can simply read our English Bible and get a clear understanding

When we think of endurance, we do not usually think of the prophets of the Bible. Many times, we just read about them in short moments of their lives, such as Jonah, Obadiah, Nathan or even Elijah. We know really very little about them and sometimes do not know if they ministered their whole lives or just for a short time. Yet, there is one prophet that the Bible talks about who ministered during the reign of five kings of Judah. God called him while he was still in his mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). He was a prophet for more than forty years to kings, princes, false prophets, priests and people of all social classes. He preached and prophesied with many tears and was also known as the “Weeping Prophet.” He loved people and wanted the lost to return to God. Most of the people he loved mocked him, were hostile and apathetic toward his message. Often, the people ignored his messages and threatened his life. He even saw fellow prophets being murdered. He himself was beaten and put in prison many times (Jeremiah 37:15). One highlight in this prophet’s life was that he saw the revival in the nation of Judah under the reign of Josiah, only to be grieved again when he saw the Jews returning to idolatry. He warned and warned the nation of Judah about the coming of the Babylonians, and then he witnessed his prophecies come true, as the Babylonians came and destroyed Judah and

We read in Jeremiah 18:18 that after Jeremiah finished his preaching on repentance, the people did not like what they heard. Therefore, they decided to carry a malicious report of what he had said to King Jehoiakim to make the king angry toward Jeremiah. They attacked Jeremiah’s character and his message from the Lord. These people knew that the tongue is a weapon that is more powerful than any other weapon known to humans. One of the evils of the tongue is gossip. Gossip is defined as “a person who chatters or repeats idle talk and rumors about the private affairs of others.” Rick Warren gave a great definition of gossip and how we know when we are gossiping. He said, “When we are talking about a situation with somebody who is neither part of the problem or part of the solution, then we are probably gossiping.” Notice what the Bible teaches about gossip. The Bible teaches that gossip comes from an evil heart (Luke 6:45), often arises from hatred (Psalms 109:3) and happens when people are idle (1 Timothy 5:13). It is a characteristic of the devil (Revelation 12:10). The Bible also reminds us to keep private matters private (Proverbs 11:13; 25:9-10). Knowing this to be true, why would anyone, especially a Christian want to gossip? Yet, many still do like Harriet. Harriet, the church gossip and self-appointed supervisor of the church’s morals kept sticking her nose into other people’s business. Several church members were unappreciative of her activities

There are some things that an elder must know about himself, as well as knowing what the Bible teaches so he can be an effective elder. The Bible tells us the follow things that an elder must know. An elder must know himself. First Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5:1-5 all teach that an elder must know himself. He must know how he relates to his wife, to his children and to the people in his community, as well as to the Christians in the congregation where he serves. An elder must show he is able to manage his life well by being mature in the faith (Hebrews 5:12-14). A man who is considered qualified for the position of elder needs to have spent time with his wife and family, and he continues to do so. Elders are men who lead their families in Christ and have managed them well; this is the main training ground for a man to be an elder. If a man cannot lead his family to Christ or manage them well, how can he expect to lead the lost to the Lord or to manage the local church? An elder must know the congregation in such a way that the elders move the congregation forward and closer to God. As has already been stated, the family is the training ground for one to be an elder. By learning to build good relationships in his home, he will be able to build relationships with the people

C stands for Christ. He is our model and our motivation. Our attitude must be the same as that of John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Paul put it this way, “But that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or death” (Philippians 1:20). R stands for resurrection. The cross was no accident. What Satan had intended as our ultimate defeat, God used to bring us redemption and triumph. The best and worst of all things collided. Of course, the cross wasn’t the final answer in this battle; the empty tomb and the resurrected Lord are (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). We are the victorious recipients of this grace, paid at such an agonizing cost, administered in such a cruel manner by our greatest adversary and secured by Jesus’ triumph over the grave (Romans 5:10). O stands for outreach. Our mission must be the same as our Lord’s in Luke 19:10, where He said, “For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” Evangelism is the lifeblood of the church. May we all be looking for opportunities to share the good news of Christ with our friends and neighbors. “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Psalm 107:1-2). S stands for salvation. By Jesus’ death and resurrection, He brings salvation to people who believe in him and are obedient to the Gospel

Hebrews 13:17 reads, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” (ESV). It is essential that each congregation of the Lord’s church continue to appoint men who will lead the congregation as shepherds or elders. First Timothy 3 and Titus 1 both give the qualifications of the men who are to fulfill this function of leadership in the church. As important as it is to find men who are mature Christians and who meet the biblical standards of leadership, one must keep in mind that this is only one part of what helps a congregation function as God designed. Another part of having a faithful congregation is having faithful followers. Hebrews 13:17 states that the congregation must be one which faithfully follows godly leadership. This passage teaches members of a congregation that they are to follow in such a way that they help their elders enjoy their job as shepherds. This is done in part of being good followers. I am sure we have been in a situation at one time or another, such as at school or at work, when it seemed that there were too many coaches and not enough players. In situations like that, nothing gets accomplished, and the same is true in a congregation. If a congregation did not have leaders to

Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 states, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up.” For me this must be a time for things to break down because I do not remember a time in my life when so many of our things have broken at once. During these past three months, our washing machine broke, our old desk top computer finally broke down for good, one of our house fans stopped working, one of our ceiling fans also broke, our garden hose broke too, my glasses broke, my alarm clock died and just yesterday our refrigerator started leaking; this is just the short list. Now with the way things are made today, very few of these items can be repaired; most can only be recycled or thrown away. Someone has made the comment that we live in a “throw away” society; rarely do we or can we fix things, and it is almost as cost affective to buy a new product. Broken things in our eyes are not very useful. However, not everything in life that breaks needs to be thrown away. Vance Havner wrote, “God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain

Bad news. It seems like there is a lot of it these days. Our country is in a pandemic, there are people losing their jobs, some of our dear friends are fighting life-threatening diseases with little hope, and many of us are still grieving the deaths of dear friends and family members. Now, I am not sure that these are the worst of times in which we have ever lived, but nevertheless, we are still living in some difficult times. Often, I am asked, “How can we cope?” Just how will we deal with all these problems? Well, what I like to do is go to the Bible and see how the servants of God dealt with their problems, their difficulties and their struggles. One example is in the Old Testament. The prophet Habakkuk prophesied in Judah just before Nebuchadnezzar first invaded Jerusalem in 605 B.C.; this was about the time when the prophet Daniel was taken into Babylonian captivity. The Lord spoke to Habakkuk and commissioned him to carry the message that He was going to punish Judah by the hand of the Babylonians. The result of this was that the Jews were going to be taken out of their homeland and carried off to another land because of their refusal to obey God and repent of their sins. Talk about bad news, Habakkuk was commissioned to tell the people of Judah they were going to lose their homes and land, and they would become slaves. This was such

During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the British government began to run low on silver for coins. Cromwell sent his men on an investigation of the local cathedrals to see if they could find any precious metals there. After the investigation they reported, “The only silver we could find is in the statues of the saints standing in the corners.” Cromwell replied, “Good; we’ll melt down the saints and put them into circulation!” Do we as saints today need to be put into circulation? In Luke 15:8-10, Jesus told the parable of a woman who lost a coin.  One Bible scholar explains: In Jesus’ time, unmarried women wore head bands to hold their scarves in place. A scarf could be pulled over the face if modesty was required or pulled back up over the hair if work was being done. The headband of an unmarried woman had nine coins, part of the woman’s dowry. At the time of marriage, a tenth coin was stitched to the band. This was a sign to the world that the woman was married. A woman who “lost a coin” had, in essence, lost her identity as a married woman. (Freeman) Now if a woman’s husband died, these coins would be valuable for the woman to help support herself financially. In the case of the parable, the woman lost one of her coins; the coin was not lost through its own mistake but probably by the woman’s neglect. For whatever reasons, the coin was lost,

The word “must”means, “Something that needs to be done, necessity or certainty.” Notice some of the things that we need to do, that are a necessity or are certainties from the Bible. Matthew 6:5 (ESV) “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Matthew 20:26 “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” John 3:7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Act 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” Act 20:35 “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Romans 6:11 “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” 1 Corinthians 10:8 “We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did…” 2 Corinthians 1:11 “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive

What makes an ideal father? In our day and time, what is the picture of a father? Leadership, protector, provider, love and disciple have gone to the wayside. Think about the images of fathers we see on TV and in the movies. Fathers are often viewed as goofs, careless, uninvolved in their children’s lives, abandoning their responsibilities, lazy or abusive. This often influences our view of fathers and how fathers take or don’t take care of their families. Thankfully, the Bible draws us a picture of what a father should be and gives us a model to follow. The Bible can also be a guide to allow us to honor fathers when we see godly men living the example that God has set for them. Luke 15:11-32 is the Parable of the Prodigal Son, and yet, it is not only a parable about two sons, it is a parable about a loving father, who represents God. The father in this parable provides one of the best possible role models that is found in the Bible for Christian fathers today. A father who is to be honored is one who sets an example of godliness and guides his children to having faith in God. Godly fathers know best. Godly fathers know best about giving their children freedom. In Luke 15, the younger son, for whatever reason, rejected his home. As difficult as it is, fathers need to give their children freedom to make their own decisions. A saying goes this way,

In Exodus 20:8-11, God instructed the Hebrews to take a day off. It is in this passage that one learns that the Lord commanded the Sabbath because in six days He made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested (Genesis 2:3). For centuries, as seen in the Old Testament and till the time of Christ, Jews rested and observed the seventh day of the week as a Sabbath unto the Lord. Yet, today biblical Christians meet on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week or Sunday, as they have since the beginning of the church in Acts 2. The shift in the calendar was monumental. Something catastrophic happened to effect this change in the day of worship from the Jewish Sabbath to the first day according to the Jewish calendar! This monumental event that changed history was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as we read in the Gospel records (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19), which are eyewitness accounts that Jesus Christ arose from the tomb on the first day of the week. After His resurrection, we never find Christ meeting with His disciples on the seventh day or Sabbath. However, He especially honored the first day by manifesting Himself to the apostles and others on four separate occasions (Matthew 28:9; Luke 24:34, 18-33; John 20:19-23). Again, on the next first day of the week, Jesus appeared to His disciples (John 20:26). Nothing but the resurrection

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,

If you have walked down your grocery store aisle lately or have noticed the latest restaurant commercial, you may have noticed that advertisers are using the term “artisan” to advertise their product. Items such as pizza, sandwiches, cheeses, meats, breads and jams are some, just to name a few. These items are all being labeled “artisan” to appeal to customers that their products are special, unique, handcrafted and an effort to get back to the original taste and flavor of their product. The “artisan movement,” we might say, is also trying to attract customers to the idea that their product is not mass produced or done in bulk. In other words, there is a real person behind the creation of this food item, and this product is of high quality, special and unique. One of the reasons the “artisan food movement” has gained momentum is because food has been so mass produced and manufactured in bulk that it has lost something. It has lost the craftsmanship, flavor and nutrition it once provided. In a similar way, Christianity has lost something in modern times as well. The religious world is divided and filled with doctrines contrary to the Bible. Modern “Christianity” looks very different than what one finds in the Bible. In thinking about the “artisan food movement,” I could not help but think how similarly this relates to Christianity; we must have an “artisan Christianity.” Let’s get back to the Bible; let’s get back to being like the Bereans in

Have you ever wondered what the Bible is trying to say? In the pages of the Bible, we learn that God is the Author of all life (Genesis 1-2), and His creation proclaims His existence (Job 12:7-10). By listening to creation and the teachings of the Bible, one can come to know the true God of the universe. The pages of the Bible maintain that the God of creation cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). If God cannot lie, then humans ought to pay attention to what has been written in His revelation, the Bible (1 John 5:13; John 20:30-31). God tells us through His Son Jesus Christ that His “words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). As one reads the Bible, he will see that Scripture is powerful, even more powerful than the risen dead (Luke 16:30-31). The Bible has the words that tell of eternal life (John 6:68). Romans 10:17 says it is Christ’s words that produce faith, and Hebrews 4:12 states, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of souls and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” From these Scriptures, the Bible presents itself as the authority from God, which is meant for people to base their lives today. First John 2:24-25 reads, “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye

One of my joys is my garden and my blueberry patch, which produce vegetables and fruit. After cultivating, planting, fighting weeds, watering and feeding my plants, it is nice to see some of that hard work pay off. This is the reward for working so hard with these plants—to get to the point of harvest. The goal of the Christian life is to grow to the point where we are bearing godly fruit. In Matthew 12:33, Jesus stated, “a tree is known by its fruit.” The illustration Jesus used causes us to understand that His followers are to produce fruit or works that show that they are living for Him. In Matthew 7:18, Jesus reminded that “a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.” Therefore, Jesus expects His followers to do good and to not do evil. The apostle Paul continued to use this word picture of fruit bearing in the Christian life by describing it in Galatians 5:22-23 as the fruit of the Spirit. Most Bible translations translate the Greek word, karpos, as “fruit.” However, the NEB translates this word as “harvest,” the “harvest of the Spirit.” So, those who “live by the Spirit” will harvest or produce the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. In other words, the Christian will bear fruit or have a character that looks like Christ in his life, which is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Just as a tree is known by its fruit, so will Christians be known

So many people this time of year stop to reflect on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is a fact that Jesus was born, and His birth was a necessary component of the mission and method of our Savior to save mankind from sins. However, nowhere in the Bible does it tell us the date of the birth of Christ or that we should celebrate His birth. Yet, His birth was an essential part of God’s plan to save people (Galatians 4:4-5). With so many thinking about the birth of Christ this time of year, it is a great opportunity to separate fact from fiction and truth from tradition—such as found in the Christmas carol “Silent Night.” This song is often sung, and many believe what it has to say about the night of Jesus’ birth. Upon reading the biblical account of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:1-20, one can see it was anything but a “Silent Night.” Reading Luke 2:1, 3, one sees that the City of Bethlehem would have been bustling with people. They would have been responding to Caesar Augustus’ decree to have everyone included in the census. Luke 2:3 states, “And all went to be registered, each to his own town.” The roads would have been full of people, and relatives would have been searching for lodging: homes, inns or stables—any place to rest from tiring travels. There would have been noise, stress and anxiety. Relatives would have been knocking on doors and

When was the last time you spent a whole day with the Lord? In Revelation 1:10, John stated he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” In the first century, the first day of the week came to be known as the Lord’s Day for Christians. It was so named because this was the day that Christ arose from the grave and appeared to His disciples (John 20:1, 19). Christ’s followers continued to meet together on the first day of the week to worship Christ (Matthew 28:7) and continued to do so after Christ was taken up into Heaven (Acts 2:1). The believers of Christ gathered on the first day of the week to worship God in prayers, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, singing, giving of their means and being instructed in the teachings of Christ through preaching and teaching (Acts 2:38-47). They also spent their time in fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ (Acts 2:41-47) and encouraged each other to continue in the faith (Hebrews 10:24-25). In Acts 2, we not only see the beginning of the church, but we also observe the first worship service on the Day of Pentecost. The Old Testament teaches us that the Day of Pentecost was to be celebrated on the first day of the week (Leviticus 23:15). Barton Johnson explains, “The Savior, crucified on Friday, was in the tomb on the Passover Sabbath, and rose on Sunday, the day from whence the count began. The Sunday following would be

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother in the house was looking out the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal, and on his arms were deep scratches where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort

Thomas Carlyle said, “Ten men banded together in love and unity can do what ten thousand separately would fail to do.” This quote points out that there is strength in unity. Jesus said in Matthew 12:25, “…Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” These two quotes are very applicable for the church of Christ today. The Church is faced with many trials from Satan (e.g., individualism, sexual immorality, the questioning of absolute truth and the lack of trusting God’s Word). This is why it is so important that we stand together and unite as one body in Christ (Ephesians 4:3-6). Christians in the New Testament based their unity upon Jesus Christ and His teachings. This is how Christians showed the world that they were one. It is just as important today as it was in the first century for Christians to show their unity with one another in Christ. Also, it is important that we base our unity upon Jesus Christ and His teachings. Someone may ask, “How do I help show unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ?” The answer to this question is the same way that the Christians in the Bible showed unity. First, we must assemble together in worship (Acts 2; 20:7; Hebrews 10:25). Second, we must continue in the teachings of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:42; 17:11). Third, we unite together in taking the Lord’s Supper on the first day

Many of us often make it a habit of reading the obituaries to see which one of our classmates, coworkers, friends and family have gone on to meet their reward. Obituaries tell us about where a person was born, lived, one’s immediate family history, one’s occupation, hobbies and many other things, besides the times of the funeral and the burial location. These notices of death are a daily reminder that life on earth is not permanent. Obituaries have a finality to them; they become a permanent record and a reminder that a loved one is not present with us in this life any more. Now, as one reads the Bible, it becomes very clear that Jesus never had an obituary. We read about His birth in Bethlehem (Matthew 1:18-2:6). We can learn about His family (Matthew 1:1-17). We can learn about much of His life and ministry in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We can also learn about the events leading up to His death and about His actual death upon the cross in these same passages of the Bible. Yet, the one thing no can find in the Bible is Jesus’ obituary. First Corinthians 15:1-4 explains it this way: Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of

True story. One time when I was a kid, my mom and dad took my sister and me camping and fishing on the backwaters of the Tygart Lake. When it was time to go fishing, I rigged my fishing line and decided that since it was a big lake, I was going to cast my line as far as I could. So, I put all the fishing sinkers on the end of the line that it could hold, along with my bait. Once I did this, I was ready to cast and to catch that elusive, giant fish in this large lake. As I cast my fishing pole, the line kept going, going and going up into the air. About that time my sister said, “Hey Mark, that is pretty cool, how did you do that?” I said, “Do what?” She said, “How did you put all those spirals in your fishing line?” I replied, “I didn’t put any spirals in my line.” Then it was at that moment I realized my fishing line was so weighted with sinkers that it took all the line off my reel and the knot that I had tied was not tied tightly enough. This allowed my hook, bait, sinkers and line to go flying out in to the lake—lost and never to be seen again. Needless to say, the fishing for that day was over. I learned a very valuable lesson that day; when using a knot, one must make sure the knot

A little girl walking in a garden noticed a particularly beautiful flower. She admired its beauty and enjoyed its fragrance. “It’s so pretty!” she exclaimed. As she gazed on it, her eyes followed the stem down to the soil in which it grew. “This flower is too pretty to be planted in such dirt!” she cried. So she pulled it up by its roots and ran to the water faucet to wash away the soil. It wasn’t long until the flower wilted and died. When the gardener saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, “You have destroyed my finest plant!” “I’m sorry, but I didn’t like it in that dirt,” she said. The gardener replied, “I chose that spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there could it grow to be a beautiful flower.” Often, we murmur because of the circumstances into which God has placed us. We fail to realize that He is using our pressures, trials and difficulties to bring us to a new degree of spiritual beauty. The apostle Paul reminded in 2 Corinthians 5:1-7, For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not

In Job 38:22, God asked Job, “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow…?” This winter it seems that God has emptied some of His snow from His storehouses on us. We have endured another long, cold, snowy winter. Many congregations have had to cancel services, the children have had several days off from school, and the snowplow truck drivers have been very busy because of the weather. The winter weather has been very discouraging to many. Yet, Solomon reminded in Song of Solomon 2:11-12, “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” Solomon reminded that winter will always give way to spring. Soon the flowers will be budding, the bees will be buzzing, and we will be enjoying the sun and warmer weather. God reminds that this is the process of creation in Genesis 8:22. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” We still may have a snow shower or two, maybe some frost, but don’t get discouraged because winter always gives way to spring. The same is true of life; there will be moments of winter, days of coldness that are dark and dreary, and times of deadness. These times always give way to spring and new life, new beginnings, and new hope. Such is the case when one is

I knew of a couple once who traveled about two and half hours one way to go to worship services. They lived in the Northeast of the United States, and this was the closest congregation of the churches of Christ for them. This family was dedicated and determined to worship the Lord. How are far would we be willing to go to worship? In the Bible, we read of an individual who was dedicated to worshiping the Lord – the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. The Scriptures tell us that the Ethiopian eunuch was traveling back home to Ethiopia after going to Jerusalem to worship. He would have traveled hundreds of miles by chariot just to go to the Temple of the Lord. While there, he would have only been able to go to the Court of the Gentiles because of his status as a eunuch. This would be kind of like someone today traveling hours away to go to a Gospel meeting only to get to the church building and being allowed to stand on the front porch. Yet, the Ethiopian eunuch was determined to go anyway to worship the Lord. As the Ethiopian was returning home, he continued to nurture his faith by studying the Bible, reading from the prophet Isaiah. His personal Bible study led him to the conversation with Philip in which the Ethiopian believed and was baptized (Acts 8:35-40). Now just imagine if the Ethiopian eunuch had said, “It’s too far to go to worship.”

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3) A group of climbers set out to scale a large mountain in Europe. The view boasted a breathtaking peak of snowcapped rocks. On clear days the crested point reigned as king on the horizon. Its white tip jutted into the blue sky inviting admiration and offering inspiration. On days like that the hikers made the greatest progress. The peak stood about them like a compelling goal. Eyes were called upward. The walk was brisk. The cooperation was unselfish. Though many, they climbed as one, all looking to the same summit. Yet on some days the peak of the mountain was hidden from view. The cloud covering would eclipse the crisp blueness with a drab, gray ceiling and block the vision of the mountaintop. On those days the climb became difficult. Eyes were downward and thoughts inward. The goal was forgotten. Tempers were short. Weariness was an uninvited companion. Complaints stung like thorns on the

Bad news. It seems like there is a lot of it these days. Our country is once again talking about going to war, we hear almost every day that another marriage breaks up, there are people losing their jobs, some of our dear friends are fighting life-threatening diseases with little hope and many of us are still grieving the deaths of dear friends and family members. Now, I am not sure that these are the worst of times in which we have ever lived, but nevertheless, we are still living in some difficult times. The questions often are asked of me, “How will we cope? How will we deal with all these problems?” Well, what I like to do is go to the Bible and see how the servants of God dealt with their problems, their difficulties and their struggles. One example is the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk; he prophesied in Judah just before Nebuchadnezzar first invaded Jerusalem in 605 B.C. This was about the time when the prophet Daniel was taken into Babylonian captivity. Now, the Lord had spoken to Habakkuk and commissioned him to carry the message that He was going to punish Judah by the hand of the Babylonians. The result of this was that the Jews were going to be taken out of their homeland and carried off to another land because of their refusal to obey God and repent of their sins. Now talk about bad news, Habakkuk was commissioned to tell the people of

Have you thought about the current religious and social scene in America, especially during this time of year – Christmas? Religion has once again been forced to the forefront of the news with groups fighting over whether to have a “Nativity Scene” in the public square. Others are debating about using the word “Christmas” in their sales ads, and then, we hear schools are not going on “Christmas break” but instead on “Winter Break.” In our changing society, I wonder if anyone of us has stopped to ask what did God intend by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth? What does God think about current Christmas traditions here in America? Would Joseph and Mary have put a “Nativity Scene” in their yard? Would the apostle Paul have worn a “Keep Christ in Christmas” pin while on his missionary journeys? Would Peter go to court if his children came home from school and told him they were not going to have “Christmas Break” but “Winter Break”? Did God intend people to celebrate His Son’s birth with “Merry Christmas” and “Nativity Scenes”? There is another dilemma, however, in the debate over having a “Nativity Scene” and whether or not to use the word “Christmas.” These are symptoms of a greater problem. We live in a society that is pushing for the removal of Christ from the public eye; it is just not about Christmas, but it is also about the Christian faith as a whole. Realize that often one cannot

So many people this time of year stop to reflect on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Although the Birth of Christ is recorded in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 2, there is neither biblical nor historical evidence that the first Christians celebrated Christ’s birth as a church festival or holiday. In fact, it was not until A.D. 1038 that the Catholic Church celebrated the mass of Christ, and in 1131, it was call the Christ Mass, which became known as Christmas (https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm). As the Catholic Church developed its Christ Mass, which to this point in history was only a special mass to celebrate the birth of Christ, it was not until 1223 that the first “Nativity Scene” appeared. The Nativity Scene was created by the Catholic priest Francis of Assisi in 1223 to teach that Jesus was born into a poor family. Francis of Assisi was known for ministering to the poor, and he used the birth of Christ to show how Jesus could relate to the poor’s plight (https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/nativity.shtml). The Bible neither tells us the date of the birth of Christ nor that we should celebrate His birth. Many people through the ages have tried to highlight this very important event in history, many times taking away or adding to the biblical text, which only distorts the truth. However, Christians must seek the truth and understand how God intended to save the human race through Jesus Christ. The only biblical accounts of Christ’s birth are found

Did you hear about the woman who walked into a grocery store a day before Thanksgiving and was very upset with the size of the turkeys that were left? She turned to the stock boy and asked snappishly, “Don’t these turkeys get any bigger?” To which he calmly replied, “No ma’am. They’re dead!” Soon, we will all be celebrating Thanksgiving. What a wonderful holiday it is, but not just because of the food. Thanksgiving is the day when we pause to reflect, remember and respect the abundant blessings that God has bestowed upon us. There are over 550 references to thankfulness in the Bible. One of those passages 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, which states that we are to, “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” The Bible teaches us that as Christians we should be known for our thankfulness. Notice just a few of these things for which we as Christians are to be thankful. Christians are to be thankful for daily food and needs. Matthew 15:36 records that Jesus gave thanks for the food. In Acts 27:35, Paul blessed the meal before he and others ate it. We are to receive our food and daily necessities with thanksgiving (Romans 14:6; John 6:11, 23; 1 Timothy 4:3). In addition, we are to be thankful for salvation. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57; Romans 6:17; 7:25). We

The best definition I have ever heard to describe a deacon is that he is a man chosen to serve or do a job related to the congregation that is too important to be left up to chance. This seems to be what is taking place in Acts 6:1-6 in the choosing of “the seven” to help feed the widows. Although in this passage what we might call the “office of deacon” is not specifically mentioned, it does set an example of what deacons are expected to do, and that is to serve the needs of the congregation. Today, deacons are still needed to help our elders and the congregation. Just as the feeding of widows could not be left up to chance, today there are many jobs within the congregation that are too important to be left up to chance or to be neglected. Think about some of the jobs that must take place for a congregation to scripturally function and properly grow as God intended. Worshipping God is one of the commands of Scripture (John 4:24). We are to come together on the first day of the week to worship (Acts 20:7; Hebrews 10:25). Worship must be done in an orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:40). Someone must see to it that the men of the congregation will serve in the service and to help get things organized. Worship does not just happen; there must be some preparations made. Should we leave this job up to chance? Regarding finances,

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

Are you thinking about becoming a Christian, but you don’t know if you’re ready? You are not alone in asking this question. Many people come to worship every week and contemplate this question, yet they do not know how to answer it. Here are some questions that you can ask yourself to help you to decide if you are ready to become a Christian. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died and was raised from the grave on the third day? Do you believe that He is Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10)? Yes or No Do you believe and know that there is sin in your life from which you need to turn away (by repenting) and quit doing it (Luke 13:3; 2 Corinthians 7:10)? Yes or No Are you willing to confess your belief in Christ before other people (Matthew 10:32)? Yes or No Are you willing to be immersed in water (baptized) for the remission of your sins and to be buried with Christ (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Romans 6:3-4)? Yes or No After you are baptized, are you willing to live faithfully to God by obeying Christ’s commands (Matthew 28:20)? Are you willing to live the lifestyle that Christ wants you to live, doing good deeds (Ephesians 2:10), worshiping regularly with the church (Hebrews 10:25) and remaining faithful to God till death (Revelation 2:10)? Yes or No If you have answered “yes” to all these questions, then you are ready to become a Christian. We at the church

Have you wondered why we have Bible Classes each Sunday and Wednesday evening? Or why preaching of the Word of God is so essential to our Sunday worship? Or why the Lord encourages us to read and study the Bible daily (Psalm 1:2)? It is because Bible study is a faith growing event. Romans 10:17, states, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” If the “hearing,” that is, getting the word of Christ into our heads and acting positively upon it, produces faith, shouldn’t the Christian be more diligent to spend time with God and His Word? Who reading this article can say they have enough faith? Isn’t our faith being challenged every day? Are we not bombarded by sin and “hearing” things that do not produce faith? Ephesians 6:16 reminds us, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Notice again how essential faith is, not only does it produce faith, but it helps us overcome our sin! Seeing how necessary growing our faith is, why would we as Christians want to neglect an opportunity to spend time reading and studying God’s Word? Why do we let the TV, ballgames or other self-interests prevent us from daily Bible study and the services of the church? Are these things more important than spending time with the Almighty? Can the TV help us get to Heaven? Can sports draw us closer to God

This year we had a great couple of weeks of camp. Someone observed during Junior Week that our campers, who are from the ages of 7-12 years old, “did very well during the worship services, and they did not even have coloring books during worship services.” Each day at camp we had two worship services, an evening campfire and Bible classes. The campers were attentive to the speakers, sang and prayed during those times they were supposed to in worship. This is a lot of paying attention and sitting still for a kid, but they showed it can be done. Of course, this did not just happen; our camp staff and counselors communicated with the campers on the first day what is expected of them in our times of worship and Bible Study. Now, sometimes we had to remind the campers before we began what was expected of them, but they followed directions very well. You know it is good to be reminded from time to time, even as adults, what is expected of us as we come into worship and Bible study on The Lord’s Day and for mid-week Bible Study. It is the way we learn, grow and mature in our relationships with Christ and our worship of God. Hebrews 12:28 states, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” Our worship of God is to be done with the

When it comes to tragedy and hardship, many people turn to the Book of Job. Job was a recipient of calamity, disaster, financial loss and death as we read in Job 1-2. First, he had every single one of his oxen and donkeys carried off by Sabeans, who then “put to the sword” every one of his servants. To compound matters, all his sons and daughters were killed when a windstorm collapsed the house in which they were feasting. Finally, Job was afflicted with painful sores “from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.” Then Job took a piece of broken “pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.” When his wife saw what was happening to Job, she said to him, “…Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Talk about hitting “rock bottom.” Here is a man whose trials surpassed most of ours. He had lost everything – his health, his wealth, his children, and his wife told him to “curse God and die!” (Job 2:9-10). Job teaches us many things through his ordeal; one of those lessons he teaches us is that suffering in itself is not proof of God’s displeasure, and the book tries to answer the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Readers must keep in mind that as they read the Book of Job which they see what Job cannot see. In Job 1 and 2, God sees Job as one of His best servants.

My family and I recently took a day trip to Amish Country here in Ohio. It was a nice and relaxing day in which we went sightseeing, shopping and tasting the free samples of cheese. While there I picked up some of the local advertisements, looking for the good deals and coupons for my wife. I noticed while skimming several of the ads that some of the stores made a special note that they were open on Sundays. This is due to the fact that most of the Amish and Mennonite people close their stores and shops for Sunday worship. I did think it was interesting that I did not see any church of Christ or other religious group for that matter have an ad in the papers, reminding the locals and visitors to their community that they too were open on Sundays for worship. Now it maybe just understood that Sunday is the Lord’s Day and Christians worship on this day, or maybe there was an ad that I did not see advertising the church’s assembly and times of meeting on Sunday. Regardless, what a great reminder it would have been to see an ad in the paper reminding that the churches of Christ are open on Sundays. That Sundays are not just a “day off” where we look for something to do, but it is a very special day of worshiping God. The first day of the week is a day where we as Christians come together (Acts

The mechanical clock was made to adjust time. It was designed for the working man to adjust time so that he could work from sunup to sundown. In fact, in March we will be adjusting our watches for Daylight Savings Time. We will be springing forward an hour to get more sunlight in a day. It is also said that about the same time the mechanical clock was made, the hourglass or the sandglass was made. It was designed to measure a fixed time. With the sandglass, 60 seconds will always be 60 seconds, as will an hour always be an hour. With the hourglass, time is fixed. More than not, we apply our lives to fixed time. This is the way Solomon described time in Ecclesiastes 3:1-13: Birth/death; plant/uproot; kill/heal; tear down/build; weep/laugh; mourn/dance; scatter stones/gather them; embrace/refrain; search/give up; keep/throw away; tear/mend; love/hate; war/peace. We humans have tried to adjust time, change time, ignore time and even use time. Yet, there is one thing that we cannot change, and that is fixed time, which will run out for all of us. Ecclesiastes 3:2 reminds, “There is time to die.” Hebrews 9:27 states, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Regardless of what we do with time, we all come to the same conclusion; we do not know how much time we have! The Bible tells us over and over that the time we have today is God’s gift, and

I like camouflage. It doesn’t matter if it is shirts, shoes, hats, coats, socks, you name it and if it is camouflage I will wear it. (I don’t have a camo tie though; I will have to work on that, but I do have camouflage curtains! The window wears them, not me). I have liked camouflage stuff ever since I was a kid. I can remember wearing camouflage to school, church, and sometimes I would even wear it to go hunting. The main purpose for camouflage is for hiding. Hunters and soldiers use camouflage to blend into their surroundings. This is one of the reasons I always liked wearing camouflage because it helped in hiding. One of my all-time favorite games is Hide and Seek. It was fun being hidden and trying to outwit the other kids that were playing the game. However, hiding is not always fun. In fact, many like to put on “spiritual camouflage” and try to hide from God. Remember Adam and Eve. After partaking of the forbidden fruit, they hid from God, and they even tried to use camouflage. When they realized that they were naked, they covered their bodies with leaves (Genesis 3:7-8). Achan took some of the forbidden valuables from Jericho and hid them under his tent. Yet, he was found out too. He and his family were all put to death for his sin (Joshua 7:19-25). Then there are those today who try to “camouflage” or hide from God. They show up

It seems that we hear a lot about homosexuality. Turn on the TV, read the newspaper or search the Internet, and we are bombarded by the homosexual influence. Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of media coverage of homosexual activists in our society. Such news highlights range from the shooting recently in Washington, D.C. by a homosexual activist to the boycott of Chick-fil-A by the homosexuals because of its President’s stance on biblical marriage as well as the boycott of the Boy Scouts of America because of their stance against homosexuals being in Scouting. In addition, the President of the United States came out in support of homosexual marriage lately. It would seem that everyone is homosexual. In reading the Bible, God designed one male and one female for marriage for life (Genesis 2:22-24; Matthew 19:11-12) in which this is the only relationship that is ordained by God for sexual relations (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:22-24; Romans 1:20-32). God has made each person a wonderful creation in His image (Psalm 139:1-16), and He did not create evil in them (Job 34:10-12). God did not make anyone a homosexual. As someone has stated, “Either you side with Chick-fil-A or you do not, but one thing is for certain, if you want chicken, you need a hen and a rooster.” God did not make people into homosexuals or into other types of sinners, but people choose to sin. Each person, including me, has struggles with sin that seems unbearable at

Russians resurrected a frozen flower; can the same happen with the church of the Bible? Fox News reported (February 21, 2012) that Russian scientists managed to resurrect an ancient plant in a pioneering experiment that paves the way for the revival of other species. The Silene stenophylla is the oldest plant ever to be regenerated, the researchers said, and it is fertile, producing white flowers and viable seeds. The experiment proves that permafrost serves as a natural depository for ancient life forms, said the Russian researchers, who published their findings in Tuesday’s issue of “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” of the United States. The Russian research team recovered the ancient fruit after investigating dozens of fossil burrows hidden in ice deposits on the right bank of the lower Kolyma River in northeastern Siberia, the sediments of which are said to be dated back 30,000-32,000 years. (https://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/21/russians-resurrect-30000-year-old-frozen-flower/#ixzz1nIxJeiMG) Now, it is true that others have resurrected old seeds, but what makes the Russians’ experiment so special is the age of the plant. However, can this same principle be used in religion? Can we take the “ancient” Bible and “resurrect” the ancient faith? Can we have Christians like we find in the Book of Acts? Or, can we have the church that Christ built? Matthew 16:18, states, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” In this passage Jesus taught that He built one church,

The following story came across my email the other day, and although it is not true, I would like to make an important point with it. The story goes as follow: In Florida, an atheist created a case against Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days. The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, “Case dismissed!” The lawyer immediately stood, objecting to the ruling saying, “Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays…” The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, “But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant.” The lawyer said, “Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists.” The judge said, “The calendar says April 1st is April Fool’s Day. Psalm 14:1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned!” As I was thinking about this fictitious story, I realized that this year April Fool’s Day

The new U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, released the other day by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that although 86 percent of us believe in God or a higher power, we do not know our own traditions or those of neighbors across the street or across the globe. Among 3,412 adults surveyed, only 2 percent correctly answered at least 29 of 32 questions on the Bible, major religious figures, beliefs and practices. The average score was 16 correct (50 percent). The statistic that concerned me the most were that Basic Bible eludes us. Just 55 percent of all respondents knew the Golden Rule is not one of the Ten Commandments; 45 percent could name all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). The Second most concerning issue that was revealed was that the top scoring groups were atheists/agnostics, Jews and Mormons. These tiny groups, adding up to less than 7 percent of Americans scored particularly well on world religion and U.S. Constitutional questions. It is unclear why, although highly educated people overall did best on the quiz, say researchers. (You can read the full results of this survey at the following webpage: https://www.jconline.com/article/20100928/NEWS09/100928007/1001/NEWS) This recent survey seems to verify another survey that was conducted several years ago by a Gallup Poll. This Gallup Poll reported the considerable ignorance among U.S. teens about the Bible. Fewer than half the 1,002 youths polled knew that Jesus turned water into wine at the Cana wedding, and nearly two-thirds could not identify

What kind of records do we keep? Well, we may keep records of the bills that need to be paid each month, or when the oil in the car needs changed, or maybe the birthdays of family members. However, why do we keep records? Well, it is simple, because we want to remember things. There are a lot of things we like to remember so we write them down or find other ways to remember them. Yet, there is one thing the Bible tells us that we are not to keep record of and that is other’s wrongs. Even though the Bible teaches against keeping records of other’s wrongs, how many times have we brought up the past in a disagreement? It is like the one fellow who was talking to the preacher about the troubles in his marriage. The husband said, “Every time my wife and I get in an argument she gets historical.” The preacher said, “Don’t you mean hysterical.” “No,” replied the husband, “I mean historical; she brings up all my past mistakes.” It is tough to live your life with someone who never forgets. In 1 Corinthians 13:5, Paul’s instruction on love states that “[Love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” If we truly love one another Paul reminds us that we are not to remember the wrongs that others have committed towards us, especially when we have dealt with them in a biblical