Articles by Titus West
This last weekend, the youth group and several members of the congregation went on a retreat. The theme was from Philippians 1, “To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain” and our goal was to focus on what it truly means to live for Christ every day. We had some great lessons and group discissions that I believe were effective, I know they were for me. One particular lesson has stuck with me, and I would ...
In the society we live in, there is this term called ‘cancel culture.’ The term springs from people who have lost jobs, contracts, businesses, future livelihood opportunities and sometimes families for standing up for what they believe to be true. This term has been politically charged in our society and has encouraged people who have the opportunity to stand against evil to do nothing. Like all o...
Ministry is possibly the most important job a person could ever have. If you scroll through the latest reels on your favorite social media platform, you’ll likely come across videos of people in their worship buildings listening to a minister saying something seemingly profound but something that clearly misses the mark. Recently, I came across a video where the man ‘preaching’ said that people wh...
There are at least 46 verses in the bible that contain the word “zeal.” The definition of zeal is, a strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that makes someone very eager or determined to do something. This word is often used to describe people in the church as well as local churches themselves. One would think that a word like zeal would always be a good thing for the Christian, but that isn’t ...
Jesus said many wonderful and glorious things. He is God in the flesh, after all. To me, there is one statement Jesus makes, that has encouraged me over and over again. A statement many of us know and quote with the idea in mind that Jesus truly is the son of God. However, there is so much more to this statement than its use of proof. This statement is a guide for us in our faith for Jesus says in...
Have you ever felt like you are ‘lesser than?’ Many, if not all of us have. I’ve noticed that people tie significance to recognition. If they are recognized for their efforts, they feel significant. If their efforts go unnoticed, their view of themselves wanes. People measure their self-worth based on how others view them, which isn’t bad if the outside influence is God. Think of Seth in Genesis 4...
One of the things about ministry that gives me great joy is showing the love of God and His son, Jesus, to those lost in the world. I remember helping a gentleman who was homeless and not a Christian, and he told me something that stuck with me as we parted ways, “It was nice to be treated like a human being.” In the Wednesday teen class, we have been learning a simple yet powerful statement. “If ...
From 1995-2005, the Barna Group tracked the views of American on moral relativism. Fewer than 32% of Christian adults believed in a universal truth and only 9% of Christian teens said they believed a universal truth even existed. Unfortunately, this statistic hasn’t changed much since then, even among ‘born-again’ adults. In 2014, Pew Research Center did a study finding that 29% of Americans belie...
I was watching a theological reaction to an Easter Sunday service stage play done by the Transformation Church in our very own Tulsa, OK. A play that has brought the church and its leaders national criticism from the Christian community. During the reaction, the ‘pastor’ of the church says he did this big production to reach the community around them. The show host then pauses the video and respon...
Since the beginning of 2023, 1,000 Christians have been martyred in Nigeria due to specific planned attacks on their meeting places and homes. Last month alone, 29 Christians were killed in Nigeria. In fact, a known 52,250 Christians, including their children, have been slaughtered due to attack from Boko Haram Jihadists since 2009. During this time, 18,000 churches and 2,200 Christian schools hav...
The old Disney movie, Hercules, is one of my favorite movies. It came out when I was growing up and not only did it capture my love with its charming story, but the music really hit me. Especially the song ‘Distance.’ It’s a great little tune about finding where you belong. Even today, I still sing to myself that “I can go the distance, if I can be strong. Every mile will be worth my while. I will...
When I first began attending Choctaw Church of Christ, the former youth minister, Mike Coghill, did a teen class where the teens turned in questions and he answered them. This quarter in the teen class, I followed his lead and we have been covering questions that the teens have about the Church, religion in general, and Christianity within our society. It’s been a successful class and it has surpr...
As a newer student of Bible study, I often find myself understanding doctrine, but not understanding scripture. I find myself stating ‘facts’ that I learn in class or from a more mature Christian and not truly understanding the words written. For example: I know that the greatest command is to “love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) but I don’t understa...
Self-control is the ability to live with restraints. In the Greek, the word for self-control is Enkrateia meaning ‘having a great force within, but under control.’ Self- control is the last Fruit of the Spirit that is listed in Galatians chapter 5 but that doesn’t make it the least important. The world looks at the self-control demanded in Scripture and sees it almost as weakness. It most often co...
One of the most well-known and beloved stories in relation to the Christmas season is “The Christmas Carol”. It was written in a matter of six weeks by author Charles Dickens. It was first published on December 18th, 1843, and after 179 years, it is still a best seller. What is it about this work of fiction that is so intriguing to people, even after all this time? I believe the answer for many is...
There’s a saying, “No one is too bad to go to church; neither is anyone good enough to stay away.” As I pay attention to what people outside of Christ think about church, it seems that they think the opposite of this saying. They believe they are too bad to go and those who do go will be fine to “skip” whenever they want, so to speak. This frame of thought comes from a misconception about what chu...
If you are ever in any church service and want to suck the air out of the room, bring up modesty. Unfortunately, that word causes intense debate in the Christian community, but it shouldn’t. Modesty is actually a very attractive trait and something all Christians should strive for. So, why is it so controversial to talk about in the church? Because it gets down to the very heart of the individual....
It’s been said, “If you have nothing for which to be thankful, make up your mind that there’s something wrong with you.” As Christians, we are called to be giving constant thanks to the Lord. I think we have a hard time understanding what it means to give constant thanks. As a people, it’s very easy to focus on all the negatives and trials and sweep the positives under the rug. We constantly focus...
Most people have some sort of streaming service in this period in time and everything out there has ads. Whether it’s coming from our phone or tv while we’re watching movies, shows, listening to music or playing games, very dark content is delivered straight to our minds through ads. This content glorifies Satan, demons, blaspheming of God, torturing people, doing hardcore drugs, having inappropri...
The word ‘goodness’ is agathos in Greek and it describes that which, a person being good in character or constitution, will be beneficial in its effect on others. Goodness or the act of being good is looked down on in mainstream society. Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) yet, goodness is an old-fashioned quality and is now synonymous with being lame. It’s much better to be edgy, pop...