Articles
Everyone has a standard by which they gauge right and wrong. Their standard may be as simple as their own opinion, or it could be popular opinion, their parents or some named ideology, but everyone has a standard. When someone tells you not to “impose your religion” on them, they are judging by their standard that it is wrong for you to try to influence their thinking with your own. Imagine, howev...
Paul stated that he had given us an example of what to do, and we should be imitators of him (c. Phil. 4:9; 1 Cor.11:1). That is a bit difficult in regard to some things Paul wrote. For example, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:15, “I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also.” To sing with “the spirit” (Gk. Pneumati of pneuma) is a special Greek term with extensive meani...
The trash icon is that little trash can on your email page that enables you to get rid of the "junk" email items. I use this icon every time I look at my email. But, it doesn't get rid of it right then, rather stores it until I "empty" the trash can. It is still there and can be recalled if I want, or emptied at some other time, simply by pushing "trash". "Poof, it's gone!” When Israel offered the...
The year 2020 has brought several changes among the ministry staff here at the Choctaw congregation. We have seen the departure of our Youth, Family and Involvement Minister, Mike Coghill, which will bring about the eventual addition of another (new to us) minister at some point this year. Then there are the growing responsibilities taken on by our ministry intern, Titus West, as he is tasked with...
It is finally 2020. Yes, you made it to the new year! But not everyone made it. We lost a bunch in 2019 (just like every year). Peter Mayhew, the man who brought Chewbacca to life in the Star Wars movies, is gone. Chewie “lives on”, and Peter would be the man to thank for introducing us to him, but thank him we cannot. Eddie Money may have had “Two Tickets to Paradise”, but his life touched down i...
Light is the first thing Genesis records God speaking into existence (Genesis 1:3). He did not need the light, but we do, even to imagine all the rest of his creative acts. Later, he would create what were referred to as “lights” in the heavens; the “greater light” to rule the day, the “lesser light” for the night (1:14-19), and we still need these lights. God’s greatest and most needed light, how...
Jesus was conceived within Mary by God’s Holy Spirit (Matthew’s gospel 1:18).With his last words from the cross, Jesus yielded his own spirit back to God (Luke’s gospel 23:46) Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5) but also the Passover lamb whose sacrifice reconciled both Jews & Gentiles to God (1st Corinthians 5:7 & Ephesians 2:11-18) At Jesus’ birth, a heavenly host said, “Pea...
This is what the Magi told King Herod when they came to Jerusalem looking for Jesus. The star that led them to Jerusalem, would later lead them to Bethlehem. These men had seen Jesus’ star and somehow knew that it was His, and that it signified His arrival as the King of the Jews. Centuries before, an unlikely prophet uttered the following: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A st...
Behavior is influenced by companions. Do you choose friends based on what you want to see in your behavior? If I want to succeed in life, I must choose friends who also value success; but I ‘d better know what I consider to be success. Paul told the church at Corinth that evil companions corrupt good morals (1st Corinthians 15:33). In this case, evil companions had influenced some members of the c...
On October 25, 2019, a rapper named Kanye West released his ninth studio album entitled: “Jesus is King.” Though in the last 15 years, Mr. West has been known for his secular music, this album is not. It is a worship album. An entire project dedicated to Jesus. Kanye has said, “This album is my expression to what He (Jesus) has done in my life.” In the Christian community, people are divided as wh...
It’s the holiday season again! It’s that time of year when we are supposed to be joyous and thankful. Unfortunately, that is not always a realistic view. Despite what we are told through the radio, tv, and other media, there is no holiday magic cure when we are not able to be joyous or thankful. We still take advantage of each other. We argue with each other. We insult and kill each other no matte...
Do you ever find yourself wanting to ask God for something but believe that it is too small or insignificant to “bother” him about? I know I do. But I’ve been a dad long enough to know how pleased I am when one of my children asks for my input about anything in their lives; even when they think they need to apologize about its seeming insignificance. Our sun is approximately 864,938 miles in diame...
Even though Paul was a prisoner, had been in a shipwreck, and had been bitten by a snake, when he saw those brethren from the Market of Appius and The Three Taverns “he thanked God and took courage” (Acts 28:15). The Choctaw congregation at the service of the Lord’s Day, November 3, was able to greet Mary and Geoffrey Kirima (whom we support to share the Gospel in Kenya), and to hear brother Jean-...
It is believed that most of the ideas behind the night we now call “Halloween” originated with the Celtic religion of Druidism which flourished for around 300-350 years between the second centuries BC and AD. For the Druids, this night meant that the “lighter” part of the year was coming to an end and the “darker” part was beginning. They further believed that on this night the veil between the li...
The serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’”, Genesis 3:4-5 The above reveals for us the most profound struggle of our own existence; which is our desire to govern ourselves as though we are our own god. Intellectually, it makes no sense. We know that we did not cre...
Most people who have listened to sermons have heard the Bible called, at one time or another, the “Living Word.” Have you ever wondered what that means? Surely it does not mean that your Bible comes to life and goes from being an inanimate object to an animate object that lives, breathes and needs nourishment. It can be a difficult concept to grasp that words live. So, how can we better understand...
Sunday, November 24 2019, has been designated by the shepherds here at Choctaw as “Every Member Present Sunday”. That’s what’s up ahead! On a given Lord’s day, folks will be absent from our assembly for any number of reasons. Kids get sick, work schedules interfere, vacations come along, and well, you know. It is difficult to get everyone together at the same time; but how neat would it be if we d...
My thanks to the Competitive Enterprise Institute for a compilation of news articles predicting dooms of various types. Below are some of the foreboding conclusions reached by scientists in the recent past that were noted in their piece. 17 November 1967 – The Salt Lake Tribune published an article by George Getze, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, with the headline, “Dire Famine Forecast by ‘75...
The most important information the church could provide is how to be eternally saved from your sins through Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that we are all created in God’s image, but that through our own sins we have fallen short of His glory and become separated from Him. Since the penalty for sin is death, Jesus took on flesh so that He could die in our place, paying that penalty for each of us...
The “Step Up In September” plea was a genuine, sincere effort by the elders to overcome—”bridge the gap”—between the Sunday morning and Sunday evening —Wednesday evening attendance numbers. The imposed Divine obligation for the elders “to feed the church of the Lord” (Acts 20:28 AS) automatically imposes a Divine obligation for members of the church “to be fed!” Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and...