Articles

The above is a phrase found in Ephesians 5:16.  The Greek word for redeem means “market” as in the kind of marketplace you would find in the center of an ancient city.  One image of redemption, therefore, is to regaining possession of something by purchasing it as if it were found in a market. Our time is indeed up for grabs.  It is “for sale”.  We get to choose ...

Don’t you wonder, however, why God chose not to reveal the day of his son’s birth?  Also, why do we not read of Jesus, his apostles or the early church observing the day? Perhaps God is keeping the focus consistent with what he had said through Solomon, “A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth”……. And also...

As media songs again announce the Season, And manger scenes begin to appear; A missile is fired for no good reason: So anxiety grows in the hearts that fear!   Doomsday disciples point to global warming, Warning the masses of the air we’re harming; As though we are in charge of planet earth, While ignoring the One who gave us birth!   Our dwelling place can surely be abused, But greater ...

1  PRAY FOR YOUR CHILD, AND FOR THEIR FUTURE SPOUSE – James wrote       that the prayer of a righteous man does much good (5:16).  Since your child is       God’s child, invite him into their life and your parenting often.  As Peter wrote, cast       all your “parenting” care on God because he cares...

Mary had a little boy, his soul was white as snow But he never went to Bible school, ‘cause Mary wouldn’t go He missed the story of the Christ that thrills a child’s mind While other children learned of God, this boy was left behind And as he grew from babe to youth, she saw to her dismay His soul that once was snowy white, became a dingy gray Realizing now that he was lost, she tried to win him b...

The following approach has been very helpful to me in working with young people who seem not quite mature enough to obey the gospel. The first thing to do when a child shows interest in baptism is to praise and encourage them for taking an interest in God and in the things that he teaches us. Secondly, ask them to explain to you as best they can, why they want to be baptized.  What you must a...

Not every child has the privilege of learning from an early age about God, his son, Jesus and his Holy Spirit.  I did. My mother never failed to see that I was present when and where these things were being taught.  She made sure that I had plenty of opportunities to rub shoulders with people who were living lessons in Christianity. What a wonderful environment those people created. &nbs...

Imagine someone with tattoos that cover both arms.  Done?  Good.  Now imagine an older person with white hair and a shuffling gait. Ever see a guy in public wearing a sharp looking suit & tie, or a middle aged lady with brightly colored spiked hair? Picture someone with a cigarette or maybe a young girl with a short skirt and a blouse that shows a little too much cleavage.How about ...

Paul described the members of the church as a body. Each part being necessary for the proper function of the system (I Cor. 12:12-27). Many parts - one body. We realize that none of us are the "eye", or the "ear" of the church...but it certainly paints a clear picture of the different parts of Christ's body - the Church to which we belong.  Our spiritual body also consists of multiple parts: ...

With all of this talk about family, I became interested in my ancestry.  What I have found out is downright amazing.  As I traced my DNA, it provided some astounding and marvelous insights as to my spiritual lineage. My “D” (Divine relationship) informed me I was related to God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20).My “N” (Nature) could be traced all the way back to Noah (Genes...

First…..Go where you want to lead others.  Children instinctively sense hypocrisy.  If you want your children to grow closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, they must see you making the effort to grow closer to him.  Decide now to be willing to grow, which means being willing to change.If you plan to lead your family closer to God, you must plan to lead your family closer to God (y...

Have you ever seen a child get his heart truly broken? Have you seen the suffering in their eyes as the tears cascade down their cheeks?  Have you heard their cries bursting from their mouth as they can't totally comprehend how anyone could hurt this much?  Have you agonized over wanting to help, and not knowing how?  Especially if that is your child who's hurting. And even though y...

Ephesians 5:25 says this: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her. It can’t be a question of whether or not a husband will jump in front of a speeding car to save his wife.  Of course I’m sure God expects a man to be willing to do that if necessary...but I don’t believe the apostle meant for us to get such a limited idea of hu...

Paul wrote that it was a very small thing to him to be judged by others (1st Corinthians 4:3-6), and that he would not even judge himself since such judgement belongs only to God.  Later, however, he wrote telling the same saints to examine themselves to see whether or not they were in the faith and so as not to "fail the test" (2nd Corinthians 13:5-6).  Is there a difference between "ju...

Have you seen the pictures of those being saved from Harvey’s destruction?  What could be said of them?  “You look horrible.”  “Your clothes are a mess.”  “When is the last time you showered?”  “Have you even fed your children today?”  “Why do you live in a flood zone?”  “Why didn’t you leave everything and run to safety?”  “Why weren’t you prepared for this...

With the big day upon us I offer a few reminders to parents and kids to help get us started on the right foot: Parents: You are the primary teachers Even though the schools provide instruction in the Sciences and Arts, you remain the primary teachers and most influential figures. Moses reminded parents to, "…teach your sons." Deut. 1:18 School reflects the society we live in, parents r...

That’s the number I have counted so far of congregations of the church noted in the New Testament. Some congregations are specifically mentioned while in other places there would simply be mention of some disciples in a particular locale.  Paul seems to refer to multiple congregations in Galatia and on the island of Crete (Galatians 1:1-2 & Titus 1:5) but does not identify how many there are,...

Excitement is extremely high concerning the total eclipse which appeared from Oregon to Florida on Monday, August 21, 2017. The accumulated details, the accurate predations, the path of the eclipse, the exact minute of its total coverage of the sun at different locations are all downright amazing! Dale Denwalt in The Oklahoman, August 20, 2017, p. 18A, pinpoints to the minute the eclipse beginning...

You can only reach those who want to be reached, but you won’t reach anyone without trying to reach them.  Give God an effort to bless.  Even God cannot bless an effort you do not make  If I love God with all of my mind, like Jesus said to do (Matthew 22:37), won’t I spend time using my mind to imagine ways to reach my friends? 1st Peter 3:15 teaches us to b...

Jesus did not stutter when he called the devil the father of lies (John 8:44).  Jesus also stated very clearly that the devil is the one who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9).  I believe he is still at work, trying to deceive us every day, and that his favorite place to spread lies is within the church. He wants us to avoid meeting with the church believing that we are unworthy....