Articles

Justin Martyr was a Samarian Christian who lived in the second century. He was a Platonist philosopher who was converted to Christianity and became a strong defender of the faith. In one of his works, “Apology of the Christian Religion”, written in around 150 AD, he describes a typical Christian worship service of that day. “On that day which is called after the sun, all who live in the cities or ...

Good morning! At the end of this bulletin article, you will find a link and a QR code. If you choose to scan the QR code with your smartphone, or type the link into your Internet browser, you will be directed to a YouTube video of a baby crying. This video is ten hours long. You might be thinking, “Charlie’s lost his mind!”, but please consider this thought with me before the elders carry me away....

We hear the phrase, “God works in mysterious ways.” all the time. We may even use that phrase ourselves. One of the benefits of having the biblical accounts is that we get to see how God works and His ‘mysteries’ are revealed right before our eyes. Take Saul for instance. A well-educated Pharisee of Roman birth, proficient in the knowledge of the Law of Moses, well spoken, highly thought of, and C...

Today’s technology is filled with marvels. A regular guy holds in his pocket a state-of-the-art camera, multiple means of media communication, advanced global satellite location capability, the means to buy and sell with the press of a finger, a whole plethora of ways to entertain himself and much more. Yes, technology has truly changed the world in many ways. But it has not changed everything. Th...

In Luke 7, Jesus is invited to have a meal with a Pharisee. While Jesus is reclining at the table, a woman who is known in that city as a sinner came to Jesus, fell at his feet weeping and began to wash his feet with her tears. As she is weeping, she cleaned and dried Jesus’ feet with her hair and after they were clean, she kissed and anointed his feet with the perfume from her alabaster flask. It...

It seems that there are three elements that help identify the "modern" church. One is a focus on music in worship. Orchestras, choirs, even drama with music are a must if a church is to appeal to today's church goer. Another is the preoccupation with the miraculous. People want to go to a place where God reveals Himself to the congregation through healings, tongues, and a sure vision and knowledge...

This last week, two U.S. men visiting India were arrested and fined for violating their visas. What was this violation? They preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. August of 2023 in Watertown, WI, there was a young man arrested at a pride parade for speaking into his microphone and speaker system. What was he saying? He was reading Galatians 5. A gentleman on the streets of Reading, PA was arrested ...

The worst thing you can do in the Lord’s church is to cause division. Solomon made it clear 3,000 years ago that God specifically hates one who causes strife between brothers (Proverbs 6:16-19). Don’t be that guy! He’s the worst. Jesus prayed for unity among his disciples (John’s gospel 17:20-23). Don’t fly in the face of his prayer. That’s the worst! Imagine being thrown into the deepest part of ...

Jesus prayed that all of those who believed in him would be united as one: “I am not asking on behalf of these alone (the apostles), but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. - John 17:20-22 When Jesus says, “…so that the world may ...

There is a great divide between our brethren, and I have found it because I have the privilege to stand before the congregation almost every week. Please trust me when I say this, if this issue were as simple as moving the pulpit, that’s what would be done. However, much thought has gone into this as I have, for the last 5 years, looked out over our worship space to see 100 people crammed into the...

I have been told many times throughout my life that I’m aging more quickly than the average person. Family, friends, and even doctors have told me this. At the youthful age of 39: arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic pain, high blood pressure, obesity, and an uncontrollable desire to use coupons whenever possible. Most of my hair is gone, and what remains is rapidly turning whiter than Frost...

Do you ever get frustrated with yourself because you believe your faith is small? If so, you are in good company. Jesus repeatedly told the apostles that he would be killed and then raise from the dead on the third day. He preached this openly saying, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."- John 2:19 Mark records at least nine times when Jesus told his disciples abou...

If you don’t already have a Bible you really enjoy, why not begin the New Year with one that you do? A disciple of Jesus is a constant student of his word, and I am confident that you want to make your study as efficient and effective as possible. What to look for: · Get a Bible you enjoy seeing and handling. Color, texture, size & shape are all important to its appeal. · The print must be easy fo...

What does it mean to glorify God? When I think about this, I almost always think first of my worship to God, and I almost always think next of my actions. When we think of these two things, we are actually combining two different ways in which we glorify God. First is communal glorification and the second is individual glorification. It is important to glorify God through our worship and actions, ...

As a babe he came and in a manger lay, to ease our burden and light our way. “Emmanuel”, he would be called, God with us in an animals’ stall. “House of bread” was the name of the town, where Mary lay her baby down. Apropos is the name indeed for with the bread of life this babe does feed, the souls of men who hunger and thirst for the righteousness we are led to seek first. It is not just a story...

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they realized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (Nehemiah 6:15-16) These brief verses describe the completion of the repairs made to the wall surrounding the city of Jerusale...

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m too far gone to be saved”? It’s almost always an ashamed individual looking over their life and thinking that they have sinned too much. They carry too much baggage for God to handle. They truly believe in their hearts and minds that God could and will never forgive them. One can understand how someone who has lived a particularly sinful life could feel this w...

Faith is trusting God about what he has said. Faith is believe believing in Jesus, even though you weren’t there when he walked the earth. You did not see his cross, but you believe he was crucified in your place. Your voice was not heard outside the empty tomb, but you will say with everything in you that you believe he stepped out of it fully alive. You haven’t seen heaven where your name is wri...

Jesus asked a woman for a drink of water. She responded by asking him why a Jew would ask a Samaritan woman (which she was) for a drink, since Jews and Samaritans were not known to get along. Leaving her question hanging, he went on to make a much more profound point. He said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would hav...

In the early 2000’s, Christian music was at the forefront of mainstream music. It wasn’t uncommon to turn on the radio to kj103 and hear your favorite Christian band. In 2001, there was a Christian band our youth group liked to listen to called Relient K (yes, like the Chrysler k cars). One of their songs that has stuck with me through years is called Pressing On and these lyrics specifically, “To...