Articles

It is now openly affirmed. On Sunday, January 27th, 2008, the Quail Springs Church of Christ began the use of instrumental music in their Lord’s Day worship services. Such is the news release in an article by Carla Hinton (The Oklahoman, “Instruments of Change,” January 26, 2008, pp.1 & 2E). My article is not written with any anticipation of altering that intent. This article...

When there is sin, there should be sorrow. The ‘greater’ the sin, the greater the sorrow… and there are ‘greater’ sins. These are the ones that result in a greater loss and are therefore more difficult with which to deal. For example, if you or I are suddenly angered and let loose a curse or two in private, that’s pretty much between us and the Lord. Our consci...

God is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). Through the centuries, however, there have been many who were innovators. Not a single one of them ever gained God’s approval. Isn’t there a lesson in there somewhere for us? Cain was first. He offered a sacrifice without faith and got his ‘nose out of joint‘ when God disapproved, Genesis 4:1-...

The state of Oklahoma was assured that the lottery and casinos’ tax revenue would serve as a sufficient solution to the state’s financial needs for education. The governor and many of the media boasted and proclaimed of the anticipated benefits. Another leader, Jesus Christ, once stated: “So then you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:20). With this principle servin...

Jesus’ apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth telling them that in order to avoid fornication, each man should have his own wife and each woman should have her own husband, 1st Corinthians 7:2. Good advice to those in a culture steeped in sensuality. In another place, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews put it this way: Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed...

The scriptures give us some important insights in shaping our attitude toward God. For example, Acts 2:42,43a And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe (reverence, enormous respect for God). Their attitude is in response to the feeling of gratitude for what God was doing...

The Lord’s supper was instituted by Jesus as He ate the Passover feast with His apostles…. all of His apostles. Even Judas remained present until the supper was over (Luke 22:14-21). They ate the Passover on the evening of the first day of unleavened bread, the same time that Passover lambs would have been being slaughtered throughout Jerusalem by the thousands (Exodus 12:6, & 17-...

Randy Ellis recently gave the following information about births by unwed mothers in Oklahoma: 1 35 years ago    less than 10% (out of wedlock births) 1976     12% 1986     18.6% 1996     31.1% 2006     40.9% Much of the article by Ellis had to do with the financial stress faced by unwed mothers, and the...

Luke tells of a man whom Jesus cured of leprosy (Luke 17). This man then let his light shine amidst the darkness of ingratitude and forgetfulness by giving thanks and worshipping. Though I know nothing more about him, he remains a light to me. John tells us of a woman who took the light of Christ into the darkness of her village even though her own life seemed a mess (John 4). Her ‘shining&r...

It’s that time of the year again. I am amazed at how quickly the Christmas Season comes each year, since I’ve grown older. As a kid I thought Christmas would never get here. I called it the “Christmas watch”. I would get all pumped up right after Thanksgiving from all the decorations, music, candies, and commercials on TV. Christmas would arrive and just as quickly it would...

In the passage below, a lie is implied. Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 1st Corinthians 6:9-10 So what’s the lie? There must be a lie there somewhere that threatens to deceive us, since we are warned not to be dec...

In our everyday life, we are often so consumed in our work, finances, or even our family. These such items certainly demand our attention because they are important. But, often we spend day after day in pursuit of life to such a degree that only special occasions give us joy or a feeling of delight. Maybe it would be some special event like celebrating a birthday or an anniversary, or buying somet...

Last week’s article dealt with four very important facts about love. Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples because of the love that we have for one another, John 14:34-35. 2. Love is the basis of the two greatest commandments, Mathew 22:36-39. 3. All that is in the Law and the prophets depends on love, Matthew 22:40. 4. Love is superior to the miraculous, 1st Corinth...

Let’s answer the question with another question. How is the world supposed to know that we are in fact, disciples of Jesus? A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35 Of all the teachings of Jesus that we must hold on ...

Even though the last writer to contribute to it died over 1900 years ago, and its first book (of 66) came out at least 3400 years ago, its current influence is so alive and strong it is causing international repercussions relative to the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, China! It is significant that that is the only first century book that is getting so much attention! Li Zhanjun, director of the Bei...

Here are a few helpful things I’ve learned that I am pleased to pass on. How do you get a speck of dirt or debris out of your eye? Simple! Using the thumb and forefinger of one hand, gently grasp your upper eyelid by the lashes and lift it away from your eyeball. Then with the forefinger of your other hand, gently push the lower eyelid up under the upper, and move it back and forth. This lit...

We have grown so spoiled by our modern conveniences, haven’t we? Think about electricity. It has only been in usage in our homes for a little over a hundred years. Not very long in the overall history of mankind, and yet we never notice it … till it goes off! Back many years ago, when people were first getting electric services delivered locally, two neighbors were trying to decide if...

Just a few weeks from the writing of this article, a new movie will be released entitled, The Golden Compass. The movie is based on the first in a trilogy of books which the author calls His Dark Materials. These books are written for and marketed to children and are considered as children’s books by Random House Publishing whose synopsis of the story can be read at http://www.randomhouse.co...

Have you ever questioned your salvation? Have you ever wondered if your baptism was valid? Have you ever wondered if there is something else you need to do to ensure your salvation is solid? If these questions, or similar questions, have ever passed through your mind you need to read on. Questions like these have plagued the very thoughts of brothers and sisters, even some preachers and elders, fo...

When asked about prayer, many things may come to mind. For instance, you may feel: no-one needs to know about your prayers it is very personal your prayer is between you and God alone, no matter what you pray for Gods going to do what He wants anyway, to make it from one day to the next prayer is an absolute necessity you don’t not know how to pray, inadequate to pray you’re not good e...