Articles

If we want to reach somebody, whether they are our kids, our neighbors, our family, our coworkers, or anybody else, we must remember this truth: People don’t care about what we know, until they know that we care. Here’s an example. What is a television show you absolutely love? Take a second and bring it to your mind. Once you have it in mind, answer this question; What was the opening line in the...

I have often heard folks make disparaging remarks about Christianity or Christians or the church. Hypocrisy, self-righteousness and judgmental mentalities are the kinds of things at the top of the non-church-goers’ lists that bug them about “us”. Well duh, “guilty as charged” with regard to any number of such poor behaviors. Why do you think we have come to Jesus??? No one becomes a Christian beca...

#1 I must never forget that because of my sin, I deserve death. But God has not killed me. In fact, he arranged for his son to pay my debt with his own life. I deserve to die, but here I am a free man walking around living life in the world God made, enjoying his blessings and his care. #2 I must never forget the kind of death from which I have been rescued. A continuing death, being separated fro...

Pentecost was one of the three main feasts God instructed the nation of Israel to keep. It was to be held on the fiftieth day after the Passover Sabbath (Leviticus 23:15-16). God instructed that this feast was to take place on the fiftieth day after counting seven Sabbaths from the Passover. Pentecost, as designed therefore, would always fall on a first day of the week. The Pentecost recorded in t...

I always laugh at the teenage girl who says the word “literally” too much. “I literally can’t even.” I am not sure what that even means. “I literally can’t breathe.” You are literally breathing when you said that. “Literally.” Sometimes in Scripture there are figurative statements. These statements aren’t meant to be taken in the most basic sense but are illustrative and metaphorical. I’m not sure...

On the morning of February 8th of this year, a group of students stayed after a chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Apparently one of the students began to confide in others regarding sin in his life. There were prayers, then singing, and before long others were returning to this renewed time of worship. This humble circumstance quickly flourished into what came to be known a...

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...

A class filled with almost 30 teenagers ready to learn about God on a Wednesday night. A nine-year-old stand before 100 people and lead us in our singing to the Lord.A group of girls spend Saturday night watching their church family’s children so couples could have a date night.Multiple young men quietly serving trays during our communion time multiple weeks in a row.A group of young adults gather...

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...

To be relevant, the Bible would have to address today’s issues. Does it do that? You only have to read the first 27 verses of the book to see that gender was divinely designed and separated into only two sexes, male and female, both in the image of Almighty God. Oddly enough, that is a big issue today in the minds of some. So by the above truth, the Bible also addresses what constitutes marriage, ...

I have mixed emotions concerning this latest runaway hit streaming online called the “Chosen”. Imagine, a TV soap opera based on Jesus’ life! What is there not to like? Great production, realistic portrayals and aside from accurate reenactments of the familiar events in Jesus’ life and ministry, the writers have created fascinating back stories for each apostle that brings these little known chara...

Apologetics defined – “reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine”. Apologetics must be valuable because the Holy Spirit sprinkled them throughout God’s word. Here are a few examples (note – ff means “and following”): Psalm 19:1ff – “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”….. Exa...

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...

After the birth of Jesus, Joseph is told in a dream to take Mary and their Son to Egypt to avoid the threat against his life from Herod (Matthew 2:13). In this short passage we learn a few truths about the enemies of Jesus. To the Enemies Of Jesus, Nothing Is Off Limits: “…Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him (Matthew 2:13).” Herod was fearful of losing his power and authority. H...

We can read in John’s gospel, 6:1-14 of how Jesus fed about 5,000 people with only 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. When everyone was filled, there were 12 baskets full of leftovers! How that happens, I don’t know, but Jesus does. Later, some of those folks were still looking for him, but he said, “…you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (6:26). The s...

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...

Entertainer Bing Crosby spent 25 weeks touring with the USO, entertaining servicemen in Britain, Belgium, and France during WWII. His rendition of the popular song, "White Christmas" was constantly requested by troops during Bing's USO appearances overseas, which gave the singer mixed feelings. "I hesitated doing it because it caused such a nostalgic yearning among the men, that it made them sad,"...

Psalm 1:6 “The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” - According to the psalmist, there are two paths in life we can take. The path we take is determined by our decisions. Here are five choices every person needs to make in order to walk the right path. Listen To The Right People “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked” If we want to be...

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...

Luke’s gospel records a time when Jesus was approached by ten lepers who asked him to have mercy on them. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests. As they left to do so, their leprosy was cleansed. But Luke writes that only one of them returned to give Jesus thanks and glorify God. Hence Jesus’ question, “Were there not ten?” (Luke 17:11-19). Why did it matter to Jesus what these men ...