The Church
BUILDING THE CHURCH
Over the last few weeks we have received mail from various places in the United States and overseas asking for money to help purchase land or help purchase a building wherein the saints in a particular location can meet. I know as I read these that the brethren in each of these places are excited beyond belief at the opportunities before them, and they want to do all they can to make a good impression in their communities by building...Continue reading "BUILDING THE CHURCH"
JESUS AND THE CHURCH
I read constantly. Paul told Timothy to “give attention to reading, to exhortation and to doctrine.” (1 Timothy 4:13). In the contest of this verse it seems that he is encouraging Timothy in the public reading of Scripture, and the English Standard Version even translates this passage in that way. In other passages Jesus stressed the idea that we need to take heed how we hear, and what we hear (Luke 8:18). In the same way, it is imperative to...Continue reading "JESUS AND THE CHURCH"
BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST
Eph 4:11-16 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no...Continue reading "BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST"
BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST
Eph 4:11-16 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no...Continue reading "BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST"
THE WAY
Isaiah 35:8 A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. NKJV Jesus told his disciples in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one come to the Father except through me.” Later, those who followed Jesus were called the Way. Paul persecuted...Continue reading "THE WAY"
LADS TO LEADERS
One of the mistakes that is often made in the church is the idea of catering to one group of people to the exclusion of others. For years the church has emphasized youth—the importance of reaching out to youth, to the hiring of youth directors or youth ministers—and often other groups are neglected. To compensate for this, we now have involvements ministers (hoping to get all of the members involved) and senior ministers (to meet the needs of our seniors)....Continue reading "LADS TO LEADERS"
YOU CAN SEE CHRIST
That some would find it hard to follow a Savior they couldn’t see is shown in Peter’s book, I Peter 1:8 “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” He leads and governs us with the New Testament which he left for us to follow, (Heb. 9:1-17). It should be noted, however, that there is a sense in which we can see Christ...Continue reading "YOU CAN SEE CHRIST"
THE CHURCH
Acts 2:46-47 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. NKJV The church is made up of those who have been saved by the blood of Christ, when they made the choice to become Christians and submit to God’s...Continue reading "THE CHURCH"
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
The blood bought, heaven bound, body of faithful believers in Christ who have obeyed the gospel in faith, repentance, confession and baptism. This statement says so much about what the church is – let us study each segment of this for a moment. THE CHURCH IS BLOOD BOUGHT. Acts 20:28 emphasizes that Jesus shed his blood for the church, thus purchasing the church at a cost of his life. We understand that as each person hears the gospel, believes the...Continue reading "WHAT IS THE CHURCH?"
The Church in the World
Suppose one Sunday morning you were coming to church (the building) to worship. And, when you got here, the building was gone, and the church was gone. Two or three things come immediately to mind: How can you move an entire building? (But we have to ALWAYS remember that the church has not now, never was, and never will be defined in terms of a building of bricks and stones. It is made up of living stones – people –...Continue reading "The Church in the World"
The Power of a Visit
A couple visited the services of a church for the first time. The preacher announced that he would preach a four week series on the doctrines of the Christian faith. The couple came every week and listened attentively. On the fourth Sunday they came forward at the invitation and were baptized. When the preacher asked which sermon had really persuaded them to become Christians, the couple replied, “Your sermons were helpful, but they were not the most important factor. Two...Continue reading "The Power of a Visit"
The Problem with the Modern Day Church - Part 3
The quest of the churches of Christ is to restore the church as we read about it in the first century. Some in the world and in the church have made light of this goal, asking questions such as, “Which New Testament church will we strive to be like—Corinthians with its myriad problems from division to marriage and the resurrection? Or Thessalonians with its problems of understanding the second coming? Or Galatians with its problems of false teachers that...Continue reading "The Problem with the Modern Day Church - Part 3"
The Problem with the Modern Day Church - Part 2
We emphasize, at the outset, that there is nothing wrong with the divine side of the church. God built one church (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:2021; 4:4), planned it before eternity (Ephesians 3:1011) and gave all of its features, including leadership, worship and mission. Modern man tries constantly to improve what God has said and the example He has set in the New Testament. The problems come in when the church of the twenty-first century is not striving to obey...Continue reading "The Problem with the Modern Day Church - Part 2"
The Problem with the Modern Day Church - Part 1
A friend of mine called me the other day. After talking about the church where he works as a preacher and some events going on in his life, I could tell there was a definite note of discouragement. Toward the end, as I listened, he expressed a desire to quit preaching and do something else. There are a growing number of preachers that are leaving the pulpit and seeking and finding work in the secular world. It is not...Continue reading "The Problem with the Modern Day Church - Part 1"
