October 2015, Vol. 34, No. 10

Book of God

[214 words] The Bible is referred to in many different ways. We speak of it as God’s Word, the Good Book, the Holy Scriptures, and the Sword of the Spirit. It is also known as the Book of books and the Living Word. Some call it simply THE Book, for nothing else seems necessary.…

Scarier Than Halloween

[274 words] One person had a dream about hell. She said, There was nothing but desolation and hopelessness. You walk toward the gates of hell knowing that you will never again be free. I got to the gate and the keeper said, “Hold it.” I stood outside hell, and I saw people whose faces…

Standing With Jesus

[340 words] Certainly you have heard about the shooting that took place this past week at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Nine people were killed. Several more were injured. There are conflicting reports about this, but some outlets are reporting that the shooter asked his victims if they were religious or not (if…

God Wants You to Have Joy!

[187 words] God wants you to have joy in your life. This truth is lost on some preachers and other church-goers. Oliver Wendell Holmes was a member of the U.S. Supreme Court for 30 years. His mind, wit and work earned him the unofficial title of “the greatest justice since John Marshall.” At one…

Sackcloth and Ashes

[513 words] Did you ever wear a starchy feedsack shirt? (I mean a real one, not the store-bought kind you see now-a-days.) Scratchy, ain’t they? Can’t you just imagine one made out of towsack? (Grass-sack, for some of us.) Well, wearing sackcloth had a special meaning at one time. King Ahab, stirred by Jezebel,…

Understanding the Soil

[640 words] The truth of matter is that the only way to build up the church is to actively reach out—in word and deed—to the people that God places in our lives. While understanding the mission itself is not difficult, the reality is that seeking after the lost, the primary mission of the church,…

Going to Church

[345 words] Many reasonably good people seldom, if ever, “go to church.” Meeting with others to study the Bible, God’s word, and to publicly worship Him is something easily ignored in our busy world. To these, church is where you go for a wedding or a funeral, but little more. The early Christians didn’t…

You Have 24 Hours

[92 words] Odds are that the vast majority of you who are reading this have more than 24 hours to live. But what are you going to do with the 24 hours that you have? Are you going to… • give a word of encouragement? • mend broken bridges? • help someone in need? …

Living

[398 words] Most days, “ living” is a challenge. We have many responsibilities and challenges that compete with our relationship with God. We are raising a generation that has no real religious concern or eternal focus. As a society, our current generation continues to drift from the Creator! The world around us seems put…

The Road to Success

[62 words] The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, A loop called Confusion, Speed bumps called Friends, Red lights called Enemies. You will have flats called jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, and a driver called Jesus, you…

You Make the Choice

[280 words] Bible study is great because it makes us set our minds on things we ought to consider. Two Sundays ago in our adult class, we studied Jesus’ miracle in Mark chapter 5 when he healed the man possessed by many demons. Our teacher brought up the point that people were upset with…

Shall We Condemn Someone Before Hearing from Him?

[212 words] The Pharisees sent officers to arrest Jesus, but after they heard Him teach, they could not bring themselves to arrest Him, for they had never heard anyone speak like Him. The Pharisees then blasted the officers, asking if they were deceived, and that none of the rulers or Pharisees had believed in…

Marital Blessings

[258 words] Blessed are the husband and wife who continue to be affectionate, considerate, and loving after the wedding bells have ceased ringing (Ephesians 5:23–25). Blessed are the husband and wife who are as polite and courteous to one another as they are to their friends (Romans 12:10). Blessed are they who have a…

Paul Was…Are You?

[377 words] Paul was the man Jesus chose to go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel (Acts 9:15; Rom. 11:13). Once fully converted and committed, Paul accomplished the Lord’s will admirably (2 Tim. 4:7). In three successive verses in the first chapter of Romans, Paul records the formula for preparing ourselves to follow…

Jesus Did Not Commit Himself to Them

[222 words] “…many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men” (John 2:23-24). This passage has been highlighted in my Bible for a while. Early on, it seemed odd to my frail ear that Jesus would not…

Omnipotent

[170 words] A college student asked his preacher, “Do you think there is life on other planets?” The preacher said, “No, I don’t think so.” The student replied, “You mean, all those billions and billions and billions of planets out there–and you don’t think there’s life out there?” He said, “No, I really don’t…

The Hardest Words to Say

[187 words] I must have been sick on the day they taught phonics in school. If I don’t recognize a word by sight, I can find some amazing ways to mispronounce it. I cringe when I have to use certain words because no matter how much I practice, I’m not sure how it will…

How to Live for Christ

[155 words] Do good to all people no matter what they do to you (Galatians 6:10). Christ is our example of doing good (Acts 10:38). We must follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). * Bless and love your enemies (Matthew 5:44). Christ was hated, mocked, spat upon, beaten…yet He prayed, “Father, forgive them”…

Will He Be Pleased With What He Sees In Me?

[236 words] (can you find the Bible references?) Some Do Not Please Him ___________ “They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto Him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul…

How Goes Your Battle?

[224 words] “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” Matthew 6:6. A big theme to come out of the latest faith-based film, War Room, is that we, as individual…

By the Root

[313 words] Growing season for most things in gardens and flower beds is winding down. That means less weed pulling! This preacher remembers a weed in Georgia that we nicknamed “Monster Weed” because it grew very quickly, developed thorns and had a root system that made it nearly impossible to pull up by the…

Peace from Pain

[36 words] When days are rough, and times seem tough, and we’re under pressure and strain; Trust the Lord, and obey His Word, and peace will come from the pain. Edd Sterchi Broadway church of Christ Campbellsville, KY… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please log in or register to use…

People Identified With Him

[437 words] September 22, 2015 will be remembered as “the day Yogi died.” Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was loved by millions of people even though he played for a baseball team that many did not like. His outstanding ability and endurance on the field made him a star, but his humble personality and wise…

Do All Dogs Really Go to Heaven?

[497 words] Every year on October 4, a growing number of churches involve themselves in a “blessing of the animals” service. This “blessing of the animals” is rooted in the Roman Catholic Church as a part of observing “Saint Francis of Assisi Day.” However, in more recent times, more and more protestant churches have…

Where’s the Corpse?

[42 words] Bernard Ram wrote, “A thousand times over the centuries the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the flowers ordered, the inscription placed on the tombstone, and the eulogy written, but somehow the corpse never stays put.”… This content is for Annual and Lifetime Members only! Please…

On the Lighter Side (October 2015)

[418 words] A Special License After a recent college basketball game, the coach spotted a cell phone lying on the floor. He picked it up and handed it to one of the referees and said, “Here’s your phone.” “What makes you think it’s mine?” the referee asked. “Easy,” said the coach. “It says you…

The Gospel in Five Seconds

[174 words] The gospel is the good news that Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-5). It is the total message of God’s power to save all who will hear, believe, and obey it (Romans 1:16). The gospel is contained in the second law God gave. “If the first covenant had been faultless,…