November 18, 2024

Gratitude (Part 3): Enjoying God’s Blessings with Gratitude

Enjoying God's Blessings with Gratitude

As we conclude this brief series on gratitude, we have focused on how our ability to be thankful affects our behavior. We have seen that gratitude is the basis of any faithful service to God and will enable us to receive the greatest benefit from prayer.

As we think about the blessings themselves, we need gratitude if we are to appropriately enjoy the good things that God gives us. Notice what Paul told Timothy:

“For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:4-5).

In our final article in this series, we will consider how to enjoy God’s blessings with gratitude. Let us consider a few thoughts.Continue Reading

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November 11, 2024

Gratitude (Part 2): Praying to God with Gratitude

Praying to God with Gratitude

Gratitude is about more than just knowing what to be thankful for. A true sense of thanksgiving should necessarily affect our behavior. In the previous article, we saw how gratitude is essential if we are to “offer to God an acceptable service” (Hebrews 12:28). As we will notice in this article, it must also be the foundation of our practice of prayer. Remember what Paul wrote:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

As we pray to God, if we want it to benefit us, we must pray “with thanksgiving.” Let us consider a few points.Continue Reading

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November 6, 2024

Revisiting Bible Authority

Pointing in Bible

It is good and necessary to revisit certain topics from time to time. We do not want to “drift away” from what we have previously learned (Hebrews 2:1). Some topics are so foundational that they affect what we believe, teach, and practice – individually and collectively.

The topic of Bible authority is one of these foundational topics. It is a subject that has been covered multiple times here,* but I want us to take another look at it in this article, perhaps in a different way, to help reinforce the concept.

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November 4, 2024

Gratitude (Part 1): Serving God with Gratitude

Serving God with Gratitude

In the United States, Thanksgiving is near the end of November. This holiday is meant to be a time to reflect on the many reasons we have to be thankful. Of course, as Christians, we are to be thankful at all times, yet this holiday is a good reminder for us and society as a whole.

A few years ago, I published a series of articles leading up to Thanksgiving about the reasons we have to be thankful.* It is important that we recognize the many things for which we have to be thankful. However, it is just as important that we allow this sense of gratitude to impact our behavior.

So in this short series, we will consider how we conduct ourselves with gratitude. In this first article, we will discuss how we serve God with gratitude. Notice what the Hebrew writer said:

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).

Before we can offer “acceptable service” to God, we first must learn to “show gratitude” for the blessings He gives us. Let us consider some thoughts on this.Continue Reading

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October 23, 2024

The Sin of Gluttony

Overeating

The Bible condemns gluttony, yet it is a topic that is largely overlooked in sermons and Bible classes. Because of this, there may be some confusion about what gluttony is. First, let us notice what it is not.

  • One who is overweight is not necessarily a glutton. Other factors are involved in one’s weight, including behavior, lifestyle, medications, genetics, etc. It is also possible for someone to be thin and be guilty of gluttony.
  • One who enjoys food is not necessarily a glutton. After all, God “created [foods] to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:3).

While on earth, Jesus was wrongly accused of being a glutton (Luke 7:34). We do not want to make the same mistake that His accusers made by wrongly accusing others of gluttony because we do not understand what it is. We also do not want to ignore this sin if it exists in our life.

In this article, we will address the oft-neglected topic of gluttony and see what the Bible actually says about it.Continue Reading

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October 9, 2024

What Is the Gift of the Holy Spirit?

Acts 2:38

“Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself’” (Acts 2:38-39).

When Peter preached the first gospel sermon on the day of Pentecost, he convicted his audience of being guilty of putting the Savior to death. Yet the Lord provided a way for them to be forgiven of their sins and be saved. One of the promises they would receive when they obeyed the gospel was “the gift of the Holy Spirit.” What did Peter mean by this? There are a few ideas that have been suggested:

  • Some believe that this “gift” is the Holy Spirit Himself.
  • Others have concluded that this refers to the miraculous gifts of the Spirit.
  • Some see “the gift of the Holy Spirit” as synonymous with salvation.

Which of these views is correct? Or did Peter mean something else by this phrase?Continue Reading

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September 25, 2024

Cassius’ Weapons of Choice

Cassius' Weapons of Choice

Samuel Robert Cassius (1853-1931) was born into slavery in Virginia and lived in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. As an adult, he moved to Indiana, where he heard the “Restoration plea” and obeyed the gospel. He spent most of his life living, working, and preaching in Oklahoma.

In the book To Save My Race from Abuse, Cassius’ biographer described his preparation for a debate with a Primitive Baptist in which Cassius was to affirm “that the Church of Christ, of which I am member, is apostolic in faith, doctrine and practice” (To Save My Race from Abuse, p. 41). Unfortunately, his opponent backed out, and the debate never happened. In the following quote, Cassius adapted the imagery of the armor of God (cf. Ephesians 6:10-17) to describe his readiness to defend the truth in debate.

“I carried two large solid rocks—one in each hand. In my right hand I had the four Gospels, in my left the Acts of the Apostles, and belted about my waist I had all of the pistols of Paul, James and Peter, and between my teeth I carried the sword of the Spirit.” (ibid. p. 41)

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