December 28, 2022

Hope for the Future

Lighthouse against the night sky

Throughout the book of Proverbs, a contrast is made between wisdom and foolishness. Since the wisdom described in the book comes from above, those who follow after this and live according to its precepts will be righteous. Conversely, those who reject the way of wisdom will inevitably find themselves engaged in wickedness.

Despite their rejection of godly wisdom, the wicked often prosper in life. They may appear to be better off than the righteous. Not only that but the apparent prosperity and success of the wicked often seem to come at the expense of the righteous.

This sense of injustice is nothing new. We often see those who reject the wisdom from above seem to escape the negative consequences of their sin, laziness, wastefulness, ignorance, and more. The same was true when the wise man wrote the Proverbs. Yet notice what he wrote:

“My son, eat honey, for it is good, yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste; know that wisdom is thus for your soul; if you find it, then there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place; for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity. Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; or the Lord will see it and be displeased, and turn His anger away from him. Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked; for there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out” (Proverbs 24:13-20).

In the passage above, Solomon explained that the righteous who follow after wisdom have hope for the future. Therefore, rather than getting discouraged about their current situation (or that of the wicked), there were certain things they were told to do and not do. Let us consider his points and see what we can learn from them.Continue Reading

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December 27, 2022

Top 5 on Plain Bible Teaching in 2022

Plain Bible Teaching Top 5 in 2022

The new year is almost here! That means it’s time for the annual “Top 5” post on Plain Bible Teaching. Each year I like to go back and see what content has been viewed more than the rest. Not only is this interesting, but it also gives me an idea of what materials have been most helpful to others. If you missed these when they were posted, they’re definitely ones you should check out. They’re divided up into the top 5 articles, Facebook posts, podcasts, and videos.Continue Reading

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December 14, 2022

Barton W. Stone: The Preachers Are Working While the People Are Gazing

Stone: All Can Do Something

Barton W. Stone (1772-1844) was one of the leading voices for a movement that began in the early nineteenth century to reject the man-made doctrines and creeds of the religious world and enjoy unity on the Bible alone. This is sometimes referred to as the Stone-Campbell Movement due to the influence of Stone (along with Alexander Campbell) among Christians during that time. This message of “restoration” spread and many were won to the cause of Christ.

However, near the end of his life, Stone wrote that this movement had not continued to grow as he believed it could or should have. After traveling through Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, the elder Stone wrote in his journal – the Christian Messenger – about what he had observed and why he believed that more progress had not been made. Notice one of the reasons given:

“Another reason is that the preachers are almost solely engaged in working in the Lord’s vineyard, while the people and professors are gazing on without employment, without praying, without exhorting one another, without instructing, admonishing and comforting the young converts, and without building them up in the most holy faith. Until every member of the body be engaged in the work, it must fail—all can do something, however little—all are hired into the vineyard—all must labor or lose the reward.” (A Plea for the Union of All Christians, p. 292-293)

Stone observed that the preachers of the gospel were busy doing the Lord’s work. However, the rest of the brethren were “gazing on” and not helping in the work of teaching, exhorting, and encouraging others – particularly the new converts. As long as this was going on, he said “the work…must fail.”Continue Reading

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December 12, 2022

Answering Basic Questions: Conclusion

Answering Basic Questions

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).

We began this series with the passage above. As Christians, we need to be ready to give an answer for what we believe and why we believe it. This requires not just a firm understanding of such things (which necessitates us studying the Scriptures), but also an idea of what type of questions we may face so that we can prepare as best we can.

The twelve questions we have discussed in this series are common questions that are fundamental to what we believe and practice as Christians. The answers we have discussed were not exhaustive, yet this was intentional. The purpose was to give all of us – regardless of whether we are mature Christians or new converts – some basic points that we can use to begin our discussions with others. Of course, follow-up questions may come up that will require additional study or help; but this material is meant to provide a good starting point for anyone.Continue Reading

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December 5, 2022

Answering Basic Questions (Part 12): What Happens When We Die?

Answering Basic Questions

Death is a sad reality of life. Everyone understands this, whether they are religious or not. But what comes after death? Many wonder about this, but not everyone has an answer that satisfies their curiosity. However, if we look to the Bible, we can find the answer to this question.

What happens when we die? Let us notice four points.Continue Reading

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November 30, 2022

“God Helps Those Who Help Themselves”

An angel defeats the Assyrian army

At least for those of us who live in the United States, we have all likely heard this phrase at some point: “God helps those who help themselves.” This statement is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). It is also sometimes cited as an example of a phrase that people mistakenly think is in the Bible.

To be clear, this phrase is NOT in the Bible. However, the principle absolutely is. In order to take full advantage of what God offers to us, we must do what we are able to do.

We can see this concept when we read of the example of King Hezekiah and the actions he took when the Assyrian army invaded Judah and intended to make war with Jerusalem. Notice what the Scripture records:Continue Reading

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November 28, 2022

Answering Basic Questions (Part 11): What Is the Work of the Church?

Answering Basic Questions

Earlier in this series, we discussed the question: What is the church? A related question, and one that will come up from time to time, is about what local churches are to be doing. If you ask various people, you will likely get many different answers. This is the reason why there is an almost limitless number of activities and “ministries” offered by churches today. Is it necessary – or even good – for churches to do all of these things?

What is the work of the church? There are four points for us to consider here.Continue Reading

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