The New Testament gives three reasons why it is important for Christians to assemble:
- We assemble to worship God (John 4:24).
- We assemble to encourage our brethren (Hebrews 10:25).
- We assemble to gain encouragement from our brethren (Hebrews 10:25).
July 11, 2009
Why Do We Assemble?
July 9, 2009
What Is Sin?
The Scriptures are clear in depicting sin as something terrible. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). The punishment for it is eternal, spiritual death (Romans 6:23). Sin is the reason why Jesus had to suffer a torturous death on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). But some may not have learned or may need to be reminded about what sin is. Let us notice three brief points.
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July 7, 2009
“Behold, the Lamb of God”
John’s mission was to prepare the way for Christ (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1). On a day when he saw Jesus coming to the place he was preaching and baptizing, John announced, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
There is a lot in John’s statement. Much of it may not have been understood at first. This is to be expected with prophecies. But as time went on and different things happened (Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, the establishment of His church, etc.), those who heard him could go back to declarations like this one and see more clearly the clues that were given and confirm the fact that God was behind all of this.
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July 6, 2009
Book Review: On Civil Government by David Lipscomb
David Lipscomb’s book, “On Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission and Destiny and the Christian’s Relation to It,” was first published in the Gospel Advocate in 1866-1867, shortly after the time of the Civil War. His purpose of the book in the end was to try to show that citizenship in the kingdom of Christ requires that we remain separate from human governments, and that Christians are therefore to avoid holding public office, serving in the military, voting, and anything else that supports the human government. I do not agree with all of his conclusions. But much of the work in the book up to that point is very good.
Lipscomb began by establishing the fact that there are two types of government over man – the divine government (God’s rule), and human government. He demonstrated that human governments began as a rebellion against God. In the Bible, we first read of the beginning of Nimrod’s kingdom (Genesis 10:8-10) which developed into the central power of Babel, or Babylon (Genesis 11:1-9).
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July 5, 2009
Read the New Testament in 6 Months
Back in January, I mentioned Edwin Crozier’s site – Give Attention to Reading. His site contains a reading plan that will take one through the New Testament in 6 months. On most days, he posts a short article about something that was in that day’s reading.
It is certainly important that we read and study our Bibles. By following along with the posts, then at the very least we get almost daily reminders and encouragement to read the word of God. These reminders alone are valuable. The articles that correspond to the readings are an extra benefit.
I’m posting this again because Edwin is about to start a new trek through the New Testament. If you’ve been thinking that you should try to read and study the word of God more, this is a good way to help keep you on track. So visit Give Attention to Reading, follow along and read through the New Testament before the end of the year.
Read Through the New Testament With Us Beginning July 6, 2009
July 4, 2009
David’s Mighty Men
There were certain individuals referred to as David’s “mighty men” (2 Samuel 23:8). David was king over Israel and often engaged in battles with the surrounding nations. These men were distinguished for their courage and accomplishments in his service.
Today, Jesus is a ruler who descended from David (Matthew 1:1; Romans 1:3). But His kingdom is spiritual in nature (John 18:36). His servants fight for Him – just as David’s men – yet ours is a spiritual fight (2 Corinthians 10:3). However, we can learn from David’s mighty men to see how we are to serve Christ today.
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July 3, 2009
The Preterist View Heresy
The Preterist View, also called Realized Eschatology or the A.D. 70 Doctrine, is an error that seems to resurface every so often. The doctrine states that the Second Coming of Christ, the final judgment, and the end of the world occurred in A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem at the hand of the Romans.
Max King essentially wrote the book on this doctrine, making the case for it in his 1971 book, The Spirit of Prophecy. Bill Reeves wrote a series of articles answering King’s arguments and demonstrating from the Scriptures the truth about the end times.
If you come across the doctrine today, the arguments made by its proponents will likely be essentially the same arguments made by King in his book. So if you are looking for material to help answer this issue, the articles by Brother Reeves should be useful.
This series of articles, The Preterist View Heresy by Bill Reeves, is available on the website of the Parkway church of Christ.
