July 7, 2008

Let Not the Church Be Charged

Walking with Elderly Woman

“If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed” (1 Timothy 5:16, KJV).

This verse comes at the end of a section dealing with the care of certain widows. Paul had given Timothy instructions about which widows were to receive continual, ongoing support from the local church and which ones were not. In the case of widows who had family to care for them, the church was not to be charged with their care.

The idea of the church not being charged with something can certainly extend in application beyond just the care of certain widows.
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July 1, 2008

Do We Have Authority for a Church Building?

This question about whether or not the New Testament contains authority for a church building often comes up when discussing other issues that relate to Bible authority. When one points out that things like instrumental music in worship, missionary societies, and “fellowship” halls are unauthorized, there is sometimes the response that we do not have authority for a church building, either; therefore, it is inconsistent to oppose the others.

Most of the time, those who argue that there is a lack of authority for church buildings do not believe they are wrong. They just believe that we do not need Bible authority for everything we do and are simply pointing out what they believe to be is inconsistency (or hypocrisy) in those who oppose things such as instrumental music.

We must not be too quick to take the question of a congregation owning a building and lump it together with various unauthorized practices. Just because someone likens church buildings to fellowship halls and then demands that you either accept both or reject both does not mean the two belong in the same class. Each one must stand up to the scrutiny of the Scriptures alone. In this article, we will consider the question: Are church buildings authorized?
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July 1, 2008

Doctrines of Demons

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).

This verse is the beginning of a passage in which Paul wrote to Timothy regarding apostasy. When we think of apostasy, we typically think of ones who take liberties that God has not allowed or do not obey all of His commands and instructions. This is rightly classified as apostasy. However, this apostasy (falling away) that the Spirit warned about did not have to do with one taking too many liberties, but with one taking away another’s liberties by making rules in addition to God’s word.
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July 1, 2008

Money Matters

Money in Pocket

Money is a matter of priority to many people in our society. As the economy is a concern in many places around the country, there is a tendency to worry about financial matters. As Christians, we must take heed to what God has instructed with regard to money. The Bible actually has quite a bit to say about the subject. We will consider some of God’s instruction that relates to our finances in this article.
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July 1, 2008

Shortcuts to Bible Study

Priests in Rome

A few months ago I was sent an article that was written by a Catholic. The beginning of the article talked about the great burden it is to study the Bible. After all, the author reasoned, we are all just so busy. There is just not the time for us to study the Bible on our own. He then talked about the great blessing we have in the Catholic Church. He argued that we really do not have to study, we can just listen to what the Church tells us. And what a comfort to know that we do not have to bother with taking the time ourselves to study God’s word.

This is an example of a great problem in religion – many do not want to study. They come up with different excuses – they are busy, they do not understand, etc. So instead of studying the Bible, they look for shortcuts – ways to get around having to study much themselves. I want us to consider some of these “shortcuts” and notice what the Bible has to say about them.
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June 10, 2008

Love for Others

David and Mephibosheth

King David has been described as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). While there are many qualities of David we should emulate, we will focus on one in this article – his love for others.

David showed love for a broad range of people. We can see the love and kindness he shared with his friends – namely Jonathan (1 Samuel 18:1; 2 Samuel 1:26). He loved his enemies, even sparing Saul’s life twice when he had opportunity to kill him (1 Samuel 24:1-4; 26:2-11). Both instances came when Saul was pursuing David in order to kill him. We also can see David’s love given to those in need with his example of caring for Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9).
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June 3, 2008

“Come”

Revelation 22:17

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17).

This is an invitation for salvation that has been offered by Christ. It is for those who need the water of life. This means that it is for all, for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). All who wish to obtain the gift of salvation and be saved from their sins may come.
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