November 1, 2006

Quenching the Spirit

Near the close of Paul’s first epistle to Thessalonica, he gave several brief exhortations. One of these was the instruction, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). What does it mean to “quench the Spirit”? The Greek word that is translated quench means to extinguish, or put out. This makes us think of extinguishing a fire. The word of God is compared to a fire elsewhere as Jeremiah described it as “a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9).

We should also remember that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). To “quench the Spirit” is to remove the power from the gospel. After all, the revealed word is the product of the Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; John 15:26-27). The gospel is designed to convert the lost and edify the saved. Quenching the Spirit prevents these things and, ultimately, will cause us to forfeit our salvation. So we should look at how we are to preach so as not to quench the Spirit. How do we “quench the Spirit”?
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November 1, 2006

Right and Wrong

Many are uncomfortable with the idea that there is an unchanging moral standard. They do not want to think of truth being absolute. They want it to be subjective. They do not like to think of things as being “black and white” but want to believe there is a lot of “gray area.” They think whatever is right should be determined by the individual and be based upon the situation. But the Bible teaches that there is a clear difference between right and wrong. Let us turn our attention to Jesus’ conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:13-29) in which He showed five areas where is a distinct difference between right and wrong.
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October 28, 2006

Are Miracles Performed Today?

[Article written by Matt Nevins. Originally published in his email newsletter “The Lamp.”]

The Bible is filled with examples where the power of God is demonstrated through the use of miracles. Events such as creation (Gen. 1), the global flood and restoration of an inhabitable world (Gen. 7-8), walking on water (Mark 6:45-52), the healing of the blind (Mark 8:22-26), or the resurrection of the Christ (Mt. 28:1-7) are miracles that could only have been accomplished by the power of God. Miracles were accomplished for a specific purpose; with the purpose fulfilled the presence of miracles would no longer be needed. For miracles to be performed today, the purpose for miracle usage in the first century would be still present in the modern world, and the ability passed by the same means.
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October 5, 2006

“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 10: Conclusion

Collection Plate

As we conclude our study on giving, there are three basic points we need to remember:
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October 5, 2006

“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 9: Examples that Relate to Giving

Collection Plate

Finally, after discussing the instructions given about the act of giving, the attitude we are to have in giving, and factors that should motivate us to give, we will look at some examples to make some final points and to reinforce the points we have already made.
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October 5, 2006

“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 8: Motivation for Giving

Collection Plate

As Christians, we are to “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). After discussing various things relating to the collection – the act itself, the nature of giving, our attitude – we should think about some things that will motivate us to improve our giving. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in order to motivate them to carry out their “previously promised bountiful gift” (2 Corinthians 9:5). In doing this, he appealed to three things to encourage them. These points are good for us to consider as well as we seek to improve our giving.
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October 5, 2006

“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 7: Our Attitude in Giving

Collection Plate

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul gave the brethren instructions about the collection (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). These instructions included what was to be done (taking up the collection) and when it was to be done (on the first day of the week). He wrote back to them in a follow-up letter and included teaching about the attitude they should have in giving.
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