March 2, 2022

Shout Joyfully to the Lord

Man under the Northern Lights

“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100:1-5).

This psalm begins with a universal call to praise God. It gives us some insight into how we offer praise to Him and describes some of the reasons why He is worthy of such praise.

Let us notice some of the things this psalm tells us about how and why we are to praise the Lord.Continue Reading

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February 21, 2022

Dangers on the Safe Side: Conclusion

Dangers on the Safe Side

Over the last few weeks, we have be considering the tendency to stay “on the safe side” when it comes to difficult decisions we have to make. For inconsequential matters or choices that pertain only to this life, it may be fine or even wise to do this. However, as we have seen, in the realm of spiritual matters and our responsibilities before the Lord, staying “on the safe side” is dangerous, and “erring on the side of caution” can lead to error and sin.

When it comes to spiritual matters and God-given responsibilities, we run into problems when we make decisions based upon what is most convenient, comfortable, or easy rather than what is right. To recap, the areas we have considered in the series are:Continue Reading

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February 16, 2022

How to Prepare for Spiritual Battle

Throughout the New Testament, various passages describe a spiritual battle in which we are engaged. In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul said, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Timothy was told, “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). Jude admonished Christians to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3).

This war is going on all around us. It is not something we can ignore or escape. So how do we prepare for battle? Notice what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus:Continue Reading

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February 14, 2022

Dangers on the Safe Side (Part 4): Avoiding Persecution

Dangers on the Safe Side

In writing to Timothy, Paul made it clear that the life of a Christian would involve persecution: “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). During the first century and at various times and places throughout history, Christians have faced severe persecution for their faith. In this country, generally speaking, any persecution we may have encountered for our faith has been minimal. However, as our society and civil leaders become increasingly ungodly, the likelihood that we will see more severe persecution in the future becomes more of a possibility. When threatened with physical harm, imprisonment, or some other type of abuse, it is tempting to do nearly anything to stay “on the safe side” and avoid it. Yet no matter how dangerous it may become to be a faithful Christian, there are greater dangers in compromising in order to avoid persecution.

The Hebrew writer reminded the brethren of persecution they had already endured and encouraged them to remain faithful.Continue Reading

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February 7, 2022

Dangers on the Safe Side (Part 3): Adding Rules

Dangers on the Safe Side

In the previous article, we talked about expanding fellowship beyond the limits given in the Scriptures. As we noticed in that article, if we are too loose in our fellowship, we can end up jeopardizing our fellowship with God. However, there is a danger in swinging too far in the other direction and being too strict in our fellowship. This happens when we impose rules upon others that are in addition to the instructions found in the word of God, and then refuse to have fellowship with those who do not conform to our rules. These rules may have been created with good intentions – trying to stay “on the safe side” and keep as far from the line of sin as possible. There is nothing wrong with this on a personal level, but it is dangerous when we try to enforce these rules on others.

Paul addressed this problem of adding rules in addition to what the Lord required in his letter to the church in Colossae.Continue Reading

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February 2, 2022

Moses Finished

Tabernacle

When we read about different individuals in the Bible, we often try to learn from their example in the things that they did. However, there are also times when we can learn from them as they finished what they were doing. In this article, we are going to notice the example of Moses and the times in which the Scriptures indicate that he finished something.Continue Reading

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January 31, 2022

Dangers on the Safe Side (Part 2): Expanding Fellowship

Dangers on the Safe Side

One of the blessings we enjoy as Christians is the fellowship we have with other believers. As the world around us becomes more ungodly, it is especially valuable to have this relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet we also need to remember that God has given certain rules that outline the bounds of our fellowship. It may be tempting to stay “on the safe side” and not draw lines of fellowship among our brethren. We do not want to draw lines that God has not drawn [we will discuss this more in the next article], yet there are dangers that exist when we expand fellowship beyond the bounds that God has given us.

Let us notice Paul’s rebuke of the church in Corinth for failing to deal with one who was in sin among them.Continue Reading

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