February 1, 2008

Who Is Qualified to Preach the Gospel?

Preaching

It is a commendable thing for one to desire to preach the gospel. Yet not everyone should do it. James wrote, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). Preaching the gospel is a serious matter.

How would one become qualified to preach the gospel? Many denominations require that their preachers (or pastors/ministers) complete some sort of training at a college or seminary. Some of our brethren believe a preacher should attend a certain college or complete some type of preacher training program or that these somehow make him more able to teach. But if we really want to know what to expect of one who desires to preach, we need not look any farther than the word of God. The New Testament provides a description of one who is qualified (fit) to preach the gospel.
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February 1, 2008

Safeguards Against False Teaching

[This article was written by Robert A. Sochor.]

The New Testament warns pretty clearly that there shall be false teachers at work among Christians and churches (2 Peter 2:1). This was true in the first century and is just as true in the 21st century. Even their success is foretold in scripture (1 Timothy 4:1).

Why are they successful? I can think of four reasons (not in any particular order):
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February 1, 2008

Living in View of Christ’s Return

Sun and Clouds over the Ocean

The Second Coming of Christ is a recurrent theme in both of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. It is discussed in some detail in both letters (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10) and is at least mentioned in every chapter but one (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:1-11, 23; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2:1, 8). The Holy Spirit wanted these brethren to keep this event in their minds as they walked here on earth. These writings have been preserved for us today for the same reason. Remembering the reality of Christ’s return, what were the brethren in Thessalonica told to do? What they were told to do will apply to us as well. We are waiting for the Lord to return just as they were. Let us consider what we are to do as we wait.
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January 24, 2008

Some Thoughts from 2 Timothy

In February we’re going to start studying 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus in the Sunday morning Bible class I teach. Tonight I’ve been working on the study guides. When I write a study guide, I divide them up a lesson per chapter. At the top of the page in each lesson I list a key verse in the chapter that states one of the main points.

After I finished 2 Timothy, I noticed a pattern in the verses I had chosen. 2 Timothy 1:13, 2:15, 3:16, and 4:2.
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January 8, 2008

His Name is John

Luke records that an angel appeared to Zacharias, a priest serving in the temple. The angel told Zacharias, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John” (Luke 1:13). The angel went on to tell Zacharias that this child would grow up and be the forerunner of the Messiah as prophesied by Malachi (Luke 1:17; Malachi 4:5-6). Zacharias did not immediately believe the angel so he was struck with silence until the time the child was born (Luke 1:20).
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January 1, 2008

Non-Denominationalism

Last month I posted an article about the problem of denominationalism. Yet there seems to be a shift occurring in the religious world. We are seeing a gradual move from denominationalism to non-denominationalism. It is becoming more common to pass a church building and see that the name on the sign does not include a denominational distinction. That is one sign of this shift.

Denominational distinctions are becoming less important. It used to be that people would generally identify themselves by their denomination. They would think it strange when you said you were “just a Christian.” Now they tend to simply call themselves Christians, too. This may be a step in the right direction (Acts 11:26; 1 Corinthians 1:12-13), but there is still more that needs to be done. There are two things that have come from this decreased emphasis on denominational distinctions.
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January 1, 2008

Measures of a Sound Church

Church building

How can we know if a local church is a sound church? First, what do we mean by a sound church? This particular phrase is not used in the New Testament. But the word “sound” is used to describe teaching, doctrine, and words (1 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 1:13; 4:3). The Greek word which is translated “sound” means to have good health, to be well, and to be uncorrupted. This word can certainly be used in reference to a local church. So how do we know if a church is “sound”?
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