May 3, 2023

Conduct Yourselves in a Manner Worthy of the Gospel

Reading an Open Bible

When Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, there were very few problems that he needed to correct. These brethren were faithfully following the Lord and were an encouragement to the apostle. So he encouraged them to continue serving the Lord in a way that would please Him. Consider the following verses:

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me” (Philippians 1:27-30).

In the passage above, Paul told them to “conduct [themselves] in a manner worthy of the gospel.” This indicates that the gospel calls us to a higher standard, and Christians must strive to live up to it. But what exactly does that mean? How can we do this today? Let us consider what Paul wrote in this passage about how we can “conduct [ourselves] in a manner worthy of the gospel.”Continue Reading

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April 19, 2023

How the Church May Use Its Money

Collection Plate

“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).

The passage above shows the practice of churches in the first century under the direction of the apostles taking up a collection on the first day of the week. Brethren often cite this as the reason why Christians today continue to give on the first day of each week when they assemble with their local congregations.

But why do we give on the first day of each week? Besides following this example, what is the purpose of doing this? After we put our money in the collection plate, what does the church do with it? Are there any instructions or principles in the New Testament that would inform us about the church’s use of that money? We are going to consider these questions in this article.Continue Reading

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April 5, 2023

The Meekest Man in All the Earth

Moses

“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3, KJV).

While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a complaint arose from Miriam and Aaron against Moses. The original reason for the complaint was something involving Moses’ wife (Numbers 12:1), yet it led his brother and sister to challenge Moses himself (Numbers 12:2). It is in this context that the statement above was made about one of Moses’ character traits – meekness.

In this article, we will discuss meekness – what it is, how it was manifested in Moses’ life, and why we must display this trait today.Continue Reading

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March 29, 2023

Notable Women and Their Role in the Early Church

Paul with Aquila and Priscilla

Over the last few decades, there has been a growing movement in the religious world pushing for women to be able to serve as preachers, pastors, or in other leadership roles within the church. In fact, I wrote an article back in 2009 commenting on a study that indicated then that the number of women pastors has doubled in a decade. This trend has only accelerated since that time.

As more “conservative” religious groups feel pressured to welcome women in various leadership roles in their churches, there is more of an attempt to defend this practice by appealing to the Scriptures. Lately, I have noticed some religious people citing certain women mentioned in the New Testament as “proof” that women are permitted to preach in any public forum, oversee a local congregation, or exercise some other leadership role in the work or worship of the church.

In this article, I want us to briefly notice some of these prominent women of the first century church and see what the Scriptures actually have to say about them. We will also be reminded about what the New Testament says about women serving in these roles.Continue Reading

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March 1, 2023

How Does “Revival” Happen Today?

Worship lights

It is common to hear religious people talk about attending events called “revivals.” As I write this article, a recent “revival” at Asbury University has captured the attention of believers and unbelievers throughout the country and around the world. As it continued, other “revivals” started in different places. Many people were convinced that this was from God, and, of course, others were skeptical.

This article is not about the events at Asbury University per se.* Instead, I want us to consider this concept of “revival” from a Biblical perspective. If a “revival” is to happen today, what will that look like? How will it come about? Let us consider a few questions briefly.Continue Reading

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February 15, 2023

The Problem with Ecumenism

Hand shake

Ecumenism refers to the movement to promote unity among various religious groups despite differences in doctrines and practices. Often the focus of this is among “Christian” denominations, yet some want to extend this more broadly to include other religious groups as well. This can be seen in the growing number of outreach activities, ministries, and events shared by different “faiths” who, in previous generations, would not have fellowship with one another. One manifestation of this can be a deemphasis on evangelism since that would imply that someone needs to be taught and converted to the truth rather than accepted in their current condition.

Many people see these kinds of efforts as being unquestionably good. After all, with everything that the Bible teaches about unity, how could ecumenism possibly be a bad thing? Unfortunately, the “unity” promoted by ecumenism is not the same type of unity that is described in the Scriptures.Continue Reading

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February 1, 2023

Members One of Another

Group Praying

“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:3-5).

Paul told the saints in Rome they were “members one of another.” They were part of the same body; therefore, they were to act in a certain way toward one another.

The same is true for us today. As we are members of the Lord’s church – particularly members of a local congregation – certain responsibilities come with that. In order to help us learn how to treat our brethren and fellow members of the body of Christ, we are going to consider what Paul told the Christians in Rome about their treatment of “one another.”Continue Reading

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