In the previous article, we considered the life of Jesus. He perfectly fulfilled the Father’s will – even in His death. This article will focus on the death of Jesus and what we should understand about it.
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September 14, 2016
The Death of Jesus
September 7, 2016
The Life of Jesus
“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). In this statement, John was referring to Jesus who came to earth to live among men. This was necessary in order to fulfill His mission through His death on the cross (Hebrews 2:14). We will examine the death of Jesus in more detail in a future article. In this article, we are going to take a broad look at the life of Jesus and see what we can learn and apply to our lives.
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August 31, 2016
Looking for a New Church
The Pew Research Center has recently come out with some new information about how Americans search for a new congregation with which they can worship. The findings were interesting and I believe this information can be helpful as we seek to reach those in the community around us.
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August 10, 2016
Grace, Faith, and Works
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Even though the topic of salvation is shown to be of fundamental importance in the Scriptures, there is sharp disagreement between brethren and the religious world about it – particularly about the role that grace, faith, and works play in our salvation. Many in the religious world believe that we are saved by grace through faith without any works on our part. In other words, they believe salvation is unconditional (unless they count faith as a condition, but that would be the only one). The passage above is often cited to defend this idea. Yet as we will see from the Scriptures, all three of these – grace, faith, and works – are necessary for our salvation.
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August 3, 2016
Studying the Bible
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Learning how to accurately handle God’s word is necessary for one to be approved to God. However, this process requires diligence. If we are to learn God’s will, we must be diligent in our efforts to study the word that He has revealed to us.
In this article, we will discuss how to study God’s word in such a way that will lead us to enjoy His approval. This involves preparations to study, developing a habit of studying, and also applying our studies to our daily lives.
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July 20, 2016
How Can People Know We Are Christians?
I recently read an article that talked about a group using tattoos as a fundraiser for a church project. Those who were participating were getting tattoos that were meant to convey the message that they were Christians. On one hand, it is tempting to see this as commendable. With tattoos being (relatively) permanent, one could argue that they can be a good expression of our commitment to following Jesus.
However, the Bible never says that Christians are to indicate their identity as disciples of Jesus by some markings on their skin. In fact, the concept is just like the practice of the Pharisees who would “broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments” (Matthew 23:5). The Pharisees wanted people to see, based upon the accessories that they wore, that they were zealously religious. Those who get tattoos (or wear certain jewelry or clothing) that are designed to convey a religious message and identify them as Christians are doing the same thing.
Jesus said there is another way that people should recognize us as being His followers – it is by the fruit that is produced in our lives.
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July 13, 2016
God Remembered
“But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things which accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints” (Hebrews 6:9-10).
The Hebrew writer reminded the Christians to whom he wrote that God would not forget their work. The same promise applies to us today as well.
On an intellectual level, Christians may know this. We know that God is omniscient and, therefore, knows what we are doing and what we have done. However, during difficult times, it can sometimes feel as though God has forgotten us, even though we know He has not.
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