July 13, 2016

God Remembered

Noah's Ark

“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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July 6, 2016

The Entitlement Mentality

Minimum Wage

Our society has developed what is often called an “entitlement mentality” – particularly among the young, but it is still widespread through all ages. Those with this attitude believe that because they exist, they are entitled to certain things (standard of living, happiness, interpretation of truth, etc.).

The Israelites adopted this mindset while they were in Egypt. Despite their sufferings, they became accustomed to what they enjoyed there. While they were enslaved, they “cried out” to God “for help because of their bondage” (Exodus 2:23). After a series of plagues, God delivered them from bondage (Exodus 13:3). However, even with their newly acquired freedom, they complained about what they lacked:
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June 29, 2016

Question About Closed Communion

Communion Cups

In the past, many churches practiced “closed communion” – offering the Lord’s Supper only to members in good standing. Occasionally, questions will arise today about who can be served the Lord’s Supper. Let us consider what the New Testament says that relates to this issue.
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June 15, 2016

Godly Sorrow

Prayer

There are many reasons to sorrow in this life. However, in this article we will focus on sorrowing over sin. Paul discussed this in his second letter to Corinth:

“For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while—I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

“For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter” (2 Corinthians 7:8-11).

Sorrow can be produced by our own sins or the sins of others. Generally, sorrow is destructive unless we have the right kind of sorrow – godly sorrow. What is godly sorrow? Why is it beneficial for us? We will examine the passage above and seek to answer those questions in this article.
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June 8, 2016

You Have Need of Endurance

Running

Oxford Dictionary defines endurance as the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way. Thayer defines the Greek word that is translated endurance in our English Bibles this way: “not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”

Endurance is a characteristic we must have as Christians. But why is it so important? In this article, we are going to consider a few passages that explain why we need endurance as Christians. In these verses, we will notice a few English words (endurance, patience, perseverance), yet these are all from the same Greek word. So let us consider the reasons why we need endurance.
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June 1, 2016

The Need for Godly Women

Woman by the lake

This is a follow-up to a recent article: The Need for Godly Men. While it is true that many of our society’s problems are related to the fact that men are not fulfilling their God-given roles in the home and in society, the same is also true of women. For a long time, feminism has attacked the concepts and instructions contained in the Scriptures regarding the roles of women in general and of wives and mothers specifically.
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May 25, 2016

Remember the Fallen

The Stoning of Stephen

In the United States, Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have died while serving in the armed forces. It is certainly appropriate for us to appreciate the sacrifices that have helped make it possible for us to live “a tranquil and quiet life” (1 Timothy 2:2).

In a similar way, it is good for us to remember those who died not for a country, but for the kingdom of Christ. The New Testament provides us with a record of a few such individuals. In this article we will remember these martyrs* and consider some lessons from their deaths.
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