April 1, 2015

Is Divine Revelation Ongoing Today?

Looking toward heaven

“For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief” (Ephesians 3:1-3).

Paul told the Ephesians about the mystery he received by revelation. He was referring to divine revelation – a message that came from God. As an apostle (Ephesians 1:1), the Holy Spirit guided him “into all the truth” (John 16:13) so that he could say, “The things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment” (1 Corinthians 14:37).

Does this type of divine revelation still occur today? Many people claim to receive messages directly from heaven. But does God reveal His will directly to people today like He did with Paul and others? It is important that we know the answer to that question. So let us consider it here.
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March 18, 2015

A Christian’s Ambition

Farming

Ambition is a trait that is seen as being desirable by many in the world. It is the attitude that drives one to continue progressing, advancing, and improving. Generally, it is necessary if one is to enjoy any degree of success or prosperity in life.

Christians are to be ambitious. But the focus of our ambitions will differ from that of the world. When Paul wrote to the saints in Thessalonica, he explained what their ambition was to be:

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

Let us consider the points that Paul highlighted in this passage and see what our ambition should be as Christians.
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March 11, 2015

Euphemisms for Death

Cemetery

“A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2).

Why would Solomon say that the day of one’s death is better than one’s birth? It was not because he was a severely depressed man who wanted to end his life. It was simply because he knew that life was vanity here, but we have something better in the hereafter (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:7-8, 13-14).

The Bible uses several expressions (euphemisms) for death. A euphemism is a milder word or phrase used in place of a stronger one. A common euphemism we use for death is to say that someone has passed away. The euphemisms of death used in the Bible teach us some lessons – both of the reality of death and the hope we have after death if we are faithful. We should take these lessons to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2).
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March 4, 2015

Why Were They Called “churches of Christ”?

Church of Christ

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16).

Paul referred to the congregations with which he was associated as “churches of Christ.” Many brethren, in an effort to follow the New Testament pattern, have also used this to identify local churches. However, some brethren have quit using this designation, choosing instead to identify themselves as “The Church in ___” or merely placing a sign in front of their building that says, “Christians Meet Here.” Of course, many more in the denominational world use other names to identify their churches (Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc.).

Our desire must be to please Christ and serve Him faithfully. So let us consider this question: Why were those local churches in the first century called “churches of Christ” and what bearing does this have on us today?
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February 18, 2015

Great Faith and Little Faith

Walking on Water

Jesus spoke of some as having great faith and others having little faith. What is the difference between these two types of faith?

As Christians, if we examine ourselves, we will likely find similarities in both categories. Where we have great faith, we must continue. Where we have little faith, we must improve. The Hebrew writer said, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him…” (Hebrews 11:6). Let us consider the differences between great faith and little faith so that we can learn how to best please the Lord.
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February 11, 2015

Wherever the Tree Falls

Fallen tree

“If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies” (Ecclesiastes 11:3).

Man often takes pride in his perceived ability to control events in his life and achieve his goals. While it is certainly good to work to improve ourselves and change our lot in life for the better, we must also understand that there are many things in life that are simply out of our control.
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January 21, 2015

Why Being Non-Denominational Is Not Good Enough

Church steeple

In the past, more emphasis was placed upon one’s denominational affiliation. But for many today, this is less important. This shift in mindset has given rise to the number of “non-denominational” churches we see in the religious world.

For years, faithful brethren have rightly condemned denominationalism. So is the trend toward non-denominationalism a good thing? Maybe not. Why not? Simply being non-denominational is not good enough.

The church in Sardis was a dead church, though they had a reputation that they were alive. Jesus said to them, “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1). This shows us that a church can seem to be good in the eyes of men, but in the eyes of the Lord, their status is completely different. In the eyes of many, “non-denominational” churches look appealing. But like the church in Sardis, many of these churches simply do not measure up to the Lord’s standard.
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