August 9, 2023

What to Do with Truth

Man Reading Bible

When Pilate was questioning Jesus, He said He had “come into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). In response, Pilate dismissively asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) before returning to meet Jesus’ accusers.

Though it may not have been a sincere inquiry, Pilate’s question – “What is truth?” – is good. Ultimately, God is the source of truth since it is “impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). This is why the Psalmist wrote, “The sum of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119:160). Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed for His disciples and appealed to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

When we seek to define truth, we must recognize that the Scriptures reveal the truth that comes from God. It is critical that we understand this. However, simply acknowledging that is not enough. In addition to recognizing the word of God (the Bible) as truth, there are certain things we must do with the truth.

So what are we to do with the truth? Let us briefly notice a few points.Continue Reading

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April 27, 2023

Monthly News Roundup (04.27.23)

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Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

This episode is our monthly news roundup for April. In this episode, we’re talking about a survey indicating that believers in God are the happiest people in the U.S., the declining number of “born again Christians” who believe Jesus lived a sinless life, and a discovery of a fragment of a translation of the gospel of Matthew from the third century.Continue Reading

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October 31, 2022

Answering Basic Questions (Part 7): What Is the Plan of Salvation?

Answering Basic Questions

Jesus came to earth and died on the cross in order to make salvation possible. But how can we take advantage of His sacrifice and be saved? The New Testament shows how this can be done.

So what is the plan of salvation? Let us consider four points in this article.Continue Reading

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August 30, 2021

Road Trip (Part 3): The Road to Gaza

The Road to Gaza

On our next stop in this series, we are going to find a man who was going down the road to Gaza. Here we will learn about preaching Jesus.

“But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a desert road.) So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’ Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

“Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: ‘He was led as a sheep to slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He does not open His mouth. In humiliation His judgment was taken away; who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.’ The eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?’ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

“As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?’ And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:26-39).

This occurred at the time in which the disciples were “scattered” from Jerusalem due to persecution and “went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). Philip was among this number, but the Lord specifically directed him to go to this place. Let us notice some lessons from this.Continue Reading

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September 4, 2019

The Name of “Christian”

Christian on chalkboard

The “Restoration Movement” is sometimes called the “Stone-Campbell Movement” after two principle men in that movement – Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell. They were two of many who endeavored to leave the churches and creeds of men and follow the Bible alone.

Stone was formerly a Presbyterian. Campbell had previously been associated with the Baptists. Yet they decided they were no longer going to use those names to identify themselves. So what would they be called? Campbell thought brethren should be identified as “Disciples” while Stone favored the name “Christian.” What does the Bible say? Notice what Luke recorded:

“And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

In the verse above, disciples were called Christians. Let us consider what the Bible says about the name we are to wear.Continue Reading

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June 12, 2019

How to Determine If One Is a Christian

Paul Before Agrippa

When Paul was on trial before King Agrippa, he used the opportunity to preach the gospel (Acts 26:19-23). One of the apostle’s goals was to persuade the king to become a Christian. Agrippa recognized this because he stated, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28).

We are trying to do the same thing today that Paul was doing on that occasion – trying to persuade people to become a Christian. However, if we are going to persuade them to become a Christian, we need to know what a Christian is. Also, they need to understand what a Christian is before they can be persuaded to become one.

So how can we determine if one is a Christian? How can one determine if he/she is a Christian or not? We can consult the Scriptures to find an answer.Continue Reading

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April 16, 2019

A New Covenant (Sermon #40)

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A New Covenant (Sermon #40)

We’re in between season 12 and season 13. During the break we’re posting audio sermons each week instead of the regular episodes. The sermon for this week was preached on January 27, 2019 at the Eastside church of Christ in Morgantown, KY.

If you found this episode to be useful, please share it with others. Also, if you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a rating on iTunes or Stitcher. This also helps others hear about the podcast. Thanks.

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