church Archives - Page 13 of 26 - Plain Bible Teaching

Andy Sochor March 21, 2017

The Future of the Church (Season 5, Episode 9)

This phrase is often used to refer to children growing up in the church. All parents – and everyone else involved – want to see these children grow up to be Christians. But even if they do, they are only part of the future of the church. In this episode, I want us to consider the future of the church – in particular, as it relates to each local congregation – and notice what we can do in the present to help the future church.

Article: The Future of the Church

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Andy Sochor March 15, 2017

Cities of Refuge

Since the Levites were not given a territory in the land of Canaan like the other tribes, they were given “forty-eight cities” (Numbers 35:7). Six of these cities would be designated as “cities of refuge” (Numbers 35:6). If someone killed someone else unintentionally, he could flee to one of these cities.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, “When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial”’” (Numbers 35:9-12).

In this article, we are going to notice five key points about these cities of refuge and how they parallel the church today.
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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: church, salvation

Andy Sochor March 14, 2017

Why Were They Called “churches of Christ”? (Season 5, Episode 8)

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Why Were They Called "churches of Christ"? (Season 5, Episode 8)

“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?

Article: Why Were They Called “churches of Christ”?

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Andy Sochor March 7, 2017

Looking for a New Church (Season 5, Episode 7)

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Looking for a New Church (Season 5, Episode 7)

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.

Article: Looking for a New Church

Mentioned in this episode: Choosing a New Church of House of Worship (Pew Research Center)

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Andy Sochor February 28, 2017

Congregational Cooperation (Season 5, Episode 6)

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Congregational Cooperation (Season 5, Episode 6)

From time to time, it is good to revisit questions that brethren have debated in the past.
If we fail to do this, there is a danger that the next generation can fall into the same errors that faithful brethren once opposed. A lack of understanding leads to apostasy. This was what happened to the Israelites after Joshua and his generation were gone: “There arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals” (Judges 2:10-11). We should try to prevent such apostasy through teaching.

The question we will consider here is this: Can local congregations work together? If so, how? This issue has been called congregational cooperation or church cooperation. In this episode, we are going to consider what the Bible has to say that will help us answer this question.

Article: Congregational Cooperation

Mentioned in this episode: The All Sufficiency of the Church (Season 5, Episode 2)

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Andy Sochor February 14, 2017

An Institution of Higher Education (Season 5, Episode 4)

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An Institution of Higher Education (Season 5, Episode 4)

In our society, a great amount of emphasis is placed upon obtaining a college education in order to prepare for secular employment. For many careers, this is helpful. For some, it is essential. Therefore, many people pursue a secular education in an institution of higher learning in order to best prepare themselves to find what they consider to be good jobs.

However, there is a type of education that is far more important than the education that prepares one for employment. This higher education is not for secular pursuits, but spiritual. It prepares us not for the work force (at least not directly), but for our service to God. Its purpose is not to help us obtain a high-paying job with good benefits, but to help us obtain eternal life.

Strangely, some act as though an institution devoted to secular education is also the preferred institution for their spiritual education. But God has created His own institution of higher education – the church. It has everything we need for the pursuit of a higher (i.e. from God) education. Let us notice what the Bible says about this institution of higher education.

Article: An Institution of Higher Education

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