April 25, 2007

“O How I Love Your Law!”

Bible reading

The psalmist wrote, “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). He went on to say that the law of God had given him wisdom, insight, and understanding (Psalm 119:98-100). He abstained from evil and practiced the ordinances of God (Psalm 119:101-102). He concluded this section by saying, “From your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104).

Notice the contrast. He loved God’s law and hated every false way. Because he understood God’s precepts, he hated everything opposed to and out of harmony with them. Why? For the same reason we should. Sin separates man from God and ends in eternal death (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23; James 1:15). Teaching something other than God’s truth causes one to be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9). Understanding these things should cause us to “hate every false way.”
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March 1, 2007

Local Church Autonomy

The Bible teaches that each local church is to be autonomous. That is, they are not answerable to another local church or council of churches. Elders are to shepherd the flock which is among them (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-2). No man or group of men has been given authority in the New Testament to rule or govern any other congregation(s).

Sometimes though, the Bible teaching of local church autonomy is misapplied or abused by brethren. Many believe that autonomy means we cannot be critical of what another congregation practices or teaches. When a concerned brother does speak out against error or apostasy in another local church, “autonomy” is the club used to attack this man. After all, to speak out against the error or apostasy in another congregation is to violate that church’s autonomy. Really?
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November 1, 2006

Right and Wrong

Many are uncomfortable with the idea that there is an unchanging moral standard. They do not want to think of truth being absolute. They want it to be subjective. They do not like to think of things as being “black and white” but want to believe there is a lot of “gray area.” They think whatever is right should be determined by the individual and be based upon the situation. But the Bible teaches that there is a clear difference between right and wrong. Let us turn our attention to Jesus’ conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:13-29) in which He showed five areas where is a distinct difference between right and wrong.
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October 1, 2006

A Brief Review of Calvinism

We are not to believe everything we hear. John warned, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). We test the spirits (teachers and their teaching) by the inspired, infallible word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; John 17:17; Psalm 119:160).

Some of the most common doctrines in the denominational world fall under the heading of Calvinism. Calvinism simply refers to the doctrines and teachings of John Calvin and his followers. Calvin was a theologian from the 1500′s who greatly influenced the Reformation movement. He was a brilliant man, but brilliance does not always translate into faithfulness to God or one accurately handling His word (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:26-27). These doctrines are accepted by many, but are not taught in the word of God.
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July 1, 2006

The Love of the Truth

“Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).

Those who do not possess a love of the truth will be lost. Their fate will be the same as the “lawless one” – the one who acts contrary to God’s revealed will who will be slain by the Lord. Why is it that we need to have a “love of the truth” in order to be saved? What will a love of the truth cause us to do?
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January 1, 2006

Church Growth in the New Testament

The churches of men have come up with many devices to produce numerical growth. They cater to man’s desires in order to draw them into their number. They have activities, host events, and make every sort of “ministry” they can think of that will appeal to people. Instead of looking to the denominations for how to produce church growth, we should look to the New Testament. Paul said when we preach and teach the gospel, God is the one who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). Therefore, all we can do is follow His plan. What caused the New Testament church to grow?
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September 1, 2005

Of What Kind of Church Are You a Member?

Church building

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build His church. In Acts 2 we read about the establishment of that church. Throughout the book of Acts, we see how the church grew from its beginnings in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The New Testament as a whole provides us with a picture of the church our Lord purchased with His blood (Acts 20:28). Several times, we read about a congregation being rebuked for problems that existed there. It can be profitable for us to consider the issues that affected these churches and compare them to the church where we are members. Every problem in every congregation in the New Testament will not be discussed in this article. But as we look at some of these, think about the congregation where you attend. Notice if there are things there that may need to be addressed as well.
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