November 4, 2026

How to Prevent an Apostasy

Opening the Bible

Paul told Timothy that apostasy was certain: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith…” (1 Timothy 4:1). He warned the brethren in Thessalonica of a great apostasy – “the apostasy” (2 Thessalonians 2:2) – which was coming. This apostasy would be widespread, yet that did not mean that every Christian or church must be doomed to fall away.

Timothy was to “hold fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13, NKJV), and he was to pass this on to others (2 Timothy 2:2). He needed to continue teaching without compromise, even if others departed from the truth (2 Timothy 4:2-5). If he did this, there was hope that those who would listen would be saved (1 Timothy 4:16).

So how would Timothy approach his work as a preacher to help prevent apostasy? And how would the brethren need to respond in order to keep from falling away? Let us notice what Paul wrote after warning about the coming apostasy.Continue Reading

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September 30, 2026

The Mystery of Godliness

The Apostle Paul

Many churches have some statement of faith or confession that they adopt as a unifying belief. A common one is the “Apostles’ Creed”* (despite the name, it did not originate with the apostles, but came about in the fourth century). Some churches recite this in their worship services.

We might agree with the content of the Apostles’ Creed if we are careful how we define the terms. However, rather than adopting a man-made confession like this, we should go to the Bible. Paul expressed a statement of faith about Jesus in his first letter to Timothy:

“By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

He said this was a “common confession” among Christians, and these points were “without controversy” (KJV) in the first-century church. This is what they believed, and we must believe these things as well.

So what is this “mystery of godliness”? By using the term “mystery,” Paul referred to something that was previously hidden but has now been revealed. They all pertain to spiritual truth. In this article, we will examine this “common confession” and see what we should believe about Jesus.Continue Reading

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September 16, 2026

If a Man Will Not Believe the Apostle Peter…

John H. Hundley (1796-1881)

John H. Hundley (1796-1881) was a gospel preacher who spent most of his life in Alabama. Though not as familiar to us as men like Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone, Hundley, like them,  sought to go back to the Bible for his authority in religious matters. His open mind and study of the Scriptures (as well as the influence of Walter Scott’s journal The Evangelist) led him to leave the Presbyterian church. He was immersed into Christ and helped found the church of Christ in Mooresville, Alabama.

In 1858, Hundley published a book titled The Plan of Salvation in which he explained what the New Testament taught about what one had to do to be saved. In it, he cited Peter’s words on the day of Pentecost:

Again, on the day of Pentecost, when the three thousand believed, and requested what they should do to be saved, Peter replied, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.” (The Plan of Salvation, p. 80)

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August 5, 2026

Convicting the World

Paul before Felix

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged” (John 16:7-11).

Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus spoke to His apostles and promised to send the Holy Spirit to them, who would “convict [reprove, KJV] the world” (John 16:8). The New International Version translates this phrase by saying He would “prove the world to be in the wrong.” The Spirit would do this “concerning sin and righteousness and judgment,” and we will notice later why this was necessary.

This work of the Holy Spirit would have a direct impact on the apostles’ teaching, and it should on ours as well. In this article, we are going to consider HOW the Spirit would convict the world, how the apostles carried out their work related to this, and what we should do in this regard today.Continue Reading

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July 16, 2026

How Often a Preacher Should Preach [Re-release] (07/16/26)

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Plain Bible Teaching Podcast

This week, we’re re-releasing an episode from a few years ago. In it, I was joined by my good friend, Kristofer Gardana, and we discussed preachers and how often they should preach. This was prompted by an article suggesting that “pastors” should preach no more than 40 weeks out of the year. As we consider this as it relates to a located preacher, we may not agree with the number of weeks, but there are advantages to having others involved in the work of preaching. We also need to remember that there are other things that a preacher does besides preach on Sundays. We discussed all of this in this episode.Continue Reading

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July 8, 2026

Point Out These Things to the Brethren

Man pointing at an open Bible

“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following” (1 Timothy 4:6).

A preacher’s job is not to find some “new” thing to present to his audience every time he preaches. If he has been preaching the truth, there is nothing “new” for him to teach without getting in trouble (cf. Galatians 1:8-9). A preacher is to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2), which includes informing, challenging, and reminding.

In the passage above, Paul declared the need to “put the brethren in remembrance” (KJV). This can be applied broadly to anything taught in the word of God, but what did Paul mean in this specific context? Notice what he wrote in the verses leading up to this statement:

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:1-5).

These were the things that Paul wanted Timothy to “point out” to the brethren. These reminders are still necessary today. Let us briefly consider these points.Continue Reading

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June 17, 2026

The Heresy Trial of Jesse L. Sewell

Jesse L. Sewell (1818-1890)Jesse L. Sewell (1818-1890) was a Tennessee preacher who sincerely wanted to please God and to proclaim what he found to be taught in the Bible. Eventually, he became connected with the Restoration Movement. It was common for these preachers to begin their work within the denominations before breaking away to follow the New Testament as their only rule of faith and practice. Sewell followed this course, having his start among the Baptists.

However, his Baptist brethren took exception to his preaching, and he was tried for heresy in December 1842. The charge against him was that he had “run fully into Campbellism” (The Life and Sermons of Jesse L. Sewell, p. 54), a label pejoratively given to those who allegedly followed the teachings of Alexander Campbell (1788-1866), a prominent figure in the Restoration Movement. Peter Ragan, a visiting preacher, offered this definition of “Campbellism”: “It denied faith, repentance and the influence of the Spirit, and made a God of the water” (ibid., p. 54). Sewell dismissed the allegation against him.

“If Campbell lived eighteen hundred years ago, and was the author of the New Testament, he had gotten his doctrine from Campbell, but not unless this is true” (ibid., p. 54).

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