August 31, 2015

The Psalm of the Word (Part 7): Remembrance

The Psalm of the Word

Remember the word to Your servant,
In which You have made me hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word has revived me.

The arrogant utterly deride me,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your law.

I have remembered Your ordinances from of old, O Lord,
And comfort myself.

Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked,
Who forsake Your law.

Your statutes are my songs
In the house of my pilgrimage.

O Lord, I remember Your name in the night,
And keep Your law.

This has become mine,
That I observe Your precepts.

(Psalm 119:49-56)

This lesson will address the importance of remembering God’s word. His word will not do us any good if we do not know it. Furthermore, God’s word will not help us if we forget it. So let us consider what the psalmist said about remembering God’s word – why to do it and how to do it.
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September 18, 2013

Not Getting Anything Out of the Assembly

Worship

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1).

David expressed the attitude that we must have when it comes to assembling to worship the Lord – gladness. The assembly of the saints ought to be something to which we look forward.

Unfortunately, many do not look forward to this time. But rather than acknowledging their own poor attitude and making efforts to change their mindset, they often attempt to shift the blame to others. They will say, “I’m not getting anything out of the assembly!” In their minds, this provides justification for them to complain, become sporadic in their attendance, or quit assembling altogether.

In this article, we will focus on the attitude of one who claims to be getting nothing out of the assembly of the church. It is a dangerous attitude and we must guard ourselves against it.
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March 8, 2011

Lessons from the Melodeon at Midway

Midway Melodeon

One of the most significant events of the Restoration Movement was the introduction of a melodeon in the assembly of the church in Midway, Kentucky. According to L.L. Pinkerton, the preacher at Midway, this was the first time an instrument had been successfully introduced among those of the Restoration Movement. He made this claim in 1860.

The reason why this was significant was because of the plea voiced by the preachers of the Restoration – speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent. Every religious practice would have to pass the test of Scripture. If one could not demonstrate that a practice was according to the New Testament pattern (2 Timothy 1:13), that practice was to be rejected because everything must be done by the authority of Christ (Colossians 3:17). Therefore, instrumental music in worship was widely rejected in the Restoration Movement. It did not fit the pattern revealed in the New Testament which, therefore, made it unauthorized.

So how did the melodeon find its way into the worship of the church in Midway? It certainly did not happen overnight. If we can learn the lessons from this event, then we will hopefully be prepared to guard ourselves against potential apostasies today.
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July 1, 2009

Making the Most of Your Time

Pocket Watch

Each one of us is busy with obligations and responsibilities that have been placed upon us and that we have taken upon ourselves. Our lives can be hectic and we sometimes wonder how we will ever have time to do what we need to do. This is just as much of a challenge for Christians as it is for anyone else.

Paul provided some instructions about time management that would be good for us to heed:

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

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February 1, 2007

Nation’s Largest Church of Christ Adds Instrumental Music and Saturday Night Communion

[This article was written by Larry R. DeVore.]

Moses E. Lard wrote in April 1865 at the end of the Civil War these words: “He is a poor observer of men and things who does not see slowly growing up among us a class of men who can no longer be satisfied with the ancient gospel and the ancient order of things. These men must have changes; and silently they are preparing the mind of the brotherhood to receive changes. Do not be deceived, brethren, the Devil is not sleeping. If you refuse to see the danger till ruin is upon you, then it will be too late.” (Quoted in Churches of Christ During the Civil War, page 106, by Dayton Keesee). In the light of happenings today among Churches of Christ, he could have written these words in April 2006.
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December 1, 2005

Be Filled with the Spirit

Recently I heard someone describe some religious services he had attended. He told me of the bizarre and chaotic assemblies in those churches in which the churchgoers seemed almost out of control. Those caught up in this behavior would attribute their actions to being filled with the Holy Spirit. But are these outbursts the result of the Spirit’s influence, or are they an overexcited, emotional release on the part of these people?

Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus and said, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). The contrast is made between being filled with the Spirit and being intoxicated. Both being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit will affect ones behavior. So how does being filled with the Spirit affect us? Does it result in spontaneous, uncontrollable action? Let us notice the context.
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