Lessons from the Conversion of Apollos

There are several accounts of people being converted to Christ in the book of Acts. One such example was the conversion of Apollos in Ephesus.

Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue.

But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 18:24-28).

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Teaching the Next Generation

Family Portrait

It has been said before that the church is just one generation away from apostasy. This is certainly true. While there are exceptions to any rule, generally what the wise man said is accurate: “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). If we want children to follow the way of truth when they grow up, they must be taught the way of truth while they are growing up.

As we raise the next generation, we should focus on this question: Why do we believe, teach, and practice what we do? This is important. We are to “please [God] in all respects” (Colossians 1:10). The next generation must be taught to please God as well. But if we do not teach them how to do this, what will they do when they are grown?
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Bringing Up Children in the Lord: Introduction

Bringing Up Children in the Lord

The topic of parenting is vital – not only for the Lord’s church, but also for society as a whole. Children are the future; therefore, it is important that parents take their responsibility seriously to bring up their children in the right way.
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They Were Offended

Many of the Pharisees opposed Jesus while He was on the earth. On one occasion, they questioned Jesus about why His disciples broke “the tradition of the elders” by failing to “wash their hands when they eat bread” (Matthew 15:2). Though there was nothing wrong with the practice of washing one’s hands before a meal, they had elevated this human tradition to the same level as divine instruction. This was a problem and Jesus was willing to expose it.

In responding to their question, Jesus asked them about another tradition. However, this tradition was not harmless in itself. Instead, the tradition about which Jesus questioned them directly violated the commandment of God: “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:3). He went on to explain how their tradition led them to forsake the command to “honor [one’s] father and mother” (Matthew 15:4; cf. Exodus 20:12). They had “invalidated the word of God for the sake of [their] tradition” (Matthew 15:6), thus making their worship “in vain” (Matthew 15:9).

It is important to notice what happened next as it has a direct application to our efforts to teach the truth.
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New Year’s Resolutions: Start, Stop, Improve

2014Often when people make New Year’s resolutions, they begin with the words start, stop, or improve (or synonyms of these words) – start exercising, stop smoking, improve spending habits, etc. As we grow and mature, it is good to improve in all areas of our lives; but it is particularly important to improve our spiritual lives. So as we begin a new year, I want to suggest some resolutions for all of us to consider as we seek to please the Lord.
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“The Lord Stood With Me”

Paul the Apostle

Near the end of his second letter to Timothy, Paul spoke of his experience in making a defense of the truth. He warned Timothy – and us as well – what to be prepared for and reminded him of the importance of keeping his trust in the Lord.

At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:16-18).

Let us notice briefly some lessons we can learn from Paul in this passage.
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Teaching Questions

Jesus as a Boy in the Temple

In our last article, we looked at some good questions asked of a teacher that related to spiritual things. However, not all questions are asked by those needing information. Sometimes questions are asked by a teacher as a way to challenge his audience. Notice the example of Jesus when He was a young boy:

Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers” (Luke 2:46-47).

Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14). He was not asking questions because He lacked understanding and was seeking instruction. He asked questions as a way to teach. The understanding and answers He imparted while His flesh and blood body was just twelve years old amazed those who heard Him.

This was not the only time Jesus employed this method of teaching. In this article, we will notice just a few examples in the Scriptures of questions that were asked by teachers as a way to lead their hearers to the truth.
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