Reconciliation is a doctrine taught by the Bible that is often misunderstood. Each month, many persons reconcile their checkbooks with their bank statements with little or no thought. The purpose of doing this, of course, is to make sure that they agree. Unlike that kind of reconciliation, human reconciliation involves checking against a perfect measurement — the will of God for man. Reconciliation is defined as: “to win over to friendliness; cause to become amicable . . . to compose or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.), to bring into agreement or harmony . . .”1  God began his purpose to reconcile man to him in the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” At the dawn of time, God promised man a Savior that we might be reconciled to him. The question remains however, why did Jesus have to come to earth for us to be reconciled to God? The Bible tells us that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). This being the case, how can mankind have hope? Simply put, our Savior understands our struggles perfectly: “Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation …

Several years ago, I received word that my grandmother (my mom’s mom) had passed away. Suddenly, a flood of memories filled my mind. I began to remember her cookie jar that she kept filled with sugar cookies. I remembered her homemade bread and chocolate and custard pies. I remembered sleeping in her damp basement having quilt after quilt piled on me to keep me warm. But the most cherished memory I have of my grandmother and grandfather was their worn out Bibles that sat on the tables by their respective chairs. I remembered how I, as a child, would open those Bibles and read all the study notes they had written in the margins. The legacy my grandparents left me leaves me with hope today. What kind of legacy are you leaving your children and grandchildren? Give it some thought.

I have a friend whose name is Doka. He just returned to Nigeria after spending some time in the States getting a degree from Freed-Hardeman University. The week before he returned home to his family, we were talking about a number of things and he made the statement, “When two elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers.” Obviously, while his imagery is not common to our culture, I think I can understand well the point he was making, and it has caused me to do some thinking. Think about this truth next time you are about to get into a scuffle with someone. You may be “big” enough to handle yourself quite well, but what impact will this scuffle have on those around you? What about your children? What do they see and hear in your house as you “have it out” with a brother or sister in Christ? What does that do to their faith and attitude? Remember the next time you are tempted to get into a “fight,” that while you may come out of the whole ordeal with only a few cuts and bruises, you may, in the process, crush and destroy innocent by-standers. Yes, Doka was right. Although I don’t think I would have ever thought to express it quite like he did, “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.” Give it some thought.

An oath: a solemn, usually formal, calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says.1 There is much confusion on whether a Christian can or cannot take an oath. The problem stems from verses of Scripture such as Matthew 5:33-37 where Jesus says, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil” and passages like Galatians 1:20 and 1 Thessalonians 5:27 where Paul swears an oath and asks Christians to swear an oath. What is the answer? Can we or can we not swear oaths. When reading passages like Matthew 5:33-37, the verses must be kept in context. Jesus tells us that in the Old Testament it is written, “Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but perform unto the Lord thine oaths.” Jesus is referring to Leviticus 19:12 where they should not swear by God falsely or profane his name. The word “forswear” in Matthew 5:33 means to commit perjury and at the end of the verse Christ says that they were to perform their oaths to the Lord. In verse 34, Jesus makes a contrast with the words “but I say unto you,” to contrast the Old with the New. Verses 34 to 36 are a list of things by which we are not to swear. It was the practice of the Jews in the Old Testament to seal any type of business …

Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin of the Russian Air Force was the first human to travel in space. This first human space trip was made April 12, 1961. It was a one hour and 48 minute trip from take-off to landing. Major Gagarin was in orbit around the earth for one hour and 29.1 minutes. During this orbiting, he traveled at the speed of 17,000 miles per hour. It was reported that when Major Gagarin had landed and got out of his spaceship Vostok I, he said he did not see God on his trip. This was interpreted as a denial of God’s existence. My reaction to Major Gagarin’s statement was that he could have seen God had he opened a window or hatch on Vostok I! Had he done this and lost the oxygen in the spaceship he would have soon died and would have been in the presence of God! Probably Major Gagarin saw God thirteen years ago. He was killed in a plane crash March 27, 1968! God Put The Earth In Orbit! A human’s referring to God in a light and frivolous manner, or a human’s defying the Almighty, and leaving the impression he does not believe God exists, are horrendous, horrifying, and contemptible acts, especially if he has just orbited the earth in space at 17,000 miles per hour. One is able to travel in space around the earth because of the orderliness of the way the Almighty God operates the universe he created. Man’s orbiting …

Most people think of the evangelist as the head salesman in “My Father’s business.” Though promoting the church to the world is what evangelism is all about, this is not the only function that is designated for the evangelist. In Ephesians 4:11-12, the apostle Paul wrote, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” This demonstrates an internal role for the evangelist. “Evangelist” is a difficult office to identify today. For some reason, churches today are more concerned with a “ministry” than with having an “evangelist.” It gets even more confusing when you look at all the different kinds of “ministers” there are. Some of the larger congregations have a “pulpit minister” as well as one or more  “associate ministers,” while turning the young over to a “youth minister,” the weak to an “involvement minister” and everyone who is not being served by some other minister can see their “family life minister.” Even more disturbing is when one sees women being described in a  “minister’s” office. One congregation is currently advertising for a “female youth minister.” Timothy was told by his mentor, Paul, in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” He went on in verse 5, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work …

There are few burdens heavier for parents to carry, than that of seeing their children suffer. Worse still, is the death of a child. Of all the various crises that we might encounter, the death of one’s child is the most traumatic. All other forms of crisis can eventually be “laid to rest.” However, the death of a child creates pain that is never completely dispelled. Do you remember David’s reaction to his child’s sickness? When his child was very ill, David could not eat and he rejected the efforts of his associates in raising him from the ground. The illness of his child had “floored him,” both literally and figuratively. (See 2 Samuel 12:16-17.) In Matthew 9, Mark 5 and Luke 8, we learn of a man named Jarius who was a ruler in the synagogue at Capernaum. Typically, those who were closely attached to the synagogue did not embrace Jesus. John 12:42-43 reports, “Nevertheless even of the rulers many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess [it], lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God.” Ah, but Jarius had a greater burden than that of concern over being thrown out of the synagogue. His daughter was sick. She was very sick! In fact, she was at the point of death. Jarius must have felt desperate. There was no highly advanced hospital that specialized in children’s illnesses to take the …

Have you noticed in recent years the attempt in this nation to label people with moral convictions as intolerant and loveless? Those who are engaged in the sin of homosexuality often employ this tactic. They have apparently convinced themselves and also seek to convince others that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. This, however, is not true. The Bible deals with homosexuality in a powerful and conclusive way. People who stand firmly where the Bible stands on this subject are far from loveless. In fact, it is love, which compels us to emphatically state that; “Homosexuality really is a sin.” It is sound Bible study and respect for biblical authority, which allows us to prove the truth of this statement. True love has never been permissive. Permissiveness comes from apathy, not from love. In 1 John 4:8 these simple words are recorded, “…God is love.” The truth of this statement is evident in that,”…God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God’s love is absolute. He loves all of mankind. Because God is love, his desire is for humanity to “have everlasting life.” To receive everlasting life, however, there are conditions which must be met. Two of these conditions are belief in God and in Jesus Christ. The question, then, is what does it mean to believe? Belief in God goes far beyond a simple acknowledgement of who he is. “You believe …

While attending culinary school in Pittsburgh, PA, classes involved “Practical Exams.”  These tests were individual exams consisting of preparing and cooking a dish from the previous quarter from memory.  Our chef graded them by judging the products’ appearance, aroma, taste, etc.  Since we did not know which recipe we were to prepare until class started, we had to memorize them all.  This made many students uneasy since practicals made up a large portion of our grade. Ed, a classmate of mine, was assigned to prepare biscuits.  That sounds easy enough, but it proved difficult for him.  He gathered the ingredients, mixed and formed the dough and placed the biscuits in the oven, thinking all was well. When he went to remove them from the oven, however, he found that they looked more like crackers than anything else.  This should have meant a failing grade, but Chef Cole decided to let him try again.  As it turned out, he tried again at least once a week for the next two or three weeks because of the same problem.  Finally, he produced biscuits that looked, smelled and tasted as they should. He did suffer a penalty for retaking the practical, but he still managed to earn a decent grade, thus passing the class. We can take this story about Ed and fit it to our lives in Christ.  Chef Cole’s willingness to allow Ed to retake his practical can be likened to God showing mercy and grace to all mankind, represented by …

With the end of the twentieth century, we hear more and more people talking about the end of time. There is a flurry of excitement, at the end of this century just as there was at the end of the last and the beginning of this one, that involves itself in the setting of dates for the second coming of Christ. This is especially true among those people who are called “Premillennialists,” because they take great delight in trying to ascertain the time in which the Lord will return for his people. This is also true because they teach that there will be several comings of Christ during the last time. But our purpose today is not, primarily, to speak of the strange doctrines of the various kinds of “Millennialists,” but to note that date setting for the end of time is nothing new to the Christian dispensation. From the earliest of times in the Christian Age, men have been setting dates for the end of time and for the return of the Lord. For example, a man by the name of Montanus, in the year AD 135, announced that he was a prophet, and that the New Jerusalem would soon descend from heaven and take root in the ancient country of Phrygia. Christians were admonished to get ready for the second coming of the Lord and the establishment of his kingdom. Later in that same century, another Christian by the name of Cerinthus, in AD 176, announced that it …