[Brother Lewis is a 14-year-old who plans on devoting his life to the service of God as a Gospel preacher. The following article evidences the good beginning he has already made in his community and through the printed word. ~ Editor] Today in the 21st century, people are divided on which day they ought to worship God. One group, Sabbath Keepers, keep the seventh day or Sabbath. Others worship on Sunday. Now the question is simple: Is the command, “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy” still binding on us as Christians? If we can show that the command to keep the Sabbath day is no longer in place, we then have to come to the conclusion that the first day of the week is the required day of worship for God’s people in the Christian Age. We are going to examine two main points why we are not to observe the command to keep the Sabbath. 1: The 10 Commandments weregiven to the children of Israel. “There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt” (1 Kings 8:9). What were the two tables of stone that Moses received at Horeb? The 10 Commandments. But the covenant made, was with the children of Israel (1 Kings 8:9b). The covenant was not made with their fathers, but with those who were alive then. The …

The Problem In order to suggest a solution to a problem, one must admit the problem exists. This is why mental and physical abuse counseling begins with such a confession; it is the foundation upon which the rest of the program depends for success. Incidentally, there are potential problems with the Christian life that all Christians must come to accept. Among them is the fact that a child of God can sin so as to be eternally lost. While many of our denominational friends deny this possibility, the Bible has much to say to the contrary concerning Christians erring from the faith. The Word of God admits the problem; therefore, the Word of God is authorized to address the solution to the problem. The Text The following passage of Scripture forever refutes the idea that a child of God cannot sin so as to be eternally lost. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins(James 5:19-20). Through James, the Holy Spirit admits the possibility that a child of God can be eternally lost, manmade doctrine notwithstanding. The language could not be simpler; a person needs much help to misunderstand this passage. When he uses the conditional word if,he clearly presents the logical possibility of the matter. Showing man’s moral power of choice implies that he can decide to act contrary …

“Can anyone forbid water?” (Acts 10:47). “One baptism” (Ephesians 4:5) was commanded by Jesus for “all the nations” to “the end of the world” (Matthew 28:18-20). It was not “Holy Spirit” baptism nor “fire baptism” (Matthew 3:11), but “water” baptism (Acts 10:47), the only kind that human beings can administer. But there were three instances of water baptism preceding the fourth, which is the “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5) for everybody today. 1. The baptism of the Israelites: They “were under the cloud, and passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). They did not think that they were saved from Pharaoh before their baptism: “when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and they cried out to Yahweh” (Exodus 14:10). Moses relieved their fear: “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will accomplish for you today. The Egyptians, whom you see today, never again will you see them” (Exodus 14:13). After the Israelites had been “baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea,” their deliverance was announced: “So Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians” (Exodus 14:3). Their baptism was not “an outward sign of an inward grace,” as some modern preachers assert of the “one baptism” (Ephesians 4:5) for us today, but an urgent necessity for the Israelites to …

There was once an army dividedWho then fought side by side.The two stood shoulder to shoulderBut one another couldn’t abide.The enemy laughed,“I’ve got them now”,Division being one of his goals,“If I can keep dividing them,I’ll win a few more souls.”If reading syrupy prose like thisYour literary senses does offend,Then, two camps, get together,Or I’ll be forced to write again. Cliques We will simply always be more comfortable around some people than others. That gives us no right to elevate one faithful brother over another. It gives us no right to exclude fellow Christians because they are not a part of “our usual circle.” Such exclusions and elevations hurt others and can lead to the divisions addressed below. Divisions What more beautiful picture of forgiveness exists than the words of Jesus spoken from the cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). The men for whom he prayed had not repented nor asked for God’s forgiveness. And yet, in our brotherhood today there are Christians who are at odds with one another over non-doctrinal issues and neither side will forgive the other because no one has admitted fault and asked to be forgiven. The problem may have come from wrongdoing by one or both parties or from a misunderstanding of motives that were attributed to certain actions. The result was hurt feelings. Years later there is still division between the two sides even though both parties are doctrinally rock solid. I write to my faithful brethren …

The Bible is all-sufficient in that it thoroughly equips man for life with God (2 Timothy 3:15-17). When it is asserted that the Bible is all-sufficient, what is meant is that the Bible contains everything needed to enable man to have forgiveness, live righteously and prepare for eternity. We are therefore thoroughly equipped for every good work(NKJV). Nothing pertaining to our relationship with God is lacking, and therefore additional revelation is not needed. Given the all-sufficiency of the Bible, any new revelations must be superfluous, erroneous or repetitious. One should be very cautious of anybody who claims additional revelation of the Divine will beyond the Scriptures. Jeremiah warned, in behalf of God, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD(23:16). Further, he wrote: Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD(23:32). Some still claim that God speaks directly to them apart from the Scriptures. They embrace the idea of progressive revelation, but the doctrine cannot be sustained from the Bible. A number of questions need to be considered. Why do new revelations often contradict the clear teaching of the Bible? Why do the new …

Some time ago while picking blackberries, I was constrained to write an article entitled “Stick with your Bush.” It was primarily an exhortation to stay with the job you begin until it is finished, not simply move on because the berries seem bigger on another bush, as some preachers seem to do. I decided to try the berry patch again. Before the bucket was full, four more lessons came to mind. First, it does not matter what kind of inspiration one may have, or whether the thoughts come in a blackberry patch or behind a desk, if there is no Scripture that deals with the subject in a definitive way, the inspiration may amount to nothing more than so much expiration or perspiration. There is little doubt that many preachers of today would do a service to mankind in general and the church in particular if they would go to a berry patch and stay there. The admonition of Paul to Timothy was, “Preach the word; be instant in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 1:4). When I hear a man with two or three degrees who can quote Shakespeare, Milton, Karl Barth or Paul Tillich, but seems to have trouble finding a Scripture that is worth noting, I am disturbed. It is even more disturbing to find those who call themselves preachers of the Gospel who actually teach that doctrine is of no value. Of course their doctrine is not, …

In 1830 John Nelson Darby, the dictatorial leader of a religious group in England called “The Plymouth Brethren,” began to preach the doctrines that are now known as Dispensational Premillennialism. His preaching of these doctrines split The Plymouth Brethren into two groups  with Darby’s group being called the “exclusive assembly,” and those who opposed him were called the “open assembly” of The Plymouth Brethren. Darby preached his five-point platform of Premillennialism with a zeal that defied imagination, especially for a man of such frail physical nature as his was. He took some very stubborn stands on issues regarding the Scriptures and one of those was that he would not allow history, which he held in deep contempt, to enter into his study of the Bible. From him, O.T. Allis, in his book Prophecy and the Church (Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, NJ, 1978, p. 26) quoted the following: “I do not admit history to be, in any sense, necessary to the understanding of prophecy. I do not want history to tell me Nineveh or Babylon is ruined or Jerusalem in the hands of the Gentiles.” Herein lies one of the greatest problems in any attempt to deal with Dispensationalists, and that is they either wish to ignore history all together, or they want to create their own. They simply will not admit that the history that the Bible itself records, or with which the people of the Bible were involved, ever even happened. They wish to make all Bible prophecy future …

This morning as I was scanning some of my favorite church of Christ web sites for articles and Bible outline ideas I came across a poem entitled “Preaching from the Pews.” The subject of the poem was about the residue that we leave on the church pew after a worship service and the message that it conveys. I especially enjoyed it because I have witnessed this first hand. While regularly attending another congregation, Janet took on the responsibility of cleaning the building. From time to time I would help her with her cleaning assignments, one of which was to clean the auditorium. I speak personally when I say that I never really gave the cleanliness of the church building much thought; its only used about 3 hours a week and how dirty can a room get with that much use? Believe me it does get messy and we would do well to thank those who help keep our facilities neat and clean. As I made my way through each pew, picking up various articles left behind by the folks who sat there during worship, I began a little detective game of sorts. You know, we all have a habit of sitting in the same spot during services; the only thing missing is a nametag. Because of this I already knew who I was picking up after while cleaning up the pews. Just like Sherlock Holmes or Detective Colombo, I picked up each piece of evidence, carefully examining it to see …

The reason why the conversion of Simon is questioned is due to his actions following his baptism. Previously he had deceived the people of Samaria by his practice of sorcery. He was esteemed highly by his followers. They said: “This man is the great power of God” (v. 10). However, the people could distinguish between the genuine miracles of Philip and the so-called magic of Simon (vs. 6-7, 12). In fact, Simon was greatly impressed with the miracles done by Philip (v. 13). When the apostles Peter and John came from Jerusalem and prayed for the new disciples, laying their hands upon them in order for these Christians to receive the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, Simon sought to purchase this power “…that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit” (vs. 14-19). Of course, he sinned as is pointed out by the apostle Peter. Simon stood in a condemned condition (vs. 20-21). This action by Simon the Sorcerer is the basis of much disagreement as to his sincerity in responding to the preaching of Philip. The advocates of the Calvinistic doctrine of the perseverance of the saints (once saved always saved) insist that Simon was insincere at the time he was baptized. The reason being, a true Christian, they claim, would not and could not have committed such a sin. The religionists who propose a second blessing of grace would declare that a true convert to Christ is given power to live above sin. Thus, …

Some questions: Do you believe in the Almighty God of the Bible? Do you believe in Jesus Christ as the Incarnate Son of God? Do you believe that the Bible is word for word and plenary (completely) inspired by the Holy Spirit of God? Do you believe that God ever lies, or that he ever inspired the writers of the Bible to lie? If you give a “Yes” answer to the first three questions and a “No” to the last two questions, then there is no way that you can believe in and accept the television advertisement of a rather popular religion that proclaims that their book is “Another Testament Of Jesus Christ.” First of all, this so-called testament did not come into existence until less than two hundred years ago, and it was written by a person with a less that desirable character. Before it was “streamlined” by later editors, it contained so many grammatical errors as to show that it was written by a person who had very little knowledge of the Word of God, but one with a lot of silly imagination. When its author wanted another wife, he conveniently had a “word from God” to his number one wife telling her in essence to keep her mouth shut and accept that other wife. However, aside from these and other ridiculous things that are found in the book, the book itself is an abomination to God. Read the following Scriptures from the King James Version of the …

The religious world of today is vastly different from the one in which I grew up. In 1958 The Yearbook of American Churches reported that a record 62% of all people in the United States were members of a church. Certain polls taken at the time revealed that 95% of Americans considered themselves a Catholic, Protestant or Jew. A tract written years ago by brother Batsell Barrett Baxter was entitled Neither Catholic, Nor Protestant, Nor Jew. It affirmed the value of simple New Testament Christianity. It argued that a person need be neither Catholic, nor Protestant nor Jew in order to be pleasing to God. If brother Baxter were still living and were to write that tract today, he might title it, Neither Catholic, Nor Protestant, Nor Jew, Nor… Today, our religious world has changed dramatically. There are thousands of religious cults and world religions dotting the landscape. The proliferation of new religions with at least some semblance to Christianity has never been greater than it is today. In our pluralistic society it is not unusual to find that standard religious fare has given way to seemingly countless new religions and spiritual fringe groups. Old-time cults like Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Christian Science and Seventh-Day Adventism maintain their grip on American society, and are growing around the world. A dear sister came to me recently being disturbed that a relative was involved with Branhamism.1 You may go to yoga classes for relaxation purposes and find yourself in the middle of a religion. New Age …