The Hebrew writer said, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…” (Hebrews 12:1). Our journey to eternity is encompassed with many obstacles. The burden of excess baggage (weight) will only hinder us on our journeys, and it may lead to a failure on our part to complete a successful race. Too often we are like the man who drowned in the sea because he refused to remove from his waist the money belt full of gold that weighted him down. From our everyday lives we can see the danger of excess baggage. How often have we seen on television or read in the newspaper where individuals lost their lives because they refused to release objects that caused their deaths? How many have died in burning buildings because they tried to save wealth accumulated over the years? Someone has well said, “Things in the saddle are riding mankind.” How much excess baggage are you carrying? To the Christian, this world and what it contains is not our final resting place or possession. Yet, often the excess baggage we accumulate hinders us in our pilgrimage and confuses our priorities. The charge is as clear today as when spoken by the Hebrew writer. Their sin was unbelief. Is it possible that we suffer from the same problem? Or, is it pride, vanity, worldliness, an ungovernable temper, corrupt imagination or some improper and unholy attachment? Whatever it may be, we must lay it aside. Brethren, our …

I knew of a couple once who traveled about two and half hours one way to go to worship services. They lived in the Northeast of the United States, and this was the closest congregation of the churches of Christ for them. This family was dedicated and determined to worship the Lord. How are far would we be willing to go to worship? In the Bible, we read of an individual who was dedicated to worshiping the Lord – the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. The Scriptures tell us that the Ethiopian eunuch was traveling back home to Ethiopia after going to Jerusalem to worship. He would have traveled hundreds of miles by chariot just to go to the Temple of the Lord. While there, he would have only been able to go to the Court of the Gentiles because of his status as a eunuch. This would be kind of like someone today traveling hours away to go to a Gospel meeting only to get to the church building and being allowed to stand on the front porch. Yet, the Ethiopian eunuch was determined to go anyway to worship the Lord. As the Ethiopian was returning home, he continued to nurture his faith by studying the Bible, reading from the prophet Isaiah. His personal Bible study led him to the conversation with Philip in which the Ethiopian believed and was baptized (Acts 8:35-40). Now just imagine if the Ethiopian eunuch had said, “It’s too far to go to worship.” …

There are always jobs that are messy, and when the job is finished, there may be debris, clutter, parts, plain old dirt, fuzz, etc. that must be cleaned up. The job may have required a lot of elbow grease and have been messy itself, but the cleanup job is always the worst of the dirty work. It’s a strange thing that no one wants to do that job! I taught vocational agriculture in high school, and you can believe that, after completing an assignment, teenage boys (no girls in Vo-Ag back then) can turn out a lot of dirty work that has to be cleaned up. There were never volunteers to do that job. I had to say “you” and “you” take care of that. In our homes, there are dirty-work jobs for which no one volunteers. From household repairs that require cleanup, to commodes failing and overflowing, to picking up trash or a house pet having an “accident,” there is dirty work to be done. Again, there may be no volunteers to rush forward and get the unpleasant task done. Sometimes people who can afford to do so have hired helpers to take care of their dirty work. Many times people just don’t want to get their hands dirty. We are seeing more and more of this in our young folks as they see the older ones not wanting to do unpleasant tasks and passing them on to the next generation. When I was growing up, everyone had to …

In this article we shall be looking at four popular expressions: (1) Four words: “In God we trust,” (2) Three words: “I love you,” (3) Two words: “Thank you” and (4) One word: “Amen.” Four Word Expression: “In God We Trust” “In God we trust” was adopted as the official motto of the United States in 1956 as an alternative or replacement to the unofficial motto of “E pluribus unum,” which was adopted when the Great Seal of the United States was created and adopted in 1782. Secularists have expressed objections to the use of “In God We Trust,” and they have sought to have the religious reference removed from the currency. Christians know that “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The apostle Paul showed the relationship of the Christian to government with “…supplications, prayers, intercession and giving of thanks, be made for… kings and all in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2; cf., Romans 13:1-7). Three Word Expression: “I Love You” Jesus showed the place of love in the scheme of redemption (Matthew 22:36; cf., 1 Corinthians 13). Spouses need to express regularly their love for each other. Parents need to express regularly to their children their love for them. Children need to express regularly their love for their parents. Two Word Expression: “Thank You” The Psalmist addressed this issue. “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so…” (Psalm 107:2). Paul commended his coworkers. About Timothy he said, “For I have no man like minded, who will …

“I just tell it like it is” I would oft say with pride,When others around me started to slide.I was always the first to level the blameAnd lay before others the story of shame. I remember the time where a fellow servant of mineAt a time of great stress, in anger crossed the line.I told everyone the flaws he had shown,How he could not be trusted for his stack he had blown. Then there was the time where a new sister slipped,Committing a sin as over a stumbling block she tripped.It was not that she did not love her God,But only through ignorance that path she had trod. But I with great bombast proclaimed before allThe shame and indiscretion that brought forth her fall.I brought her to shame before all that did countAnd showed her we all knew she would give account. However, the day came when it was my turn.I made the mistake and I knew it would burn.I knew how others would respond to my plight,Because I had done the same and it left me in fright. I never would have thought to receive the reactionThat my brothers and sisters returned for my actions.Instead of returning my own spite to me,With love and compassion they set me free. Their reaction to me caused more shame than the error,For I had so often rebuked them with furor.When I made the mistake I forevermore foundThat life is incomplete until mercy and truth abound. Let us always remember the values of …

The Congressional Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military award for outstanding bravery. The President of the United States presents this award in the name of Congress for those who performed “above and beyond the call of duty.” Most servicemen have agreed that being awarded this medal has influenced and even changed their lives. One reason for this is that the general public is aware of them. These folks represent the people they serve and that for which the medal stands. The Christian has a medal of honor to wear; it is the name of Christ. We profess to follow Jesus and to be servants of the Lord. The apostle Paul prayed, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). Paul also urged Christians to be “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:” (Colossians 1:11-12). This is being fruitful in the Lord. Our conduct and lifestyle must be guided by the Lord and not by the expectations of others or ourselves. The Lord has redeemed us, called us by the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 2:14), and given to us His name! That is quite an honor, isn’t it? Nothing is more honourable than to wear the precious, lovely name of Jesus Christ. …

When a person desires to follow Christ and to be reconciled to God, we know and understand that such a one must be baptized, “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). Water baptism, for God’s own purpose and pleasure, is how one comes into contact with the blood of Jesus, and that blood is what cleanses us from all our sins (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 1:7). Yet, many don’t realize that God has used water and the Spirit throughout the Old Testament to bring about life, renewal and salvation. Many Old Testament events are types or shadows of what was to come in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is full of types and shadows that find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ and His church. Consider what Paul said about those who ate the manna and drank the water that came from the rock: “…and did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:3-4). Paul commented on events found in Exodus 16:15 and Exodus 17:6. He stated that those events, in a real way, point us to Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said that He was the bread (manna) from heaven (John 6:31-35). Again, the Old Testament is full of types and shadows, and one of those types has to do with water baptism. In Genesis 1, we see God creating the heavens and the earth. In Verse …

Our Lord taught tremendous lessons throughout His earthly ministry. Some of His greatest lessons were taught by using parables. A parable has been described by some as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” The word “parable” comes from the Greek parabole, which means, “a similitude, fictitious narrative” (Strong’s). W.E. Vine defines a parable as “a placing beside, to throw down beside, to compare.” So, a parable is a fictitious story that would liken or describe a reality. A parable is a teaching tool that helps to paint a picture in the minds of the ones being taught. Jesus used parables often to teach those who would hear Him. Some have stated that 30% to 33% of our Lord’s teaching was done in parables. Let’s consider this short but powerful parable found in Matthew 13:47-50. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but they cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” The Kingdom of Heaven(Church) Is Like this Net! The kingdom (church) is likened to a net itself as well as to the contents. A net is an instrument or a tool used …

Ephesians 2:8 is a favorite passage of mine. It tells me that I do not have to earn a salvation that is beyond my ability to earn. God’s grace saves me. Grace is not giving something for nothing; it is giving something unearned. Naaman did not earn his cure, but if he had ignored Elisha’s commands, he would have died a leper. In the same way, we must obey the teachings of Jesus to be saved since He is the “way, truth, and life” (John 14:6). Most agree that faith is essential to salvation (Hebrews 11:6), but faith does not happen without human participation (Romans 10:17). That does not mean that we have earned salvation, but rather, we are saved because of God’s plan of grace. Most agree that one must obey the Gospel of Christ or a person will not be saved (Romans 10:18-21). Jesus said that repentance is essential to avoid perishing (Luke 13:3-5). Further, Jesus Himself made it clear that souls will be rejected who do not confess His name before men (Matthew 10:32-33). All of these are necessary acts of faith that do not negate God’s grace, but they place us in line with His grace. The same Bible that tells us to hear God’s Word so that we can build our faith and to repent of our sinful lives and confess His name also says that baptism saves us (1 Peter 3:21). There are no instances of salvation in Acts about which we can read …

Even a guy like me, who only listens to the news when he is driving in the car and it happens to be on the radio or when he is visiting a place that has it on television, has been blown away by all this transgender bathroom discussion. The thrust of this article is not about identifying an alleged chemical imbalance in the brain that causes a person of one gender to dress and act like a person of another gender. It is not about God’s teaching against men dressing like women (Deuteronomy 22:5; 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, where at least part of the lesson in verse 14 is that men are not to appear as women in any given culture). It is not to “demonize” nor make “monsters” out of people of one gender who dress and act like people of another gender. It is not about policy that gives sexual predators and pedophiles the “green light” to prowl the bathroom of their choice. Rather, this article is about another glaring example of this world’s attempt to rid life of any objective standard by retraining society to think that there is neither difference nor consequences in rejecting what the Bible teaches! How ridiculous can policymakers be to think it is perfectly fine for guys to intermingle with girls in the bathroom or even as some propose, in school locker rooms? Truly, this is a modern illustration of what Paul said about the Gentiles: “although they knew God, they did not …

When you guard your valuables, but some of them are taken for resale anyway, what can you do to impress upon a person that this should not be done? Methods of discipline are mentioned in the Bible. Discuss with words(Proverbs 1) With some, this is all it takes. A frank, loving discussion of the awful acts of theft and being under the control of substances will be accepted early on by some addicts. Counselors, doctors and special family members can be brought into the discussion to help lead to desirable changes. Offering help(Proverbs 16:9) I realize there can be a negative teaching in this passage by encouraging bribery. However, by giving gifts, we can become friends with a person. Taking away the challenge of stealing from you by an offer, “I know what has happened, and this doesn’t matter with me so long as you will let me help you now.” As a result, an addict may develop humility in the heart by this type of discipline. Mean it when you say it! He may even help you get back an heirloom that hurts your heart because it was taken. By only looking the other way, no change will occur. What If There Is NoChange in the Addict? What have you lost in talking about it or insisting that changes be made? What have you lost by being a better guardian of your valuables, which are not respected and will otherwise be used by the addict for quick money for …

Many of us remember the funny and clean TV sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” running from September 1964 to September 1967, with the Skipper and Gilligan as the crew of the charter boat S.S. Minnow and the five passengers. It was supposed to be a three-hour tour, but a storm shipwrecked all of them on an uncharted, uninhabited island. They were lost somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The above reminds me of an illustration I heard years ago (from whom I do not remember) that helped me understand pre-denominational Christianity. I imagine that many of you that read the following may have heard it also. Let’s say that several or more are shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. All survived the terrible storm. The kind of people marooned are just average type folks. They had one thing in common. They had absolutely no interest in religion up to this point in their lives. They were totally ignorant or completely unaware of all religions of this world. As they recovered items from the wrecked ship, they found a Bible. No other literature, radio or the like was able to be salvaged from the ship. As the days, weeks and months passed, they started to read the Bible as a group. The Word of God was totally new to them. Naturally, they began with the first verse in the Bible, Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” They could grasp that this world and everything in it did not come from a …

There is a very close relationship between the way a person thinks, talks and acts. If one can change any of them, he can influence the other two. The difference in defeat and victory may depend on our thinking, talking or acting. I want to consider some examples in the Bible and in our lives where the language used was a primary factor in the defeated lives that we find. In Exodus 14:12, we find a group of fearful, faithless Israelites who saw the Egyptians marching after them. They said, “Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” There are two things in this statement of defeat that are especially significant in terms of our present lesson. First, “We told you so.” Before they left Egypt, they had their minds made up that they would fail, and nothing had happened that had changed it. Psychologists sometimes call this, “Self-fulfilling prophecy.” When a person looks at some program that has been designed for the advancement of the cause of Christ and the progress of the Gospel and says, “It will not work,” many times his subconscious mind gets in tune with his words to see that it does not work. Then, when some aspect of it fails because of his opposition or indifference, he says, “I told you …

A non-Christian once observed while talking with me that the Bible does not always address matters in a straightforward plain manner. Being reasonably intelligent, he was puzzled and wondered aloud why this would be. Others may have also wondered why the Lord would speak to us in a manner that requires intelligent men and women to exercise their mental faculties before discovering and understanding truth. In the past I, too, would have questioned this interesting phenomenon. Today, the issue is now clearer. On one occasion when Jesus was teaching great multitudes (Matthew13:1-9), He communicated His message through the use of parables. His disciples consequently asked, “Why speakest thou unto them in parables?” (13:10 KJV). His response was both instructional and that which arrests our attention. Initially, He said, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” (13:11). We are hereby compelled to ask why some would be blessed with an understanding of the truths that can be known only by revelation while others are not so blessed. Surely our Lord is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35). The verses following (13:12-15) are truly enlightening. Not only do they address the problems of the day in which they were spoken, but they as well reveal one of the root causes behind so much misdirected religious commentary that may be found either in or out of the body of Christ today. A tragic error would occur if we …

In 2 Kings 5, there is an interesting account of a man who was a leper. His name was Naaman. This man was sent to a prophet of God that he might be cured of his leprosy. The prophet told him to go dip in the River Jordan seven times and he would be cleansed. The Scriptures then record, “But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper” (verse 11). We see in this man’s actions an attitude that is all too frequent in today’s world. God plainly tells man what to do that he might be saved from past sins, yet man says, “Behold I thought…” The end of the story in Second Kings is that the man finally did as God commanded and was healed of his leprosy. Let us look at some characteristics of the “I Thought” religion. It is the religion of excuse. God had told Abraham that He would be with him and bless him. When Abraham and his wife Sarah traveled to Gerar, Abimelech took Sarah to himself because Abraham had said, “She is my sister.” Upon learning the truth, and fearing what God would do to him, Abimelech confronted Abraham and wanted to know why he had lied to him. Abraham’s answer was, “Because I thought, surely the fear of …

While flying home from Denver, Colorado last week, I sat next to a man who was reading his Bible. We struck up a conversation, and I soon realized that he believed he had the spiritual gift of healing. After giving me a couple examples of how he used his powers, he asked me if I believed what he was saying. I told him that my beliefs aren’t based on experiences, which can sometimes be deceptive, but upon what the Bible teaches. I then proceeded to explain 1 Corinthians 13 and Ephesians 4 as he followed along in his Bible. When I finished he said, “I see what you’re saying, and have never really studied this before, so I don’t have an answer, but what I do have are my experiences, and I know that God has given me the power to heal.” So, for the remainder of the flight, (nearly three hours) this man recounted story after story of his alleged healings. I had already made my point that my beliefs aren’t based on experiences but upon what the Bible teaches, so as he shared these stories, I simply let him talk. There was no need to argue point by point with all the stories he told, but as I sat and listened, I wondered what I could say that would expose his error. When we eventually touched down and regained phone signal, this man’s phone “dinged.” He had a text message from his son. It was a picture of …

We worship God because He is worthy (Revelation 4:11; 5:12). Man is neither worthy of worship nor are the things man invents; yet, man invents many things that occupy his time and energy in praise, love and affection. Man’s worship must be objective, God being the right object. What are the types of worship, either right or wrong, revealed in the New Testament? True worship is what God accepts! Vain Worship When we follow the commandments of men instead of God’s instructions, our worship becomes vain. If our worship is vain, it is empty, hollow and useless; it will do us no good. If it is vain, it would be as though we had not worshipped God at all, and we will be lost. When we worship in the way “we want,” then God is dishonored and insulted (Matthew 15:7-9; Mark 7:7). The word “vain” is an adverb from maten, meaning “fruitlessly.” Vain worship is unacceptable! Ignorant Worship When the apostle Paul was in Athens, he encountered people who were worshipping all kinds of false gods, as well as One whom they called “The Unknown God.” He took the opportunity to tell them about “the One whom you worship without knowing” (Acts 17:16-31). While preaching to them, he let them know that “these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (v. 30). Ignorant worship is unacceptable! Creature Worship The Creator is self-existent, unconditioned and unlimited in power and knowledge. The creature owes its very existence to the …

In the beginning of the Book of Genesis, we see that God has placed man in the Garden and made for him a companion, woman. Life would appear to be perfect. God had provided for His creation all that they would need in this life and more, but temptation was coming. In Genesis 3:1, the serpent asked the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” The woman answered the serpent in verse 2, explaining that they could not touch or eat of the tree in the midst of the garden or else they would die. The serpent was so cunning and clever, and he knew exactly what to say. The serpent spoke to the woman in verses 4 and 5 and said, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Notice the temptation here is not just about eating food for nourishment. Yes, the fruit was “pleasant to the eyes,” and was very “good for food,” but the tree provided something more than nourishment. It provided knowledge of good and evil. It provided a way to “be like God.” In Matthew 4, we see Jesus, God in the flesh, in a secluded place, the wilderness. The Spirit had taken Him there to be tempted by the devil. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights, and at the end …

Have you ever been with someone when that person breathed his or her last breath? Oh, how we cling to the last words spoken before death. Have you ever wondered what Jesus said just before He died upon the cross? “And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said this, he gave up the ghost” (Luke 23:46). “Into thy hand I commend my spirit” are the words of Psalm 31:5. Jesus was thoroughly familiar with Scriptures, and He had quoted them often throughout His preaching ministry. Now, even at the point of death, He quoted once again. What an example! He died with Scripture on His lips. Many claim to love God and purport to love His Word. However, few really seem to feast daily upon the Holy Bible. How fitting it would be for you and for me to die with Scripture upon our tongues. It is also significant that with His dying breath, Jesus called God, His “Father.” He had called Him “Father” so many times before. The Jews did not accept the implication of His usage. On one occasion, they sought to kill Him, because He “called God his own Father, making himself equal with God” (John 5:18). Those jealous men knew there were only two possibilities to explain what Christ had spoken. Either Jesus was on a level with God, or He spoke blasphemy. They never even considered the possibility that this poor man raised near …

In affirming the great salvation that is in Christ, the writer of the Book of Hebrews attested to its authority and validity by reminding his readers, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?” (Hebrews 2:3-4). Here we have four different terms used to describe God’s confirmation that Scripture is His infallible Word. The first term, “sign,” refers to “a sign by which something is designated or distinguished, a token or proof, a sign by which the divine power in majesty is made known; thus a supernatural event by which the power and presence of God is manifested, either directly or through the agency of those whom He sends” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament). The second term, “wonder,” is closely associated with the word sign, and does not refer to a different type of miracle, as much as to how it is perceived. Due to its extraordinary character, it is apt to be observed and kept in the memory. It is a miracle regarded as startling, imposing or amazing. The third term, translated “miracle,” comes from the word for “power.” While it can refer to human strength, here it is rightly translated as miracle as it reveals the divine …

The following report appeared on the Fox News website on Sunday, September 4, 2016. “Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint on Sunday, praising the tiny nun for having taken in society’s most unwanted and for having shamed world leaders for the “crimes of poverty they themselves created.” (https://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/09/04/thousands-gather-for-canonization-mother-teresa.html). Reading the article led me to ask one question, the answer to which I found on a website devoted to telling the stories of saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. The author said, “What is the definition of a Roman Catholic saint? Simply speaking, a saint could be said to be anyone who is currently residing in heaven. The Catholic Church, through the process of canonization, officially recognizes this fact” (https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com). The answer left me confused. Paul wrote letters “to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Romans 1:7) “to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of the Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2); “to the saints who are in Ephesus” (Ephesians 1:1); “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi” (Philippians 1:1) and “to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse” (Colossians 1:2). The apostle to the Gentiles did not think saints were only those already in heaven. A saint is one who has been sanctified or set apart for God’s …

I. The Book of Job teaches us that Satan is relentless in his efforts to capture men (1:7; 2:2).