By: Editor, Louis Rushmore “Deborah is most unlikely [Bible character to be a judge] because she was female in a patriarchal society (Judg. 4:1–5:31)” (Mitchell). The people who most often refer to Judges 4:4, “Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time” (NKJV), are those who hope, somehow, to legitimize a view of Scripture contrary to God’s defined gender roles and to rationalize away New Testament Scripture that clearly forbids Christian women to teach or to preach religiously in a public setting comprised, in part or in whole, of men. However, the question that serves as the title above came from a brother in Christ who only wants to understand God’s Word accurately and to eliminate any confusion he may entertain on the matter. First, let’s explore Deborah’s role as a prophetess and as a judge in Israel. The conclusions of experienced and dedicated students of the Bible, who are sound in the faith or doctrine (1 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 1:7, 13; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1–2, 8) lay out for us below the prophet and judge Deborah. There can be no doubt that women prophesied during Bible times. Five women prophets are mentioned in the Old Testament—Miriam (Exo. 15:20), Deborah (Jud. 4:4), Huldah (2 Kin. 22:14-20), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), and Isaiah’s wife (Isa. 8:3). We are only told how they used this gift in two instances. In both of them, the women prophesied privately…Deborah sat under a palm tree between Ramah and

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor Merriam-Webster defines “death,” in part, as: “1a: A permanent cessation of all vital functions…5:a The passing or destruction of something inanimate.” The same source provides some synonyms for “death,” “demise, doom, curtains, casualty, extermination, ending, killing, expiration and ruin.” “The Death of the Lady” herein corresponds to the cessation of vital function and the destruction of something inanimate and intangible, and yet, something manifested. This “death” relates to the demise, doom, ending, expiration and ruin of something precious in the sight of God. The word “lady” includes this meaning: “3:b A woman of refinement and gentle manners…” Synonyms for “lady” include, “madame, maiden, woman, girl, miss and damsel.” There was time gone before when a lady was a woman who exhibited ladylike traits of  blushing modesty, feminine reserve and moral discretion. While there have always been societal black sheep who skirted around common decency, hardly can a lady be found in our modern age. The image of a lady has for the most part simply died—dissolved and disappeared in our time. The death of the lady manifests itself variously today. First, it is understandable that little girls, young women and older ones, too, may choose to wear slacks and similar clothes according to their activities and personal preferences. However, regularly wearing trousers of some sort may rob girls and women of the experience of preserving their modesty when wearing dresses or more revealing clothing. By and large, little girls have no sense of respectability when sitting,

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor Not only “does it really matter how one is saved,” a person can only be saved by obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every accountable soul who does not obey the Gospel is lost. Truthfully, everyone who attains the knowledge of right and wrong is already lost, and not obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ simply adds to his or her lost state. Unless the human race was already lost because of sin, the Son of God would not have left Heaven, taken upon Himself a fleshly body and died on the cruel cross so that mankind could have its sins washed away symbolically by the blood of Christ. A disastrous confrontation with the Lord Jesus Christ awaits the unsaved when He will appear to them “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8 NKJV). “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17). Only through Jesus can a soul approach the Father. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:6). Jesus Himself adds the saved to His church (Acts 2:47). Read about the birthday of the church in

By: Louis Rushmore Several symbols and mottos have been hijacked from their original and appropriate meanings, instead to represent either a rallying point for immorality or so construed as to become catchphrases by religious persons. Christians hesitate to use those symbols and mottos. While there may be several additional examples, please consider these three. The Rainbow Almighty God, the Creator (Genesis 1:1) established the rainbow at a specific time in history for a particular reason. Following the universal flood during the days of Noah, God assured mankind through Noah that He would never again destroy “all flesh” by such a flood. “Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor Someone posed the question, “Why did Jesus wait until he was thirty before starting his ministry?” Let me ask another question, “Why didn’t Jesus begin His public and earthly ministry when He was 12?” At that young age, “Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:41–44) when Joseph and Mary began their journey back to Nazareth. They found Him, after three days of searching, locked in a discussion with Jewish scholars in the Temple (Luke 2:46–47). Obviously, those Jewish teachers, who “were astonished at His understanding and answers” (v. 47), did not expect that from a 12-year-old boy. It is just as a surety that neither did Joseph and Mary expect such from one so young (vs. 48–50). It’s safe to say that 12-year-olds lacked credibility essential to begin the most important ministry ever before, at that time or since. His superior knowledge of God’s Word, though, was an inkling of what lie ahead in the life of Jesus. “‘Twelve years old’ would have been one year before Jesus officially became an adult Israelite and accepted responsibility for fulfilling the law” (Keener, “Luke 2:42”). “The coming of faith is described in terms of coming of age, when a boy would achieve adulthood (about thirteen or fourteen years old in various Mediterranean cultures)” (Keener, “Galatians 3:25”). “…Men entered adulthood around puberty…this term for ‘youth’ (KJV) could apply up to the age of forty, although it usually applied especially to someone under twenty-nine” (Keener, “1 Timothy 4:12”). Rabbi Jehudah

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor What is the Gospel? By divine inspiration, the apostle Paul concisely described the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, which reads as follows. Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (NKJV) Thus, we discern that the Gospel, boiled down to its basic essence, relates to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, Who is the Christ. The function of the Gospel, once obeyed, is salvation, which is possible by the removal of sins. Concerning Jesus Christ, Hebrews 5:9 reads, “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” Contrariwise, people who do not obey the Gospel remain in their lost, sinful condition (Galatians 3:1; 5:7). “In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will bethe end of

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor Last Saturday night, I fell and damaged a few things on my way to the floor. One of the wounded items was a small globe, which at one time, suspended magically, it seemed, in the air without touching anything else; magnets provided an invisible push/pull effect on the sphere. Now, this little world bears indentations from being crushed. Sorry about that Canada and Alaska, the Arctic, Russia, China and Scandinavia. Sorry about that Antarctica and the southern third of South America. Of course, those places in the real world were not affected simply because my little globe has a series of dents. However, in a spiritual sense, the real world in which we live is dented or damaged because of sin in the lives of people worldwide (Romans 3:10, 23). Sin committed by Adam and Eve resulted in changes to the created world and a damaged relationship of the first pair with God (Genesis 3:16–22). Since then to the present, sin has continued to be a separator between mankind and God (Isaiah 59:1–2). Similarly to the consequences of Adam and Eve, sins multiplied along with the increasing human population until God decided to bring about a universal flood in the days of Noah, which involved the ultimate climate change of all time, as well as the topographical reshaping of planet Earth (Genesis 8:20–21). On the spiritual side of things, God essentially pushed the reset button and restarted human population with Noah’s family (Genesis 6–8). Throughout the

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor The Gospel is good news for a wayward humanity. The word “gospel” means a good message or good news, and Almighty God our Creator sent a good message or good news through Jesus Christ, His Son. Romans 1:16 emphasizes the nature of that good news when it says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (NKJV). The Gospel of Christ equates to the power of God regarding human redemption—salvation. The added good news is that the Gospel is applicable to Jews and everyone who is not Jewish; Jews viewed the first century world as Jewish ancestry versus anybody who was not of Jewish lineage—Greek, Gentiles, the other nations or barbarians. The Gospel is not for the benefit of Jewish extraction only, but God intended it to be for every accountable soul. However, only people who allow the Gospel to produce within them a Bible faith do apply the good news or the Gospel to themselves. They alone are saved from their past sins and become the children of God. From the time of Jesus Christ’s ministry on earth through and including our time it has been and remains constant. “The faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Corinthians 13:5) in Romans 1:16 refers to the Gospel, to the history of the early church in Acts and to the epistles, all of these comprising the New Testament. A humanly devised “faith” cannot satisfactorily substitute

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor One of the chief reasons why I place my confidence in the existence of God, in His creative involvement in the entire universe and in the Bible is because it makes sense. It makes sense especially in contradistinction to any and all alternative views regarding God, the universe and the Bible. It makes sense that an eternal, intelligent and superpowerful Being has always existed and will always exist. Something had to exist first, since nothing begets nothing. Furthermore, something also had to cause the universe, including you and me, to come into existence. Persons not willing to admit the existence and the power of Almighty God may argue that it’s matter that has always existed. However, lifeless matter by itself could never be responsible for what exists in the physical world because (1) our experience with matter is that it breaks down rather than regenerates itself or generates anything else, meaning that matter is not eternal, (2) matter by itself lacks a cause by which the universe could come into existence, (3) lifeless matter lacks the intelligence to create the intricately designed universe, from the galaxies and solar systems to the complexities of the human body. The eternal, intelligent and superpowerful Being Who has always existed and Who will always exist is God. By the word “God,” we mean divine attributes or characteristics, which are shared by three persons—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Think of it this way. Over eight billion persons comprise the

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor This question is not posed in the Bible, and so, one must reflect on the ramifications of possible answers to it. It would be easy to say that since the New Testament (by which people living today are bound) does not explicitly authorize a non-Christian to baptize one to become a Christian, therefore, the answer would be, “No.” Furthermore, since no conversion recorded in the New Testament shows a non-Christian baptizing one to become a Christian, therefore, again, the answer would be, “No.” Hold that thought for a moment, and then consider some ramifications of answering the question before us with a “No.” Affirming “No” to the inquiry of whether a non-Christian may baptize one who desires to become a Christian would lead to the conclusion that there are no Christians today—as far as anyone living can verify. Why? Any person desiring to be baptized would not only need to inspect himself or herself, but he or she would have to validate the one doing the baptizing was baptized by a Christian, who was baptized by a Christian, and so forth all the way to the first century church. Otherwise, no one could have confidence that his or her baptism were valid. In addition, since Bible miracles ceased long ago, no divine demonstration is available to mankind to circumvent the need to trace the succession of Christians from the present baptizer all the way to first century Christians. The mess of trying to verify that true Christians have

It’s hard to convert others with the Gospel if it hasn’t changed you! Obeying the Gospel rests upon Bible-derived faith (Romans 10:17), which acknowledges that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God (John 8:24). Bible faith must be demonstrated—acted out in one’s life (Hebrews 11; James 2:14–26). Bible faith—not the casual mental assent that many people pledge—leads honest hearts to repent of sin in their lives (Romans 3:10, 23; Acts 2:38), conforming to the Word of God (Romans 12:1–2). Subsequently, the soul seeking salvation happily acknowledges his faith in Jesus Christ as Redeemer (Romans 10:9–10). Only then may a person be baptized for the remission of sins as he imitates the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord (Romans 6:3–5). Next comes the lifelong pursuit of spiritual maturity (Hebrews 5:12–14; 1 Peter 2:2) and service to our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 6:7). The faithfulness of a child of God must persevere even if so doing results in one’s death (Matthew 10:28; Revelation 2:10). However, it’s hard to convert others with the Gospel if it hasn’t changed you. Whomever fails to resort to God’s Word—God’s operator’s manual for humanity—by which to order his or her life cannot expect others to use God’s Word to transform their lives. Lacking stable Bible faith due to a lack of Bible study (2 Timothy 2:15), that person is ill prepared to encourage others to bring their lives into compliance with Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16–17). If it’s obvious that one has not repented of all of

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30 KJV). The only other English Bible translation of which I am aware that has “God winked” in Acts 17:30 is the Webster Bible (1833), which was a revision by Noah Webster to update archaic language in the KJV for readers in the 19th century. The KJV itself was largely a revision of earlier English translations, and as well, the KJV has gone through a number of such vocabulary updates since then, too. The NKJV may be viewed as the latest of one of those language updates. Readers today, probably, would not be able to comprehend the English language in which the KJV of 1611 was published. Most contemporary English Bible translations, such as the NKJV, render Acts 17:30 as the following. “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” A person may take some pleasure in imagining that the Almighty and Invisible God, in some way, can be pictured, in one’s mind, as mimicking human emotions and gestures. However, ascribing to Deity human characteristics or attributes involves a figure of language called anthropomorphism, which is a compound word that means “human” and “form.” The biblical context (Acts 17:22–34) in which we find Acts 17:30 pertains to the apostle Paul’s public address on Mars Hill (KJV) or the Areopagus (NKJV) in Athens, Greece (Acts 17:22). He contrasted the many idols of polytheism that

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor Naturally, Christians and most people probably think of themselves primarily from a physical perspective. After all, we are “flesh and blood” (Matthew 16:17; 1 Corinthians 16:15), and we reside in a physical world in which worldly people also live. Of course, as God’s children (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1), Christians are called upon not to adopt the ways of world. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2 NKJV). “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:15–16). Since we are ourselves physical creatures (Genesis 3:19), not living like worldly people proves to be a great challenge. When Christians succeed in ‘overcoming the world’ (John 16:33; 1 John 5:4), only then, can they “shine as lights in the world.” “…You may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). Jesus acknowledged the awkwardness of His disciples necessarily living in the world without succumbing to its allurements. “I have given them Your word; and

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor Someone inquired whether a person can worship alone. The New Testament describes five activities of Christian worship, in no particular order: prayer, singing hymns, communion, contributions and preaching. If any one of the acts of Christian worship may occur when a child of God is alone, according to Scripture, then any or all of the acts of worship may occur with God’s approval when a soul is alone. That does not mean, though, that all of the acts of Christian worship can occur on any day or days. While some of our brethren have reasoned that a contribution can only occur on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1–2), that is an overstatement. Any act of worship that Scripture addresses, which is not specifically noted to be only on the first day of the week, can be observed on days additional to the first day of the week. It is not certain that the collections recorded in Acts 4:34–5:11 were on the first day of the week. In addition to the first day of the week, money often comes to a local congregation through the mail any day mail is delivered, electronically any time of day any day of the week, upon the settlement of donated estates, etc. None of those or similar circumstances negate the first day of the week contribution but may be in addition to it. Only partaking of the “communion” (1 Corinthians 10:16) or “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20) is

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor (continued from December 2025) 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (Colossians 3:1–2 NKJV) Schaff’s Popular Commentary contrasts the “seek those things which are above” of verse 1 with the “set your mind on things above” of verse 2, suggesting that the former pertains to outward action while the latter refers to the discipline of the mind. “‘Seek’ pointed to the outward conduct, this [“set”] carries the injunction to the inward thought and controlling desire” (Schaff’s). In any case, ‘seeking those things which are above’ and ‘setting your mind on things above’ are inseparably tied together; they are a package or necessary components forming a single unit. Really, ‘setting the mind on things above’ precedes ‘seeking those things which are above’; ‘setting one’s mind on things above’ is the catalyst or the motivation to “seek those things which are above.” “Risen with Christ, they were to set their affections on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and not on things on the earth. The two could not go together” (Darby’s). “That is, concentrate your concern on the eternal, not the temporal” (Bible Knowledge Commentary). “You must not only seek heaven; you must also think heaven” (Lightfoot, qtd. in Thomas Constable’s Notes). “To set the mind upon him in the affections is to direct the thoughts, desires, and affections

Someone inquired, “What is the basis of man’s moral laws?” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says of “moral law” the following: “a general rule of right living, especially : such a rule or group of rules conceived as universal and unchanging and as having the sanction of God’s will, of conscience, of man’s moral nature, or of natural justice as revealed to human reason.” Almighty God—the one and only God of the Bible—is the ultimate source of “moral law.” Without Him, there is no basis of moral laws! God created mankind with a moral nature with the conscience to help steer him to what he believes is the right thing to do. The mind, though, must be made aware of and accept as true God’s rules so that the conscience can be helpful and lead to God’s approval. Saul of Tarsus, who had Christians arrested, imprisoned, beaten and killed, was a serious enemy of Jesus of Nazareth and His church before he realized Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and the Messiah. Once converted, Saul (Paul) became as ardent of a proponent of Christianity as he had been an enemy of it. Nevertheless, he conducted himself both before and after his conversion “in all good conscience” (Acts 23:1). The Bible is the basis of man’s moral laws, and for people living in this third era of God-given religion—Christianity—the New Testament alone is the basis of moral laws (Hebrews 8:13; Matthew 26:28; 2 Corinthians 3:6). We must turn to the divinely inspired Bible, with an emphasis on the

By: Louis Rushmore, Editor “Worldview,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, means, “a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint.” There exist many worldviews, some of which are antagonistic to each other and still more that exist side by side but differing in categorization. There are political worldviews relative to a nation or nations, a hemisphere, or the entire world. Other worldviews pertain to cultures, philosophies, theories, science or religion. Each person prioritizes worldviews in his or her own mind from most cherished to least valued. Even worldviews that can rightfully coexist must undergo an ordering process from more important to lesser importance. The Christian’s worldview, based on what God through the Bible conveyed, must subjugate all other worldviews beneath it. Yet, often even Christians and the churches of Christ struggle with placing the Christian’s worldview above and foremost before all other worldviews. Just what are some of the characteristics of the Christian’s worldview? Well, first, spiritual matters surpass physical considerations (Matthew 6:33). That’s hard to achieve—very hard to do—in view of our physical existence in the physical world and universe (John 6:27). Irrespective of in what nation or under what form of government the children of God may live, Christians must obey the laws of the land (Romans 13:1–7), except on the occasions when there is a direct conflict between what man demands of us and what Almighty God would have us to do or not to do (Acts 5:28–29). Christians must embrace the worldview that puts God’s

Brother, I have a doubt about a topic; please clarify. I am working as a Bible teacher in a Bible school, and I am teaching, “World Religious Survey”; in that, while I was teaching about Hinduism, there were so many people who curse others and bless others in different ways. …One of the Bible students asked me, “If it was wrong, then, how could Jacob, Moses and some other personalities do it?” I am also a little confused by it. So, please help me to teach about this clearly. Note what our Lord Jesus Christ said about cursing a person. “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 NKJV). The Greek word for “curse” in this verse appears elsewhere in the New Testament in Mark 11:21, Luke 6:28, Romans 12:14 and James 3:9. Luke 6:28 is a parallel account to Matthew 5:44, and Romans 12:14 corresponds to both of these citations, where it reads, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” James 3:9–10 also teaches the same lesson, where we find, “With it [the “tongue” v. 8] we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” The words “curse” and “cursing” in these

After acknowledging that the Bible is God’s message to humanity and that He providentially preserved it for us, the challenges remaining are (1) to understand the Almighty’s communication to mankind and (2) to apply it properly as our Creator requires His created, earthly human beings to do. Establishing that the Bible is, indeed, the Word of God and that He has preserved it for men and women of all times are additional and, if necessary, precursor studies to the present theme of this article. Likewise, demonstrating that God is the Creator and that we are part of His creation is another study, which is also preliminary and preceding our current topic. Herein, our task is to show that we humans can accomplish correct biblical interpretation of God’s Word. Thereafter, we mortals must muster the courage and the willpower to mold our lives accordingly where applicable (Romans 12:1–2). God is the original Communicator, and as Creator, too, He created humans as communicators, both able to understand communication and to engage in communication with other communicators. God communicates with us through His inspired and holy Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20–21), and we can communicate with Him through our prayers (Matthew 6:6) and our conduct, which He observes (Proverbs 15:3). Consequently, God has never left mankind without sufficient divine communication, which He has always expected humankind to understand and to exhibit in godly living and service. Hence, the Bible is not a collection of secret codes to be unraveled by a few clever persons. God meant for the Bible

“Why was Jesus Christ baptized?” asked a reader of Gospel Gazette Online magazine (www.GospelGazette.com). The biblical context from which this question arises appears in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22 and John 3:22-23. The most detailed account of the baptism of Jesus appears in Matthew 3:13-17. It reads: Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (NKJV emphasis added) The answer to the question above lies primarily in Matthew 3. Note that Matthew 3:1-3 identifies John the Baptist as a messenger from God with a divinely given message to proclaim. In addition, John’s ministry was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah [40:3], saying: ‘The voice of one crying in

“Warning, Warning, the Bridge Is Out!” That reminds me that decades ago the robot in the old television show Lost in Space (aired from 1965 to 1968) similarly and frequently uttered a warning. He would say, “Danger, Will Robinson.” Yep! Every time the robot said, “Danger, Will Robinson,” a new danger was about to reveal itself. Fortunately, Will Robinson was alerted, and he successfully circumvented each dangerous circumstance. In the real world, dangers threaten us within our physical and earthly environment. Even more importantly, dangers threaten us in the spiritual realm, too (1 Peter 5:8). Prepared before hand by the Word of God, we can persevere despite confrontation with spiritual dangers (1 Peter 5:9; Ephesians 6:13-17). Imagine that you are standing alongside a road, and you are aware that the bridge is out just a little east of you. Traffic coming from the west doesn’t seem to know of the danger as it rushes toward the perilous void in the roadway. Would you frantically attempt to wave down the rushing vehicle, or would you hesitate, knowing that the driver and passengers might react angrily if you impede their travel? What ought you to do? After all, the occupants of the car might hurt your feelings. What would you do? Most of the world is traveling at breakneck speed toward an abyss far more tragic and eternally more hurtful than an automobile crash into a canyon—as bad as that would be. Christians stand on the side of life’s road as they observe the masses traveling the broad

The question – “Does it really matter how I’m saved?” – is somewhat amusing, and yet, salvation – forgiveness of sins and preparation to meet God in the Judgment – is too serious of a matter to treat it lightly. If it were true that salvation were actually achieved by whatever procedure, how one is saved would not matter. However, the inquiry assumes a fact not in evidence – salvation is achievable in more than one way or in ways of one’s own choosing. First, let’s define sin and against whom it is committed. Sin is violation of divinely inspired biblical instruction. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4 NKJV). God is offended by transgressors of His laws. “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). Secondly, who has sinned? Every accountable person, despite perhaps intentions to do otherwise, commits sin at least sometimes. “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one… For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:10, 3:23). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. … If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in

nd as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” (NKJV) The apostle Paul took everything seriously, starting with his misguided, lethal persecution of Christianity. He wrote of himself, “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9). Paul noted some of the same confession in Acts 26:9-11. Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every

Water baptism isn’t necessary for salvation. Cornelius “received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:47) before he was water baptized and to have the Holy Spirit shows that one is saved (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6 and 1 John 4:13). There is a difference between the baptism of the Holy Spirit, miraculous gifts of the Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the effects of implementing the instruction of the Holy Spirit into one’s life. References to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:9, Galatians 4:6 and 1 John 4:13 differ from the event in which Cornelius was involved. Romans 8:9, in its context, contrasts sinful living with godly living, the latter occurring by following the teachings of the Holy Spirit (i.e., the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). Likewise, the context of Galatians 4:6 contrasts not being a child of God with becoming a child of God. The passage does not specify how one becomes a child of God, only that the children of God differ from impenitent sinners; the children of God received the Holy Spirit in some manner. Next, 1 John 4:13 also addresses a benefit and a confirmation to first century Christians that they differed from impenitent sinners who did not receive the Holy Spirit. The activity of the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:47 is described in the preceding verses 44-46 whereupon Cornelius and those with him miraculously spoke in languages in which they were not schooled. This was proof to the apostle Peter and

And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” (NKJV) The apostle Paul took everything seriously, starting with his misguided, lethal persecution of Christianity. He wrote of himself, “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9). Paul noted some of the same confession in Acts 26:9-11. Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every

Introduction Someone inquired, “Was the miraculous birth of Christ known or believed in Christ’s day?” Maybe the question arises from the knowledge that many now famous historical figures were not regarded highly until after their deaths or beyond their time. Though many people rejected Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, which led to His crucifixion, many also acknowledged Him as the anticipated Christ or Messiah. Era of Expectation Abundant Old Testament prophecies about the kingdom or the church, as well as numerous passages prophesying the coming of the Messiah or the Christ, brought about an era of expectation that God would send His Anointed One. Commentators commonly state that there are 332 or 333 prophecies about the coming of the Messiah or the Christ, and some would even advance that number to perhaps 400 prophecies about Him. Some of the prophecies about Christ’s kingdom or the church help to identify the general period of time when He would come. Daniel 2:31–45 predicted that the fourth successive regional kingdom (from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea) from and including the Babylonian kingdom would come to power before the Christ came. The Roman Empire was that fourth kingdom, and so there had been for years and was an expectation among the Jews that the time was right for the Messiah to arrive. This is evident from some statements recorded from the first century. Acknowledgments of Jesus of Nazarethas the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ Several first century persons acknowledged

God’s Part Love (John 3:16) Grace (Ephesians 2:8) Mercy (Titus 3:5) Gospel (Romans 1:16) Christ’s Part The Blood of Christ (Revelation 1:5) Our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) Holy Spirit’s Part Revelation (2 Peter 1:20–21) Man’s Part Bible Faith (John 8:24) Repentance (Acts 17:30) Baptism (1 Peter 3:21) Obedience (Hebrews 5:8–9) Purity (Revelation 22:14) Faithfulness (Revelation 2:10) Love (1 John 2:10) Hope (Romans 8:24) Works (James 2:24) Endurance (Matthew 10:22) Confessing Christ (Romans 10:9–10) Being Born Again (John 3:3–5) Laying Aside Evil (James 1:21) Preaching (1 Corinthians 1:18, 21) Calling on the Name of the Lord (Romans 10:14) Knowledge of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15)

The Greek word under consideration only appears three times in the New Testament. The NKJV translates komos as “revelry” (Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:21 NKJV) and “revelries” (1 Peter 4:3 NKJV). Word studies for this word, as well as insights from commentaries, sufficiently describe what it meant when the New Testament was penned. Reflection when comparing revelries to what passes for dancing in our time shows the likeness between then and now; plus, it demonstrates how “rioting” (Romans 13:13 KJV) or “revellings” (Galatians 5:21; 1 Peter 4:3 KJV) is improper conduct for anyone professing Christianity to engage. “It came to mean ‘a carousal’ such as a party of revellers parading the streets… wild, furious, and ecstatic” (Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament). Liddell and Scott Abridged Greek Lexicon defines “revelries” (komos) as “A revel, carousal, merry-making… it ended in the party parading the streets crowned, bearing torches, singing, dancing, and playing frolics.” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says of the same Greek word, “Properly, a nocturnal and riotous procession of half-drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honor of Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play before the houses of their male and female friends; hence, used generally, of feasts and drinking-parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry; plural.” Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament adds: carouses, in which the party of revellers paraded the streets with torches, singing, dancing, and all kinds of frolics. These revels also entered into religious observances, especially in the

Many things pop up in families (e.g., between parents and children or between spouses) that don’t really matter at all. Often, other issues underly the petty stuff said to be the explanation for disagreements. Family members do well to reserve their dissent and enter into serious discussions about genuine concerns. Some things, however, do matter, and no compromise can be justified (e.g., modesty, morality). The Bible – God’s operator’s manual for humanity – must be the final and indisputable Word regarding especially biblical (i.e., doctrinal) topics. Some things do matter, and some things matter to God! Christians ought to consider whether their thoughts, words and actions matter to God. We can discern whether each of these matter to God by consulting (i.e., studying) His holy and inspired Scriptures. God made man after His own image, and one of the traits we share with God is the ability to communicate (e.g., with other humans, as well as between God and us). He communicates with us through the Bible, and we communicate with Him through prayer. The Bible is God’s instrument of communication between Himself and humankind, and He intends for us to understand it. Though a few passages may present us some difficulty, the Bible is not a collection of cryptic messages, codes and mysteries strung together for God’s amusement and our confusion. We can know what matters to God, and what matters to God is immutable or unalterable, absolute, permanent and final. Remember, no one can win an argument with God – and so, don’t try!

There are numerous resources discoverable by a search on the Internet, which supply names of Egyptian gods that may correspond to the 10 plagues about which one reads in the Bible. However, they sometimes vary from each other. In addition, more than one of the Egyptian gods and goddesses could relate to some of the plagues. Upon review of the plagues, several distinguish between afflictions that fell upon the Egyptians that were withheld from the Israelites (Exodus 11:7). All of the plagues, and especially considered as a whole, amply demonstrate divine power that cannot be matched by mortals. “Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God’…” (Exodus 8:19 NKJV). Pharaoh’s magicians could not compete with divine, truly miraculous power! Each of the 10 plagues proved that the God of the Israelites or of the Hebrews (Exodus 7:16) – the only true God – is supreme and without any rivals. “…against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord” (Exodus 12:12). Resources consulted appear at the end of the article, but many more could also have been examined. One reference work appropriately titled its chart, “Egyptian Gods Against Whom the Plagues Were Possibly Directed” (emphasis added). This accounts for variations between resources and acknowledges a degree of subjectivity or reliance upon educated conjectures. Following are some of the extrapolations regarding the idol gods of the Egyptians over whom Almighty God exercised greater power through the 10 plagues. Assigning various ancient Egyptian gods to

I’ve never been athletic, and besides, my environment as a youth didn’t lend itself to participating in team sports. So, even in school gym classes or for recesses between classes, when some sort of game was afoot, I didn’t volunteer, and I was always one of the last students picked for a team. A little later in life during military bootcamp, I didn’t volunteer for anything and tried my best to somehow be invisible in the middle of the group. Some people go throughout their entire lives and never step forward for anything. Perhaps, they have the notion that they’re just ordinary people who are unable to do extraordinary things. Several Bible characters exclaimed that they were just ordinary people when, for instance, God called upon them to do extraordinary things. Moses was such a person. Moses Moses is the first Bible character who comes to my mind who was reluctant to accept an extraordinary challenge presented to him by God. He certainly was qualified and well-schooled. “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22 NKJV). He knew that God would use him to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt (Acts 7:25), but he acted initially on his own timetable instead of waiting for God to send him. Consequently, following his failed attempt, Moses fled to the land of Midian to avoid Pharoah, who wanted to kill him (Exodus 2:15). Forty years passed, and Moses was a sheepherder and a family man in Midian. Then, on God’s timetable, He called

First Corinthians 14:34-35 reads, “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church” (NKJV). The meaning of the word “church” depends on the context in which it appears. It can mean any one of three things relative to Christianity: (1) the universal church – spanning ages past, the present and what future may remain – over which Jesus Christ is the Head (Matthew 16:18; Colossians 1:18); (2) a local church (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1); (3) the assembly for worship by a local church (1 Corinthians 14). The word “church” in 1 Corinthians 14 refers to a worship assembly of a local church, which contained Christian men and women. In a setting where only women comprised an assembly (e.g., some small, struggling congregations or ladies’ days), the divinely inspired prohibition for women to speak in the assembly would not apply. Yet, most assemblies of a local church by far have both men and women present. Therefore, other than participating in singing hymns, God through the Holy Spirit directed that women remain silent during worship. Incidentally, the men must also remain silent when another brother is speaking (1 Corinthians 14:26-33). In addition, God does not permit Christian women to rule over men in religious settings, even outside of worship (1 Timothy

Unconditional faithfulness in God can undergird faithfulness through self-doubt. Christians, because they have unconditional faithfulness in God, have a support system available to them that is far superior to any other to which anyone could possibly appeal. We have something that worldly people and non-Christians simply do not have. We have God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in our lives. We know this from the Holy and Inspired Scriptures – the Word of God, the Bible. One dictionary defines self-doubt as “a lack of faith in oneself: a feeling of doubt or uncertainty about one’s abilities, actions” (“Self-doubt”). Though we may not think so, “Everyone experiences self-doubt” (Tartakovsky emphasis added). Self-doubt is a common concern generally shared by people everywhere. Yes, even bullies, sports stars, public speakers and loud, pushy or bossy persons also encounter moments of self-doubt. “Self-doubt shows up in different ways. It might manifest as seeking advice or validation for decisions because we don’t trust ourselves” (Tartakovsky). A little self-doubt, instead, may lead one to reexamine himself or herself and to reevaluate a method or the evidence supporting what he or she says or does. To that extent, some self-doubt may be a positive thing. Usually, though, self-doubt has an inhibiting effect. “…Self-doubt ‘can lead to a persistent need for reassurance, leaving you feeling anxious unless others are providing it…’ It can leave people paralyzed when making decisions, fearing they’ll pick the wrong choice. They might get stuck on everything from which career

Someone inquired about 1 Peter 4:3. That verse is part of an immediate context which observes the contrast between the children of God and those who are not the children of God. A portion of the passage under consideration is as follows. That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles — when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (1 Peter 4:2-5) The English Standard Version (ESV) renders verses 3-4 perhaps somewhat more easily understood. “Living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you.” The New International Version (NIV) records verse 3 thusly, “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do — living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.” Note: The Greek word ethnos is related to our English word “ethnic.” Whereas ethnos appears as “Gentiles” in many translations, some other translations render ethnos as “pagans.” “…Where laos is claimed for and restricted to the chosen people… ethnos includes all

Unconditional Faithfulness A dictionary definition for the word “unconditional” is “not conditional or limited: absolute, unqualified” (“Unconditional”). Synonyms include complete, flat-out, all-out, definite, out-and-out, total and unmitigated. Hence, unconditional faithfulness in God is a permanent state of immovable loyalty to God no matter what may transpire in one’s life. That’s exactly what Jesus Christ calls upon each Christian to embrace, and He encapsulated that posture in Revelation 2:10. It reads, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (NKJV). We may want to appeal to this verse merely to teach that the heavenly reward follows a life of faithfulness, and of course, it does. However, our Lord meant much more than such a light application. Notice particularly the words “suffer,” “prison,” “tribulation” and “death,” among other significant words. The Greek for “suffer” indicates a painful experience. The word “throw” carries the connotation of violence. “Tested” has to do with an examination, to be scrutinized or to be disciplined (cf., 1 Peter 3:14-17). “Tribulation” means pressure and is sometimes translated as persecution. “Ten days” is a figurative expression representing an indefinitely long time. Do you realize, then, Revelation 2:10 is more than a pleasant and optimistic view of faithfulness and eternity to come? Revelation 2:10 denotes serious and lethal consequences of practicing Christianity in an

“Where do babies go when they die?” someone inquired. Such a question would never have been asked except for the worldwide influence of the Roman Catholic Church. For centuries, it taught that unbaptized (unchristened) babies who die were neither eligible for Heaven nor candidates for Hell. Thus, Catholic religionists devised an intermediary eternal abode hovering between Heaven and Hell, which they dubbed, “Limbo.” “Limbo, which comes from the Latin word meaning ‘border’ or ‘edge,’ was considered by medieval theologians to be a state or place reserved for the unbaptized dead, including good people who lived before the coming of Christ” (Pullella). Though not Hell itself, Limbo was imagined to be closer to Hell than it was to Heaven. “A supposed border-land of hell; a region which has been believed by many to exist on the borders of hell, and to be the appointed abode of those who have not received the grace of Christ while living, and yet have not deserved the punishments of wilful and impenitent sinners” (“Limbo.” Wordnik). A further synopsis regarding “Limbo” includes the following. The place between heaven and hell to which Roman Catholics believe that the spirits of dead children who have not been baptized go: Limbo is the theological belief that children who die before being baptized are suspended in a space between heaven and hell. In 1905 Pope Pius X declared that children who die without baptism go into limbo, where they do not enjoy God, but they do not suffer either. (“Limbo.” Cambridge) Merriam-Webster defines

Various resources define circumstantial evidence as follows: “Circumstantial evidence usually is that which suggests a fact by implication or inference…” (“How Courts Work”); “Circumstantial evidence is indirect evidence that does not, on its face, prove a fact in issue but gives rise to a logical inference that the fact exists” (Cornell Law School); “indirect evidence that tends to establish a conclusion by inference…” (Collins English Dictionary); “evidence that tends to prove a fact by proving other events or circumstances which afford a basis for a reasonable inference of the occurrence of the fact at issue” (Merriam-Webster.com); “The second type of evidence is circumstantial evidence – statement(s) or information obtained indirectly or not based on first-hand experience by a person” (“Investigation”). On its own, circumstantial evidence allows for more than one explanation. Different pieces of circumstantial evidence may be required, so that each corroborates the conclusions drawn from the others. Together, they may more strongly support one particular inference over another. An explanation involving circumstantial evidence becomes more likely once alternative explanations have been ruled out. …Circumstantial evidence is used in criminal courts to establish guilt or innocence through reasoning. …A popular misconception is that circumstantial evidence is less valid or less important than direct evidence, which is popularly assumed to be the most powerful, but this is not the case. Many successful criminal prosecutions rely largely or entirely on circumstantial evidence, and civil charges are frequently based on circumstantial or indirect evidence. The common metaphor for the strongest possible evidence in any case – the “smoking gun” – is an example of proof based on circumstantial evidence. …In practice, circumstantial evidence can have an advantage over

May the church, from its treasury, care for widows and destitute children? If so, is there a method specified in the New Testament? The short answers are “Yes” to the first question and “No” to the second question! Nevertheless, when it comes to the “Lord’s money” (as opponents are quick to describe the treasury), many brethren vehemently deny that the church can use the collection to provide financial assistance to widows, needy children or anyone else. They view James 1:27 and Galatians 6:10 as applicable solely to individual Christians and as an activity forbidden for the Lord’s church to engage. The former Scripture reads, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (NKJV). The second verse says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” First, let’s establish that the churches of Christ (Romans 16:16) not only may, but if they have opportunity, they must spend church funds in some cases to assist widows, for instance. Acts 6:1-3 proves that the Lord’s church – under the direct supervision of and validated by the inspired apostles – practiced benevolence toward widows. Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said,

“Moreover those who work in fine flax And those who weave fine fabric will be ashamed [confounded]” (Isaiah 19:9 NKJV). Did you ever notice how much torn fabric appears upon the pages of inspiration? For thousands of years, culture in the Bible lands included the common practice of tearing clothes one was wearing at a time of great distress (Genesis 37:29; Judges 11:35; 2 Kings 5:7; 6:30; 2 Samuel 13:19; Ezra 9:3; Esther 4:1; Acts 14:14), grief (Genesis 37:34; 2 Samuel 1:11; 13:31), humility (1 Kings 21:27-29; 2 Chronicles 34:27) or severe agitation (Matthew 26:65; Acts 22:23). Matthew 9:16 even provides practical instruction for patching torn fabric. My parents struggled to clothe my three brothers and me, but they never would have sent us to school with tears in our clothing. Today, however, holey clothes that my family would have decommissioned for regular wear are sold that way for astronomical prices. How times have changed!  Yet, there is something much more important than the tattered clothes people wear now. Tragically, the moral fabric of contemporary society is so badly torn that one must wonder if it could ever be restored. This torn fabric manifests itself in nearly universal disregard for any and all authority, in widespread all manner of crime and violence, in a general disregard for the sanctity of human life, and in open hatred toward Almighty God, His Holy Word and the children of God. “Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you,

Various translations render 1 Timothy 2:12 as follows. Teach The Greek word translated “teach” in each of the Scripture citations above can mean “instruct by word of mouth” (Complete Word Study Dictionary) and possess an “authoritative element” (Theological Dictionary). Obviously, “teach” pertains to providing instruction, but the manner in which instruction is dispensed and with what authority instruction pours forth can also be a part of the Greek definition of “teach.” Usurp Authority Over The Greek word translated “usurp authority,” “have authority,” “have dominion” or “exercise authority” here corresponds to these definitions: “absolute master… one acting by his own authority or power… to domineer” (Complete Word Study Dictionary); “to govern” (Abbott-Smith); “to have full power over” (Liddell and Scott) and “‘To control in a domineering manner’ is often expressed idiomatically, for example, ‘to shout orders at,’ ‘to act like a chief toward,’ or ‘to bark at’” (Greek-English Lexicon). Definitions in additional Greek reference works agree with these definitions for “usurp authority over,” and their inclusion here merely would amount to surplus citations. The Man The word “man” here refers to a male, or it can refer, depending upon the context, to a husband. “And a woman I do not suffer to teach, nor to rule a husband, but to be in quietness” (YLT). Definitions for the word here include “1. As opp. to a woman, Acts 8:12, 1 Tim 2:12; as a husband, Matt 1:16, John 4:16, Rom 7:2, Titus 1:6. 2. As opp. to a boy or infant, 1 Cor 13:11, Eph 4:13,

As a fluke when looking for information for this article, I typed “predenominational” into an Internet browser. To my surprise, I found the following quotation in the first entry on the first page. I was taken by surprise to find it on Baptist “debate forums.” It is a carefully worded and accurate representation of what the churches of Christ (Romans 16:16) are supposed to be pursuing. However, the paragraph below was penned by someone in 2010 from Indiana who veiled his identity and noted his affiliation with a house church. A predenominational Christian is a Christian or disciple of Christ who seeks to base all of his religious beliefs and practices upon the New Testament itself, starting with the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He desires to recover original New Testament Christianity, or the faith once delivered unto the saints. He is neither Catholic nor Protestant and rejects any and all Catholic and Protestant traditions that are inconsistent with or contrary to the New Testament, no matter how deeply-entrenced (sic) these traditions may have become. His overriding goal is to be true to Christ and true to the New Testament. (adisciplinedlearner) The first response and immediately on the same day as the post by adisciplinedlearner was highly critical and an unapologetic defense of religious confusion among believers in Christ, which has resulted in the existence of the Catholic Church and a myriad of denominations and nondenominational churches – as well as endless doctrines that conflict with each other

These two questions are related: “Were the apostles baptized?” and “Was Apollos baptized a second time?” The New Testament neither records the instances of the apostles being baptized nor of a second baptism of Apollos. However, Scripture implies that neither the apostles nor Apollos needed to be baptized after the establishment of the Lord’s church, about which one reads in Acts 2. The baptism administered by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-6), his disciples and the disciples of Jesus (John 4:1-2) – before the establishment of the church – involved repentance (Matthew 3:2) “for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). “…The word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Luke 3:2-3). Jesus Christ preached the same message as John upon the beginning of His earthly ministry (Matthew 4:17). It is reasonable to conclude that the disciples of John and the apostles of Jesus Christ were themselves baptized in John the Baptist’s baptism since (1) they baptized others, and (2) our Lord Jesus was also baptized (Matthew 3:13-17). Regarding Apollos, since he was baptizing others in John’s baptism, it is reasonable to conclude that he himself had already been baptized in John’s baptism. He was unaware of the baptism of the Great Commission (Acts 18:24-25; Mark 16:15-16). “This man [Apollos] had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of

Friday evening, May 15, 2015, Bonnie Sue Rushmore was very weak. Bonnie and I both knew that she was losing her three-year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. It was a common occurrence for us to travel two hours away to a hospital for fluid in her abdomen to be drained or to otherwise stabilize her before returning to our home. Sitting in the loveseat in our living room and covered with a blanket, Bonnie engaged in what turned out to be her final conversation with me. My dear wife must have realized that she was closer to death’s threshold into eternity than I grasped. After all, I had grown accustomed to the medical visits that somewhat rejuvenated her. This time, however, we would not be leaving the hospital together. Bonnie uttered the following words in an almost shocked tone. “But I’m not done, yet!” She wasn’t bemoaning her frailty and premature death on account of personal or selfish reasons, which would not have been the least unreasonable. Her words on the page could be misconstrued and lead one to the assumption that she thought death was not near for her. Instead, Bonnie lamented that by dying she could no longer serve our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. She was always and fully immersed in the service of Christ. Since I was an evangelist and Bonnie was my wife, Christian service was a way of life for us and for our three children. In addition, Bonnie and I were missionaries to India,

Someone posed the question, “If we are not perfect, how can we know we are saved?” Someone else provided a short answer, saying, “We are perfected in Christ.” Indeed, we are not perfect. We can all identify with Ezekiel 28:15, which reads, “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you” (NKJV). Consequently, all who read this bear the guilt of sin. “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one’” (Romans 3:10). “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). It is impossible for mankind to save itself through merely its own thoughts and actions. If humanity could extricate itself from the mire of sin, there would have been no need for a Savior to leave Heaven and come to earth and die on Calvary’s cross as a supreme sacrifice for sinners to be redeemed. If men could have lived their lives in perfect agreement with the Law of Moses (the Old Testament), they would have been without sin and would not have needed a Savior. Though imperfect creatures, Jesus Christ saves those who obey Him and His revealed New Testament. “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews

“I’ve heard the word ‘Gospel,’ but I don’t know much about it,” the young female cashier remarked as she tabulated my charges for three dress shirts I was buying. She had heard the word and could pronounce it, but she didn’t know what it meant. It seems that everything these days involves one’s email address. Examples include digital receipts for restaurant or hardware store purchases, online shopping, accessing medical portals and paying utility bills. Usually, store personnel and customer support representatives cannot pronounce, spell or even are aware of what the two words in my email address mean – Rushmore@GospelGazette.com. I understand that many people today are unfamiliar with the word “gazette” or how to spell it, though even a local newspaper where I live still uses “Gazette” in its masthead. However, it is nearly unfathomable that the populace around us is entirely oblivious to what the Gospel is all about. Even the thesaurus associated with the Microsoft Word program with which I’m writing this article does not even have one synonym for the word “gospel.” All of this is symptomatic of a world that is lost! Although not merely a generational circumstance, especially younger generations have little to no knowledge about God, His Word or His church. The world does not have a moral compass and does not subscribe to divine standards, which ought to result in godly living. Christianity simply does not resonate with most of the people we encounter – even in our nation that was once

One veteran Gospel preacher observed that commentators do not address this aspect of the qualifications for deacons in the church of the Bible. “How old must the children of deacons be?” The phrases “one who rules his own house well” (1 Timothy 3:4 NKJV) regarding elders and “ruling their children and their own houses well” (1 Timothy 3:12) pertaining to deacons employ the same Greek words. To this extent, the qualifications for elders and for deacons are the same. However, the reference to elders is modified by the phrases “having his children in submission with all reverence” (1 Timothy 3:4) and “having faithful children” (Titus 1:6). Certainly, one or more children of an elder must be old enough to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well as to demonstrate submission to the father of the family. This implies a relative age range for the children of elders. However, the phrases “having his children in submission with all reverence” and “having faithful children” do not appear among the qualifications for deacons. We simply find “ruling their children and their own houses well.” There is no implication relative to a maturity comparable to that necessary to comprehend and to obey the Gospel of Christ. Various Bible translations render 1 Timothy 3:12 “ruling their children and their own houses well” (NKJV; KJV; ASV; BBE; Douay-Rheims), “managing their children and their own households well” (ESV; cf., NIV; CJB; God’s Word; Lexham English Bible; Goodspeed, RSV), “the children leading well, and their own houses”

Life is messy! Dictionary definitions for the word “messy” include “confusion,” “disorder,” “lacking precision,” “extremely unpleasant or trying” (Merriam-Webster), “embarrassing,” “difficult,” “characterized by moral or psychological confusion” (Dictionary.com), “Exhibiting or demonstrating carelessness” (American Heritage) and “out of control” (Urban Dictionary). All of those descriptions paint images that plague every human’s life to some degree sooner or later or even all together. Life on earth is messy in so many ways. Life is messy regarding the various and infinitesimal ways in which often life does not unfold just as one expects or desires. Circumstances in which people find themselves often have serious and unending consequences. Much of the time, the debacles that dot individuals’ lives also relate to sins or unrighteousness (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8) – what God through the Holy Spirit inspired Bible specifies as lawlessness (1 John 3:4). Life is messy, today – just as messy with sin as it was preceding the universal deluge in the days of Noah (Genesis 6-8) or in Sodom and Gomorrah prior to God’s fiery judgment on them (Genesis 19). For many young children, life is messy because of something that happened in their homes or otherwise in the environment to which they were subjected. Dreadful incidents they may have experienced can affect them for decades or even for the rest of their lives. These events may range from physical, emotional or sexual abuse, exposure to war or violent crime, poverty, famine, deprivation of education or medical attention, and a

Some brethren conscientiously concern themselves with a recipe for communion bread (1 Corinthians 10:16) – one of the emblems consumed in observance of the Lord’s Table (1 Corinthians 10:21) or the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20). They assert that communion bread must contain flour, olive oil and salt for it to correspond with the Passover bread with which Jesus instituted the memorial supper (1 Corinthians 11:25) (Choate, VOTI#58 50-53; Choate, VOTI#92 54). Hence, this assertion is either a doctrinal matter or amounts to going beyond what is written in Scripture (1 Corinthians 4:6) – particularly in the New Testament, under which we live and by which we will be judged. Leviticus 2:4-7, 13 is represented as the “proof text” for a specific recipe for acceptable communion bread. It reads as follows. 4 And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. 5 But if your offering is a grain offering baked in a pan, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil. 6 You shall break it in pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. 7 If your offering is a grain offering baked in a covered pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 13 And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer

The latter part of 1 Samuel 20:18 reads, “…you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.” King Saul’s son Jonathan said that to and about David. Those words, though, bring to mind questions and things to ponder beyond the context of Jonathan’s words. First, like David, will we be missed because our seat at the table will be empty after we die? Are we the right kind of husband or wife, father or mother and friend that family and friends will miss us when we are gone? Or, do we make no difference in the lives of our families and associates? Maybe, on the other hand, we make the wrong kind of impact on the lives of those around us. “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged” (Colossians 3:18-21 NKJV). Will you be missed because your seat will be empty? Secondly, will we be missed among other servants of our Lord Jesus Christ? While no one is irreplaceable, the absence of a devoted child of God engaged in many good works will leave a void in the ranks among the soldiers of Christ. After your passing, will fellow soldiers need to close the ranks, or will there be no noticeable deficiency amongst fellow laborers harnessed for the cause of Christ? “This is a

When one is baptized, I believe it is important to baptize someone in accordance with Matthew 28:19. However, I have heard two ministers of local churches of Christ baptize “in the name of Jesus,” and that bothered me tremendously. In both occasions, I was informed that Matthew 28:19 was before Jesus died. For after Jesus’ death, both referred to Acts 2:38 as their reason for baptizing in the name of Jesus. I am confused as to which is correct when baptizing someone – Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38 – either/or? In the first place, the Bible represents “the sum” of divine revelation. “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17 NKJV). For people living today, the New Testament is the portion of the Bible to which we turn (Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14; Romans 7:6-7), by which we must govern our lives (Ephesians 5:8; 2 John 4; 3 John 4) and by which we will be judged (Romans 2:16; John 12:48). Matthew 28:19 – often called the Great Commission – pertains to salvation available under Christianity. It reads, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38 is an example of the application of the Great Commission, which pertains to salvation available under Christianity. This Scripture reads, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ

Location, location, location. “The point is that location is so vital to real estate, it takes up the top three spots on the list of things you must consider” (Charron). “In a nutshell, location, location, location means identical homes can increase or decrease in value due to location. The saying is repeated three times for emphasis, and it is the number one rule in real estate, though it is often the most overlooked. You can buy the right home in the wrong location” (Weintraub). A dictionary definition for “location” reads, “1a : a position or site occupied or available for occupancy or marked by some distinguishing feature… b(1) : a tract of land designated for a purpose” (“Location”). Irrespective of where we live on the Earth – possessor of expensive real estate or owner of none – there are only two locations fitted for the eternal habitation of souls. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that He is preparing a “place” – a location – in “His Father’s house” for His followers. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3 NKJV). That eternal abode has been in preparation “from the foundation of the world” (Matthew

“Did the Old Law [the Old Testament] save souls?” A simple “yes” or “no” will not adequately answer this inquiry. No, the Old Testament (which included Patriarchy and Judaism) did not directly save souls from their sins. How do we know this? “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4 NKJV). The preceding three verses explain. For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. The animal sacrifices offered under Patriarchy and especially under Judaism were unable to remove the guilt of one’s sins, but those sacrifices prefigured a future, perfect sacrifice that would remove their sins. Of course, that perfect sacrifice was the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, the Savior, our Redeemer – Jesus Christ. Only through His sacrifice were and are sins removed, thus saving souls. “In whom [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14). “…Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His

Someone mused, “Will God give me a sign?” That brings to my mind an illustration I heard several years ago. It goes something like this. A serious flood surrounded a man’s home, and the water kept rising. At first, would-be rescuers came by the man’s home in a high-water rescue vehicle, but the man refused to go with them, saying, “I’m waiting for a sign from God.” Later, after the water got even higher, would-be rescuers came by in a boat, but again, the man refused to go with them. “I’m waiting for a sign from God,” he said. Then, the water rose so high that the man climbed onto the roof to avoid the floodwaters. Would-be rescuers came by in a helicopter, but once more, the man refused to go with them, saying, “I’m waiting for a sign from God.” Finally, the man drowned! Subsequently, in a conversation with God, he bemoaned that God hadn’t sent him a sign. God answered, “I sent you a high-water rescue vehicle, a boat and a helicopter, but you refused all three.” The scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for “a sign” (Matthew 12:38). “But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah’” (Matthew 12:39 NKJV). Our Lord, then, proceeded to speak about the ultimate sign – His resurrection from the dead (v. 40). In verses 41-42, Jesus declared that sufficient signs

What kind of person do you want to be? There are so many different facets of who anyone of us is in relationship to other people, as well as regarding our relationship with the God of Heaven. Briefly, consider what kind of person you want to be, generally, just as a person. In addition, if married, what kind of a spouse do you want to be? As a child (of any age – everyone is a child of parents, also of any age), what kind of person do you want to be? If you have brothers or sisters, what kind of a person do you want to be to your siblings? Are you an employee or an employer? What kind of a person do you want to be as an employee? What kind of a person do you want to be as a coworker? If an employer, what kind of a person do you want to be to your employees? Beyond that, what kind of a person do you want to be to your neighbors? What kind of a person do you want to be as a citizen in your community and nation; are you a good earthly citizen? More importantly, spiritually speaking, what kind of a person do you want to be as a good citizen in the kingdom of Heaven; what kind of person do you want to be as a Christian? To a large degree, one’s environment impacts a person as he or she develops into the

Acts 20:30 presents a sad commentary but ever so true regarding the children of God. It reads, “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:30 NKJV). From God’s placement of the first pair in the Garden of Eden through the present, certainly it’s a great challenge to keep the safe (i.e., initially Adam and Eve, as well as every babe) and the saved in a holy relationship with their Creator. Throughout human history, mankind has excelled in wickedness, and just when one imagines that violence, crime and unrest can’t possibly get any worse or become any more prevalent – it does! Almighty God did a reset regarding His creation when He expelled Adam and Eve from paradise and also during the Noahic deluge. Planet Earth was never the same as it was when it was created. Even praiseworthy Bible heroes faltered in sin. Among that number are Noah (Genesis 6:8, 22; 7:5; Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5; cf., Genesis 9:21), Moses (Numbers 20:7-12), David (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22; cf., 2 Samuel 11:1-12:15) and the apostle Peter (Matthew 26:74-75; Galatians 2:11-13). Beyond the consideration of individuals, the children of God as a unit repeatedly sinned against God (Hosea 4:1-10). Especially notice Hosea 4:7, which says, “The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me [God]; I will change their glory into shame.” Now, let’s consider Acts 20:30 in its context. The apostle Paul was traveling to Jerusalem, and on his way, he paused in

There were two categories of Jewish sects anciently: religious and political (McClintock and Strong). Pharisees, Sadducees and Essenes were examples of Jewish, religious sects, whereas Zealots and Herodians were examples of Jewish, political sects. All together, “there were 24 sects in Israel” (qtd. by Weiss). It is no wonder that early on the Roman Empire mistakenly viewed Christianity as a Jewish sect (number 25) when Jews and Christians were expelled from Rome (Acts 18:2), and even the Jewish sects supposed that Christianity was the newest Jewish sect (Acts 24:5; 28:22). Incidentally, the Greek word translated “sect” is often translated “heresy” (Acts 24:14; 1 Corinthians 11:19; Galatians 5:20; 2 Peter 2:1), owing to the meaning of the word, “division.” The sectarian or divisive mentality characteristic of first century Judaism likewise infected early Christianity, too (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). Sadly, the divisive attitude characteristic of Judaism at the time of our Lord’s ministry and later common during the time of the apostle Paul’s ministry is rampant among both denominational people (or sectarians) and God’s people today as well. The multiple sects or divisions within the churches of Christ in modern times is hardly a secret from any informed person, non-Christian or Christian. My point is this. Passages in the New Testament that criticize sectarianism apply to God’s people or Christians first and before they apply to any other groups. Yes, Scripture that condemns sectarianism applies in principle to denominational churches, too, but those verses were spoken originally to God’s people. Therefore, they apply to God’s people today also, and by extension, they apply to non-Christians as well. The Pharisees and the Sadducees, for instance,

We have been having a class on Jonah and the teacher is trying to make the case that Jonah died while in the belly of the fish. He is basing his assumption on Jonah 2:2-6 then again in Matt 12:38-40 saying that both Jonah and Christ died and was then resurrected. I don’t believe that Jonah died. I believe that God kept him alive to teach him and us that his will will be done and that he cares for all people and allows all to repent. I also believe that the sign of Jonah was, as Christ stated, that he was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights as he was buried for three days and nights. What are your thoughts? ~ Marvin Towell I thought I’d been around – both here and there as well for several decades – but I don’t recall having heard about anyone teaching that Jonah died while inside the “great fish” (Jonah 1:17). The notion took me a little by surprise. Nevertheless, the question of whether Jonah died while in the belly of the great fish deserves examination. After looking at a great number of biblical resources, I was about to conclude that no reference work of which I was aware theorized Jonah died while in the belly of the great fish. Then, I came across Burton Coffman’s commentary on Jonah 2:2, in which place he cited commentators who were certain that Jonah died in the belly

I’m sure you’ve noticed that public prayers in our assemblies often follow a familiar sort of jingle – the same words in the same order with nearly a melodic feature, almost resembling a chant. Sometimes, we suspect that the words and their definitions just might be foreign to the speakers’ own vocabularies, but they’ve heard prayers prayed that way time and time again over the years. On some occasions, the prayer may come across so quickly as though the play button on a recorder were pressed – only that the speed was set to faster, which results in run together words so that there’s a good possibility that neither the speaker nor the hearers could discern what was said. We and others around us have the same needs regularly, of course, and so we surely will pray about the same things frequently; nevertheless, public prayers ought to be meaningful to the one leading them as well as to the ones who hear them. Before each public prayer that I lead, I pray to God in advance that the prayer I’m about to express will be acceptable to Him and useful for those present. Regarding public prayers, we often hear something like this. “Dear God, please forgive us of our many sins.” Bible class after Bible class and worship after worship, we may hear something of that nature uttered – “forgive us of our many sins.” Elders, preachers and other members petition God habitually with the words, “Forgive us of our many sins.” Naturally, we do not

Into what “name” are persons to be baptized? Is there a contradiction between Matthew 28:19 and Acts 2:38? Furthermore, must one administering baptism to another say the words of Matthew 28:19 or the words appearing in Acts 2:38? First, let’s view the two passages under consideration. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 NKJV). “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38). Indeed, at a glance and admittedly, the two Scriptures read differently regarding the “name” into which one must be baptized. However, I submit to you that, nevertheless, both passages teach the same thing. This will become clear as we continue. Secondly, we’ll treat the third question first, regarding what words the administrator of Christian baptism must say in connection with baptizing someone. Notice that both biblical references instruct what one must do rather than what one must say. It is an agreeable tradition to say aloud into whose name one is baptized, but such a thing, though instructive to bystanders (if there are any), is not a biblical specification. It is not necessary to recite biblical words at the time of the baptism for it to be valid. “Rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 ESV) includes being able to and willing to distinguish between

The Christian home is critically important to the conviction and to the conversion desperately needed and often lacking in the churches of Christ. Sermons and classes, despite how militantly and faithfully they may be presented, will not convert the church to Christ until conviction and conversion undergird the Christian homes of the local congregation. The brotherhood of Christ – nationally and internationally – will not excel and model conviction and conversion to Christ unless and until those concepts characterize Christian homes. Life in the kingdom of Jesus Christ must become a completely encompassing new way of life for each Christian. “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4 NKJV). There is no greater transformation in one’s life (Romans 12:1-2) about which we could read in Scripture than in the life of Saul of Tarsus – better known after his conversion as the apostle Paul. He went from being the most avid persecutor of the Lord’s church to being its most vocal advocate (Acts 9:20-21; 22:19-20; 26:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Philippians 3:6; 1 Timothy 1:13). “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women” (Acts 22:4). Total surrender of self to Jesus Christ – Lord,

“Why did God condemn King David for conducting a Census?” someone inquired. After all, censuses are regularly conducted in our day, and they were historically performed in many nations. The backdrop to the birth of Jesus of Nazareth being born in Bethlehem relates to a census in the Roman Empire (Luke 2:1-7). Furthermore, in former times, God called upon Moses to number the people of Israel – that is, take a census. “As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai” (Numbers 1:19 NKJV; 3:14-16; 26:1-2). However, in David’s time, God had not authorized taking a census of the Israelites. King David, though, initiated a census – to which David’s general and captains resisted, at first. “…the king’s word was abominable to Joab…” (1 Chronicles 21:6). So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.” And Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of

“He’s Everywhere” (1966) is the title of a Gospel song by Sonny James. It was about seeing God everywhere and in everything – from a baby’s smile to the wind that blows – and so forth. Also, “Everywhere” (1987) was a love song by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac; more recently (2022), the song was used in a commercial to promote Chevrolet electric vehicles. “He’s Everywhere,” referring to God, implies His omniscience – the divine characteristic of being all knowing – as well as His omnipresence – the divine trait of being everywhere. Truly, Almighty God is omniscient and omnipresent – “He’s Everywhere.” God “knows all things” (1 John 3:20 NKJV). “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3; cf., 5:21; Jeremiah 32:19; Job 34:21; Hebrews 4:13). God is everywhere – “not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27), and He fills all of creation (Jeremiah 23:23-24). “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell [Hades], behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:7-10). Satan, however, does not possess divine characteristics; he is not equal with God but is a created being as were all the

“What if I sin after becoming a Christian?” someone asked. It is not a matter if one may sin after becoming a Christian, but instead, every Christian sometimes commits sins. Notice what the inspired apostle John penned to Christians in the first century. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. …If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10 NKJV). I have only encountered one Christian in my 50+ years of preaching who claimed – adamantly–he never commits sins as a Christian. That assertion was sinful since it directly contradicted the Holy Word of God, as just noted. Unrighteous people major in unrighteousness and minor in righteous – sometimes. Christians major in righteousness and, regrettably, minor in unrighteousness or sin. Even good moral people who are not Christians are unrighteous as long as they do not obey the Gospel of Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; 1 Peter 4:17). Just as there was a remedy for sin before one became a Christian – to obey the Gospel of Christ (Mark 16:15-16) by acting out the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-5) – there is also a remedy for sin after one becomes a Christian. Turning to the apostle John once more and in the same context, we discover, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus

Hi pastor. Kindly may u leads me to christ. Am Muslim who needed salvation. Crying for salvation via u. What can I do to be get saved. Rply sir. Isaac Thank you for your interest in becoming a Christian, a child of God. It would be helpful to know where in the world you are and how you came to contact me. Nevertheless, please note the abbreviated information that will put becoming a Christian into perspective for you. Essentially, the basics are as follows. I have also added you to the free, monthly email reminder list for notification when a new edition of Gospel Gazette Online (www.GospelGazette.com) is available. That website also has many hundreds of religious articles in its Archive and well over 100 titles of books and editions of the magazine The Voice of Truth International in PDF format, at no charge or free, in its Digital Library. I hope this helps, and I look forward to your further correspondence.

Teaching methods vary, and some are more effective than others, while some are useless in communicating the Word of God. The following, essentially at least, are teaching methods that have been for a long time and are still discoverable in – of all places – various congregations of the churches of Christ. Discern for yourself which teaching methods are worthy undertakings versus those that are culpable for memberships which have been historically and are still largely ignorant of the Bible’s directives and promises. Though every child of God necessarily begins his or her new life in Christ as a babe (1 Peter 2:2), remaining as a babe in Christ is spiritually dangerous because such a one is unprepared to distinguish between “good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14). Can apostasy from the one, true church of the Bible be far off for any congregation of spiritual babies (1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-3; 4:3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)? I’m Chasing Rabbits, Inc. I’m Chasing Rabbits, Inc. is when the teacher voluntarily, or is drawn by his or her class, goes everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It is pointless to turn to the announced biblical text since that is not where things are headed, and, frankly, the whole class period may expire without ever even reading the passage that was supposed to be the objective. I’m Chasing Rabbits, Inc. is great for an endless series of classes, but the end result is completely pointless as a means of knowing God’s Word more perfectly

The word “epicenter” pertains to the center point above an earthquake. However, “epicenter” is used often figuratively as, “The focal point of a usually harmful or unpleasant phenomenon or event; the center” (yourdictionary.com). As I listened to the news this morning, the broadcaster referred to San Francisco as the epicenter for the United States for instances of monkeypox, and he cited New York City and Miami as epicenters for this disease in other parts of the country. Furthermore, in each of those epicenters, monkeypox first and primarily infects homosexual communities. Thousands of years ago, Sodom was an epicenter for homosexuality, for which cause God destroyed it and neighboring cities (Genesis 19:1-29). God could not find even 10 righteous souls in Sodom (Genesis 18:24-33). Genesis 19:4-5 identifies the specific sin by which the city of Sodom defiled itself, and the NIV uses plain, unmistakable words. “Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom – both young and old – surrounded the house. They called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.’” Prior to the Law of Moses or Judaism and under Patriarchy, God condemned homosexuality or sodomy. The word “sodomy” comes from the city of Sodom, which God destroyed because homosexuality was commonplace there. That decisive, punitive action by God against Sodom as the epicenter for homosexuality should cause residents of San Francisco, New York

When I was a young boy, I learned about reverential worship through my Catholic upbringing. Worshipers entered the church building through a short foyer, finding themselves almost immediately in the sanctuary or the place of worship. Even before crossing the threshold separating the sidewalk from the interior of the edifice, each person quietly and reverently prepared himself or herself to arrive in what to him or to her was the equivalent of the throne room of Almighty God in Heaven. We felt as though we were in the very presence of God, Who deserved to arrest our complete attention along with our purposeful intention to worship Him. We strove to demonstrate our humility before and to express our awe of our Creator God. For the time spent there, our entire focus was on worshiping Almighty God. The mechanism for fostering reverential worship, however, was of man’s design – a sanctuary. Under the authority of the Old Testament rather than under the authority of the New Testament, God did recognize a sanctuary (Leviticus 19:30), but He does not now authorize a holy place (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). A sanctuary is “…in religion, a sacred place, set apart from the profane, ordinary world” (“Sanctuary”). As such, the sanctuary was always holy irrespective of whether worship were occurring. Despite the external encouragement to conduct oneself reverentially, true worship of God under Christianity demands of worshipers reverence toward Almighty God, even  without an external mechanism. Nevertheless, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world

“Who were the women at the foot of the cross of Jesus?” The pertinent New Testament verses are as follows. “And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons” (Matthew 27:55-56 NKJV). “There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem” (Mark 15:40-41). “But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things” (Luke 23:49). “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His [1] mother, and [2] His mother’s sister, [3] Mary the wife of Clopas, and [4] Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25). Matthew, Mark and Luke note that several women and other acquaintances viewed the cross from afar. The Gospel according to John, then, notes four women who made their way to the foot of our Lord’s cross: Jesus’ mother, Mary; Mary’s – here –unnamed sister; Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. We acknowledge that some students of the Bible question from the ambiguous wording whether three or four persons stood at the foot of the cross. Note below brother Guy N. Woods’ summation and explanation of the query. The text, either in Greek or English, leaves in doubt whether there were three women here

“Is it scripturally permissible to use a pitch pipe in Christian worship?” Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 are the primary New Testament passages to which the student of the Bible turns to validate the type of music that God authorized for Christian worship. Respectively, they read, “Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (NKJV) and “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” These two verses authorize singing wherever and whenever Christian worship transpires. Consequently, God did not authorize instrumental music for use in Christian worship. Incidentally, “singing” is so specific that other forms of vocal expression are not authorized either, such as humming, whistling or imitating musical instruments. Unlike musical instruments that accompany singing in many religious services today – though not authorized by God – the pitch pipe is silent during singing. If the pitch pipe were used – for instance, in an attempt to play it – during singing, it would be equally unauthorized and as sinful as using instruments of music along with singing Christian hymns. The pitch pipe – as long as it isn’t used as though it were a musical instrument, such as a harmonica – is merely one of many expedients to worship and not itself a part of worship. Other expedients to Christian

Galatians 1:3-4 reads, “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age [“world” KJV], according to the will of our God and Father” (NKJV). To a greater or a lesser degree, every age since sin entered into the world has been a “present evil age.” However, there have been several occasions throughout history where sinfulness resulted in a tipping point with God, whereupon He exacted widespread retribution upon sinners. A tipping point is “the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place” (“Tipping Point”). No one can deflect God’s wrath when He determines to react against an “evil age.” Some Significant HistoricalTipping Points with God A staggering percentage of 100% of humanity at the time – Adam and Eve – were banished from the Garden of Eden for their sin of disobedience (Genesis 3:23-24). Hundreds of years later, nearly 100% of humanity was killed in the universal flood of Noah’s days (Genesis 7:21-23). “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually… The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:5, 11). God, therefore, “condemned the world” (Hebrews 11:7), sparing only “eight souls” (1 Peter 3:20). The sin of homosexuality (Genesis 19; Jude 7),

From its inception in 1830 through the next 13 years, the Mormon Church officially condemned the practice of polygamy. Doctrine and Covenants (first published in 1835) expressly equated polygamy with fornication in each edition for over 40 years. “Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again” (Section 101:4). The New Testament also prohibits polygamy (1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:5-6). The Book of Mormon has always condemned polygamy as well. But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord. (Jacob 2:23-24 emphasis added) For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness. (Mosiah 11:2 emphasis added) And it came to pass that Riplakish did not do that which was right

From its inception through the present, Mormon doctrine has proved to be as pliable as wet clay. Beginning with Joseph Smith’s “First Vision” onward, official Mormon history and its interconnected religious dogma have been repeatedly reshaped and refashioned. No longer able to conceal conflicting historical accounts and contradictory doctrine from its members and the general public, over decades, the Mormon Church has reluctantly conceded as true several histories and teachings that it had effectively hidden for well over a century. Yet, these candid admissions are made without acknowledgment of culpability, and they are reminiscent of malefactors who confess their misdeeds only because they have been caught. If Mormonism were to discard every falsehood, the Mormon Church would be utterly dismantled, and its contemporary proponents would be compelled to apologize for the injustices that religion has inflicted on men’s souls. Mormonism owes its very conception to fraudulent claims and its development from purposeful fabrications severely at variance with facts and Bible truth. The Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is itself a lump of clay, the final form of which is still uncertain. Yet certainly, the Mormon Church is a lump that the Lord will one day remove out of its place (Matthew 3:10-12). In this regard, Mormonism is similar to countless other denominations that change their doctrine from time to time. Mormonism, though, has been susceptible to more radical change than many other manmade churches, basically because it contends for ongoing new revelations and inspired, living apostles. The

In 1830, Joseph Smith published the Book of Mormon and organized a church in the State of New York. According to the Book of Mormon, the name of that church was a matter of divine selection (3 Nephi 27:3-4, 7-8). Smith’s new church was initially known as the “Church of Christ.” However, in 1834 the name was changed to the “Church of the Latter-Day Saints,” only to be renamed again in 1838 to the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” (Address to All Believers in Christ 73; History of the Church, 2:63; Doctrine and Covenants, Section 115, the preface and verse 3). The original name corresponds to the church named in the Book of Mormon. “And they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ” (3 Nephi 26:21); “…the disciples of Jesus had formed a Church of Christ…” (4 Nephi 1:1). Today, there are two Mormon churches – the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and a smaller, dissenting group, the Re-organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In the 1820’s, the Restoration Movement was beginning to have an impact on the Western Reserve (northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio). Among other religious issues, the question of what constitutes a biblical or a divine church name was a subject of frequent discussion. Prominent among personages in the Restoration Movement who argued in favor of the name, “Church of Christ,” was Alexander Campbell (The Christian Baptist 2:237). Sidney Rigdon, formerly associated with the Campbell arm of the Restoration Movement, assisted Joseph

Doubtless, many Mormons are sincere and morally good people. However, there are several critical matters of which Mormons and the public need to be apprised. Truly, with only kindness in my heart and the best interest of others I submit the following evidence for consideration. Origin of the Bookof the Mormon In 1812, Solomon Spaulding took his fictional manuscript entitled, The Manuscript Found, Or the Book of the Mormon, to a Pittsburgh printer, Sidney Rigdon. Rigdon declined to publish the book but made a copy of it before returning it to Spaulding, who died shortly thereafter. In 1829, Rigdon met Joseph Smith and introduced him to the manuscript, The Book of the Mormon. In 1830, Rigdon and Smith began the Mormon Church based on The Book of the Mormon (M’Clintock and Strong 801). Other resources doubt this origin of the Book of the Mormon and simply relegate it to flagrant plagiarism from various sources by Joseph Smith. A good case can be made for this origin of the Book of the Mormon, too. In either case, the presentation of the Book of the Mormon by Joseph Smith, from which he molded a new religion, was the work of a deceiver. It is not of divine origin! Joseph Smith Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, and other Mormon prophets have made numerous prophecies and statements that contradict The Book Of Mormon, other Mormon teachings, the Bible and reality. Just this one subject, following, from Mormon writings themselves illustrates the unreliability of the founder of Mormonism and its earliest leaders. The following two references

A past advertising campaign by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) alleged that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. Advertisements in the TV Guide and commercials on television made this unsubstantiated and remarkable claim. When challenged to defend these assertions, however, the Mormon local district president responded but declined to defend the Book of Mormon. Also of note was the letter itself, which both misrepresented our correspondence and Mormon doctrine. Consider the following observations regarding a letter addressed to him and his reply. (1) We did not challenge the Mormons to debate “the differences between our churches” (though we could have). We asked them to defend their public assertion that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. (2) Though the Mormons claim they do “not engage in public debates,” at one time they did (e.g., Gatewood-Farnsworth Debate). It is easy to make baseless assertions, and it is no wonder the Mormons refuse to defend their claims – because they are unable to do so. (3) The Mormons say they prefer to preach “the Gospel of Christ” instead of debate, yet they reject the Gospel (New Testament) in favor of the Book of Mormon. (4) The empty claims of Mormonism are directed only to those who “would listen and accept” Mormon “precepts.” Others who hedge or question blind surrender to Mormonism are refused an explanation. The apostle Peter, though, wrote that we should be ready with answers regarding the Christian faith. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be

“If a person can be forgiven for adultery, why is there still a penalty?” There are a couple of points relative to this question. First, when one repents of whatever sin is under consideration, he or she stops committing the sin as a prerequisite to pardon. Repentance is “to change one’s way of life as the result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness” (Greek-English Lexicon emphasis added). Forgiveness of sins in unobtainable while continuing in the sins for which a person desires pardon. Continuing to commit the sins for which one wants pardon is not repentance! Therefore, under those circumstances, there is no forgiveness of sins. Mental acknowledgement of wrongdoing does not convert sinful activity into something acceptable to God. For instance, being in a biblically impermissible marriage (though sanctioned by man’s laws) does not somehow become acceptable to God merely by one noting that he or she has violated God’s New Testament commandments about marriage, divorce and remarriage (Matthew 19:9). Jesus cited only one circumstance for which an innocent person in a divorce for the cause of fornication may (but does not have to) marry a biblically eligible person. The apostle Paul quoted our Lord regarding divorce, penning, “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:10-11 NKJV). Jesus said not to divorce, but if

“What is the difference between a prophet and an apostle?” “A prophet was an individual who received a call from God to be God’s spokesperson, often connected with some crisis that was about to occur, and then announced God’s message of judgment and/or deliverance to Israel and the nations. The importance of this office can be seen in the fact that the word ‘prophet’ occurs over 300 times in the Old Testament and almost 125 times in the New Testament” (Evangelical Dictionary emphasis added). Therefore, a prophet was “a religious intermediary” (Eerdmans Dictionary) between God and mankind. “The ordinary Hebrew word for prophet is nabi, derived from a verb signifying ‘to bubble forth’ like a fountain; hence the word means one who announces or pours forth the declarations of God” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary). “Most frequently naba is used to describe the function of the true prophet as he speaks God’s message to the people, under the influence of the divine spirit” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary). A prophet was “a person who acts as the organ of divine communication with men, especially with regard to the future. He differs from a priest in representing the divine side of this mediation, while the priest rather acts from the human side” (McClintock and Strong emphasis added). Even when a prophet didn’t have a divine message at some time to declare, he was still a prophet, but we typically think of prophets as forthtellers of the future. Contrasting prophets and priests, think of two signs with arrows on them pointing in opposite directions. The prophet

Introduction Jesus Christ has all authority everywhere, all of the time – period! End of story! “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matthew 28:18 NKJV). God the Father bestowed that authority on the Christ (Matthew 11:27; John 3:35), and He will retain that authority until the end of time when He returns it to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). Jesus Christ delegated authority to His apostles (Matthew 16:19; 18:18; 2 Corinthians 13:10; Ephesians 3:3), and the Holy Spirit empowered them (Acts 2:1-4) and additional divinely inspired penmen (2 Peter 1:21). However, for the theme of this article, we will neither allude to them nor to the holy epistles they penned. People who cherish red-letter editions of the New Testament and revere the words of Jesus Christ over the rest of Scripture fail to realize that even the Word that our Lord conveyed to His disciples came from God the Father (John 17:8; 14:10; 17:14). Nevertheless, we will forego appealing to any but the words of Jesus Christ to accommodate persons having affection for red-letter New Testaments, as well as regarding the theme –  “Because Jesus Said So!” Salvation Nothing on this earth is more important that the salvation of souls! This material world and everything in it is temporary and will not endure eternally. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great

“To what does ‘purification’ refer in John 3:25? Doesn’t the context refer to Jewish purification and not baptism?” To answer these questions, we need to address both one significant aspect of Jewish purification as well as what John 3:25 teaches. First, one widespread form of Jewish purification resembled John’s and Jesus’ baptisms. Three kinds of washing are recognized in Biblical and rabbinical law: (1) washing of the hands, (2) washing of the hands and feet, and (3) immersion of the whole body in water. …The washing of the whole body, however, is the form of ablution most specifically and exactingly required by the Law. The cases in which the immersion of the whole body is commanded, either for purification or consecration, are very numerous. (“Ablution”) Citations for the above quotation include Exodus 29:4; 40:12; Leviticus 15:5-10, 16, 18-27; 16:24-28; 22:4-6; Numbers 19:7-8, 19; 2 Samuel 11:2, 4. Consequently, numerous ancient baptistries were carved out of stone in Jewish communities and neighborhoods. Such a baptistry, however, is called a mikveh, mikvah, mikve or miqweh. A mikveh “is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purified through immersion in any natural collection of water” (“Mikveh”). The following quotation distinguishes one use for the mikveh and how the purification was performed and differed from John’s and Jesus’ baptisms. “…Jewish practice in the mikveh, for proselyte baptism as well as for other ritual purifications, is self-immersion, in contrast with the common present-day Christian baptismal

An important part of remaining spiritually involved and focused as Christians is to remember who we are as the children of God, from where we came out of the hopeless depths of sin, where we are going (i.e., to spend eternity in God’s house) and how to get there. In addition, we must never take our eyes off of the heavenly horizon toward which we are marching – step after step, day by day, every day and for the rest of our lives. Remember, Peter began to sink, as he stepped out of the boat on the Sea of Galilee – when he took his eyes off of Jesus (Matthew 14:29-30). Likewise, we ought to never take our eyes off of Jesus! He will lead us to God the Father in Heaven (John 14:6). Who are we as the children of God? We are washed, sanctified and justified, the apostle Paul taught (1 Corinthians 6:11). Formerly, you and I were those despicable and wretched sinners Paul described in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. We remember all too well from where we came before becoming the children of God. You and I believed that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God (John 8:24) and were immersed in water for the remission of our sins (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21) – thereby spiritually contacting the shed blood of Jesus Christ when we imitated the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord through Christian baptism (Romans 6:3-5). The blood of Jesus Christ saves sinners from their sins (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Revelation 1:5). By the blood of our Lord we were extricated from the miry pit of

“If we are not perfect, how can we know we are saved?” As a youth with a Catholic background, I experienced some missteps while searching for the one true church and salvation. After each attempt to secure the salvation, the questions remained: “What’s changed? How can I know that I’m saved?” The mere assurances of mortals like myself was not reassuring. There had to be something more – something definitive. There was, of course – the Word of God. First, let’s establish that no one is perfect in the strictest sense. Yes, no one is perfect. “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one’” (Romans 3:10 NKJV; cf., Psalm 14:1-3; 53:1-3). “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Mankind has always needed a Redeemer through Whom salvation is attainable. Secondly, a Redeemer and true salvation appears only in the Christian Age relative to the New Testament – not in Patriarchy or Judaism of the Old Testament. “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world… Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 4:14-15). However, the salvation afforded humanity through Jesus Christ is conditional upon obeying Him (Hebrews 5:9). Generally, salvation relates to obedience to the Gospel – “that form of doctrine.” “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed

Persecution of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ Himself confronted a hostile and challenging environment, culminating in a heartless and brutal beating – scourging – leading up to His crucifixion on Calvary’s hill (Mark 15:15). Roman scourging ignored the constraints of Jewish scourging by not limiting the number of blows administered. Romans inflicted wounds on hapless victims with “whips of leather cords knotted at the ends and weighted with pieces of metal or bone” (Eerdmans). In preparation for the scourging, the doomed soul was stripped of his clothing except perhaps for a loincloth, and his hands were fastened to a short post – arching his back toward his attacker. In the case of capital punishment, the Romans employed scourging to weaken the condemned so that he would not live long when fastened to a cross. Yet, the variables of the degree of scourging and the endurance of a person might permit the crucified to linger for days in unimaginable agony and relentless pain before he expired. Following His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had a sleepless night of trials preceding the scourging, possibly also a contributing factor to the sooner than expected death of Jesus on the cross (Mark 15:44). In any case, the body of Jesus was a tattered, bloody mess – nothing anyone ought to experience and inconceivable that the Creator in fleshly form would willing endure such ill treatment by His creation – man. However, there was more to come – the crucifixion. Iron nails were driven

Someone recently posed the question, “Why did Jesus die?” Usually with every other human being, death is an end point, and it is often devastating to the success and to the continuation of whatever movement the deceased was leading. Dead men do not begin organizations, but that wasn’t the case regarding Jesus of Nazareth. The death of Jesus Christ spawned Christianity with the beginning of the church a little less than two months after His crucifixion outside Jerusalem upon Calvary Hill’s center cross (Acts 2). First, let’s establish that the death of Jesus Christ was anticipated in prophetic Old Testament passages. Not discoverable without consideration of related Scripture, the death of Jesus Christ was intimated as early in the Bible as Genesis 3:15. The death of Christ was comparably a bruise when contrasted to the crushing blow to Satan – namely, by the resurrection of the Son of God and subsequently the proclamation of the Gospel and the establishment of His church. Additional biblical citations relative to the death of Christ are discernible when compared to circumstances at the time of His death (Psalm 22:1, 13, 16, 18; 34:20; 69:21; Zechariah 12:10). Isaiah 53:3-12 has Messianic application and prophesied the death of the Messiah or the Christ. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows;

Sometimes, because they have products or services to market, businesses have sales meetings to pep up the sales force. Some of these sales meetings may resemble high school sports pep rallies. Companies insist that their salespeople have an emotional commitment to promoting their products or services. Some of the most productive salespeople maintain a high degree of company loyalty and are convinced that their company’s products or services are uniquely superior to all competitor’s products or services. Often, salespersons have quotas or goals that they must achieve regularly. Those quotas or goals are set just beyond salespeople’s grasp – requiring them to stretch and reach for the objectives. The more often a salesperson or sales team achieves its quotas or goals, the more useful that salesperson or sales team is to the company. Many times, salespersons are motivated by incentives or rewards. Cold, hard cash – money – is an ever-popular favorite! Sometimes vacations to exotic locations entice salespersons to reach or to exceed their quotas (e.g., “Hawaii or Bust!”). Of course, there is always the negative incentive of being fired for either poor personal performance or for being a poor team player. Are you beginning to see some similarity between being proficient salespeople and being fruitful children of God – Christians? The parallel between a salesforce and evangelistic Christians should be apparent. References to emotional commitment, loyalty, a superior product, goals, regularly, team, fired, poor personal performance and poor team player easily relate to the exercise of one’s Christianity. God is an equal opportunity employer. Every Christian is God’s salesperson. The whole world is the market. God has an incomparable product

The Bible Exposition Commentary says about Matthew 3:1-15, “For over 400 years, the nation had not heard the voice of a prophet. Then John appeared and a great revival took place.” Regarding Luke 1:5-25, the same commentary continues, “It was indeed a dark day for the nation of Israel. The people had heard no prophetic Word from God for 400 years, not since Malachi had promised the coming of Elijah (Mal 4:5-6).” Later, the commentary says, “When John the Baptist appeared on the scene, no prophetic voice had been heard in Israel for 400 years.” Albert Barnes wrote regarding Luke 1:11, “It had now been about 400 years since the time of ‘Malachi,’ and since there had been any divine revelation. During that time the nation was looking for the Messiah, but still with nothing more than the ancient prophecies to direct them. Now that he was about to appear, God sent his messenger to announce his coming, to encourage the hearts of his people, and to prepare them to receive him.” For Matthew 3:7, he penned about the Jewish sects, “Of course nothing is said of them in the Old Testament, as that was finished about 400 years before the Christian era.” The Bible Illustrator of the New Testament refers to the same lapse of new revelation between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament era. “…prophecy exists; if Jesus Christ be its chief and central subject, it is only natural that, after an interval

Introduction Christianity is supposed to be a whole, new way of life from what one was prior to becoming a Christian! Obviously, the overt public sinful ways – immoralities, filthy language, drunkenness, lying, addictions, dishonesty – must be replaced with godliness – a whole, new way of life. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2 NKJV). Even good, moral people must exchange their way of living for a whole, new way of life. Yes, though children may be raised by Christian mothers and fathers, they, too, must recognize that Christianity demands of them a whole, new way of life. “There were certain characteristics of the former life that remain no more in the new life in Christ. We, at one time, lived only to fulfill our lustful pleasures. We were led by the spirit of disobedience rather than a spirit of submission. We, indeed, were led about by the course of the world, just like everybody else” (Robison). Christianity cannot be inherited; sons and daughters must embrace Christianity fully on their own. The conviction and conversion of parents cannot be bestowed upon their offspring. Each child becoming accountable must act out his or her own conviction and conversion. The thrust of the hymn, True-Hearted, Whole-Hearted, must resonate within each child of God. Christian Transformation How the Christian transformation occurs is clearly manifest in Romans 6:3-6, which reads as follows.

The desire to worship appears to be an innate quality in every people historically throughout the world. Misguided souls have worshipped the heavenly bodies, trees, rocks, carved or forged idols, dead ancestors, kings and even Satan. People, today, still worship in the same way, as well as worship differently from each other the true God of the universe. It, therefore, is a fair question, “With which church should I worship?” Happily, the one making the inquiry isn’t worshipping the sun, the moon, rocks, trees, his or her ancestors, rulers or even Satan. Neither has the person posing the foregoing question been misled by other world religions outside of Christianity. Yet, no doubt the existence of thousands of denominations worldwide presents a nearly incomprehensible challenge to find the church of the Bible – rather than a manmade knockoff. Only the church of the Bible – the New Testament – will do, for it is the only church for which Jesus Christ died (1 Corinthians 15:3), over which He is the Head (Colossians 1:18) and for which He will return someday to retrieve (John 14:3). Any church that wears names for itself and for its members that are not in the New Testament is not the church of the Bible. For instance, churches named after people or human doctrines are different from the church of the Bible. Biblical names for the church of the Bible include “the churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16) and “the church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2), and names for

“Why do we use unleavened bread and grape juice when we partake of the Lord’s Supper?” someone inquired. A good place to begin regarding anything religiously we teach or do is first to ascertain what is divinely authorized. “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17 NKJV). “In the name of” is equivalent to “by the authority of.” Then, forasmuch as Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15; 12:24), we must turn to the New Testament for information about all things today that have a religious significance, including how Christians observe the Lord’s Supper. Unleavened Bread Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper immediately after concluding His participation in the Passover meal (Luke 22:20). When Jehovah instituted the first Passover meal about 1,500 years earlier, He specifically stated that Israel was to eat unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8), and additionally, God required that leaven be removed from the houses (Exodus 12:15). Furthermore, the Passover was also called the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:17; 23:15). The Israelites were forbidden to eat leavened bread for seven days in total relative to the Passover or the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15; Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:17). Therefore, when our Lord instituted the Communion (1 Corinthians 10:16) or Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20), the only bread available at that time and place was unleavened bread (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 14:14-20). Hence, the

Introduction Legally in the USA since the Roe v. Wade ruling by the US Supreme Court in 1973, human life does not begin and is not lawfully protected until the time of a live birth. Abortions of unborn babies were legalized in the United States. Contrariwise, “under state law [Florida], destroying a sea turtle nest or eggs is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to a $5,000 fine and/or five years in prison” (“Stiff Penalty”). “What is the penalty for destroying an eagle egg? Penalties include a maximum of five years and $250,000 fine for felony convictions and a maximum $10,000 fine for civil violations and $250 for marking violations. Fines double for organizations. Rewards are provided for information leading to arrest and conviction” (Ford). How odd it is that turtles and eagles are actually turtles and eagles and aggressively protected by law before they’re hatched (comparable to a live birth), but unborn babies are neither recognized as humans nor protected by law before they are born! What could be more ludicrous and inequitable than that? Hardly any other conduct than aborting unborn babies more clearly demonstrates what the apostle Paul called “without natural affection” (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:3 KJV); the single Greek word rendered “without natural affection” “means hard-hearted towards kindred” (Biblesoft’s). September 1, 2021, the State of Texas banned abortions in its jurisdiction whenever a fetal heartbeat can be detected – generally at six weeks. This relates to the question, “When does life begin?” For Texas, until some judge or court overrules that state’s law, life legally begins when an unborn baby’s heart begins to

Someone in a round about way essentially asked, “Why is the church important?” Rather than being an afterthought, stopgap measure as premillennialists suppose, the church was in the eternal mind of God, and it is fundamentally an indispensable component of God’s plan for the redemption of humanity. Note carefully the following passage written by the inspired apostle Paul. To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 3:8-11 NKJV) The “unsearchable riches of Christ” or the Gospel formerly was a “mystery” until it was preached plainly in the first century. Formerly, “from the beginning of the ages” (before Patriarchy, Judaism and Christianity) it was “hidden in God.” Since about A.D. 33 through the present, God’s grand plan for human redemption has been “made known by the church.” The divine blueprint for man’s reconciliation to Him was in His “eternal purpose,” and “Christ Jesus our Lord” – the Messiah – the Son of God – is the key figure making deliverance from the penalty of sin possible. Even more, the church is

“Should the Gospels be included with the Old Testament?” someone inquired. The Gospel records contain information that precedes the establishment of the church in Acts 2. Furthermore, the Gospel records consist of historical and doctrinal material pertaining to Jesus Christ, Who lived and died while the Old Testament was still in effect. It is understandable, then, how one might ponder if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John belong in the Old Testament rather than in the New Testament. However, there are reasons for which the Gospel records belong exactly where they are – in the New Testament collection of Bible books. First, note that there was 400 years of silence from the Godhead between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Though new revelation from God didn’t necessarily occur daily in any religious period when miracles were operative, 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament sufficiently sets them apart. Secondly, the Gospel records were written well after the beginning of Christianity. They record historical information prior to and leading up to the establishment of the church and Christianity. No one knows precisely when each Gospel record was penned, but they successively fall in the range of about 30 to 60 years after the events they record. Hence, the Gospel records are where they belong, in the New Testament catalog of Bible books.

The word “house” in some verses of Scripture refers to “family” and, hence, equates to “the family of God” – “God’s family.” “But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 NKJV). The house of God or the family of God, in our time, pertains to the church of the Bible – “the churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16) or “the church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2). Jesus Christ is the “High Priest over the house of God” (Hebrews 10:21); our Lord is the older Brother to Christian brothers and sisters, and to Him we turn for guidance. The apostle Peter also referred to “the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17). Sometimes other figures represent the church or the house of God – God’s family. “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23). “And He is the head of the body, the church…” (Colossians 1:18). Several additional figurative expressions also equate to God’s family, though we will not consider them presently. One becomes a member of God’s family through the process of adoption. All we who genuinely are Christians have become brothers and sisters to our older Brother and natural Son – Jesus Christ. God determined before

“Was Mary Magdalene a church leader?” someone asked. The New Testament mentions Mary Magdalene by name 11 times combined in the four Gospel records. All of those references to her, therefore, were prior to the establishment of the church, about which one reads in Acts 2; the first mention of “the church” as existing is in Acts 2:47. Since New Testament Scripture relegates leadership roles in the Lord’s church to qualified men, neither Mary Magdalene nor any other woman could be a leader in the church about which we read in the Bible. Leadership in the church is the responsibility of biblically qualified men (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) who have been appointed to the eldership over the congregation of which they are members.

Someone desires an explanation of Joel’s prophecy about daughters prophesying. The biblical citation appears in Joel 2:28-32 and in Acts 2:16-21. And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls. (Joel 2:28-32 NKJV) But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into

With keen interest, I observed on social media recently the statement, “Nobody is ever too lost to be saved.” How true! Yet, Christians generally are not as accepting as they ought to be toward some people who have repented of their sins. In a sense, God looks at all sins similarly in as much as any sin for which a sinner does not repent will cause him or her to be lost eternally (Romans 3:10, 23). Even a sin less obnoxious to human sensitivities – like telling a lie – can keep a soul out of Heaven (Revelation 21:8). Note that Jesus Christ classified liars alongside of murderers, the sexually immoral, practitioners of witchcraft and idol worshippers. However, God hates some sins more than He despises other sins, and He refers to them as abominations (Proverbs 6:16-19); lying is in this list, too. Nevertheless, it is not the telling of a lie on which we want to focus our attention presently. Instead, let’s notice from Scripture some penitent souls whose former sins, which if they were the sins of people today, that church members would be reluctant to forget, though God chooses to forget sins for which contrite souls repent (Isaiah 43:25; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12; 10:17). First, consider 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which reads: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites [male prostitutes], nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards [intoxicated ones], nor revilers [verbally or physically abusive persons], nor extortioners will inherit the

Arguing with God is an extremely bad idea! It’s an argument one simply cannot win. Sadder yet, passing from life to death with an unresolved and ongoing argument with God is eternally lethal – a fate far worse than death. There are several incidents recorded within the Scriptures that essentially represent arguments between humans and God. Beginning with Adam and Eve, things have never fared well for anyone who violated God’s instructions or in essence argued with God (Genesis 3). Eventually, nearly the entire human race was expunged from the face of the earth in the universal flood in the days of Noah and his family (Genesis 6-8). Later, not even the Israelites – a favored nation with God – refrained from arguing with God. Notable examples during the 40-year wilderness wandering include: complaints on the western shore of the Red Sea as the Egyptian army neared (Exodus 14:10-12); complaints about the availability of water (Exodus 15:24; 17:2; 20:1-5) and food (Exodus 16:2-3, 12-13); the Golden Calf idol (Exodus 32); profane fire kindled by Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1-2); dissension of Aaron and Miriam against Moses (Numbers 12); refusal to enter Canaan and determination to return to Egypt (Numbers 14:1-4); Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16); Moses’ sin at Kadesh (Numbers 20:10-13); complaints against God that prompted Him to send fiery serpents among the people (Numbers 21:4-9); and fornication and idolatry in Moab (Numbers 25). Failing to follow divine instructions, God responded on one occasion, “…How long do you refuse to keep My commandments

A visitor to our website for Gospel Gazette Online posed the question, “Was there law before Christ?” Most assuredly, there was divine law to which mankind was amenable before “the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). The first law included the simple instructions that God gave to Adam and Eve, namely, to tend the Garden of Eden, but not to eat the fruit of a specific tree (Genesis 2:15-17). God continued to communicate with mankind through fathers of families for the next 2,500 years, during a period of time referred to as Patriarchy. For about the next 15 centuries, Israelites were amenable to the Law of Moses or Judaism (1 Kings 2:3). However, non-Jews or Gentiles continued to be responsible to Patriarchy until the time of Christ, at which time the Law of Christ replaced or superseded both Patriarchy and Judaism (Ephesians 2:14-16).

Some non-members and possibly some members of the churches of Christ wonder, “Why don’t churches of Christ have garage sales?” The reason for which typically the churches of Christ do not have yard sales is the same reason for which they do not use instrumental music in Christian worship or convene for weekly worship on Saturday night instead of on Sunday. The churches of Christ look exclusively to the Bible – God’s Word – to discern what is authorized by God. The principle found in Psalm 139:17 is valid today, too. “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” (NKJV). However, since we live in the New Testament era, we turn specifically to the New Testament to learn and to practice what is authorized by God today (Hebrews 8:13). Providentially, God preserved divinely inspired New Testament epistles that He wanted us to have. Only by scouring or searching the New Testament (John 5:39) can a person know what God has authorized. How the Lord’s church finances itself, whether to use instrumental music in worship or when to assemble weekly for worship are all authority issues – or understanding what is authorized. The first day of the week is authorized for the weekly assembly of the church for Christian worship (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Only a specific kind of music – singing – is authorized for Christian worship (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Weekly, freewill giving is authorized by God for the needful expenses for

Even after six years, a trigger can unexpectedly and from almost any source ignite a teary twister of emotional emptiness within my very core. That ignition may result, for instance, from the lyrics of a song on the radio, an unanticipated scene in a movie, mail arriving addressed to my late wife Bonnie, fixing my gaze on her photos, going to some of the places and doing some of the things we had done, or simply reminiscing with others or just with myself about our lives and adventures. The loss of my soulmate and the wife of my youth (Proverbs 5:18), though somehow more tolerable with the passing of time, nevertheless, remains an open wound of which I’m always at least nominally conscious. Bonnie was 16 years old and I was 19 years old when we wed. Evidently, I was the husband of her youth, too, and we grew up together. We reared three children, with hardly an idea of what we were doing. Any successful attainments they may have accrued doubtlessly occurred despite our best efforts in parenting. My family and I traipsed across and crisscrossed several states over nearly half a century while I preached the Gospel of Christ. Later in life, Bonnie and I trekked through tropical environments in Asia and South America as missionaries – until and even after cancer afflicted my lifelong sweetheart. Three days before embarking on yet another excursion abroad for up to two months, we got the results of Bonnie’s routine checkup.