Why Should I Attend?

Posted on January 18, 2024 by admin

I firmly believe that Christians who intentionally and willfully miss the assemblies and classes they could attend are sinning and need to repent. When I said “intentionally and willfully miss the assemblies and classes,” I meant to address those who have no valid reason to miss but simply choose not to be there. I am very aware that we each have God given obligations which can cause conflicts in application. We have the responsibilities to earn a living (Ephesians 4:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12; 1 Timothy 5:8), and we have the responsibilities to care for family members who may be ill or disabled (Ephesians 6:2; 1 Timothy 5:4,8). We also have the obligation to assemble with the church (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Usually when I make such a statement, some incensed soul retorts, “Just give me one good reason I should be here every time the church assembles!” Well, would you settle for a dozen?

Continue reading →
Posted in Worship | Comments Off on Why Should I Attend?

Justification

Posted on January 18, 2024 by admin

Commenting on Romans 3:24-26, Moses E. Lard wrote:

“In this compressed and comprehensive sentence we have the ground of the whole remedial system. On this ground depends everything. To expand it, in all its amplitude, would be to write the history of human redemption, from its conception in the mind of God up to its consummation in the glorification of the saved” (Lard. 116).

Paul’s letter to the Romans is the greatest treatise on the gospel plan of salvation ever written. Having greeted the brethren in Rome, he announced his proposition and theme: the gospel, God’s power to save (Romans 1:16-17). The apostle began to build his case by showing the universal need for this salvation. The Gentiles rejected God, so God rejected them (Romans 1:18-32, especially verses 24, 26, 28). The Jews cheered, until Paul declared they were no better than the Gentiles (Then they jeered), since God gave them the law, but they didn’t keep it (chapter 2). Then the apostle answered Jewish objections to his point (3:1-8) and clinched his argument on the universal need of salvation by a series of quotations from Jewish Scripture, establishing that all, Jews as well as Greeks, have sinned (3:9-19).

Continue reading →
Posted in Salvation | Comments Off on Justification

When Christ Comes Again

Posted on January 18, 2024 by admin

Preterism

On the nights of July 20-21, 23-24, 2020, Bruce Reeves and Holger Neubauer debated the question, “Will Jesus Really Come Again?” Bruce Reeves affirmed, “The Scriptures teach that Jesus of Nazareth will come again in the future to raise both the wicked and righteous for eternal judgment.” Holger Neubauer affirmed, “The Scriptures teach that Jesus of Nazareth returned the second and final time in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.” Mr. Neubauer holds to a theory propogated in modern times by the late Max R. King in his book The Spirit of Prophecy. The position of King, Neubauer, and others, called “Preterism” or the A.D. 70 Theory, is that the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 is the final fulfillment of all biblical prophecy. Therefore, there will be no future, literal return of Christ or resurrection of the dead.

Continue reading →
Posted in End Times | Comments Off on When Christ Comes Again

The Nature of Marriage

Posted on January 17, 2024 by admin

In our secular society, in which those who believe in God, Christ, and the Bible are a minority and are becoming more so, marriage is viewed as a relationship of human origin that we can change at will to conform with modern mores. No fault divorce began in California in 1970 and has since spread throughout the country. In 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot ban same sex marriage. Among young adults, cohabitation (living together outside marriage), has become more common than marriage.

The Lord emphatically stated that the marriage relationship was begun and governed by the Lord God (Matthew 19:3-6). Vital conclusions follow from this bed rock principle. (1) We should study God’s will for it, not human philosophy about it. (2) Humans, including courts and legislative bodies, do not have the right to change it or alter its relationships to suit themselves or society. (3) Man does not have the right to enter or leave it at will; God determines who can enter or leave.

Continue reading →
Posted in Home | Comments Off on The Nature of Marriage

You Fathers

Posted on January 17, 2024 by admin

Introduction

In one congregation where I preached, there was a young man who had a wife and children, yet he was too lazy to look for work. He allowed his wife to support the family, while he enjoyed the life of leisure. Looking back, I think the church should have withdrawn from him if we could not get him to repent.

Yet, many fathers who work hard and provide all the material necessities and even many luxuries for their children are cheating them in ways even worse. What are the responsibilities fathers have toward their children?

The apostle Paul by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ commanded, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). This passage summarizes the spiritual obligations fathers have to their children.

Continue reading →
Posted in Home | Comments Off on You Fathers

The Foundation of Marriage

Posted on January 17, 2024 by admin

Here’s some interesting facts about marriage in America, taken from pewresearch.org.

“Half of Americans ages 18 and older were married in 2017, a share that has remained relatively stable in recent years but is down 8 percentage points since 1990.

“The number of U.S. adults cohabiting with a partner (living together outside marriage – KS) is on the rise. In addition to the half of U.S. adults who were married, 7% were cohabiting in 2016.

The number of Americans living with an unmarried partner reached about 18 million in 2016, up 29% since 2007. Roughly half of cohabiters are younger than 35 – but cohabitation is rising most quickly among Americans ages 50 and older.

“Remarriage is on the rise. In 2013, 23% of married people had been married before, compared with just 13% in 1960.” (This statistic does not distinguish between marriages ending by the death of a spouse and those ending by divorce. – KS)

“Support for the legalization of same-sex marriage has grown in the past 10 years. In 2007, Americans opposed legalizing same-sex marriage by a margin of 54% to 37%. In 2017, more favored (62%) than opposed (32%) allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally.”

Continue reading →
Posted in Family, Home, Marriage | Comments Off on The Foundation of Marriage

Yahweh

Posted on January 17, 2024 by admin

If the title above means nothing to you, don’t worry about it. It has no connection to your soul’s salvation.

But this is the opposite of what some religious leaders teach. There are various religious groups that place great importance on the Old Testament Hebrew name for God, usually rendered in English letters as “Jehovah” or “Yahweh.” The reason for the divergence is no one really knows for sure how to pronounce it. “The Tetragrammaton YHWH appears without its own vowels, and its exact pronunciation is debated (Jehovah, Yehovah, Jahweh, Yahweh)” (Vine, e-Sword).

Continue reading →
Posted in Godhead, Prayer | Comments Off on Yahweh

Wallace – Sharp Debate | May Women Speak in Mixed Gender Bible Classes

Posted on January 12, 2024 by admin

I affirm that the N.T. reveals that women should not teach by speaking in mixed gender
church meetings.
John Wallace (Beamsville, Ontario, Canada)

The Lord authorizes women to speak in Bible classes containing both men and women as
long as the women remain in subjection to the men.
Keith Sharp (Mountain Home, Arkansas, USA)

Continue reading →
Posted in Women | Tagged | Comments Off on Wallace – Sharp Debate | May Women Speak in Mixed Gender Bible Classes

Hospitality

Posted on January 19, 2023 by admin

by Keith Sharp

Albert Dabbs of Humphrey, Arkansas and I spent my first week in Africa in January, 1992 in the home of Brother and Sister Sunday Ayandare in Ibadan, Nigeria. We had with us money from American brethren to pay for all our expenses. We offered to pay Brother Ayandare for giving us food and lodging for the week, but he indignantly refused the offer. He said brethren in Racine, Wisconsin had fed him in their homes and lodged him for a week free of charge. We objected that they were relatively wealthy, and it wasn’t a big sacrifice for them as it was for him. He replied, “Isn’t that what hospitality is?” We sheepishly hushed.

Continue reading →
Posted in Unity | Comments Off on Hospitality

Questions About Whom to Marry

Posted on January 18, 2023 by admin

Question

  1. As a young Christian brother planning to get married, is it wrong or sinful to make beauty one
    of the requirements for a marriage partner? Please note: Godliness is also a requirement.
Continue reading →
Posted in Marriage | Comments Off on Questions About Whom to Marry