Just Follow The Science

Posted on January 17, 2023 by admin

by Keith Sharp

Are you as sick of hearing that as I am? As TV commentator Brit Hume inquired, “Which science are you going to follow?” Medical? Economics? Social? Etc. Furthermore, which scientist are you going to believe? If a scientist says it, does that make it true?

No, I’m not opposed to science, but I’m just as opposed to junk science as I am to false teaching about the Bible.

There is no contradiction between real science and real biblical truth. The natural world, which is the realm of science, is the first and general revelation of God to man. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…” (Romans 1:20).

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Religious But Lost

Posted on January 16, 2023 by admin

by Keith Sharp

As the Master concluded the great “Sermon on the Mount,” He encouraged His audience to obey His words by painting a terrifying word picture of the judgment.

Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:22-23)

How horrible to contemplate standing before the Lord in judgment, having faith in Him and being able to plead I did many works I thought would cause the Lord to accept me, yet hearing the awful pronouncement, “I never knew you; depart from Me”!

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Abortion

Posted on January 15, 2023 by admin

by Keith Sharp

According to christianliferesources.com, since 1973 (Roe vs. Wade) approximately 67,460,000 legal abortions have occurred in the U.S. In contrast, approximately 1,300,000 American soldiers have been killed in battle since 1775. In comparison to the killing of the unborn in America today, Pharaoh’s murder of the Hebrew baby boys (Exodus 1:15-22) would not make the front page, Herod’s destruction of the babes in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13-18) was a minor incident, and Hitler’s savage slaughter of 6 million Jews wouldn’t rate headlines.

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That You May Know

Posted on January 14, 2023 by admin

by Keith Sharp

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:13)

Several years ago a friend of mine who believes that sincere Christians are continuously cleansed by the blood of Christ from sins of ignorance and weakness asked me two questions: first, Do you think you might be wrong about some issue of faith? I replied, “Of course.” Then he asked, “How do you know you are saved?” Let’s come back to that.

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Question from Nigeria about Fellowship

Posted on April 4, 2022 by admin

Question

Greetings and thanks for taking the time to answer questions on MOTT all the time.

2 John 9 “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” (KJV) Galatians 2:11-14 11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, ‘You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?’”

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Question from Texas about Starting a School

Posted on April 4, 2022 by admin

Question

In Uganda there is a congregation when I was institutional I used mission funds to build a church building. They grew where they appointed 2 men as elders then added a 3rd. The elders were worried about the children attending denominational schools and being influenced with instruments and false teaching so they used the mud and stick and new building for a school. Later individuals sent funds to build temporary classrooms. The school is supported by individuals and fees from parents. No church funds were used with this. The children have chapel when school is in session thus the elders see it as protecting the children from false teaching. They also have converted some through this. There are no utilities so no church money tied to the school. But the elders feel they are as shepherds protecting the flock and feeding the sheep through church and education. Is this wrong among noninstitutional congregations? They don’t try to force other congregations to do this. Give scripture to support conclusions please.

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The Judgment

Posted on April 4, 2022 by admin

by Keith Sharp

One of the people Sandy is sending the Bible correspondence course to sent Sandy a lesson from Dr. Charles Stanley with the lesson to be graded. The lesson the lady sent, entitled “Your Convictions About the Judgment of the Believer,” teaches there will be two divine judgments, one of believers (2 Corinthians 5:6-10) and one of unbelievers, which Dr. Stanley calls “the Great White Throne Judgment” (Revelation 20:11-13).

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Grace, Faith, and Works

Posted on April 4, 2022 by admin

by Keith Sharp

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10).

One of the fundamental doctrines of Protestant churches is that “justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone” (www.protestantbeliefs.com). How can justification before God be both by grace alone and faith alone? Doesn’t “alone” mean just one, whereas Protestants claim we are justified by two things? The Protestant answer is that God in His grace bestows faith on the elect. In reality, they are affirming justification by grace alone.

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Teaching Our Children

Posted on April 4, 2022 by admin

by Keith Sharp

Many institutional churches of Christ have “children’s church.” During the worship assembly children go into a separate room where they have their own worship. By doing this, the adults in charge of the children miss the worship assembly of the church (cf. Hebrews 10:24-25), and the parents are robbed of the opportunity to teach their children how to behave in church (Ephesians 6:4). These are grave mistakes.

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Righteousness that Exceeds the Scribes and Pharisees

Posted on April 4, 2022 by admin

by Keith Sharp

Matthew chapters five through seven record “The Sermon on the Mount,” the Master’s explanation of the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven. The theme of the sermon is stated in Matthew 5:17-20. Verse twenty introduces the rest of chapter five, which contrasts the righteousness taught by the scribes and Pharisees to that which the Lord demands of kingdom citizens (Christians). “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

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