The beginning of a new year is a fascinating time. Many people optimistically make plans and resolutions for the coming year, deciding what they want to accomplish and feeling excited about what the year may bring. Others might feel indifferent about the new year, anticipating another year of the same old grind. Some people may even dread the new year, fearing some unknown event or dreading challenges it may bring, and feeling concerned that they will not live up to some stan

It was the night before Christmas, when all through the house people were grumpy, even Aunt Gail. Uncle George brought up politics without any care, grandpa lost his temper right then and right there. Grandma hid in her room consumed with dread, while visions of disaster danced in her head. Aunt Jill and Uncle Tom were fuming that James brought that girl to dinner, and his sister was stoking the fire with her sarcastic ire...

According to certain theologians, some of God’s commands seem to unequally impact those who have been harmed by cruel people. Because of this the argument is made that God’s commands don’t pertain in certain situations. These are often presented in hypothetical “what if” statements. These statements are formed in such a way where following God’s commands looks like the cruel option, and going against God’s law seems like the merciful option...

While sin in general hinders the work of ministry, one specific sin will absolutely destroy a person’s effectiveness: the sin of pride. Pride is probably one of the hardest sins to overcome, because the prideful person doesn’t think they have anything to overcome. As the old saying goes, “Admitting you have a problem is the first step in recovery.” The Bible has a lot to say about how pride will hinder the work of ministry.

We live in a very negative and pessimistic society. Doom and gloom permeate every aspect of culture. Unfortunately, that pessimism has also permeated the church. Many Christians will only look at the negatives of any given situation. They see how hard it is to resist sin, so they despair of ever being able to overcome their bad habits. They see how difficult evangelism is, so they start to think that the church can never grow...

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when members of the church of Christ were known as people who knew the word. Sadly, that cannot be said quite as confidently about us in more recent decades. Too many people make excuses for not memorizing Scripture. They may say that they are not smart enough or that it is too difficult. They may say they are too busy. Regardless of which excuse someone uses, they are refusing to put the work in - but it can be done...

Most religious groups want to be holy. And God’s word teaches us how to be holy (c.f. 1 Peter 1:15-16). If those desiring to be holy simply did what God says to do, then the world would be a much better place. But for many, just “doing what the Bible says” seems oversimplified and they feel that there must be more to it than that.

For many years we have hosted an annual Apologetics seminar in November. Two important questions often arise about this practice. The first question is, what does apologetics mean? The second is, why do we host these seminars on such a frequent basis? These are great questions! This brief explanation will help everyone better understand the value of these seminars and hopefully motivate us to share this opportunity with everyone we know...

Many people think that Bible reading and Bible study are the same. They are not. Simply reading the Bible is great for familiarizing ourselves with scripture, and for setting our minds on things above, rather than on things bellow. Bible study, however, goes deeper than Bible reading.

Many of us struggle with feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. These feelings impact many different areas of our lives. The area that we are going to discuss today is our Bible study.

Sometimes the most impactful areas of ministry are the quietest...

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Paul points out that we must do all things with love, and if we don’t have love then we are useless. We must be taught what Christian love looks like and how it acts. Again, having knowledge without the actions of love is useless.

The doctrine of Premillennialism relies on the false premise that Jesus failed in His mission when He came to earth two thousand years ago. The claim is that Jesus was supposed to set up an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem. When the Jews rejected Him, they thwarted God’s plan and the church was set up as an emergency backup plan. It also relies on the false premise that the return of Christ will be preceded by various signs, which will alert the faithful that His return is immine

We need to honor and protect God’s holy name, and resolve to use it only when we are addressing Him in prayer or speaking of Him. His name should never be used in a selfish way, it should never become just another flippant phrase whether said by lip or in a text message: both are disrespectful.

A rebellious spirit leads to temptation. Temptation leads to lies. Lies entice you and draw you away from the truth of God’s word. When desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin. Sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death (James 1:13-16).

How quickly can one fall away or become ensnared by the temptations and lusts of the world and step outside the security of the Kingdom?

We can take comfort in the soul saving ability of His word. God has kept and will always keep His promise to you. Will you do your best to keep your promise of obedience to Him?

To “abide,” in biblical context, most often refers to living or dwelling in a state of faith and obedience to God.

In Psalm 32:8, the psalmist pens God’s guidance: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go: I will counsel guide you with My eye upon you.” In this passage we should notice that our Creator loves us so that He would not leave us without attention and direction.

Some might despair at what the passage asks of us: rejoicing all the time, even when we’re down; being reasonable all the time, even when we don’t feel gentle or reasonable; being anxious for nothing when we in fact feel anxiety. However, this is an application passage: the application of a foundation. We need to develop a mind set on peace, a mind that is focused on and dwelling on peace of Christ.