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• Did Christ Rise From the Dead or is Faith Folly?

  …ster WongMixxMySpaceNetvouzNewsvineoneviewOnlyWirePlugIMPropellerRedditSegnaloShoutwireSimpySlashdotSurphaceSphinnSpurlSquidooStumbleUponTechnoratiThisNextTwitterWebrideWindows LiveYahoo!Email This to a Friend  Link HTML:  Permalink:  If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.Powered by Bookmarkify™ More »Paul, in answer to the question proposed, would say faith is but folly if …

• Faith, Works, and Baptism

  n. In the first place the Bible clearly teaches that baptism is not classified as a work of righteousness which we have done, just the opposite, as stated in Titus 3:5, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” (NKJV)  The washing of regeneration is a reference to baptism and is specifically excluded by Paul as being …

• Obedience of Faith and Justification by Faith–Opposing Doctrines?

  “faith without works is useless.” (James 2:20 NAS)  “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26 NAS)  Thus in John 12 we find a group of believers who could not be saved.  “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in him but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue.” (John 12:42 NAS) The faith Paul spoke of in the book of Romans was that which led to obedience.  It was an obedience o…

• Abraham’s Faith (Faith Accounted for Righteousness)

  aith” (Rom. 5:1 NKJV) and then there is perhaps the best known passage in all of scripture, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV) The only question then to be resolved is the nature of the faith that saves.  We know its object (Christ) but need to know the characteristics of saving faith.  In Rom. 4 Paul says Ab…

• The Kind of Faith in God That Destroys

  defined as what one believes, could save by itself then even the demons could be saved for James says, “even the demons believe–and tremble!” (James 2:19 NKJV)  What they believed was that there was one God but by studying the gospel accounts one also knows they believed in Jesus for they often confessed him.  One such example is Mark 3:11, “And whenever the unclean spirits beheld Him, they would fall down before Him and …

• The Cleansing of the Church at Ephesus

  ief one has in Jesus, who he is, and what he has accomplished for us.  It is mental assent to the teachings of the scriptures about him.  This is the faith that it is said saves.  I certainly agree with that as far as it goes but it stops short, too short.  One must not only believe what the scriptures teach about Jesus–who he was, what he accomplished for us–but faith also commits us to believe the man himself, believe what he said, …

• Faith is Not Just What You Believe

  Sometimes I think faith is about the only subject everyone is an expert on but faith is a complex subject involving far more than just the mind and its thoughts and is a subject that needs continual study to mine all its depths. Faith is not just thought but action.  It is a driving force, an inward power that drives man to act and do, to sacrifice, to seek, to suffer, to endure, to commit, and drive on when there appears to be no longer reason …

• Bible Contradictions on Salvation?

  nking, and need a new approach to understanding the scripture. In the first place we error when we speak of the word of God as though it came from man even though I concede we generally know what is meant by such statements.  But, the reality is it is not Paul’s word, then James’ word, and then Peter’s, etc., for “all scripture is given by inspiration of God.” (2 Tim. 3:16 NKJV)  What Paul wrote he wrote by inspirati…

• Ways into Christ–How Many Ways Are There?

  It is only human nature to want the way to heaven to be as broad and all-inclusive as possible thus the more ways into Christ that can be found the better from our earthly point of view.  We have people we want to see saved and yet we are pretty sure they are not due to either the way they are living or to the beliefs they hold thus a broad gate and a wide way to heaven would suit us just fine.  But it goes without saying that our love for one w…

• Faith in the New Testament–Different Meanings

  The word “faith” is a word that has different meanings in different places where it is found throughout the New Testament.  It can be a little disconcerting when one first learns this but at the same time we benefit from knowing it. In preparation for this article I looked up the word “faith” in a little paperback Merriam Webster Dictionary that I have being curious as to what I would find.  I found 4 meanings listed as f…

• How Does One Get Into the Church Christ Built?

  his epistles.  Jesus in the book of Revelation instructs John to write concerning the 7 churches of Asia.  The real question men and women need to be seeking an answer to is not how do I get into this denomination or that one but how do I get into the church Christ built? One must understand that being in the church Christ built is an entirely different thing than being in a denomination.  One can readily be in a denomination and yet outside the …

• What Must a Man Believe to be Saved by the Gospel?

  he wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23 NAS)  One could almost say God, by definition of what it means to be God, has to punish sin.  His nature demands it and justice calls for it. God will uphold his honor and his glory but the Bible teaches us that God also loves man, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16 NKJV), and does not desire that any man perish for he is “not willing that any sh…

• Christian Circumcision

  t.” (NKJV)  To be uncircumcised was to be unclean and unholy. Circumcision was to be a sign of a relationship, of a covenant that was being kept, not of one being disregarded.  It was meant not to be just an outward act but an act that tied the heart of man to the heart of God.  True an 8 day old child knows nothing of any of this but as he grew up and was taught it was to have meaning to him, importance.  Even so it did not work out that w…

• For By Grace You Have Been Saved Through Faith Alone

  No, Eph. 2:8-9 does not read that way but that is the way most seem to want to read it.  Let me quote the verses for you from the New King James version. “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.” There is no believer in his right mind who would discount the grace of God in man’s salvation.  You do not believe you deserve to be sav…

• The Church as the Body of Christ–Which Means What?

  in Rome he says, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” (Rom. 12:5 NKJV) The body of Christ, the church, is of course a spiritual body.  Peter describes the church as a building but what he says is applicable here for he says, “you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV)  The church is spiritual made up of men and women and boys and girls of accountable age …

• If Baptism is Not Essential for Salvation

   Jesus taught error when he said, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5 NKJV) for you can enter the kingdom of God without water if baptism is not essential for salvation.  But it is said that water here is not to be taken literally.  If that be correct then there is no reason to take Spirit literally either.  The two are joined together.  If one is figurative the other is as well.  If one is l…

• Paul’s Conversion (Justified by Faith)

  ; (Acts 26:10 NKJV) Will God have a man like this, a man this bad?  Saul clearly had personal responsibility in the death of Christians.  Christians died because of his actions whether he ever cast a stone personally or not.  But, the answer to the question of whether or not God will have a man this bad or not is easily answered.  The first people the gospel was ever preached to lived in Jerusalem and were guilty of putting Jesus the Son of God t…

• What is it a Man Must Believe in Order to be Saved?

  What is it a man must believe in order to be saved according to the Bible?  If salvation is dependent on faith which the Bible clearly teaches then it is essential to know what it is that the Bible teaches we must believe.  This is not a subject that is studied a whole lot for the answer seems so evident–we must believe in Jesus.  Yes, that is true, but what does that mean?  I will talk about that later in the article but there are other t…

• Baptized For the Dead

  ing to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (NKJV)  They were hearing what was demanded of them–faith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins. But, many will object to the last point.  Remember who established the church at Corinth–Paul.  He is the one doing the preaching.  He is the one Ananias told, in Acts 22:16, to “Arise and be baptized, and wash away yo…

• Faith

  Faith Based on Deception–Gen. 37:31-33 Faith in the New Testament–Different Meanings How Was Noah Saved Through Water? He Feared Though He Slay Me Why Men Do Not Believe Did Christ Rise From the Dead or is Faith Folly? Audio Sermons  (by Waymon Swain) Faith–What it is And What it Does (Part I) Faith–What it is And What it Does (Part II) Test of Faith What Faith Is and Does Why We Believe in God Why I Am a Christian Thin…

• Misunderstanding the Grace of God

  hat approach makes me and you a judge over the word where we get to make ourselves God and decide what is vital in his word and what is not.  Jesus when tempted by the devil said that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4 NKJV)  Note the way he phrased that statement, he said “by every word … of God”, not just by the words of one’s choosing. In the seco…

• Faith Comes by Hearing the Word of God–the Implications

  ixed and it seems no one is able to separate the two.  It appears to the casual observer that one man’s faith is another man’s opinion and that it is nearly hopeless to find objective truth.  This confusion comes not from God but from man.  God’s word is quite clear. Faith is that which comes from hearing God’s word thus the direct and necessary implication is that if there is no word from God on a religious matter there can be no faith but only …

• He Feared

  s discussing the children of Israel who came out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses.  He tells of God’s anger against them because of their sin and then says, “And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?  And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.”  (Heb. 3:18-19 NAS)  A lack of a strong faith kept them from faithfully obeying, led to their disobedience, and kept th…

• Christ and Baptism in Colossians

  us.  Sincerity will never change error into truth nor will it ever lead to a pardon for disobedience.  The fact that Eve was deceived by Satan in the garden did not free her of her sin.  “And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression.” (1 Tim. 2:14 NAS)  We need to read the Bible, even more we need to study it, “a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of God.” (2 …

• Abel’s Sacrifice by Faith versus Cain’s Sacrifice

  gure out why Abel’s sacrifice was pleasing to God while his brother Cain’s was not.  It is a subject worth looking into. In Gen. 4:2-5 we read about the offering as follows:  “Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.  Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And th…

• Sin in the Desert–Testing God at Massah and Meribah

  st him.  There would be no need to do so.  Thus to test expresses a sense of doubt by the one doing the testing.  (Yes, I know state standards, school standards, etc. now require certain tests regardless of faith in a student but you get the point I am trying to illustrate.)  The purpose of a test is to prove a person worthy of trust.  If he passes the test we then have confidence in him and his ability. When we test God we are expressing doubt a…

• I Can Do All Things Through Christ

  lk about this verse and it seemed to calm his fears after a while as we would talk.  Is that the way God strengthens us?  I have little doubt that there is strength in the word of God–power to strengthen not only a babe but people of all ages.  If we will only hear the word and believe it with conviction of heart we will find the power to overcome. What is there in faith that gives strength?  The writer of the book of Hebrews says, “Now fai…

• A New Creation in Christ

  211;extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.   I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles hi…

• Does God Really Care?

  Over the course of time just about all of us are confronted with the reality of suffering and abuse not just on newscasts but in our own personal world where we live day by day and experience life up close.  Why are small precious children abused?  Why do many of them from all outward appearances not have a chance from the get go due to the circumstances they were born into?  Why do old people often get in such horrible conditions as you find th…

• Ghost Hunting and Consulting the Dead

  ding the night in a morgue, in an abandoned asylum, in a dark country cemetery away from civilization.  There are just places we would rather not be given a choice.  No, there is nothing to fear and I am not implying there is but I am saying I think it is in most people’s nature to feel ill at ease in certain situations despite themselves. It is little wonder that some of these shows on TV have become quite popular.  They have quite a bit in comm…

• The Truth So Called Christians Will Not Accept

  world is concerned he finally lost the battle as it put him on the cross.  It is pretty certain the same (persecution to the death) can be said of Paul and Peter. Paul said of that generation, “they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.” (Rom. 10:2-3 NKJV)  The same cou…

• Unhappy With the Church of Christ?

  5:23 NKJV)  If Christ is the Savior of the body and the body is the church and the church is his church then please tell me how you are going to be saved outside his body, the church of Christ?  I would like to hear from you. But it is said we mean the denominational church of Christ that exists today.  How do you know the church of Christ you see advertised today is a denomination?  Are you like the one lady that told me years ago it was impossi…

• Gospel Obedience at Corinth

  of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.” (Acts 18:8 NAS)  I stop here and ask a question.  If Paul was not preaching baptism at Corinth who was?  Someone was as people were being baptized.  But we read 1 Cor. 1:14 and doubt enters our mind.  There is no need for doubt as will be shown.  If Paul preached one gospel in one location that had baptism in it and another gospel in another location that did not then wh…

• Is Holy Spirit Baptism The Baptism That Saves?

    So our very first introduction to the subject of baptism relates it to water, not the Holy Spirit.  However, John did prophecy of two other baptisms to come.  He says, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”  (Mat 3:11 NKJV)  It is very important to note who will be doing the baptizi…

• The Faith of Enoch

  ul tells us “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17 NKJV)  The NAS (New American Standard) translation has “word of Christ” here rather than “word of God” but it is hard to see that that makes any difference in view of the fact that Jesus is the Word (see John 1:1,14) and the Word was God (John 1:1).  Enoch’s faith then had to be, as does that of all men, based on God…

• Are Works Essential for Christian Salvation?

  ing works are not essential to salvation (saying one can sit back in his easy chair, sip tea, never raise a finger of obedience, and be saved).  On the surface the statements seem to be in complete conformity with one another but that is because we do not always reason as closely as we should, often read more into statements than are there, and do not read the full context in which we find the statements.  The very next verse coming after this Ep…

• Christ Did Not Send Paul to Baptize

  at Christ does not care whether or not disciples are baptized?  Is he saying it is unimportant and makes no difference to one’s salvation whether or not he/she is baptized?  It is the purpose of this article to show the folly of taking that kind of stance based on this scripture.  Let me begin by asking a question that must be answered if one is to take the position that baptism does not matter and that Paul was teaching that in this passag…

• Abuse of the Old Testament

  s what faith is and what it means to have faith.  We are encouraged to persevere as we see what some of those men and women were willing to do and endure to be faithful to God.  We compare our trials with theirs and ours seem but little things and we are given strength to go on and not give up.  The Bible speaks of these as being those “of whom the world was not worthy.” (Heb. 11:38 NKJV) We are told to remember Lot’s wife (Luke…

• Everlasting Life–The Believer of John 3:16

  Who has everlasting life?  Is it the man Jesus spoke of in John 3:16 when he said, “whoever believes in him (speaking of himself–DS) should not perish but have everlasting life” (NKJV) or is it the man he spoke of in John 5:24 when he said, “I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life” (NKJV)?  First,  Jesus says in the former passage believe in him for everlasting life wh…

• Why Men Do Not Believe

  (While this study is meant to be primarily a study of those who reject Christianity on the grounds of disbelief some of what is said would apply equally to those who call themselves Christians but hold to false doctrine in one realm or another.) Paul in writing to the Thessalonians asked the brethren to “pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we may be delivered fro…

• Jesus Defines Repentance

  onah 3:4).  Now note the first response to this message. “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.” (Jonah 3:5 NKJV)  Now belief is not repentance but it is a prerequisite to it.  Where there is no belief there will be no repentance.  In fact, such is an impossibility.  We say it is hard to get people to repent and so it is but why?  One of the biggest reasons is disbe…

• Assorted

  grance of Christ Deeper Spiritual Understanding Things God Cannot Do Without Natural Affection and Covenant Breakers The Christian, Politics, and the Government Why Men Do Not Believe Did Christ Rise From the Dead or is Faith Folly? Denominationalism’s Sin Against Peter Which Denomination Did Jesus Build? What Does the Phrase “My Name” Mean in the Bible?   Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) The Burden of Life The Pot of …

• The Church Christ Built–Marks of Identification

  ristics that each possess that differ from another.   True, there may be many similarities, as there are say between a dog and a cat (both have 4 legs, two ears, a tail, walk on all fours, have bodies covered with hair, etc.) but the differences are such as to make identification easy in distinguishing between the two. What are the marks of identification of the Lord’s church versus man made churches? (1) The time of its founding.  The Lord’s chu…

• Why Do Men Run From God?

  way, “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Heb. 4:13 NKJV)  To try and run from God or win a battle against him is utter folly and only shows how foolish man can be to even consider such a thing. Since man cannot run from God why try?  While we may never know a particular individual’s thinking or motive for attempting to do so the Bible …

• Demas Has Forsaken Me

  if it was one of long standing, old news, that had occurred years before? We have then a man who had traveled and worked with Paul, sacrificed and struggled along with him, endured the hardship a number of years, and saw with but little doubt miracles Paul performed and yet this Christian man fell away.  If under those circumstances a man can fall away then we all can.  If a man can walk with an apostle and fall away then any man can, every man c…

• Faith and Baptism in Paul’s Preaching

  ed, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.’ And she prevailed upon us.” (Acts 16:14-15 NAS) We are not told exactly what Paul said in his sermon but we know he preached at least the following:  (1) Man as a sinner in need of salvation, (2) Jesus as Lord and Savior, (3) Faith in Jesus, (4) Repentance, and (5) Baptism.  We can glean a lot about Paul’s preaching f…

• Why Men Today Cannot Be Saved Like The Thief On The Cross?

  .  Why?  Because when Jesus was talking to the rich young ruler he was not talking to you and me.  The only lessons in the account of the rich young ruler that could be made applicable to us is (1) a man may be very religious but lost and (2) the danger of having a hidden idol in one’s heart. Your salvation and mine does not depend on what Jesus did or did not tell a man living under the Law of Moses some time prior to his own death on the …

• Christianity and Multiculturalism

  ge? When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land the idea was not incorporating two cultures into one but destroying one–the one that for that moment was most evil.  God was not a multiculturalist.  It is utter folly to value equally every culture and to say no culture has claim to be superior to another.  Some cultures need destroying, not embraced and built up–Nazi Germany, the Japanese culture of WWII days, the Khmer Rouge…

• Repent–How Hard It Is To Do

  miracles would not get some to repent.  Remember also Jesus weeping over Jerusalem.  It was another city that did not repent at his preaching. Remember the account of the rich man and Lazarus as told by Jesus?  Both had died but the rich man now found himself in torments due to his ungodly life.  He makes the plea to father Abraham to send someone to his living brothers that they might repent.  “And he said, ‘No father Abraham; but if one goes t…

• Christian Wars–A Misnomer

  n in order to establish the faith in a geographic locality.  Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36 NKJV) He told the one who sought to protect him by physical force at the time of his arrest, the one who used his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high p…

• How Does the Blood of Jesus and Baptism Tie Together

  I know of no one who claims to be a Christian but what believes we are saved by the blood of Jesus.  All believe that for the Bible clearly teaches it stating it plainly, “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Eph 1:7 NKJV)  There are very few, however, who realize where God has placed that blood spiritually speaking.  Christianity is a religion of the spirit.  No man is saved by coming into physical contac…

• If Miracles Have Ceased–the Implications

  into your midst claiming to speak for God.  Is he delusional, a mad man?  Is he a charlatan?  Why should I give him the time of day? People speak of blind faith.  The kind of faith the Bible demands of men is not blind faith but faith built upon reason based on the word of God confirmed by miracles.  I believe not because I am naive and will believe anything and will buy bridges in deserts but rather because God said, “come now, and let us…

• Canaan and Heaven–How God Gives

  How God gives to men is not only an interesting study but also one of upmost importance as it relates to our salvation, a salvation which is clearly set forth in the scriptures as being a free gift of God to man.  “Being justified freely by is grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24 NKJV)  It is by grace through faith that we are saved and not by works. (Eph. 2:8-9)  Salvation is specifically said to be “the gift of God…

• Instrumental Music in Christian Worship–Is it God’s Will?

  tendom.  However, it was over 600 years after Christ before instrumental music was introduced into worship.  Pope Vitalian, it is said, was the first to add the instrument to the worship with the date being a little uncertain but it was somewhere between 658 and 670 AD.  While the Roman Catholic Church came to accept it the Greek Catholic Church never did although that may now be changing some. This historical fact is immensely important.  It pro…

• Which Denomination Did Jesus Build?

  Years ago I had a lady tell me it was impossible to be just a Christian without being in a denomination.  Did Jesus build a denomination?  Which denomination did Jesus build?  I fear the lady I spoke of above was in grave error those many years ago but she was in a bind.  What do I mean?  Those who are in denominational churches generally all agree that those in other denominations can and will be saved the same as they will be.  Which means wha…

• Faith, Manna, and Grumbling Against God

  cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and he has the power to do all things (see Gen. 18:14, Jer. 32:27 NKJV).  The promise, however, was not unconditional.  They had to trust and obey neither of which they did.  They had a sure thing going but blew it through no one’s fault but their own.  I stop here just long enough to say there is a lesson in that for us if we will heed it. Were the children of Israel happy in Egypt?  The Bible says, “The Egypti…

• Repentance–How Can I Be Sure?

  ance is a command to all men everywhere in all time to come as long as the earth shall stand.  Paul, in his speech in the midst of the Areopagus in Athens, made this statement: “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the …

• A Good and Pure Conscience

  A good and pure conscience is essential to a person’s happiness and sense of well-being.  One can never depend on his/her conscience as an infallible guide for that it is not the function of the conscience, not its role, but nevertheless violate your conscience and the end result is a sense of guilt, sorrow, and unhappiness. The conscience is that which is within us that pricks us, perhaps troubles us would be a better way of putting it, w…

• Weak, Defiled, and Seared Consciences

  The Bible speaks of the conscience of man describing it in several different ways as the state of the conscience varies from man to man and sometimes from time to time within the same man.  The conscience can be good, pure, and without offense but it can also be weak, defiled, evil, and even seared.  It is the negative traits of the conscience I wish to discuss in this article.  What is a weak conscience?  The first time one reads about a weak c…

• Saved by Faith or Saved by Holy Spirit Baptism–Which Is It?

  Is a man saved by faith or saved by Holy Spirit baptism?  I personally do not believe either but there are many advocates of one or the other.  (Yes, I believe faith is essential but just not that it is the final step to salvation.) There are a number of people in what is commonly called the Christian community who are thoroughly convinced that one is saved by Holy Spirit baptism.  I do not believe they are in the majority but they are out ther…

• Jesus the Foundation of and the Builder of the Church

  holic doctrine to the contrary notwithstanding.  No one can enter the church built by Jesus who does not believe this foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. Jesus is described by Peter as a living stone rejected by men but chosen by God and precious (1 Peter 2:4).  He goes on a couple of verses later to say, “it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes …

• Is Denominational Baptism Scriptural?

  have just discussed is the only one a man or woman needs to be personally concerned about the truth is man has come up with his own inventions thus we have differences in baptisms today.  Solomon said, “God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” (Eccl. 7:29 NKJV)  Human nature never changed and so it is today as it was back then. The first invention of man was the idea that he could sprinkle men and call it baptism and put his…

• The Kingdom of God and the New Birth–A Matter of Timing

  ing in the present tense or was he speaking prophetically? He was speaking prophetically.  Much of the teaching Jesus did while on earth related to the coming kingdom over which he would become king.  It was yet in the future but it had been prophesied from days of old.  Daniel spoke of it when he said, in interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed … and it shall stand …

• They Loved the Praise of Men

  ey loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42-43, NKJV) Sometimes we want to please men too much.  While it is good and proper to want to have a good reputation among men and be well spoken of it is but folly to sell one’s soul for it.  Paul says, “For do I now persuade men, or God?  Or do I seek to please men?  For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Gal. 1:10 NKJV)  Man’s duty in life is not to s…

• Behold the Judge is Standing at the Door

  Gospel obedience must be from the heart sincere in its desire to please God not man.  As Paul wrote to the Romans and said to them “you obeyed from the heart” (Rom. 6:17 NKJV) so it must be.  In Christianity it is folly to think of using force of any kind to convert people.  In the Muslim religion that might work but not in the faith God requires as found in the Bible. Where does a man run to in order to get away from God?  “Whe…

• The Parable of the Talents–the Sin of Fear

  The parable of the talents is found in Matthew 25:14-30 with an account that is similar in many respects in Luke 19:12-28 although there are differences.  Only the account given in Matthew is referred to, by men, as the parable of the talents but it is profitable to read Luke along with Matthew.  Differences aside both accounts seem to be teaching about the same lesson and one I have needed throughout my life. The account is too long to quote he…

• One Church—A Thing Hard to Accept

  ated to a religious matter correcting him or her would be as easy as going to the Bible and finding the book, chapter, and verse that told them the truth.  I learned over time that the real problem is not a matter of the mind but one of the heart and thus much more difficult to deal with. The kind of people I am talking about will not be convinced of truth no matter how many scriptures you show them.  They would flunk out of a high school or coll…

• Israel’s Rebellion at the Red Sea

  The children of Israel that God sent Moses to bring out of Egyptian bondage into the Promised Land were a faithless group almost from the very beginning.  Their rebellion against God began before Mt. Sinai and even before the Red Sea crossing.  The Psalmist said, “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of your mercies, but rebelled by the sea–the Red Sea.” (Psa. 106:7 NKJV)  It…

• Mary of Bethany–Doing What You Can

  ve the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints?” (2 Cor. 8:3-4 NKJV)  Loving God means we long and desire to give to him and his work. We cannot bestow our goods on Jesus directly as did Mary of Bethany but we must remember that the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 1:18, 24) and that when Saul of Tarsus was persecuting the church and Jesus met him on the road to Damascus he said to Saul, “Saul, Saul, w…

• How Was Noah Saved Through Water?

  How was Noah and his family saved through water?  Peter, in 1 Peter 3:20-21, says they were but just how is a little hard to understand without some thought and study.  The passage reads as follows:  “when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.  There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism (not the removal of the f…

• Jesus as the Bread of Life (John 6:48)

  Beginning in about John 6:27 Jesus begins a discussion with those with whom he is conversing that carries through most of the rest of the chapter about himself being the bread of life sent down from the Father (John 6:32-35) that man might eat of this bread and have eternal life.  There are many, many descriptive terms used in reference to Jesus in the Bible of which the bread of life is but one. In the book of John alone Jesus is described as t…

• Who Gets to Decide–God or the Church?

  There are approximately 38,000 denominations in the world today calling themselves Christian according to the results I found on the subject doing a Google search.  I was astounded and find that number hard to believe but be that as it may we all know there are a vast multitude of them and I suppose the number you come up with depends on how you decide to count them.  If this number is correct we have gone from 1 church in the New Testament to 3…

• Resource Sites

  ts study that is unusual and one I have not taken in any of the writing I have done on the topic.  Another late 1800′s sermon.) The Course to Pursue to be Infallibly Safe  (A sermon by Benjamin Franklin, no not that one but they were related.  A great sermon for who would not want to be infallibly safe?  This is one sermon from a book of sermons that can still be purchased entitled, The Gospel Preacher, Vol. I by Benjamin Franklin.  This on…

• Though He Slay Me

  h in my own father’s last days when life became more of a burden and a trial for him than a treasure to be held onto.  Job says, “Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, who long for death, but it does not come, and search for it more than hidden treasures; who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave?” (Job 3:20-22 NKJV) There are questions we can ask that we will never have an answer to …

• What Does The Phrase “Born Of Water And The Spirit” Mean? (The New Birth)

  ept that which is religiously correct (political correctness in the field of the Christian religion) feeling it is a subject that is just a little too deep for them.  The real problem lies not in the difficulty of the passage but rather with theologians, scholars, commentators, and religious leaders (preachers included) who are unwilling to accept the obvious import of the passage. People often fail to understand Bible passages not because of the…

• The Faithfulness of Jesus to God the Father

  ds were uttered “let us make man in our image, according to our likeness” (Gen. 1:26 NKJV, see also John 1:1-11) once Jesus entered the world, sent by God the Father (John 17:18), he became not only the Son of God but also the Son of Man and became subject to the Father.  Paul said, in speaking to the Corinthians, “I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.&#…

• The Fragrance of Christ

  of life to life.  And who is sufficient for these things?” (NKJV) I like the phrase “the fragrance of Christ.”  When I think of the word fragrance I think of that which has a pleasant smell–a flower out of the garden.  But there are many wonderful fragrances when you live out in the country as I do.  The smell of new mown hay, the smell of a cornfield in July on a late summer evening about dusk, the smell of the farm field after having jus…

• The Silence of the Scriptures

  ted Luther from Zwingli, namely, the silence of the scriptures.  Does the silence of the scriptures on a practice permit that practice or forbid it? This can only be answered by an appeal to the scriptures to which we will go but before doing so it would be good to make the point that many have answered this question without an appeal to scripture at all.  The Roman Catholic Church is not concerned with what the scriptures say.  Authority with th…

• Peter’s Preaching and the Apostle’s Preaching

  ays and teaches one thing at one time and another thing at another time.  It is to say there is more than one gospel which is the very thing scripture denies. One can “pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:7 NKJV) but you cannot make two gospels out of one.  Paul says, by inspiration, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8 …

• Peter’s Second Gospel Sermon

  done between Peter’s first sermon and his second there is no doubt for the Bible says “the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47 NAS) and this was after Pentecost but before the events recorded in Acts 3. Of those sermons, of which we know nothing, we can only say with certainty that the truth was taught and what was taught was the same as that taught by Peter in Acts 2 by inspiration…

• The Army of the Lord–the Church

  se “must endure hardship” for it is easy to think in our day and age and in our country there is no hardship to be endured as a Christian.  Wrong!  Paul made it clear it is not a matter of whether or not we will be persecuted but more a matter of when or where or degree for he says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12 NKJV) There is, I think, a greater implication in Paul’s statement than …

• Jesus and the Furnace of Fire

  k they know Jesus would say, “No, he would never do that.”  Well, if not he is a liar.  If he is a liar you cannot depend on a single word he ever uttered for who would know when he was lying and when he was not?  But God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Let us take a closer look and see who it is that will be cast into this furnace.  It is “those who practice lawlessness.” (Matt. 13:41 NKJV)  I know vast numbers of people while go…

• Non-Offensive Christianity

  nd get the same kind of answer.  Christian beliefs themselves are offensive to many–to a great, great many—no matter what subject you end up talking about.  It is not so much what the Christian does that is so offensive but what he believes.  Jesus said we would be judged by the word of God (John 12:48) and God’s word does offend many by limiting their freedom to sin without rebuke.  The word rebukes them.  If you believe the word the…

• The Washing of Water by the Word–Baptism and Salvation

  Baptism is essential to salvation but there are many non-believers.  I want to deal with one passage today that teaches this but which is seldom used because the word baptize is not found in the passage.  The phrase used is “washing of water” as found in Eph. 5:25-27. Eph. 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,…

• Lincoln’s Tomb and Jesus’ Tomb

  and quiet as cemeteries generally are, very well kept. It was for me a melancholy occasion.  The tomb, or mausoleum, was dark and quiet and one felt as if he was indeed in the presence of death and the dead.  I could not help but think how long it has been and how many years Lincoln’s body has already lain there.  The same could be said of many of the graves in the cemetery outside the tomb.  Many have been dead for years and years and their bodi…

• The Prodigal Son–When He Came to Himself

  The story of the prodigal son as told by Jesus in Luke 15:11-32 is too long to quote here but also so well known that almost everyone acquainted with the Bible at all knows the story and the main thrust of the lesson taught there.  However, there is one phrase in the account we do not talk enough about–the phrase “when he came to himself” found in verse 17. This verse marks the point in the young man’s life where his eyes were opened to th…

• Lessons for the Church from Isaiah (Chapter 1)

  Isaiah as well as for those who lived back then.  Here are some of the lessons found in the first chapter. (1)  God’s people can cease to know him or understand him.  “The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not consider.” (Isa. 1:3 NKJV)  Under the Law of Moses a child was born a Jew, a child of God, by physical birth.  He/she would have to grow into a knowledge of God and his will as they…

• Be Faithful to the Lord (The Conversion of Lydia)

  at one time or another resulting in a pang of guilt and sorrow within us.  Is that the Holy Spirit acting miraculously in my heart or is it the power of the word of God upon a man’s heart?  Yes, it is the Spirit working but working through the word, not miraculously separate and apart from the word.  We retain the free will to either believe what we read allowing it to touch our hearts or the free will to pass it off and reject it.   Our he…

• The Joy and the Danger of a Clean Conscience

  ally felt to be a hard price to pay.  That price is the shame and humiliation of admitting (confessing) our sin and making whatever restitution, if any, that can be made for it.  It is awfully hard to put oneself through that but that is exactly the price the conscience requires of us before it will let us go free. I know of a man who recently went before the church confessing his unfaithfulness.  Afterwards he spoke of what a burden was lifted f…

• Must the Christian Keep the Sabbath?

  all time?  How was it to be kept?  Let us see what the Bible has to say about the matter. The first time one finds the word “Sabbath” in the Bible is in Exodus 16:23.  The children of Israel had come out of Egypt but had not yet reached Mt. Sinai.  The events that transpire in Exodus 16 occur in the second month of their journey (Exodus 16:1).  This is the time when the children of Israel were grumbling against God (see Ex. 16:2-3, 7…

• Christ the Savior of the Body but Which One–the Matter of Timing?

  d to Peter’s preaching that day.  In Acts 2:47 the New King James version of the Bible reads, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  Much more could be written on the establishment of the church but that is not the purpose of this particular article. Every denomination that exists today was built many hundreds of years after Christ built his church.  This puts every denomination in a terrible bind.  Only emotion can…

• Who Governs the Church if We Follow the Bible?

  e in heaven and on earth.” (Matt. 28:18 NKJV)  We cannot step outside the authority of Christ found in his word and set up a way of governing the church to suit ourselves.  Well, let me revise that a little–we can but if we do we are in rebellion against the head of the church and against the one whom God the Father gave all authority to.  We disrespect him and his word when we do so and involve ourselves in sin by supporting such a s…

• Religious Titles Forbidden in Christianity

  ;do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven,” (NKJV) and it would have no effect upon him either. Not only are men accepting religious titles, contrary to Jesus’ teaching, but the general public is just as guilty in granting these titles.  I have never seen a single instance in my lifetime of a Catholic priest being interviewed on TV without the interviewer calling him Father.  Indeed, I suspe…

• Disobedience to Jesus

  nce to Jesus is thus not considered a sin that will damn you just as long as you believe. What does the Bible have to say on the subject?  In John 3:36 we find this passage, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (NAS – see also the ASV, ESV, RSV, NRSV, LITV, GNB, and the ISV)  The New King James Version translates it, “He who believe…

• Moses, the Waters of Marah, and a Lesson for Today

  ion men, women, and children needing water as well as all the herds of livestock.  You do not carry that kind of water in canteens. After this three day journey without finding water they come to Marah, a place that has water but water so bitter it cannot be drunk.  In fact, according to the notes in the NET Bible, the Hebrew word “Marah” means bitter.  The Bible says, “The people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What sh…

• The Conscience as a Witness

  A man can run from many things but one thing he cannot run from is his own conscience.  Wherever a man goes his conscience follows him just as much as his shadow and is a constant companion.  It is a man’s witness to himself and to God of his character as it relates to his willingness or unwillingness to abide in what he considers to be that which is right and good. The conscience cannot be a man’s perfect guide for it like man’…

• What Is Baptism (the Sprinkling Hoax)

  It may well be that there is no Bible subject that has caused more confusion among men than the subject of baptism.  What is baptism?  What is its purpose?  Who should be baptized?  Why?  I would like to take a look at all of these questions and deal with all of them over time but for the present, for the purposes of this article, I will confine myself to the question what is baptism.  I doubt that very many people know what I am about to say.  …

• Are Paul’s Writings as Authoritative as Jesus’ Words?

  Many years ago as a young man I heard it said by a young lady of my own age that the apostle Paul just had a thing against women with the idea being that what he wrote on the subject of women had no authority but was merely the expression of personal prejudice on his part.  That young lady many years later became a preacher (?) within her denominational body contrary to Paul’s teaching on the subject in 1 Tim. 2:12. Over the course of the …

• Walk in Truth—the Joy of John the Apostle

  of being ashamed of what had happened and how they were tolerating it Paul says they were instead “puffed up.” (1 Cor. 5:2 NKJV)  The New Living Translation puts it this way, “You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in sorrow and shame. And you should remove this man from your fellowship.” (1 Cor. 5:2 NLT) That is where I see much of American Christendom today.  It should be in sorrow and shame but is ra…

• Without Natural Affection and Covenant Breakers

  venantbreakers (it is one word in the KJ) the ESV has “faithless,” the NAS and the NKJV have “untrustworthy.”  These words are close enough you can see where the modern day translators were coming from but they still stray in my mind from the exact intent of the original.  The original is not talking about general untrustworthiness but specific untrustworthiness in being a breaker of a covenant one has made with another. H…

• Saved by Jesus Outside the Church?

  220;the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:38 NKJV)  This is the church of which Jesus said, “I will build my church” (NKJV) in Matt. 16:18.  If you are saved you cannot help but be in the church for the Lord does the adding at the time one obeys the gospel and he adds only the saved and none who are not saved.  You do not join the church, though many have the misconception they do, but if you ob…

• Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

  The title here is taken from part of the lyrics from the theme song for the TV show “Cops.”  It is a catchy tune but it raises a question we all have to deal with like it or not and most of us don’t like it.  The undertaker and his helpers are coming for us, no doubt about it, one of these days.  What are we gonna do? In life we confront things that are coming for us.  We see it coming and we do not like it but being rational p…

• Can one be Just a Christian in Christ’s Church without being in a Denomination?

  enomination simultaneously?  If so when did that begin?  If so where can I read about it in the Bible?  If so which denomination does it add me to in addition to the Lord’s church?  If so why is it needful now that it do that but was not needful for hundreds of years after the first century had come and gone.  If so when did the gospel lose its power to make me just a Christian, no more, no less?  At what point in time was it that both the gospel…

• Jesus’ Baptism and You?

    They had their settled law and there was no point in thinking there was any possibility that they might be in error.  When Jesus came along and started questioning some of their beliefs and practices there was nothing to do but crucify him for there was no possibility in their mind that they could be wrong in their religion.  What he had to say had to be heresy. A man ought to be cautious in reaching conclusions in spiritual matters for once th…

• Faith Based On Deception–Gen. 37:31-33

  ery Christian ought to immediately perk his ears up when he thinks back on this account and take heed and learn from it. We can be misled by the very people we have the utmost trust in. In Jacob’s case it was deliberate but certainly one can also be misled by those who themselves sincerely believe error and propagate it. In the case of the first sin ever committed the Bible teaches that Eve was indeed deceived, “But I fear, lest someh…

• Things People Do Not Know About the Church

  king about a denominational church (those in them will generally admit it does not matter whether or not you are a member of their particular denomination for they say you can be saved without being a member of their group).  But, with that said it is a whole different story when it comes to the Lord’s church.  Here is a list of 12 things many people do not know or understand about the Lord’s church–things that make all the difference in th…

• Honestly Deceived

  ophecy in Bethel he obeys God and starts for home on a route different from that by which he had come.  However, an old prophet intercepts him on the way and lies to him saying that he too was a prophet (this part being true) but also saying that an angel had spoken to him “by the word of the Lord” (1 Kings 13:18 NKJV) and that the angel said, “bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water” (1 Kings 13:18 NKJV) whic…

• When did Obedience Become Legalism?

  r.  It is not how they want love defined.  The preference is for emotions rather than obedience.  In 1 Cor. 13 we have Paul discussing love in verses 4-8.  In verse 6 of that chapter he says love “does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth.” (NKJV)  Iniquity is the opposite of obedience.  One can no more join love with iniquity than he can a lamb with a lion.  But we have come to believe God’s grace covers everything and obedience is …

• Baptism

  Baptism has been a hot topic down through the ages–who should be baptized, why, for what purpose, are there any prerequisites, what is accomplished in it, does it matter, is it essential for salvation or have anything at all to do with it, what is baptism (is it sprinkling, pouring, immersion, or take your choice?).  So many questions but are there no answers?  Was God such a poor communicator that he could not make the subject clear?  Wha…

• Ashamed of Jesus and His Words

  ns to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31) – (1) being ashamed of Jesus, (2) being ashamed of the words of Jesus. We might well ask what is there about Jesus to be ashamed of.  The answer is obvious, nothing at all.  But lest we think we are clear on this count and before we begin to pat ourselves on the back thinking we are not ashamed of him let us think a little deeper about the matter.  Is Jesus just talking about our mental state of…

• Never Give Up

  When we learn the truth of the gospel message, come to believe it, and then sincerely obey it we sometimes expect more of ourselves than is humanly possible for us to deliver.  When we first come out of the water of our baptism we are determined that we will not sin, we are going to live sin free.  This attitude is to be highly commended but is also unrealistic. Many who obey the gospel do so when young and thus their own expectations about life…

• Looking Down Your Nose

  artiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?  Listen, my beloved brethren:  Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?  But you have dishonored the poor man.  Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?  Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?  If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture…

• Regrets

  look back at some of the Bible’s famous men and see if they had any regrets.  By doing so it may give us a degree of strength to go on and not give up. Adam was the very first man, our great ancestor.  There is no doubt but what this man had deep regrets.  He once lived in a paradise on earth and had an unending life ahead of him having free access to the tree of life.  For food all he had to do was reach up and pluck it from the tree on wh…

• Diotrephes Loves To Have the Preeminence

  In the third book of John we read about a man by the name of Diotrephes as follows: “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.  Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words.  And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.” (3 John 1:9-10 …

• The Parable of the 10 Virgins–7 Lessons

  The parable of the 10 virgins found in Matt. 25:1-13 has more to say to us than we often realize. One of the things that troubles a person most, that nags and gnaws at our spirit, is when we mess up, make a bad mistake, and then have to pay for it when we had realized from the beginning what it was we needed to do which would have avoided the whole thing but simply failed to do it for one reason or another.  We blame ourselves for the mess we go…

• The Great Commission and Cornelius

  o what is the big deal as I do not want to lose your attention by doing mere word studies?  Jesus is teaching that when we are baptized in water as per Acts 2:38 we are being baptized into a relationship not only with himself but also with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Does this comport with other scriptures?  Yes, it does.  Here are some passages that do not just teach that we are baptized into Christ but specifically state it.  (I add no one…

• God’s Willingness to Forgive–King Manasseh

  It is not unusual to find in religion, as it relates to Christianity, two extremes of thought.  There are those who feel God is so full of loving kindness that he will readily forgive us of any and all of our sins if we just ask him.  We may be kind of sorry that we  did whatever it was we did, sorry about the consequences at least, so feel we must ask God’s forgiveness but the truth is if the same set of circumstances were to arise again we wou…

• Acceptable Prayer

  h confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 NAS)  What we often fail to consider is that both writers are writing to Christians, not just anyone but to God’s own people.  Let us take a look at some passages. Prov. 15:8, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord.” (NASU)  Prov. 15:29, “The Lord is far from the wicked.” (N…

• What Does the Phrase “My Name” Mean in the Bible?

  Sometimes we run across phrases in the Bible that we really do not understand yet we think we can kind of guess at the meaning and come close enough thus we never bother to study them out to get at the truth.  The phrases trouble us a little but not enough for us to do any extra work to find out the meanings.  The phrase “my name” as found in the Bible is just such a phrase. The exact phrase “my name” is found 118 times i…

• The Church as the Family of God–Things Found in It

  close to us as physical family, even a closely knit physical family, and even dearer to us as the years go by and we grow older.  That is the way God meant it to be. What should one experience in the family of God?  Here are but a few of those things. (1)  Love.  “In sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” (1 Peter 1:22 NKJV)  “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another….

• The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer

  d?  He was receptive if he could only learn what it was he was to believe.  Verse 32 indicates that Paul and Silas did speak “the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house.” (Acts 16:32 NAS)  But, that is all that is said about the preaching.  We would have to look elsewhere to find what the gospel is for we are all certain he preached the gospel.  We find what the gospel is recorded in 1 Cor. 15:1-4 where Paul s…

• He Went Away Grieved

  People came to Jesus while he was on earth for different reasons.  Some came because they felt he could provide them with the necessities of life.  After having fed the 5,000 the crowd intended to take him by force to make him king (John 6:15).  Jesus said to them, “You seek me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” (John 6:26 NKJV) Others sought after him that they might be healed of sickness and dis…

• Fear God

  I have often heard it said that a Christian should have no fear of God.  I have mixed feelings when I hear that for it is one of those truths that can easily lead to false conclusions unless the statement is clarified. John indeed says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”  (I John 4:18 NKJV)  It is true that every Christian can have fear …

• The Mysterious Eloquent Evangelist

  There are a lot of mysterious characters mentioned in the Bible we would like to know a lot more about than we do with Apollos, the eloquent evangelist, ranking right up there near the top among such New Testament characters.  However, the fact that we know but little about him could be said equally of most of the apostles.  The thing that makes Apollos mysterious is what we do know about him. Here is what we know, Acts 18:24-28 (NAS), “No…

• Philip Preaching the Gospel in Samaria

  217;s audience to be baptized if Philip did not preach it?  Where did they learn about baptism if he did not preach it?  Why were people baptized on the day of Pentecost under Peter’s preaching if he did not preach it?  But, we do not have to guess about Peter’s preaching for Peter’s words were “repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of you sins.” (Acts 2:38 NAS) If yo…

• The Grace of God in Baptism

  Most Americans of a Christian persuasion believe that baptism has little to nothing to do with the grace of God. One wonders have they never read Titus 3:4-7? The truth about God’s grace and its tie in with baptism is clearly set forth in Paul’s passage to Titus which reads as follows: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he s…

• Praying to God to Bless the Bread–Really?

  een done so long it has become habit.  It is not scriptural. Just a little thinking on the subject ought to convince most.  How do you bless an inanimate (non-living) object?  Rain after a long drought is certainly a blessing but it is not the rain God blessed in sending it to man but the man who received the rain.  God blessed man, not the rain, unless you want to say the rain was blessed in the sense that God made more of it. It is true in Deut…

• The Christian, Politics, and the Government

  What role if any should the Christian play in politics?  All any man can know about the subject is what the Bible says and since it was written for the benefit and enlightenment of all men in all ages of time from the time it was first penned until the last day of this earth’s existence and for all cultures and under all the different kinds of governments under which men have lived it speaks to us not in specifics but in general statements on th…

• Are the New Testament Scriptures Alone a Sufficient Guide to Heaven?

  ne, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17 NKJV) Who was Paul, at that time, writing to?  To Timothy but it is obvious that what applied to Timothy as to how he was to view scripture was and is applicable to all. However, the objection is made that Paul was obviously speaking of the Old Testament scriptures, at least primar…

• The Need to Preach on Sin

    It mocks God as if to say who is God that I (man) should obey him. Why must sin be punished?  Because if it is not God cannot be God.  Law that is not enforced is in reality no law at all.  God the lawmaker is not glorified but mocked if his law is not upheld.  Disrespect or disobedience to the law is really a slap in the face of the lawgiver.  Sin must be punished or else the lawmaker must step down and lose all authority to rule for if he wil…

• The Lord’s Supper as a Part of a Larger Meal–Right or Wrong?

  they feel free to do as they please and make anything and everything an act of worship that their heart so desires. They are no longer restricted by the Bible. What I say here will be of no value to them for that very reason. But, I do want to investigate this subject and see if there is any merit in the argument they make based on what the Bible does say about the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. The relevant passages are found in Matt. 26:26-29,…

• Denominationalism’s Sin Against Peter

  The apostle Peter has taken a beating among denominationalists.  I would feel sorry for him save for the fact that I would be feeling sorry for the wrong party seeing as how he was an inspired apostle of God and his antagonists are but mere flesh and blood men and totally uninspired. It was not always the way it is today.  For at least a few hundred years after his sermon in Acts 2 he was honored by those who proclaimed faith in God and belief i…

• Hypocrites in the Church

  this life. There are hypocrites about everywhere you look so why be surprised or shocked to find some in the church?  There is a good chance you work with one or more hypocrites–a man or woman who claims to be laboring but simply does not in reality do the job that he or she was hired to do.  They are slackers on the job but the pretense is that they work hard. There are men who are pretending to be husbands but are not, women pretending t…

• Saul’s Conversion

  you what you must do.” (Acts 9:6 NAS)  Just a few verses later we see the Lord sending a man by the name of Ananias to Saul (Acts 9:11).   Ananias was sent to Saul for more than one reason, to achieve more than one end, but I ask this – was not one end to tell Saul “what you must do?”  If Ananias did not tell Saul what he must do then who did?  It was not Christ for he could have done it on the road to Damascus if he was g…

• Keep Your Heart With All Diligence

  d he had “fought the good fight.” (2 Tim. 4:7 NKJV)  It is a cop out to live as you want, not being overly concerned about doing the wrong (sin), feeling that grace will take care of it all.  It is a bad attitude toward God.  But, I digress. In the book of Proverbs, chapter 23 verse 7, we read of a man, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (NKJV)  Make no mistake about it–our struggle is with our hearts within.  “For out of the heart proc…

• Born Again At The Point Of Faith – John 1:12-13

  John 1:12-13 from the New American Standard Version:  “(12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name:  (13) who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will on man, but of God.” [verse numbers added by me for clarification—DS] Many believe that they are born again (become Christians) at the moment they come to believe in Jesus as t…

• The Grace of God and the Parable of the Laborers–Is God Just?

  Everyone is pleased to have the grace of God in their life but are we disturbed by it when his grace shows up in the lives of others seemingly more generously than in our own?  I am afraid that is sometimes the case.  The parable of the laborers found in Matt. 20:1-16 is a perfect example and is also an excellent illustration of how man feels he knows more about what is just and right than God does. The passage is too long to quote here but I wi…

• The Case of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit

  hat the very first gospel sermon ever preached after Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection was in the city of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts chapter two.  Neither do I know a man who would deny but what the words spoken by Peter were given by the Holy Spirit.  The reader ought to note and carefully digest what the Holy Spirit, speaking through Peter, said on that occasion in response to those who asked “Men a…

• Singing and Playing in Christian Worship

    Sing means sing or else words have no meaning and if that is the case we soon lose our ability to communicate.  We may put two and two together today because of the common practice that singers also often play while singing but still singing is singing and that is all the word means.  When you begin to say it also means or could include playing you are walking blindly, by something you cannot possibly know, and if the blind lead the blind both …

• The Sin of Being Unthankful and the Need for Thanksgiving

  dient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (NKJV)  Did you note “unthankful” and “unloving” in this listing? Actually, most of us do not find it too hard to turn away from those who…

• Cornelius’ Conversion–Final Thoughts

  understand I believe the Spirit abides in a Christian–that is not the point.  The point is whether it necessarily follows that because the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius that he was saved instantly at that point in time. But, I read the verse in context.  One verse above this one, in verse 12, it is stated, “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” (1 John 4:12 NKJV)  Two verses down I rea…

• Mt. Sinai and the Day of Judgment

  himself. However, there was also another reason or two God wanted the people to hear him.  He says, “so that the people may hear when I speak with you.” (Ex. 19:9 NASB)  They had seen God in action in his miracles but they had not yet heard his voice.  He wanted them to hear him.  Why?  Was it just more confirmation to the people that Moses was God’s man as God talked directly to him?  I think it safe to say there was that in it…

• God’s Hardening of the Human Heart

  Does God ever harden people’s hearts?  No doubt about it.  Every Bible student is aware of God’s hardening the heart of Pharaoh back in the book of Exodus.  This was God’s plan before Moses arrived in Egypt.  “And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.”…

• God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit

  Does God Really Care? Things God Cannot Do Jesus as the Bread of Life Jesus and the Furnace of Fire Behold the Judge is Standing at the Door The Need to Preach on Sin What Does the Phrase “My Name” Mean in the Bible?   Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) Wonderful Jesus Who Is Jesus? Born To Die The Appearance of Jesus All Spiritual Blessings Are in Christ Enemies of Christ The Holy Spirit (Part I) The Holy Spirit (Part II) The Ho…

• The Pleasures of Sin

  righteousness.” (NKJV) One would be a liar and fully aware of his lie if he was to deny that sin can be pleasurable.  He would know he was lying not only because of what the word of God has said about it in the passages above but also from his own personal life experiences.  Who can say that they have not enjoyed sin at one time or another or at least found it preferable to doing right?  If sin was unpleasant who would ever willingly engage in it…

• Confirmation Sunday–No Bibles Required

  2 locations.  Paul spoke about “confirmation of the gospel” in Philippians 1:7 and the writer of the book of Hebrews spoke of how an “oath for confirmation” (Heb. 6:16) is for men an end of all dispute but was just making an observation about secular matters among men in order to make a greater point about the confirmation God has made to man.  Another search on the word “confirm” only brought up 2 hits (Rom. 1…

• The Struggle to be a Spiritually Minded Man or Woman

  God deeply matters. Which mind set shall prevail?  Does it matter?  The Bible teaches it is a matter of life and death.  Hear Paul, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh …

• Christianity–Who Rules Reason or Emotions?

  Divorce courts, bankruptcy courts, drug rehab facilities, prisons, and even the local hospitals maintain a heavy business because emotion has ruled in a life and reason took a back seat. We have the same thing in Christianity but pay day has not yet come so we have not yet been forced to confront reality.  We sometimes wonder why it is that a person cannot seem to see the truth.  Well, you have to have a desire to see it and thus be looking for i…

• The Hardening of the Human Heart

  There are passages in the Bible that are frightening.  Heb. 3:12-13 is one such passage. “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘TODAY,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (NKJV)  This is a passage addressed to Christians but the idea that the heart can be hardened by sin is appl…

• Was Cornelius Saved Before Baptism? (Cornelius’ Conversion)

  #8220;he ordered them to be baptized.” (Acts 10:48 NAS)  What is another word for “ordered?”  If you check other translations you will see the word “commanded” rather than “ordered.”  But why command baptism?  The answer is because you cannot obey the gospel and thus cannot be saved, not in the first century and not now, without being baptized “for the remission of sins.” (Acts 2:38 NAS)  What…

• Spiritual Mirages

  We now get to the lesson I want to emphasize for this article.  The people respond to Jeremiah’s prophesy by saying: “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!  But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Ju…

• God’s Plea–On Christ’s Behalf be Reconciled to God

  ing to do with the rest of the family or at least with the one with whom they are alienated.  The alienated one becomes angry and lives in bitterness and hate, resentful.  Sometimes both parties involved come to feel that way but often it is a one party matter.  The individual feels that he/she was done wrong and mistreated whether true or not; that is how they see it. I knew a family once, and there are many such families, whose only child, a so…

• Work Out Your Own Salvation

  ly translated and made his argument on that basis. Let me quote the Philippians passage to you so we will have it before us and know what it says. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12-13 NKJV) Is this a correct translation of the Gr…

• Ignorance Does Not Excuse Sin

  n enormous burden upon Christians to preach the gospel throughout every corner of the world no matter how remote.  If a person is lost without the gospel and we were commanded to take the gospel to them (the Great Commission) but did not nor did we make any efforts to do so then what becomes not only of those who did not hear but to those of us who made no effort that they might hear? (3)  Another lesson we learn from this is that if ignorance is…

• The Church

  he Church as the Family of God–Things Found in It The Church Christ Built–Marks of Identification Can One be Just a Christian in Christ’s Church Without being in a Denomination? Christ the Savior of the Body but Which One–the Matter of Timing Who Governs the Church if we Follow the Bible? Who Gets to Decide–God or the Church? The Church as the Body of Christ–Which Means What? The Army of the Lord–the Chur…

• Pray For Others Lest You Sin

  verse 23, we read this statement from Samuel spoken to the children of Israel:  “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” (NKJV) Now I am not a Samuel nor are you but it makes you stop and think does it not?  Samuel was praying for God’s people.  Are we exempt from doing the same?  Are we under no obligation? During Jesus’ ministry he once was asked what the greatest commandment in th…

• The Book of Ecclesiastes

  Is the book of Ecclesiastes the most depressing book in the Bible?  Well, it can be–no doubt about it.  I don’t think it would make very many people’s list of favorite Bible books.  I know personally it always kind of depressed me in days gone by when I would read it but that was my fault, not the book’s fault.  I would like to try and show the upbeat side of the book of Ecclesiastes. What the book of Ecclesiastes does is…

• Receiving the Gospel (Acts 2:41)

  nd salvation just to lay their hands on top the set, say certain words in the form of a prayer, and presto–salvation.  For all I know they may still be telling them that as I do not watch TV evangelists.  It sounds good but was there ever any truth to it?  In Acts 2 just about everyone I know of or ever heard of admits that Peter preaches the first gospel sermon there ever to be preached.  The text then says, “those who had received h…

• More on Willful Sin—Can Anyone be Saved?

  t hope having been guilty of committing a sin knowingly.  This indicated to me a need to write a little more on the subject (the original article can be found on my web site). The passage that troubles people is Heb. 10:26-31 but more specifically verses 26 and 27.  “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fier…

• The Peace Found in Forgiveness of Others

  If you or I or any other were asked to compile a list of the ugliest traits of character that a person could have and that we run across in people I am sure that things like hatred, anger, bitterness, malice, and an unwillingness to forgive would all rank up there near the top of our list.  People who possess these traits are not pleasant to be around.  That is not to say they have no friends but only that the kind of person that takes up with t…

• A Heart Right With God (Test Your Heart)

  n about the human heart of which the Bible speaks and which we each possess.  Knowing the heart is not always that easy for, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9 NKJV) But, know our heart we must for God testifying in Jeremiah about the deceitfulness of the heart goes on to say, “I, the Lord, search the heart.” (Jer. 17:10 NKJV)  God knows the heart, “So God, who knows the heart, acknowled…

• Sin

  in What About Sin? Thou Has Destroyed Thyself Sin and Its Consequences Drawn Away by Our Lust Sin the Separator You Cannot Hide Sin (Part I) You Cannot Hide Sin (Part II) Sin Lieth at the Door The Unpardonable Sin Wrong is Always Wrong When Your Walking Stick Comes Home The Burning Chaff What if I Miss Heaven? Is Your Name Written There? Things That Could be Written on the Door to Hell The Goodness and Severity of God Are You Ready? Pro…

• Three Benefits of Being a Christian in This Life – Hope, Love, Peace

  One thing that is often overlooked is the value of being a Christian and living the Christian life in the here and now, not just for the benefit of the afterlife to come.  There is nothing as important as where you are going to live in eternity but there are enormous benefits to living the Christian life aside from those benefits to come when this life has ended.  I list but three of those benefits here. (1)  Hope When one takes hope away from a…

• New Birth

  Born Again at the Point of Faith – John 1:12-13 Paul’s Conversion (Justified by Faith) What Does the Phrase “Born of Water and the Spirit” Mean? The Kingdom of God and The New Birth The New Birth and Water A New Creation in Christ The Truth So Called Christians Will Not Accept   Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) Born Again When One Obeys the Gospel Things That Happen With Gospel Obedience Why I Am a Christian Keeping…

• The Need to Sing in Worship

  I am not sure I ever heard a sermon on just singing.  Often I have heard it discussed in a second hand sort of way when the subject of instrumental music is under discussion but I don’t think I ever heard a sermon on just singing. Almost without fail no matter how small a congregation gets you will find some brethren not singing.  If it was just a matter of having a bad cold, a sore throat, or something along those lines there would be no …

• Things God Cannot Do

  The Bible teaches there are things God cannot do.  Why not?  It is certainly not because he is wanting in power or knowledge but it is a matter of who he is, his nature or character.  We can understand that.  There are things you and I could do but our character would never allow it.  I thought it would be good to use an online Bible concordance for the New King James Version and type in the word “cannot” and see what came up.  I was…

• Finding Truth in Divided Christendom

  believe in Jesus and are sincere that is all that matters and any church will do, just find the church of your choice. It is easy enough for the sincere seeker after truth to just throw up his/her hands in despair and give up but the Bible makes it clear that truth can be known and that it does matter what one believes and obeys.  Jesus said “to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And y…

• Indifference – The Great Destroyer

  salvation? To be indifferent is to not care. If you do not care about God, about his will, about going to heaven, if you are disinterested in living a faithful Christian life what joy do you bring to God? Grief and sorrow yes but joy no. A lot has been made of the fact that salvation from sin is a free gift from God. This while true when properly understood is seldom understood properly because seldom taught properly. Men have gotten it into thei…

• The Heart of Man from a Biblical Perspective

  ed to learn all we can about the human heart with the hope being that we can come to know ourselves better and improve our hearts.  Who is the real me?  Who am I?  What is the true state of my heart, not what I think about it but what is its true state in reality? When the Bible speaks of the human heart it is speaking of man’s intellect, man’s will, man’s emotions or feelings, or a man’s conscience, or any given combinations of these.  How…

• Bible Conversions

  In the book of Acts one finds the inspired apostles and evangelists going out into the world and preaching the gospel.  That statement in itself while true is misleading to a degree for if those who preached the gospel were inspired the preaching was in reality that of the Holy Spirit.  What was demanded of those being converted for salvation was being demanded not by Peter, Philip, or Paul but rather by the Holy Spirit himself. The conversion e…

• Parable of the Tares–No Middle Ground

  The story of the parable of the tares is found in Matt. 13:24-30 and then explained by Jesus in verses 36-43.  I quote the parable as follows: “Another parable he put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So th…

• Willful Sin–Can Anyone Be Saved?

  The text for this article is Heb. 10:26-27, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins.  But a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” (NKJV) These verses have probably caused Christians about as much anguish as any you will find in the pages of the New Testament.  Make no mistake about it the verse…

• The Sin of Contempt (Verbal Abuse)

  hall say to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court.”  My main interest is not how this passage may have applied to the Jewish audience living under the Law of Moses to whom Jesus spoke but rather how does it apply to you and me today.  The Greek word translated “supreme court” is literally “the Sanhedrin” (see the side margin note in the NAS).  This was the Jewish high court then in…

• The Wicked Shall be Turned into Hell

  e just because of the title.  God is not always the most popular person around (the words of the title are his, not mine) and many there be that do not want to hear what he has to say. It is sad that people sometimes hate God but that is the way it is.  Paul specifically refers to people who are in his words “haters of God” in Rom. 1:30 (NKJV).  They are not pleased with God’s commands as it interferes with them running amok to …

• Bible Authority, Foot Washing, the Holy Kiss, and Head Coverings?

  face on the Day of Judgment?  I am betting when that day comes this man will have changed his tune about what he has to say about God or wants to say. It is said that was then and this is now, now we are under a new covenant, but the Bible says of the Old Testament that, “whatever things were written before were written for our learning.” (Rom. 15:4 NKJV)  In talking about what happened to the children of Israel as they came out of Egypt and wand…

• Is America a Christian Nation—the Sandra Fluke Controversy

  college women, commending them, for basically committing fornication?  Now I fully understand that some women have health issues that may require birth control pills for reasons other than birth control.  I am fine with that but do not be misled or so naïve that you think that Ms. Fluke was advocating for that reason and for that small group of college age women that fit into that category.  She had in mind birth control pills for college coeds …

• Who is the Believer in John 3:16?

  Sometimes things that are the most obvious are also the easiest to overlook.  No passage in the Bible is better known nor been memorized more than Jesus’ statement in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV)  This was part of a conversation that Jesus was having with a man named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who …

• The Blessing of Affliction and the Goodness of God

  In the book of Psalms 119, verse 71, there is a passage that has come to have personal meaning to me as I have contemplated it over time and made application to the things that have befallen me.  The Psalmist said, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” (NKJV)  Earlier in the same chapter the writer had said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.” (Psalms 119:67 NKJV) We all learn very early in life that we wi…

• Better to Never Have Been Born–Why?

  .  Even with long life one cannot overcome death.  It is going to get each of us sooner or later.  It is a battle we cannot win.  So what then–then after death? The answer is, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” (Heb. 9:27 NKJV)  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or ba…

• Healing For the Brokenhearted

  “Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick.  And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalms 69:20 NASU)  Read in context one sees clearly that this passage of scripture refers to Jesus toward the very end of his life on earth when facing the cross and perhaps, very possibly, on the cross itself.  The heart has been broken to the point of sickness. Is there a person whose heart has …

• Deeper Spiritual Understanding–How do I Acquire It?

  A person who is a sincere Christian, a true believer from the depths of his/her heart, is a person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Matt. 5:6) desiring deeper spiritual understanding.  There is always a desire to know more and understand better.  There is an inner longing to draw nearer to God and feel closer to him and so the way is sought to do so. But the question is how do I do this or accomplish this which I so desire?  If I just …

• Reconciling With a Brother

  r that there were and always will be.  The Pharisee saw that.  He did not partake in those things.  He seemed to be faithfully obeying the commands of God so what was his problem? He had lost sight of the fact that he too was but a mere mortal, a man in need of God’s grace and forgiveness.  His obedience in commandment keeping had evidently been so great as to blind his eyes to his own sins.  Pride had grown up in his heart and so much so t…

• Waymon Swain’s Audio Sermons

  ink to Bob’s audio sermons as well:  Bob Swain’s Audio Sermons Assorted (22 sermons) Authority (1 sermon) Baptism (4 sermons) Bible Characters (1 sermon) Bible Conversions (5 sermons) Christian Living (26 sermons) Faith (7 sermons) Forgiveness (6 sermons) God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit (10 sermons) Grace (3 sermons) New Birth (7 sermons) Old Testament Studies (13 sermons) Prayer (1 sermon) Salvation (26 sermons) Sin (21 …

• Abortion Luke 1 – All You Need to Know

  Luke 1 tells you all you need to know about abortion and a woman’s right to choose.  Abortion in politically correct liberal speech is referred to as a choice today but I am far more concerned with scripturally correct speech than I am politically correct speech and I think you ought to be too.  Our concern ought not to be how society views a matter or how those who have gained power view a subject but how God sees it. I remind you that th…

• Fools, Speech, and Christianity

  one’s fellowman. The Greek word translated “fool” in Matt. 5:22 has been and is highly debated as to its exact meaning.  You and I know what the English meaning of the English word fool is without being told but is that what the Greek meant and that is the debated question. Most of the old commentators I consulted (Barnes, Clarke, and Gill) believe it means a wicked reprobate man.  Gill says, “The word ‘fool’ d…

• Three Attitudes That Destroy the Hope of Salvation

  the way we ought to feel and God certainly approves of our desire along that line.  Unfortunately, our desire for heaven and our attitudes while living here on earth are often in conflict.  We want to eventually go to heaven but we have attitudes that drive us in the opposite direction–away from God and away from a home with him.  I would like to discuss 3 such attitudes, attitudes quite prevalent today. (1)  Self-sufficiency.  It is an Am…

• Salvation (Becoming a Christian)

  Grace of God When One Obeys the Gospel Things That Happen With Gospel Obedience What if I Miss Heaven? The Three Fold Nature of the Gospel A Crucial Difference No Condemnation Promises God Has Not Made The Seed of the Kingdom Is Your Name Written There? The Doctrine of Eternal Life The Goodness and Severity of God There is No Difference Are You Ready? All Spiritual Blessings Are in Christ Abiding in The Doctrine Making the Right Choices Things Go…

• Christianity, Homosexuality, and Gay Marriage–What Do We Do With the Bible?

  erently right, and we no longer need his word as any kind of a guide to life.  God if you will just take a seat over here to our left behind us and let us handle this we will take care of it.  Yes, maybe you had it right once but you have grown old and we are young and our intellects are sharp and it is a new day. We are so arrogant that sometimes it is hard to believe.  Maybe we ought to call this the Age of Arrogance.  We would prefer to call i…

• Christian Living

  ng Charge Whatsoever He Saith Do It Christian Duty Love The Cost of Discipleship Keeping The Commandments of God Making the Right Choices When Your Walking Stick Comes Home No Condemnation The Doctrine of Eternal Life Nothing But Leaves Don’t Live in the Past Be Careful How You Bend That Twig The Home As God Sees It Remove Not the Ancient Landmarks The Pot of Gold at the End of God’s Rainbow Why I Am a Christian The Disciples Prayer …

• Anger

  red.” (NAS) We are all familiar with the passage in Ephesians 4:26, “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” (NAS) [I am not sure why the NAS has the capitalization it does but I copied it as it had it.] Unless one wants to talk about babies dying in infancy there is no one who has ever lived a life without experiencing personal anger. I admit that is an assumption on my part but I think you …

• My Own Audio Sermons

  Back in the mid 80′s I did a consider amount of preaching here and there for a couple of years (well I thought it was a couple of years but looking at the dates on the sermon tapes it must have been more like 5 or 6 years), mostly fill in preaching but once preached for 4 or 5 months at one congregation. In those days you were in demand if you would do fill in preaching. A lot of places did not even have a preacher so they were glad to h…

• Must a Man Seek God?

  higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isa. 55:8-9 NKJV)  God will remain God and you and I will remain flesh and blood, just human beings who are here but for a short while on earth and then pass on into eternity over which God also rules. What does the Bible have to say about seeking God?  It condemns those who fail to do so.  Paul says, “For we have previously char…

• King Saul–As Long as It Glorifies God

  ement.  As we read the Old Testament we need to be thinking what is the lesson in this passage or account that is applicable to me today?  What is in it for my learning?  We should never read the Old Testament just as history but rather as history that is meant to teach and leave lessons for those of us living today. Every Bible student who has been a student any length of time is aware of Samuel’s encounter with King Saul as Saul returned from t…

• Children of Israel

  Israel’s Rebellion at the Red Sea Moses, the Waters of Marah, and a Lesson for Today Faith, Manna, and Grumbling Against God Sin in the Desert–Testing God at Massah and Meribah Mt. Sinai and the Day of Judgment Canaan and Heaven–How God Gives The Chastening of the Lord …

• Grace

  Misunderstanding the Grace of God For by Grace You Have Been Saved by Faith Alone The Grace of God and the Parable of the Laborers How Was Noah Saved Through Water   Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) How God’s Grace Works The Gospel of the Grace of God Noah Found Grace …

• Case of Cornelius

  Was Cornelius Saved Before Baptism? The Case of Cornelius and the Holy Spirit The Great Commission and Cornelius Saved by Faith or Saved by Holy Spirit Baptism? Cornelius’ Conversion–Final Thoughts …

• Word of God

  Things Through Christ If Miracles Have Ceased–the Implications Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) What a Preacher Must Preach The Power of the Word of God to Change Lives False Standards of Authority What the Word of God is Like Some Great Bible Questions …

• The New Birth and Water

  Having written on the subject of the new birth before I was surprised, although I doubt I should have been, to have gotten some comments back to the effect that the water mentioned in John 3:5 where Jesus says, “most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (NKJV) had reference not to baptism but to the water of childbirth.  Probably shows what a sheltered life I have led to be surp…

• Preaching Jesus Means Preaching Baptism–The Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch

  the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12 NAS) with the result being that men and women “were being baptized” (Acts 8:12 NAS).  Here in Acts 8:35-36 he has an audience of only one man and in a different location but we still see him preaching with the same result – baptism.  This time it is just said that “he preached Jesus to him.” In the book of Acts up to this chapter we have had two Holy Spirit inspired men pre…

• The Chastening of the Lord

  People often have a misconception about God.  They cannot imagine that God would ever bring upon us trials and tribulations, punish us for our sins, or do anything in this life but bring us good–good as we measure it.  God is love, God is grace, and the very idea that God would ever send upon us anything but that which is most pleasant is abhorrent to their way of thinking. There is no doubt that when one looks at the big picture that God …

• Is Church Attendance Essential for Christian Salvation?

  s meant the church worship services.  Hear God’s word on the subject. (1) “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:24-25 NKJV) This passage clearly commands the Christian to assemble with other Christians.  That being the case the next 6 verses shou…