What does someone who is materialistic look and act like?  I think we all have an image in our minds of what we think a materialistic person would be like....someone who must have the latest technology or fashion….someone who focuses attention on themselves or the possessions that they have….or someone who buys cars and clothes because of the image that the brand or label portrays.

The truth is that materialism has nothing to do with wealth . . . it comes down to…

     “I don’t know what I believe regarding whether or not someone can fall from grace.”  This statement was made recently by a man who has been attending the Wednesday morning coffee shop study for over a year now.  This man has proven himself to be incredibly knowledgeable and sincere in his faith, but in this matter, he seemed to struggle to decide for himself what he believes.  The study quickly turned to Galatians 5:4, and his reaction and words were very, very encouraging.

     Prayer and divine providence are closely related… so close that they are difficult to separate! For when we humbly petition our God in prayer, we do so hoping, expecting, that He will listen and provide for us what we seek. For what do we pray in supplication? A loved one be healed? A burden be lifted? A blessing be given? Much of our prayer, by its nature, is asking God to provide what we need and desire.

     So, what is divine providence? First, there is the providence…

In a recent video several interesting factors came to light.  The author made several points that have direct implications to being successful as a Christian.  He noted the top ten things that successful people do.

1. Successful people believe in the law of income.  Here, he stated that successful people focus on providing value instead of simply effort...  As Christians, we must definitely put forth an extraordinary effort.  However, we must even more focus on providing value in our and others' lives.

When we talk about having perspective, we know that we are talking about how we’re able to view a particular subject from a point of view that may not be how we initially viewed it. Getting a proper perspective means that we take an honest look at the way things really are and not just see what we want to see. The proper perspective comes, when we see the larger picture. We sometimes become weary and disgusted, because we are only focusing on part of the picture. Taking a bigger view…

When I was young, I took piano lessons, and after a while I started to get to the point where I could play real songs.  In our piano bench (like every other piano bench at the time) was a storage bin that would contain a smorgasbord of random sheet music.  You never knew what you might find!  In my house, it turned out there was quite a bit of 70’s pop music available:  “You Light Up My Life,” the theme from “The Young And The Restless,” and other milquetoast offerings were…

There are at least six passages in the New Testament that mention baptism and salvation together.  In reading them, one cannot help but notice that baptism is mentioned first in every one without exception.  A proper respect for the word of God should cause every Bible student to see that there is a reason for this fact.  That is, that no one in the days of the early church was ever baptized because he was already…

In the 1940's Elmer T. Clark observed that is "a peculiar type of mind which is convinced that God is interested in whether his worshipers sing with or without instrumental music" (Small Sects in America, p. 16). Clark's words carry a twentieth century bias. The truth is that the mind which he thought so peculiar was once dominant in "Christian" thought. The use of musical instruments in the worship of the churches is a relatively recent development. Most Protestant churches in America did not yield to the practice until the nineteenth century.

The unadorned simplicity of…

But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). 

How often have we heard these words read or sung at the beginning of a service? The silence 

enjoined by Habakkuk is not a literal silence but the silence of submission and acceptance which 

would not dare to voice any question or complaint against God.

There is, however, great value in literal silence—a value our generation may well have 

forgotten. In these days of roaring traffic, noisy factories, humming household appliances and 

megawatt stereos, an unexpected moment of silence can be…

What is the purpose of the Lord's church? Is it to eradicate poverty, disease, social injustice, illiteracy from among men? Is it to bring about a cessation of war and conflict? Is it to campaign for a temptation-free society for Christians to live in?

If the church had as one of its great goals the eradication of disease, the Lord could have easily equipped it to accomplish that goal. Could not the same power that enabled one blind man to see have enabled all blind man to see; that enabled one lame man to walk have…