It is not the mission of the church to furnish amusement for the world or even for its own members. Innocent amusement in proper proportion has its place in the lives of normal people, but it is not the business of the church to furnish it. The church would come off a poor second if it undertook to compete with institutions established for the express purpose of entertaining people. It would make itself ridiculous if it entered into such competition.

Again, it is not the responsibility of the church as such to furnish recreation for its members. A certain…

"I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you."
Psalm 119:11 (ESV)

In ancient times, foreign invaders would besiege a city by surrounding it and cutting off commerce, travel and supplies from entering the area. Then the invaders would play a waiting game to see if they could make the city submit due to hunger or thirst, before any allies might come to provide military aid. If the city were unprepared for such an event, they would soon run out of supplies and would be forced to open the gates…

Editor's Note: Sometimes we hear comments to the effect that 1 Timothy 2:9f is really talking about "overdressing" rather than about being insufficiently covered. It is true that "overdressing" appears to be the outward behavior Paul is addressing. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Ethan R. Longhenry has written an article that does a good job of showing that what Paul is really talking about is a mindset, an attitude about oneself, and that the absence of this mindset lies behind both dressing ostentatiously and dressing provocatively.

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The Christian and Modesty

Modern Western culture is…

The use of fleshly incentives to draw people to worship services is becoming more and more common. One church offers free cokes, doughnuts, and balloons to its bus riders. Another offers a prize to the child who brings the most visitors. Still another uses some sports figure or entertainer to attract a crowd. Dinners and socials; elaborate church buildings; "Friendliest church in town" or "Fastest-growing church in town" advertising; the list of gimmicks is almost endless.

A study of 1 Corinthians, chapters 1 and 2, suggests that the people of our generation are not the first to demand fleshly…

"Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hikiah, and Masseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishel, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand." (Nehemiah 8:4)

Ezra stood at a wooden podium. Other translations use the word pulpit. Ezra stood at the pulpit. What follows is that he opened the book of God read from it and then explained it so that everyone understood. Today, we'd say, 'Ezra preached.'

I have stood behind several pulpits recently. Most were wooden.…

In passing a Methodist camp meeting one day in September, John Smith stopped to watch a young Methodist preacher baptize a howling, rebellious infant by sprinkling water on the squirming body. When the service was concluded, Smith stepped to the front of the crowd and, identifying himself, took the preacher firmly by the arm and attempted to lead him toward the creek a few yards away.

"What are you trying to do, Brother Smith?" the young preacher protested. "Are you out of your mind?"

"What am I trying to do?" (Smith pretended deep surprise.) "Why, sir, I am…

There is an argument for God that I would like for you to consider. This argument says that without the Christian world-view (which is simply the comprehensive belief system, as taught in the Bible), nothing in the world could make rational sense. This is based on three sets of natural laws supported in the scripture:

1. Laws of Logic (e.g., the law of non-contradiction (LNC))
2. Uniformity of Nature (Laws of nature, the preconditions of science)
3. Laws of morality

This is known as the presuppositional approach to apologetics. No other world-view than that of the Bible, including atheism, Buddhism or…

I confess I belong to that part of the United States' population identified as the "religious right" (expression to be said with a sneer or contempt in the voice). I am unabashedly religious, believing that one's life should be conducted with devotion to God and my moral and social values are decidedly conservative, i.e., to the "right." But it is becoming popular to characterize the "religious right" as a bunch of fanatical nut-cases who are trying to put a stranglehold on social progress. We are supposedly responsible for whatever bad happens in this great nation of ours.

Let me…

The scriptures plainly teach the concept of church discipline. "And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed" (2 Thess. 3:14). ". . . with such a one no not to eat" (1 Cor. 5:11).

There are always those who complain that this discipline will not work. "It drives people away," they claim. And, because they do not believe the process will work, they often refuse to participate in it - continuing to freely associate with the one who has been withdrawn from.…

The post One Is no Longer the Loneliest Number appeared first on South Seminole Church Of Christ.

The church is the body of saved people (Eph. 5:23). The moment a person is saved they are added by the Lord to His church (Acts 2:47). The act that saves one automatically makes them a part of the body of saved people. However, as individual Christians, we must join ourselves to a faithful local church (Acts 9:26).

A local church is a functioning unit of Christians who have joined themselves together and have made a commitment to carry out the work God has given to the local church (evangelism, edification, limited benevolence). This work will get done, to…

We are all acquainted with an old adage which says, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." It is possible for one to misuse his mind and it is possible for one to allow his mind to become disused. God condemns both. We frown exceedingly upon the person who misuses his mind by allowing it to be filled with lust, avarice, and hate, but we have failed to understand that disuse or idleness of the mind concerning the things of the Lord will bring "spiritual decay." I am told the following story which very graphically shows "disuse will result in…

Once, when I preached a sermon on morals, a mature man in the congregation asked to speak. For perhaps two or three minutes he exhorted the people, giving complete endorsement to what I had preached. I believe his endorsement may have impressed the people more than my sermon had. It would be a good thing, everywhere, if elders and/or other mature, devout men would publicly concur in teaching of truth on moral matters. The more worldly ones would then come to realize that morality is a matter for all, not just for preachers. We need more morals in the pew…