Last week we noted the news report about President Jimmy Carter leaving the Southern Baptists because of their views on the role of women in the home and church.
The singular question I believe we should ask is, "What does Jesus teach us about the role of women in the church?" After all, if we
claim to be His followers, we should follow Him in this regard as well as in all others, shouldn't we?
Women were a central part of Jesus' mini... read all »
As reported in the news of late, President Jimmy Carter has left the Southern Baptist church because they supposedly teach that women are to be subservient to their husbands and also refuse to ordain women as ministers. Was he right?
What does the Bible say?
To begin with, God made woman (Eve), because He knew that the man (Adam) He had created, needed help (and that hasn‘t changed!), Genesis 2:18-24. Up until Adam, God had simply... read all »
As noted in last week’s article, Jesus made it clear that the miracles, wonders, and signs that He did were for the purpose of affirming His identity as the Son of God (Matthew 11:4-5 & John 10:25).
It should not surprise us then, that on Pentecost, Luke tells us that the first thing that the apostle Peter said as he began preaching about Jesus was this:
Men of Israel, listen to these words” Jesus the Nazarene, a man attest... read all »
Fellowship is the condition of being together or sharing similar interests or experiences as do member of a profession, religion, or nationality; companionship.
1. Our fellowship must be with God and Christ (1 John 1:3). As children of God, we have fellowship with those in His family including the Father and His only begotten Son.
2. God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in dark... read all »
Somewhere around 900BC, the prophet Elijah raised a poor widow’s son from the dead. When she saw what he had done, she said:
“Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” ... read all »
One of the hardest things for me to do is to let God take care of my life. When things are going good, I thank Him sincerely. When things are going bad, I beg Him to fix it…sincerely. When things are just running along smoothly I sometimes forget to say anything. Upon reflection, it seems I get sincere in seeking His guidance during “feast” or “famine”, and that I credit myself with being able to “... read all »
I recently had an opportunity to do a little fishing. I began with my fly rod. Of course every fisherman knows the sensation of being filled with anticipation at the first cast. But this time, nothing happened. I changed my aim and dropped my fly in another spot. Still nothing.
This continued for a while until I was convinced that I needed to switch to spinner baits; you know, the shiny little metal lures you cast way o... read all »
Not sensationalism! Not gimmicks! Nor more committees, or more programs, or a “fun & games” emphasis! These things may be “right-on” for civic clubs, social clubs, and country clubs, but not for the Lord’s church!
What does it take to build a strong church? I believe the following things are essential!
1. Strong Bible preaching and teaching! God’s word, when it is dis... read all »
We live in a complicated world, where even when you make the best decisions possible politically, financially, socially, physically, emotionally and morally, the bottom can still drop out without notice and you can find your life totally out of control. The illusion is that we have any control over anything or anyone in the first place. All we can ever hope to control is ourselves, and in this regard we are only talking about the decisions we mak... read all »
In a recent Christian Chronicle article titled “Why are kids leaving the church? The answer lies in Parents” the statement was made that “Children will look as much like Jesus as their parents and fellow church members do.” With that thought in mind, we decided at a recent family outing to ask our children what it was that influenced them to become Christians and what motivated them to actively keep their faith in God. Some of t... read all »
It was a different time when I was a kid. Lots of dads like mine were veterans of either World War II or Korea and had stories they didn‘t tell very often. I remember hearing about some of the things my dad went through, but I didn’t hear them from him. Maybe he told Mom and she told us kids so we’d have some appreciation for what was done for us in the war.
I remember how his B-17 was shot down over Austria in Feb... read all »
Sunday, June 14th 1777, was the day that the Second Continental Congress of the United States of America officially adopted the basic design of our nation’s flag.
The original resolution called for a flag with thirteen alternating red and white stripes with a union of thirteen white stars on a field of blue. Nearly every aspect of our flag communicates sentiments of our forefathers as they struggled to establish a new nation.
Th... read all »
In an age when some affirm there are no absolutes, seeking to justify loose moral and spiritual practices under the umbrella of toleration, it seems wise to note some biblical facts about people who miserably faltered and failed because they were almost obedient! After King Agrippa heard Paul’s testimony about Christ, he responded, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28 NKJ). There is no record that he ever did!
... read all »
The above phrase is taken from the second letter the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, where he explained his “thorn in the flesh”, 12:7.
A great deal of study and speculation has centered around the question of just exactly what Paul’s thorn was. Some believe it was an eye problem, and there appears to be some evidence for that. The apostle at least sometimes used an amanuensis, one who took dictation, rathe... read all »
For the Christian, true worship should constitute the highest of privileges and most exalted of experiences. It draws us closer to God and heightens our commitment to His blessed will. While worship may be personal or public, real worship will always be preceded by an intense desire to ascribe praise, honor, glory, and reverence to the God upon whom we are completely dependent. Public worship should not be entered into haphazardly. In order to better prepare... read all »