Articles about the “called out” people of God, who make up the congregation of Christ, who are called His body.
Do You Have a Will? How many of you have made out a “Will”? Everyone really should have a “Will” so that we’re sure, that whatever we own, will go to the right people. Your “Will” is really your “desire”. Your “Will” is a statement of your desires, concerning what happens to your belongings, when you’re gone. It’s my “will”, or my “desire”, that my money goes here,…
The Early Years of the Church In the early years of the church, some Jewish Christians were still thinking that they had to follow the law of Moses. And after the Gentiles had been added to the church, and especially when the numbers of Gentiles were increasing, a lot of Jewish Christians taught that the Gentile Christians had to keep the law, and be circumcised. …
Today we’re going to look at a story of love, loyalty, family, and God. But before we get into the story, I want to read to you a quote, that may be one of the greatest statements of love and loyalty and devotion, that any one person ever made to another. The quote is found within our story, and here it is.. “For where you go,…
Understanding the Power Jesus once said; “You are mistaken, not understanding the scriptures, or the power of God.” Mathew 22, verse 29. The question that had been posed to Jesus, was concerning the resurrection. Now, the old testament scriptures are not silent about the resurrection. So therefore, the people that were questioning Jesus had no reason to be ignorant about it. And some of these people…
Kingdom of Heaven, on Earth Each congregation of the Lord’s body, is an outpost of heaven, on this earth. The entire church is on a mission trip, gathering souls, to be taken to the Father when He calls. Every church member, is on a “work visa”, where we work while it is day, so that we can receive our “just recompense” at the last day. We’re on…
Words of Salvation Three very important words, that we all need to understand, are righteousness, temperance, and judgment. And we need to understand these words, as the bible uses them. We typically say that “righteousness” is the keeping of God’s commandments. It really means, “to do justice”, but it means to do justice “in the eyes of God”. So then you can see how doing justice in…
Religious Denominations Christian religious denominations have been in existence since the first century AD. Jesus instructed His apostle John, to write a letter, to the congregation of believers in the city of Pergamum, in what is currently the country of Turkey. In that letter, one of the things that Jesus said was this; “Thus you also have some who in the same way, hold the teaching of…
Are We Authorized to Organize Religious Societies? In the previous study on the subject of religious societies, we noted how Alexander Campbell, one of the most influential restorationists from the early 1800’s, was much in favor of the formation of religious organizations and societies, for the purpose of more efficiently evangelizing the world. For the sake of anyone who is not familiar with the term “restorationist”, that…
The Religion of Early America When people came to America from Europe, in the seventeen, and eighteen hundreds, protestant denominations, and religious societies were common-place, just like they are today. However, in the late 1700’s, and the early 1800’s, many men became skeptical about denominations in general. And at about the same time, they also began to question religious societies. Men were trying to restore new testament…
Evolution Is a Fact Of Life Your life, is an evolutionary process. To evolve, simply means.. “to develop gradually”. We didn’t go from birth, to the person we are today, overnight. But rather, we have evolved; We have developed gradually. God tells us in Romans 12, verse 2, to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is,…
The Providence Of God We’re told in Romans chapter 8, and verse 28; “And we know that GOD causes all things work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Isn’t that exactly what the providence of God is? It’s the assurance that God will care for us, no matter what! “We know that God causes ALL…
Thomas and Alexander Campbell Alexander Campbell is thought of by many, as being one of the men, most responsible for founding the churches of Christ in the United States. Of course the bible tells us that the church was “founded” when Jesus Christ ascended back to heaven and was given the kingdom, in about 33 AD. This was predicted by the prophet Daniel, in Dan 7:13-14; “I kept…
Misunderstanding the Bible vs Salvation The question that this article will answer is; Can misunderstanding the bible cause us to be lost eternally? That’s a serious thought isn’t it? I’m not talking about a willful decision to disregard the teachings of the bible. Though some don’t believe it, disregarding what the bible says, WILL cause us to be lost eternally. Just like remaining “Willfully Ignorant” of God’s word will also cause…
Is Ignorance a Sin ? When we talk about ignorance of God’s will, it very well CAN be sinful. At the very least, remaining ignorant of God’s will, and of His LAWS, will definitely make it impossible for us to keep from sinning. If we don’t even know what things are sinful, how can we ever expect to keep from committing sin? God’s very purpose for giving…
We Can Commit Sins Of Ignorance The bible says that people do commit “sins of ignorance”, in other words, sins that they’re not aware, that they’re committing. One area of scripture that people go to when talking about this subject is Luke chapter 12, verses 47 & 48. This is Jesus speaking; “And the slave who knew his master’s will, and did not get ready, or act in accord…
The Worship Service Today’s worship services, are no doubt a little different from the worship services described in the bible. We’ve tried to pattern ourselves as much as we can, after the examples given in the new testament, but there are some things that we just can’t duplicate. For instance; The bible says in 1 Cor 14:26, “What is the outcome then brethren? When you assemble,…
The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, the Lost Son There’s a story in Luke 15:4-7, telling of a man who had 100 sheep, but had lost one of them. And he searched and searched until he found it. And when he found it, he gathered his friends and neighbors together and said; “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.” V-6 Then V’s…
A Spiritual Dwelling of God We as Christians, are a “dwelling of God, in OUR spirit”. The caption underneath the above picture explains precisely HOW the Spirit of God, dwells in our spirits. God’s Spirit dwells in us ONLY as we abide in the teachings of Jesus, and obey His commands. “God is Spirit and those who worship Him, must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24. Our worship…
The Body of Christ, Doing What God Says to Do Individual Christians, members of the body of Christ, each DOING what God has instructed us to do. That’s how God has set up His congregation of the saved. Do you ever get the impression that a lot of members of religious groups believe that the DOING is set aside for only a select few, maybe even just for what they call “clergy”? …
The Structure of the Body of Christ In this second part of our study on misconceptions about “the church”, we’ll focus our attention on the “structure” of the assembly of the saved, and we’ll talk about the individual members who make up the body. And remember this important fact. “Groups” of people, such as religious “denominations”, do NOT make up the body of Christ! Individuals make up the body. 1…