An act of love? Who are we to judge? Isn’t love the prevailing rule of the day? It may surprise some that, in the Bible, church discipline was commanded by Christ (Mt. 18:15-18), demonstrated by apostolic practice (1 Tim. 1:20), and revealed as an inspired precept in God’s Word (1 Cor. 5:11). Levels of discipline […]
Association and authority are joined in this blessed Person. In the New Testament, there is a close connection between the churches of Christ and the name of Christ. It may, however, be helpful to outline some ways in which the name of Christ—perhaps occasionally referred to simply as “the Name”—is associated with a wide variety […]
God has been ordaining women for thousands of years. There are a lot of ministries women cannot participate in. Well, actually, not a lot. In fact, there are very few. But it seems people make a big deal over those few and ignore all the ministries in which they can participate. In fact, there are […]
Restoration and revival As previously noted, Zerubbabel was primarily concerned with laying the foundations. There were certain priorities that were critical to re-establishing the nation before God, and Zerubbabel concentrated on the altar and the temple. Spiritual revival under Zerubbabel The altar All spiritual revival must begin at the altar. We are a holy priesthood […]
There is a new and living way. Old Testament Israel had a clergy-laity system. Only one out of twelve tribes, Levi, could function as priests. The Levitical priests were recognized by their special religious vestments (Ex. 28:40-43). They alone could offer offerings on the altar and serve in the house of God. As males, they […]
Beware the Cartoon Diet. There are often news stories promoting causes like animal rights, whaling bans, or vegetarian diets. The tone of these reports attempts to place advocates of these issues on a higher moral and ethical plain than those who believe that both plants and animals have been given to people as food. But […]
What do we believe? In the 1990’s, the trend for businesses was to have a company “mission statement” to clearly state what your overall mission was, as a corporation. I always considered it somewhat silly. The company I worked for had executives spend time summing up what we did in politically correct corporate jargon. Instead […]
Understanding the New Testament model It is said of the Lord Jesus that, “Zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up” (Jn. 2:17). In the Old Testament, the house of God was the temple; in the New Testament it is “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. […]
Do we find revival in the New Testament? Revive.” Literally, to live again. Life from death. The very word radiates hope. The Old Testament contains a record of several revivals among the people of God. There are certain elements common to all of them: the Lord’s people had turned away from Him, but the Lord […]