Posts by teale@wbwebdesigns.com

There were several times in Paul’s letters that he had to defend his apostleship and authenticity. On one such occasion he wrote, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10). This raises a good question for us. Who are we trying to please? It is easy to see how this motivation…

Most are familiar with the inspired record of Joshua and Caleb — the two spies who returned with a good report and opposed the evil report of the ten spies (Num. 13) that caused the people to cry out in despair to God and murmur against Moses and Aaron (Num. 14:1-4). But we often fail to consider the reaction of Israel toward Joshua and Caleb when they opposed the evil report and courageously stood on God’s side. And Joshua the…

The above quote came from a government employee who was ridiculing the birth of Jesus, His life and resurrection. He was explaining why he opposed the “Christmas displays” that foster a belief in what he called “fairy tales.” As we all know, that is happening a lot these days, and the Bible is receiving a lot of opposition, to the point that they are being banned in some communities. We know God never authorized a celebration of Jesus’ birthday as…

J. W McGarvey once said, “I would esteem above every other gift that could be bestowed upon me as a preacher the power to adequately conceive what sin is and to adequately set it before the people.” Why was this so vital to brother McGarvey? He knew of the horrible nature of sin. Sin, a transgression of God law (I John 3:4), has terrible consequences. Because of the end result of sin there is a great need for evangelism. To…

The last chapter of John describes the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection. He had manifested Himself to them when Thomas was absent, then again when Thomas was with them. This chapter describes how seven of the disciples (including Thomas) had spent the entire night fishing and had caught nothing. They did not recognize the Man who told them to cast the nets on the right side of the boat, but they did as He told…

Repentance, as 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 demonstrates, is not sorrow, but neither is it itself the change in behavior. Repentance is the mindset that lies between the two. However, interpretations attempting to make clear the mindset of repentance have oversimplified it, failing to analyze it as the whole of a series of internal changes in viewpoint. Paul actually provides an explanation of the changes required in repentance in 2 Corinthians 7:11. Commending the Corinthians for their response to his previous letter,…

Some might ask this question as they consider attending our worship services. While the question of course is incorrect, in that neither you nor I have a “church”, it is the Lord’s (Eph. 1:22-23). The reason they pose this question is because it is natural to enjoy being around people like yourself, so some look for a congregation filled with folks much like themselves. Some organizations are designed to include people who are alike, with similar backgrounds, abilities, education levels,…

[The following article originally appeared in the Knight Arnold News, February 12, 1991] To the apostles Christ said: “ He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me” (Matthew 10:40). Luke 10:16 puts it this way: “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you dispiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.” God the Father sent Christ and, the Father and Christ sent the Holy Spirit,…