Posts by Needmore Road Church of Christ

Today is a little more difficult for me than others. No, I’m not planning to drown you in selfpity. It’s simply a matter of one of those times in life that we all face. I must put into practice principles I’ve been trying to teach others for a long time. Bad things happen to good people. This is a fact of life. What I’m going through certainly doesn’t qualify for anyone’s top ten lists of bad events. My wife and…

Comfort, yes comfort My people…’ (Isa. 40:1). In the latter years of his life, the future of Israel surely weighted heavily on Isaiah’s mind. Despite his inspired warnings, the prophet knew that Jerusalem would surely be destroyed and her people taken into Babylon. Yet, he could also see something far better on the horizon. Four Servant Songs are found in Isaiah 42-53 which were designed to give hope to Israel. Aspirations of the heathen notwithstanding, Jehovah would raise up His…

Like all the beatitudes, Jesus’ statement, “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:5), presents an interesting paradox echoing David’s words in Psalm 37:12. The ancient world understood all too well attempts to gain control of the earth. Between David and Jesus, the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medo-Persians, Greeks, and Romans all had taken steps toward world conquest, and all had ambitious political leaders leading the charge. But this contrast highlights the contrast Jesus intended. These worldly leaders…

The return from Babylonian captivity is truly one of the least known parts of the history of Israel but marks one of the most remarkable periods in the lives of God’s chosen people. When Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, he left the city of Jerusalem, he left nothing but ruins behind. The walls were gone and no longer was there a temple, a priesthood, an altar, an ark of the covenant, two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments inscribed on…

There may be sections of the book of Revelation which seemingly are difficult to understand, but there is one that can be easily understood and can be such a blessing to every Christian. We might struggle as we read chapter twelve, trying to discover the identity of the woman on the moon (v. 1) or what was meant by those 1260 days in wilderness (v. 5) or that war in heaven (v. 7). However, those who read this section for…

We have seen and heard an extended discussion about the topic of discipleship. So much of it has been foreign to what the Lord had in mind. In some cases, men have required more than the Lord required, and in other cases, less has been required. If one will take a look at what Jesus had to say about the matter in Luke 14:25-33, he will see what the Lord had in mind when He talked about discipleship. IT WILL…

There was a time when America led the world in scholarship. But, now we do not rank in the top ten and, in some lists, struggle to be in the top twenty. What is the cause of this? What has changed? Years ago, we emphasized the three R’s of learning—readin’, writin’ and ‘rithmetic, but these fundamental skills no longer seem to be the focus of education. As far as our relationship with God, we have lost sight of three other…

The return from Babylonian captivity is truly one of the least known parts of the history of Israel but marks one of the most remarkable periods in the lives of God’s chosen people. When Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, left the city of Jerusalem, he left nothing but ruins behind. The walls were gone and no longer was there a temple, a priesthood, an altar, an ark of the covenant, two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments inscribed on them—there…

You have heard this statement at some time in your life. It could mean that such a person would bear a stigma of reproach for the rest of his life. It could mean he had done something or said something that he would never be able to escape. There was a man in the New Testament who was also a marked man. You know him as Paul and he will tell you that he bore in his body “the marks…

One should hasten to emphasize the necessity of sincerity. Surely one must be sincere in religious matters (Matt. 22:37; Eph. 6:24; 1 Peter 2:2; II Cor. 8:8; Phil. 1:17; 1 Peter 1:22). Proper motivation is of utmost importance. There are numerous examples where people have shown deep sincerity in religious matters. The woman who feeds her child to crocodiles pays a tremendous price. Would you for a moment doubt her fervent sincerity? I surely would not. You would try to…

What a great study it is of those “golden ingredients” that will make a great church. This study will be based on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. This book has a great deal to say about the church; in fact, the church is at the very heart and core of the epistle. There is no doubt that Paul wanted the church at Ephesus to be a great one. He would encourage them to be such a church. He would not…

REDEMPTION is both a series of God’s saving acts on man’s behalf and a profound Biblical doctrine. Christ’s death signaled divine redemption’s greatest moment of agonizing deliverance (Titus 2:14). Christ’s return promises redemption’s most powerful consummation (Ephesians 1:13-14). For Old Testament Israel God’s redemption spelled freedom from the human bondage of Egypt; from a false identity as slaves; and from a warped purpose and destiny (Exodus 6:6- 7; 15:13; 2 Samuel 7:23-24). To be redeemed meant that the Israelites would…