Posts by Needmore Road Church of Christ (Page 5)
How to Receive or Reject God
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, who gave the word to the apostles. Since the apostles were Christ’s personal representatives…
“Do Not Be Deceived…”
God has in the scriptures warned man about deception. The ultimate deceiver is Satan, (Rev. 12:9) but his ministers are going about sowing falsehoods daily. Consider the various forms of the term: Deceive – to make (a person) believe what is not true; mislead. Deceptive – deceiving or intended to deceive. Then is self-deception; Webster defines “self-deception” as “the act or an instance of deceiving oneself or the state of being deceived by oneself especially concerning one’s true nature, feelings,…
Preaching the Word
There are some people who are still interested in the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. We are trying to give you something each week that will provoke your most serious deliberation throughout the week. If it helps you through the week then my time is considered well spent. The world needs the gospel of Christ. The world has had too much philosophy and not enough gospel. The fundamental duty of the Church is to preach the truth of Christ. The…
Holding Fast the Word of Life
Philippians 2:12-16 teaches us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling and allow God to work in us. We must do all things without murmuring and disputing, and be children of God without fault, by being blameless and harmless. Now, fundamental to our ability to do all these things is that we “hold fast the word of life” (Phil. 2:16). How can we accomplish this? Ezra 7:10 provides three ways. First, seek the law of the Lord…
Wanting Others to Be Saved, Too
The Bible teaches that God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4). A diligent reader will learn that not only does God want the reader to be saved, but God wants the reader to want others to be saved also. Salvation is the message of the Bible and we are the messengers who have been sent. We have been sent to save the lost. Millions of accountable people are living who have never obeyed the gospel. In God’s…
There Will Be No Signs!
We often hear people discussing the end of time and delineating the “signs” which, they say are proof that Christ’s return is imminent. These signs include ‘wars and rumors of wars,” ‘earthquakes,” and various political/military events which one observes on the evening news. These loud proponents of gloom claim to be representing the Bible in their calculations and forecasts. Consider for a moment what the Bible actually teaches. In Matthew 24:1-35, Jesus pinpointed numerous signs by which His disciples and…
What is Your Legacy?
We use the word “legacy” to describe something left behind. It may be a house or sum of money, perhaps a lasting imprint on an organization or the lives of those closest to you. Regardless of kind or number, everyone leaves a legacy. The question is, “what will it be?”. The apostle Paul wrote of the Thessalonian Christians’ legacy in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4. When Paul thought of them, he remembered three characteristics. Your work of faith. A biblical faith is…
The Nature of Truth
One of the most profound questions ever posed to Jesus by mortal man was asked by Pontius Pilate, “What is truth?” (Jn. 18:38). While this question was likely asked by Pilate with a sarcastic tone it is nevertheless a question that continues to reverberate. By definition, truth in a general sense is “what is true in any matter under consideration as opposed to what is false.” In reference to religion, the term denotes “what is true in things appertaining to…
Some Suggestions for Personal Evangelism
Personal evangelism is a topic that should interest every Christian. The great commission is a fundamental bible doctrine that we learn from an early age. God wants, yea requires, His people to spread the good news throughout the world. From time to time, it is good for us to “sharpen our sword” in order to improve in the area of personal evangelism. Here are some practical suggestions that will help us to be the best personal evangelists we can be.…
The Mule Went On!
There is no more interesting narration in all the Bible than the story of David and his Son Absalom. Nor are there any that portray more forcibly the prospects of “like father – like Son” disposition in some of Absalom’s conduct. David’s terrible sin of adultery with Uriah’s wife may have had much to do in fostering the pride and self-confidence in the character of his son. Absalom’s natural advantages were great and favorable. “There was none to be so…
A Warning From the Past
[Many years ago Alan Highers, then minister for the Getwell church in Memphis, TN, recorded the following story. Brother Highers was selected to succeed Guy N. Woods as director of the Open Forum at the Annual Lectureship of then FreedHardeman College (now Freed-Hardeman University), he continues to serve as Editor of the Spiritual Sword magazine. Brother Highers is now a retired Tennessee State Court of Appeals Judge]. The following incident in the life of Brother J.W. McGarvey was told by…
How Can We Save America?
The following article was published in 1981, but is remains fresh in 2023. Since Jehovah rules in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 4:25) and in His sight “the nations are as the drop of a bucket” (Isaiah 40:15), we must face up to our immediate responsibilities if we are to preserve America. In one of the most familiar statements regarding national concern, James Russell Lowell declared, “Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide. In the strife…