Church Blog (Page 11)

I am a long way from being an accomplished sailor, but the apostle Paul spent many days aboard ships throughout his life. He understood nautical terms and used one of them three times in the Bible. The Greek word is hupostello and refers to what happened whenever the captain of the ship sensed troubled waters ahead. It was used to describe what happened when he ordered his sailor to lower the sails to avoid what lay ahead. Paul used the…

It is impossible for us to imagine the emotional rollercoaster endured by young Daniel and his three friends. They had lived all of their lives in one of the most spiritual times in the history of the Jews. In the six decades before they were born, king Manasseh and king Amon, had brought idols into Solomon’s glorious temple. Yet Daniel grew up knowing only of the temple worship which Josiah had restored. For the two decades before they were taken…

There is a seemingly innocent statement made in Hebrews 12:2 that should challenge every leader in the church to do some serious soul-searching. As the writer pictures the life of a Christian, he says as we are running our race he wants us to be “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith …” Keeping one’s eyes on Jesus becomes extremely necessary and important especially to leaders in making right decisions, reacting to criticism, making future plans and…

We have often pointed out that there is a way of remembering the six words used to describe elders that can be easily remembered. Take the first letter of each of the six words and form a new word. Because an elder must have children, just remember this truth, “Elders must BE-POPS”. Those six words? B=bishops; E=elders; P=presbyters; O=overseers; P=pastors and S=shepherds. Each of these words emphasize an important aspect of what an elder must be and what he must…

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus who was the greatest leader history has ever known or will ever know, has provided in His life the perfect example of “true leadership”. It was Jesus who used the teachable moment when asked by the mother of Zebedee’s sons to “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit on your right hand…

The Bible clearly points out that the church is a spiritual institution (Col. 1:13,18,24; John 4:21-24) and its members are to be spiritual people (Rom. 8:6-9). The men who are to serve as leaders in the church are men who have placed God first in their lives and are manifesting those spiritual qualities that Christ desires. (Matt. 6:33; 2 Peter 1:4-9; 2 Tim 2:24-26). The leaders in a local church are to manifest spiritual maturity, which is “having the ability…

David Paul Smith penned an article under this title in the October 18, 1984, Gospel Advocate. I have modified and adapted his material in the article below. God’s will for every congregation is to mature to the point where qualified men can be appointed to oversee the work of that congregation (Titus 1:5; Acts 14:23). The qualifications for such an office are found in Titus 1:5-9, 1 Timothy 3:1, and 1 Peter 5:1-5. Their role is one of authority (Heb.…

David Paul Smith penned an article under this title in the October 18, 1984, Gospel Advocate. I have modified and adapted his material in the article below. God’s will for every congregation is to mature to the point where qualified men can be appointed to oversee the work of that congregation (Titus 1:5; Acts 14:23). The qualifications for such an office are found in Titus 1:5-9, 1 Timothy 3:1, and 1 Peter 5:1-5. Their role is one of authority (Heb.…

Malachi is generally believed to have prophesied about 450-400 B.C., although his book never tells us this. The content of the book indicates a time when Israel had lost their zeal and fervor for God’s law. Their religion had become one of facade and sham. It is interesting to note that Malachi, whose name means “My Messenger”, ends the Old Testament by prophesying the coming of God’s first New Testament messenger, John the Baptist (4:5-6). He uses a question and…

Imitating the popular spirit of the day, many brethren have raised the “white flag” and refused to engage in any type of spiritual aggression at all. But, while Christianity is indeed a religion of peace and love, it is also one that includes warfare and combat—spiritually speaking. Paul’s charge to Timothy was to “fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12), and “war a good warfare” (1 Tim. 1:18). The clarion call to join the battle rings clearly throughout…

Spiritual lives are not always characterized by “mountaintop experiences.” It was wonderful for Moses to be in the presence of God on Mount Sinai, but eventually he had to leave the mountain and return to the reality of dealing with the Jewish rebellion in worshiping the golden calf. In the same way, Peter, James and John were at the Mount of Transfiguration and saw Moses, Elijah and the transformation of Jesus, but they eventually had to leave that mountain and…

[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,…