Church Blog (Page 6)

There are degrees of light. Long ago, the only light I had to hold gospel meetings was a pine knot (some city people do not know what that is; never saw one. It comes from a pine tree where the limb joins the trunk and is very rich. It burns like it was soaked with kerosene.) Then the gas jet was invented and gave more light. The electric light is still brighter, but nothing compares to the sun. Then there…

Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 5:14-16: “Ye are the light of the world … Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” He did not say, “shine your light,” but let it shine. There is a difference. (See Matt. 6:1.) This was a great declaration made by the Lord himself. The statement was addressed to lowly people, by the world’s standards. It should make all…

The imagery God uses to describe His nature and the way He works on this earth is so remarkable. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used the imagery of God’s careful attention to the lily of the field. His clothing of a lily whose “lifespan” is so brief is God’s assurance He will cloth us. In that sermon, He talked of God’s care for birds who make no provision like sowing and reaping, yet God is still so involved…

An agnostic is “a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality is unknown and probably unknowable” (MW). Generally, the concept is applied to the existence of God. But the current time, sadly, requires us to slightly extend the term to “a person who holds the view that any ultimate doctrinal reality is unknown and probably unknowable.” Second Timothy 1:13 commands, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me….” To “hold” is to keep…

The Bible clearly says, “Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father above” (Jas. 1:17). While we might sometimes misunderstand what is truly good, there is no doubt that there has never been a good and perfect gift which does not come from God. It is so wonderful to read the Bible and see where God reveals just how He often works in the background to bring blessings to His people. Think of the providence of God in…

Winston Churchill’s wife was named Clementine. He affectionately called her Clemmie. Churchill wasn’t generally considered handsome. He wasn’t athletic. He wasn’t rich. He wasn’t the young man that most moms were dreaming of for their daughters. Clementine’s mother, Lady Blanche Hozier, wasn’t overjoyed at the thought of her daughter marrying Winston. But, despite Winston’s many shortcomings, he possessed the one essential ingredient needed to make marriage work – love. He loved Clementine. At a banquet late in life, Churchill was…

Sometimes when you meet a person there is just something about them that sets them apart from others. There are those negative people who impact us in such a way that we find it difficult to see their souls and the potential they may have in Christ. On the other hand, there are those to whom we are immediately attracted, and we want to get to know them better. When God became man, He was like us in so many…

I looked at my newsfeed and saw a shocking headline. “Asteroid danger looms! 170-foot space rock heading for Earth today.” Immediately I wondered, “Why I am just now hearing about this? Shouldn’t we have a little bit more of a heads-up before we are obliterated by space debris? Something isn’t adding up.” Upon opening the article, I breathe a sigh of relief. The title is another example of “clickbait.” As opposed to what I was led to believe, the asteroid…

When I was growing up, there was a Lay’s Potato Chips ad campaign that ran several times. It had an extremely catchy slogan: “Betcha can’t eat just one!” As a child, I would think, “Duh! Of course, I could!” However, every time I found a Lay’s Original bag in my lunch, I never seemed to find the willpower to give it a try. We tend to overestimate our ability to resist temptation, don’t we? Especially when we are sitting in…

Anyone who has lost a loved one is interested in knowing the answer to this question. Every person will one day face death and needs assurance of heaven. All of us hope to be reunited with loved ones who have gone on before, but if we will not know each other in heaven, then the bonds made on earth are forever severed in death. The idea that we will know each other in heaven is sometimes called the doctrine of…

Far too many people have the attitude that asks, “How can a book more than 1,900 years old have any relevance in my life?” It is true that parts of the Bible are more than 3,000 years old, but it is equally true that the nature of man has not changed. Our God is eternal, and the truth that His holiness is the standard for our holiness is found in both the Old and New Testaments (Lev. 11:44: 1 Pet.…

Sometimes we begin our worship singing these words, “We are standing on holy ground . . .” Have you ever thought of the seriousness of what our hearts proclaim as we come together? To sing these words and then forget the melody they made in our hearts is to rob us of the greatest joy on earth—standing in the presence of God on His holy ground. Two people in the Bible were told by God that they were standing on…