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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,…