Read Matthew 23:23-24 … The question recently arose among a group of friends regarding Matthew 23:24, “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” What might be a modern-day example of this saying? Going back to the scriptures where this verse is in its context, we find Jesus speaking to the scribes … Continue reading Gnats. Camels.
Ethics
Go and Tell Him
Read Matthew 18:15-17 … Perhaps one of the most difficult things to do is confront a brother or sister that has done something that causes problems for either another individual or the Church as a group. It’s not easy because confrontation is not really built into the Christian mindset. Our mindset is to love our … Continue reading Go and Tell Him
The New Commandment
Read John 13:31-35 … Jesus used different teaching methods: direct instruction as in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6-7); example as when He drove the money changers from the Temple courts showing what zealous for God looks like (Matt. 21); or even miraculous events like walking on the sea (Matt. 14) and the transfiguration … Continue reading The New Commandment
“Do Right”
Read Psalm 15 … Some reading this will remember the long-time preacher of the Woodlawn Church of Christ, and then the Roebuck Parkway Church of Christ, our dear brother Jerry Jenkins (some will not, that’s alright – keep reading). To say that he left an indelible mark on the many people that he encountered is … Continue reading “Do Right”
Hate the Sin; Love the Sinner
Read Isaiah 1:16-20 … It seems like this has been a proverbial saying as long as one can remember. On one hand, the little saying describes the relationship between Christians and those in the world that have been caught up in their sins. Yet, on the other hand, there have been several that point out … Continue reading Hate the Sin; Love the Sinner
Soul of the World
Read 1 Pet. 2:9-17 … Recently, while reading Early Christians Speak by Everett Ferguson, there was a portion which came from the Epistle to Diognetus. This Epistle is noted to be “an anonymous apology for Christianity of uncertain date but usually placed in the second century.”[i] From the chapter on “Christian Living in the Second … Continue reading Soul of the World
And Such Were Some of You
Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 … People do not like being reminded of their sins; in fact, one often tries to bury their sins as deeply as possible because being reminded of who we once were, what we once did, can be painful. Yet Paul does not allow the Corinthians to forget who they were. In … Continue reading And Such Were Some of You
Being Liberal
Read Galatians 5:13-15 … The idea of being liberal has become an idea that some are uncomfortable either applying to themselves or that others bristle at when applied to them. Yet, as was recently noted in conversation between some preaching brothers, “We should all be liberal.” The problem with such a statement is in the … Continue reading Being Liberal
The Plank
Read Matthew 7:1-5 … It was during the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus really seems to lay a foundation about how the individual should behave, and by that behavior can influence the world around them. After speaking about those characteristics that the individual should cultivate within themselves (Matt. 5:3-12), Jesus reminds His listeners – … Continue reading The Plank
Building A Hedge
Read Job 1:6-12 … The book of Job tells of a man that appears highly favored and blessed by God, but it also tells of tragedy as that favored and blessed status is destroyed from without. At the very beginning of the work the reader is given a glimpse backstage as Satan is seen coming … Continue reading Building A Hedge
the odd weekend preacher 