By David Phillips

I recall that Brother Joe McCollough would often call attention to a particular word or phrase in conversation, or sometimes from scripture, and then he would usually say, “I am a student of words…” Brother Joe wasn’t highly educated, but he appreciated the scriptures and obviously spent much time with them. We frequently discussed the meaning and origin of particular words from the Bible, and inevitably the conversation would turn to the need to be more grateful for this precious blessing from our Heavenly Father. I sure miss Brother Joe, and 25 or thirty others that I could readily name, who were a crucial part of our congregation, but have now gone on to their heavenly reward. I miss their smiles and encouraging words; I miss their constructive hands and their dedicated hearts. I miss their zeal and their faithfulness and the effect that they had on me, week after week. Surely one of the true joys of Heaven will be the grand reunion we will enjoy there.

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By David Phillips

Technology. What did we ever do without it? I’ll be the first to admit that I depend upon it incessantly, and would be very foolish indeed if I refused to acknowledge all the benefits it has brought into my life. It would be difficult indeed to think of a field of endeavor that has not been helped, made faster or in some way streamlined by advances in technology. From widgets to warfare, no matter what we’re into, there’s probably an app for our handheld device that will make it easier to accomplish. But is this really making life better, in all respects? I’m not about to throw mine away, but in the interest of seeing the whole big picture, consider some of the DISADVANTAGES that I believe can be associated with our smart phones and handheld devices. And I’ll freely admit that the following words are directed as much to me as to you. To put it another way, I’m writing not as an innocent bystander, but as a guilty party.

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WISDOM
Tom is about to begin a series of Wednesday evening lessons from the book of Proverbs. In connection with that, I’d encourage all of us to do some reading in that book, at least a chapter a day. That way, you’ll be through it in a month. If you’ll do that, you can’t help but notice the frequent mention of the word wisdom as it makes an appearance at least 29 times (KJV) in the first 11 chapters. Must be important, right?

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By David Phillips

Everybody knows that Heaven is up, right? While that fact is not exactly stated in Scripture, we generally think of Heaven as being up in the sky. Actually, there is some terminology in the Holy Book that leads us to that general conclusion. For example, note how many times the word “up” occurs or is implied in the record of Acts 1:9-11: And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” On more than one occasion, Bible writers express the prayer for God to look down from Heaven… (Psa.80:14, Isa.63:15). I’m not so sure that God’s word intends to give us a specific location for the Heavenly abode as much as it seeks to impress us with the idea that Heaven is away from this earth.

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By David Phillips

“You’re the ones who don’t believe in the Old Testament, aren’t you?” How many times have you heard that unfortunate mischaracterization of the Lord’s church? Usually, the accusation arises whenever we try to teach the fact that the law God gave to His people through Moses is not the law for God’s people to follow today. The New Testament clearly states that the Mosaic covenant has been replaced by the Law of Christ, and even goes so far as to state in Colossians 2:14 that concerning the Mosaic law, Jesus … has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. But we all need to understand that there is far more in the Old Testament than just the Mosaic covenant, often referred to in summary fashion as “The Ten Commandments”. “But”, they say, “it is so old!” Sure, the Old Testament does reach far, far back in time, describing events, people and places that are sometimes strange and far removed from our modern times. So, is there really much value in studying the old volume?

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