By Dan Jenkins
“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples because you love one another” (John 13:35). Love is seen in the way we react to each other as we meet and then as we later leave. The love of the father for the prodigal son was visibly seen as he rushed toward him. What did the father do to the barefooted son in ragged clothes who had been among the swine? He embraced him and kissed him. Contrast this with how the older brother reacted.
By Kevin Cauley
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter (1 Peter 4:16). The word “Christian” was first used in Antioch (Acts 11:26). The word means one who follows Christ. First Peter 4:16 implies that some used it as an insult. Perhaps this is the way that Agrippa meant it in Acts 26:28 when he told the apostle Paul, You almost persuade me to become a Christian. Peter says that the person who is called by such a name not be ashamed of it at all, but rather, glorify God.
The word “Christian” contains the word “christ.” “Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “messiah.” Both words mean “anointed one” and come from the tradition of anointing with oil leaders in the ancient world. The Hebrew word “messiah” is used in the Old Testament a total of 39 times. Thirty-seven times it is translated “anointed,” and it usually refers to one of the kings of Israel. The translators chose to translate with the English word “Messiah” twice in the New King James Version in Daniel 9:25-26.
Having studied the book of Daniel extensively, the Jews of the New Testament were expecting God’s Messiah, His Anointed One, to arrive. Jesus fulfilled all prophecies of the Anointed One in the Old Testament. Therefore, He was the Messiah. In the New Testament, the word “christ,” (Greek for “anointed one”) is used almost exclusively to refer to Jesus. Christians are followers of the Anointed One, Jesus, and the word “Christ” is a title, not Jesus’ last name. What an honor it is, then, to share the title “Christ” with Jesus as “Christians.” This was Peter’s point.
By Dan Jenkins
God has not promised us T-bone steaks for every meal, but He has promised us that He will provide the food for us.
He provided the food for Elijah during the 42 months of famine. With Ahab and Jezebel seeking to destroy this prophet, God supplied him food the entire time. As long as the brook Cherith had water, the birds brought him two meals each day with bread and meat. When the drought became so severe that the brook dried up, God provided him and the widow of Zarephath with food.
By Tom Young
As Diane and I were traveling to visit the kids and grandkids this past weekend, we saw an interesting saying on a denominational building’s marquee in Prattville…”All of God’s Churches are essential”. While one can immediately understand that the thought is referring to the current pandemic and the lack of states allowing members to congregate to some degree, it would be very easy to miss an implied meaning that should not be overlooked; the implication that all churches are approved by God. I would submit that God doesn’t think that all churches are essential and His word makes that clear.
By David Phillips
In each of our lives, events and happenings take place that are so staggering or impactful that they will long occupy a permanent place in our memories, causing us to look back and reflect on them as our lives progress. We just recently passed by the anniversary of a day that had deep and lasting effects on everyone in our nation. Just the mention of the words, September eleventh, brings a chill to most adult minds, though the infamous event happened 19 years ago. The year 2020 has been filled with such startling events, both national and personal, that we’re not likely to forget it anytime soon. And we’re not to the end of it yet. The word, mask will always evoke memories peculiar to this year. COVID is a new word in our vocabularies now, that won’t soon be forgotten. Some of the milestones marking this year were set at the loss of a loved one, a devastating career change, or perhaps a life-altering diagnosis.
By Doug Dingley
We know and understand that God both can and does bring good out of even the worst of circumstances (Gen. 50:20; Lk. 24:44-47; Rom. 8:28), and this Coronavirus is certainly no exception. Hopefully, one of the greatest things to come out of this current pandemic will be people’s honest realization of just how quickly all the things they once thought were so essential and indispensable to them and their lives, can be so suddenly and completely taken from them. How the pursuits and activities that once consumed so much of our time, effort, energy, and finances — and which we had somehow convinced ourselves were so critically important to us – can be so swiftly and suddenly… just taken away from us.
By David Phillips
On Wednesday evening, we enjoyed a service of song, scripture and prayer as we typically do at the end of each
Bible Class Quarter. Our theme came from Psalm 1:6 which says, for the Lord knows the way of the
righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. If you missed it, here’s what we covered:
The Way of the Righteous is the way of consecration and devotion. Consecration means solemn dedication to
a special purpose or service. We sometimes us the terms “devoted employee” or “devoted wife…husband”. We
know what devoted means. The Christian life is a life of devotion to God. Paul alludes to this plainly in
Romans 12:1-2 as he tells us that we must present our bodies (lives) as a living sacrifice to God.
By David Phillips
Tom has done a great job leading our study on prayer for the past several Wednesday nights, and I
personally look forward to the study he has in line for us next. Recently, I’ve given more and more
thought to prayers in the Old Testament. To most people’s minds, I think prayer would be a New
Testament subject. It is in the New Testament that we find most of the instruction we have dealing
with prayer. But have you ever considered how many prayers we find mentioned in the OT? What
was the first one? Were they similar in content, conditions and purpose to those recorded in the NT?
To our prayers today? At least 31 specific times, the OT text makes the statement that someone
“…prayed…” In addition to that, there are a number Of prayers that are documented in the text
without that specific terminology. For example, the book of Psalms is literally filled with prayerful
words directed to God, without actually labeling them as such.
By David Phillips
— Adapted —
What is the real issue when it comes to modesty? Why is it such a hard topic to discuss and for Christians to come to an agreement on? Is the question really what to/not to wear? Is it defining specific limits on coverage, fit, style, etc.?
In our hearts, we know it isn’t. it’s a standard of behavior, not a standard of dress that is ultimately missing from our lives when we fail to be modest. Our attitude towards God, and what is pleasing to Him, or a lack thereof, is most critical when trying to rationalize modesty in our minds. Is our ultimate goal to fully please God or do we try to see how close to the “proverbial line” we can get and still be acceptable? Are we “all in” or are we trying to be what we consider “close enough”?
By Fenter Northern
Patience and hope. That’s what we need in this day of bafflement and fearfulness for future existence on this planet. What do we Christians need in such unsettled times in a world, not of just non-Christian, but growing militantly anti-Christian? Where values are being turned upside down so that what was lovely and good yesterday have become ugly and bad, and the ugly and bad are being championed by violent advocates determined to have their way.