Posts from October 2022

When describing an ideal church, we think in terms of it having a reputation in some key areas: We would list good works done under difficult conditions, a spirit of endurance, an environment where the unrepentant do not feel welcome, where false teachers are exposed for what they are, and where brethren take persecutions in their stride. Given this profile, most Christians would feel that such a congregation is a good place to be. However, Jesus didn’t think so! This,…

In 2009 pictures of a 13-story apartment building in China flooded the internet. The building had literally fallen over on its side. It looked so surreal that people began to think it may have been a hoax. Few could believe that the concrete piles, there for the world to see, could really have snapped in half like toothpicks. Although there was talk of soil movement and the effects of a nearby river, it was obvious that they didn’t lay a…

Timothy’s mother and grandmother must have been the happiest souls of their time. The apostle Paul honours them for raising a young man who became a mighty man of God. But not all young men are surrounded by pillars of faith in their home. I met a brother years ago who might be surprised to know that I have always looked up to him as a man of courage. He told me of an intense spiritual struggle that took place…

My first encounter with members of the church of Christ was as it should have been. When I entered the church building it was obvious to me that they cared about each other, and also cared about me. In their love for the saved and the lost alike, they were carrying out an act of pure evangelism; they were obeying Jesus’ New Commandment: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved…

There is nothing on earth more beautiful than a baptism. It is the point when heaven literally comes down and fills a soul. It is also the time that we rejoice over the defeat of the devil—he loses his power to accuse and condemn. Jesus saves! The devil does not sit still. In every possible way he deceives, distracts, and distorts a person from the truth. One of his most successful campaigns against truth has been his distortion of the…

The days where Nadab and Abihu were held up as examples of what might happen to you if you disobey God are long gone. Long gone too is the notion that a person should fear God under any circumstances short of heinous crimes; no matter what their standing before God. It is no secret that sermons on hellfire have been assigned to the dustbin of history. Thus, it is little wonder that even once conscientious Christians now throw caution to…

What would I be doing today if I hadn’t yet found the church of Christ? I’d be looking for it! I know a man who will inherit a lot of property when his father passes. In his youth he cared nothing for it and was pleased that, due to a legal technicality, the land would probably go to his younger brother. All of that changed when an extended family member made a claim on the land during his absence. He…

It came as no surprise to me when I met members of the Church of Christ that they spoke of themselves as “The Lord’s Church.” I didn’t miss the fact that they considered their collection of congregations as “The Restoration Movement”—for they often spoke of it. This was a Brotherhood of Believers trying to restore the church to its New Testament roots. I bought into it then, and I am still totally invested in it now. I may have been…

A lady, foreign to the USA, took a flight from Los Angeles to New York. She said that she sat by a pleasant American man who, “Talked for all five hours of the flight.” He didn’t say exactly what he did for a living, but his stories indicated that he worked for the US Government in some sort of security role. When the plane came to a stop, she turned to the man and said, “You know, you never did…

The subject of the discussion was, “How to overcome conflict in the church.” One brother felt it was a moment when he was not going to help the devil with his silence. So, he said out loud what was on his heart. He said, “When a decision in the church doesn’t go the way I think it should, I just quietly go off and set my face against it.” How many times have we seen brethren set their faces against…