Posts from March 2023 (Page 3)

It’s hard to believe that some Christians play Russian Roulette with the Lord. They act as though they have luck to spare when it comes to the Judgement of God—despite the eternal consequences. Their throw away lines reveal more about them than they may care to admit. I’m sure we agree that saying, “I’m hoping to get into heaven,” is a far cry from, “My hope is in heaven.” Hoping to arrive at a destination indicates a degree of doubt.…

Jesus brought harsh judgement upon the religious leaders of his day. He not only condemned them, but he also pointed to the fruit of their evangelistic efforts and cried, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are” (Matthew 23:15NIV). What was it in the teachings of those scribes…

I once had a Christian brother tell me that the verbal agreements between himself and his Christian boss proved to be useless. “Anyone who wants to do business with him,” he said, “is well advised to record the conversation. He makes promises that he later denies he ever made.” Such a dishonest person must be confronted with his sin. His behaviour not only reflects on himself, but on the church too. At the other end of the scale are long-lasting…

Human nature loves a “them and us” paradigm. It bolsters the ego and justifies an arm’s length existence. This, of course, is not the way of the Lord. Jesus expects us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). In fact, lest we choose the road to self-righteousness, Jesus uses two penetrating questions that, if unheeded, will put our blessings and our religion in doubt. He asks, “For if you love those who love…

The perception that unsophisticated ne’er-do-wells are responsible for the church drifting off into apostasy can hardly be supported by history. Though such men do exist, they are more likely to use long-established teachings to cement their positions, rather than invite discussion that might change the leadership landscape; the churches they lead are more apt to die before they get around to changing their doctrines. The Red Flags that signal apostacy are more likely to appear in churches that have long…

I once visited a church building in a faraway land that had flags flanking the pulpit. I recognised one as being that country’s national flag, but the other I did not recognise. Given that churches of Christ usually do not have religious icons in their places of worship, I was surprised to see secular insignia on bold display. The brother who was showing me the facilities looked as if someone had called him away from his favourite TV show, so…

There is an old preacher’s story that tells of a brave flag bearer who continued to march into the thick of the battle. The timid captain, having allowed his troops to move away from where they should have been, cried out, “Bring the Standard bearer to the troops!” At which point the standard bearer cried back, “No, bring the troops to the standard bearer!” Jude, in the third verse of his book, informs us that he planned to write “about…

The largest group of “Arbiters of Truth” on earth are our mothers. If they had a dollar for every time they were accused of being “unfair” by their feuding children, they would probably want for nothing. But despite the tendency of one child to want more than his siblings on any given day, everyone has to agree that the average child does have a good grasp on what is fair. Of course, problems multiply when actual favouritism pervades the home,…

It may, or may not, surprise you that I do not believe that a person should attend the assembly of the saints if their heart’s not in it. Now, I can hear some say, “John, what if while they are there, they hear something that they need to hear?” And I concede that that is a good point. But remember, our times of worship are designed to be full of things we all “need to hear.” Those who don’t want…

If you are looking for a great gift containing a great Biblical message, then find something with these wise words from King Solomon: “The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). This thirteenth verse of the last chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes makes for a good sermon and an even better Scripture Verse Wall Plaque. But when isolated from the context of Solomon’s treatise on…