Throughout much of the world, churches are facing a difficult reality. Many congregations are aging, baptisms have declined, and fewer people are actively participating in the life of the church. At the same time, millions of people profess faith in Jesus Christ but have little or no meaningful fellowship with Read more
The Wound Few Escape There are few wounds in life deeper than betrayal. An enemy may oppose us, a stranger may insult us, but betrayal comes from someone we trusted. It is the pain of confidence shattered, loyalty abandoned, and affection repaid with injury. Betrayal is arguably one of the Read more
What Does It Mean to Be a Christian? More Than a Name In today’s world, the word Christian is used so broadly that it has almost lost its meaning. Many claim the name because they believe in God. Others claim it because they were raised in a religious home. Some Read more
Identity, Choice, and the Authority of God Modern culture places enormous emphasis on personal identity. We are frequently told that the most important thing about ourselves is how we feel, how we perceive ourselves, or how we choose to identify. According to this view, authenticity is found by embracing and Read more
The distinction between the soul and the spirit of man is one of the most profound and debated subjects in biblical theology. Scripture sometimes uses the terms closely together, while at other times it distinguishes them carefully. Because of this, Christians throughout history have differed somewhat in how sharply they Read more
More Than Flesh and Bone Among all living creatures upon the earth, man stands uniquely distinct. Animals possess instinct, awareness, emotion, and remarkable abilities designed by God for survival and order within creation. Yet Scripture presents mankind as fundamentally different from every other creature because man alone was created in Read more
Obstacles to Youth Faithfulness A call to intentional parenting, disciplined living, and Christ-centered identity Faithfulness in youth does not happen accidentally; it is cultivated, modeled, reinforced, and protected. In today’s world, the forces working against spiritual growth are subtle, constant, and often socially accepted. If we are not deliberate, our Read more
Passages: Acts 1:21-23; 2Cor. 11:13-15; 1Cor. 12:28, 14:37, 5:16, 15:3, 45-49; Eph. 4:10-12; 1Jo. 4:11; Gal. 1:11, 3:28; Rev. 2:2 Apostle. (one sent forth). In the New Testament, originally the official name of those twelve of the disciples whom Jesus chose to send forth first to preach the gospel and Read more
A question was posed that was interesting and a common one to non-denominational churches of Christ. The question goes like this: “I consider myself to be a Christian yet I choose to worship at a Baptist (or some other) denominational church. Are you teaching that just because I am not Read more
What is the Holy Spirit? Who is He? What is His purpose? What is baptism, the indwelling and empowering of the Holy Spirit? What is the Holy Spirit’s relationship to the world and to Christians? There is a lot of confusion about the Holy Spirit. Many honest and devout Christians Read more