This Saturday marks the 250th anniversary of the United States of America’s Declaration of Independence. On that day, America was born by proclaiming that England no longer had any hold on its North American colonies. It was a cry of freedom based on the Biblical principle that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. Independence…

Sometimes a preacher’s mind will work in mysterious ways.  This is one of those times. In November 1986, the Georgia Satellites band released a single called “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.”  The lyrics were about a girl who firmly refused to get physically intimate with her boyfriend until they were married.  In the song, she kept saying to him, “Don’t give me…

Last week we began a brief series of articles based on the character of three main characters. The movie was entitled “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” We have taken this phrase to use to describe the condition, both the good and the bad, of the churches we study. We use the last part of the phrase, the ugly, to describe the…

I recently decided to take up fishing. I went many times with my dad and brothers while growing up. However, I never got interested in fishing with any kind of consistency or attempting to gain any real skill or knowledge. In the past, my dad did everything. So, I’m having to learn it all for myself. Now, I’ve realized that fishing is…

The Bible begins with God speaking and with God speaking in very clear terms.  The first chapter of the Bible presents God speaking eleven times.  “God said…God said…God said…God said…God said…God said…God blessed them, saying…God said…God said…God said to them…God said” (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29).  Of the 31 verses in that first chapter, God…

The expression “The good, the bad, the ugly” is widely used in our culture. It originated from a movie by this title released in 1966. There were three characters starring in it with each having one of the distinct personality traits found in the title. Over the next few weeks, we will use this approach to look at churches in the first…

Peter concludes this list of Christian graces with the highest and most comprehensive quality: “add…to brotherly kindness love” (2 Pet. 1:7). This is the pinnacle of spiritual growth. The word used here is agape—a love that seeks the highest good of others. It goes beyond affection for fellow Christians and extends to all people, including enemies (Matt. 5:44). It is the fullest…

The apostles knew that Jesus had to be the Messiah because they had seen and heard what He had said and done. Yet, they had a wrong view about the coming King and His kingdom. They were preaching that the kingdom was coming but had no comprehension of its nature. This is so vividly seen in the event found in Matthew chapter…