Posts from February 2020

Posts from February 2020

mustard

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

If you were to write a book about the greatest kingdom in the world, you would probably say something about a very large kingdom with unmatched military power, an indestructible economy, and a capable king. To human eyes, these things are perfectly sensible but from a divine standpoint, they mean nothing. Jesus promised to build His kingdom (Matt. 16:18) and it is far superior to every human kingdom (Dan. 2:44), but its origin and characteristics are not worldly (John 18:36).…
Walking alone in the Highlands

What is Your Life? – Steve Lloyd

This article attempts to answer the question “What would we know about our origin and the purpose for our lives without the Old Testament?” That is a great question! In this article, we will explore life’s “big questions” as they relate to the Old Testament.  First of all, let’s take a look at what is meant by “big questions.” Most writers agree that the “big questions” include the following: Who am I? Why am I here? What went wrong? What…
Thoughtful handsome pensive young man studying at class or living room, reading a book

“Prove All Things; Hold Fast That Which Is Good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) – Don Walker

The title of this article is a direct quote of the apostle Paul as it is found in the KJV. As is the case with every passage we study we do well to consider the passage in context. The two verses prior to this one set the context in the area of the miraculous gifts and specifically the giving of God’s revelation. Paul wrote, “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying” (1 Thess. 5:19, 20). It is essential that we…
Opening old book

The Character of God in the Old Testament – Clay Bond

Eternal, good, gracious, loving, merciful, wise, holy, immutable, just, righteous, sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent are just a few of the attributes of God. When we speak of God’s attributes we are talking about those characteristics that help us understand who God truly is.  It is noteworthy that those biblical characters who were greatly used by God had a burning desire to know Him. David said,  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that…
beautiful couple

Abstaining From All Others . . .

The American infatuation with sex continues to grow at breathtaking levels. One recent study asked people throughout the world about the number of sexual partners they have had in their lifetime. Americans who were surveyed responded that 2 partners is not enough–it is too sexually conservative, while 15 is the point at which one should be considered to be “too promiscuous,” and 7 is the magic number. Another study showed that 67% of Americans view sex outside of marriage to…
Young student in coworking

An Ideal Student – Carl B. Garner

Someone has said that if you put the world’s best teacher in a room with the world’s worst students, very little learning would take place. I don’t know if that is true, but I do know that a willing and capable pupil is necessary to the process of learning. For years we have known that you cannot stop a determined student from learning. The necessity of a capable teacher is not denied, but there is also the need for a…
A woman reading a bible

Can you Trust the New Testament?

How can we be sure that the New Testament is historically reliable? It’s an important question. Consider three brief evidences that prove the reliability of the New Testament.  First, consider the enormous amount of manuscripts in existence. To this writer’s knowledge, there are 5,748 in Greek, 10,000 in Latin, and 10,000 to 15,000 in other languages in existence. This totals 25,000 to 30,000 handwritten copies of the New Testament. Some of these manuscripts date back to the second century, making…
Vintage book and magnifying glass on wooden desk

The Miracles of Jesus

Scripture describes Jesus as One who performed miracles. Jesus instructed John’s disciples to “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt. 11:4-5). He was authenticated by His miracles (Acts 2:22). His miracles “bore witness” to His identity (John 5:36). Even His enemies recognized that He worked “many…
Man offering a heart to a woman.

Why Some Refuse to Obey the Gospel

There are over 7 Billion souls in this world, each one fighting with the struggles of life, and each one in need of salvation (cf. Rom. 3:23). The gospel is God’s power to save (Rom. 1:16), and it provides the answers to the issues of life which are common to all people. You may think that everyone would gladly obey the message that provides hope, joy, peace, and salvation, but that is simply not the case. Some refuse to obey the…
Adhesive note with Thanks text on a bulletin board

…And Be Ye Thankful – Bill Jackson

Someone told of the fine old brother who always began his prayer with, “Father, we thank Thee for this fine day!” He would thus pray in a flood, or when the sun was oppressively hot or when the snow was four-foot deep. It was always, “Father, we thank Thee for this fine day!” And then one day the rains came, and came and came. Each day was cloudy and dark, and it went on and on. People became depressed, out-of-sorts…
Bible and praying hands

The Importance of Prayer – Troy Spradlin 

So, how is your prayer life? Do you pray as often as you should? Prayer is and should be an essential part of a Christian’s life. Our Savior, Jesus, was a man of prayer (Matthew 14:23, 26:36-44; Mark 1:35; John 17:2-24). This implies that we must ask ourselves, “If prayer was so important to our Lord, why should it be less important to me? “We should infer that every disciple of His ought to learn how to pray correctly and…
Wedding rings and heart shaped shadow over Bible

Wendell and Betty Winkler’s Advice on Marriage – Neal Pollard

Several years ago, I asked the Winklers to pass along advice for married couples on how to have a successful, happy marriage. They were very kind to comply and I have the material, in brother Winkler’s easily distinguishable hand-writing, in my files. Their suggestions were broken into two categories, the first being positive things couples can do for their marriages and the latter being habits, actions, and attitudes that hurt a marriage. Here are the answers from a couple who…
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