Posts from March 2021

Posts from March 2021

Nice Guys Don’t Finish Last

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Though society advances at a rapid pace, the fundamental issues of life are constant. Among those is the troubling phenomenon of the success of the wicked. From the beginning, God’s faithful have pondered this reality and asked God “why?”. Psalm 37 is David’s inspired account of pondering this difficulty. In a world where nice guys always finish last, what are the righteous to do? Psalm 37:1 commands, “Do not fret…

“In the World, Not of the World” – Andy Baker

The fundamental question of Christianity can be boiled down to this: Do I belong to God and serve Him faithfully or do I belong to the world and serve its lusts faithfully? It is not in dispute that a person cannot serve both (Matt. 6:24), but many in the religious world and even in the church look more like the world and its lusts than we care to admit. Is there a stark contrast between Christians who are “chosen out…

A Study of Wine – Tom Genduso

Alcoholism is the number one drug problem in the U.S. today with over 14 million people suffering from some form of Alcohol Use disorder. Given this fact, it is important that we have a clear understanding of what scripture says on the topic of wine, and specifically alcoholic wine. However first let us define some terms and indulge in a brief history lesson. In regard to wine and winemaking in the times of the Bible, there is a common misconception…

The Synonyms of Scripture – Cody Westbrook

Each time you pick up your Bible, you hold within your hands something far more powerful than a nuclear weapon (Heb. 4:12), something far more valuable than the rarest diamond (Ps. 119:72), and something far more enduring than the best constructed building (1 Pet. 1:25). God’s Word is a blessing which we should value greatly. It commands our utmost adoration and respect. Such an attitude is vividly on display in the 119th Psalm. Psalm 119 is a treasure chest of…

Loving the Truth Enough to Care – Bill Jackson

Paul tells us that some men are to perish because they love not the truth (2 Thess. 2:10). Since men are saved by the truth and the purifying process of truth (1 Pet. 1:22), these indeed will perish. One with no desire for truth will most certainly not be open to truth, and thus will not learn or obey truth. We in the kingdom of Christ have obeyed the truth and are in constant obedience to it. Loving truth means…

When in Rome… Do as Daniel!

No doubt you are familiar with the old phrase, “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” It suggests that when visiting a foreign locale, it is polite to abide by their customs. As it pertains to customary greetings, when to drink your coffee, or anything else that is harmless, surely there is some wisdom behind the thought. But, there is a boundary that cannot be crossed. That boundary is God’s will. Peter’s statement in Acts 5:29, that “we ought to…

The Church is the Called Out

Against the milieu of this world’s wickedness stands the church of Christ. God’s Eternal Purpose (Eph. 3:9-11) is the establishment of the body of Christ as an entity in which man is at peace with God and his fellow man (Eph. 2:14-18). He wills that Christians live holy lives (Eph. 1:4-6) of sacrifice to His cause (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:9). The church of Christ is the body of people who have been called out of the world to meet…

An Overwhelming Success!

To say that the past 12 months have been challenging would be an understatement. Overwhelming would probably be more accurate. Arise! 2020 was an amazing success. In fact, we broke every attendance record up to that point. But just a few weeks afterward, COVID graced us with its presence. For a time, we didn’t know if there would be an Arise! 2021. But, thanks be to God that there was, and that it was perhaps the most successful year yet.…