Posts from January 2023

Posts from January 2023

A New Command

Just before His crucifixion, Jesus identified a key mark of discipleship. He gave what He called, “a new commandment” (John 13:34). It is a command to “love one another”, and He expressed, “by this all will know” who are His disciples (John 13:34-35). However, do we know what kind of love that is and do we demonstrate it? Even though the Old Testament Scriptures required a love for one’s neighbor as self- (Lev. 19:13,18), this new command is a call…

A New Song – John Haffner

Together with the many images presented in Revelation, we see songs of praise detailing the power of Jesus, the Lamb of God (Rev. 5:9; 14:3; 15:3-4). Such songs have always accompanied the salvation which God brings to His people (Ex. 15:1-21; Judges 5:1-31). The term “new song” is used multiple times in the Psalms, especially in relation to a time of deliverance (Ps. 33:3; 40:1-3; 96:1; 144:9-11; 149:1). Each fresh victory called for a song adapted to the occasion. Isaiah…

New Heavens and a New Earth – Allen Webster

At the invitation of the City of Jacksonville, Alabama, I led the invocation at a city council meeting. It was both enlightening and encouraging to see the wisdom and plans of the mayor and council members. They discussed such future decisions as where to build city fire and police departments and their training/correctional facilities, how to enforce community ordinances regarding noise and rental properties, city finance and senior citizen activities, and the promotion of city employees. They listened to citizen…

A New Creation – Troy Spradlin

When someone rises out of the precious waters of baptism, is there something different about them? Based solely upon appearance, no changes are discernible. Yet, from a spiritual perspective, everything about them has changed! We know this because the Bible reveals that a remarkable transformation has taken place. It describes the conversion with some rather peculiar verbiage. For example, when a penitent believer is immersed into water, they are said to have “died and been buried” (Rom. 6:1-4). It is…

New Every Morning

Thomas Chisolm was born in Franklin, Kentucky on July 29, 1866. At 16 he became a teacher and editor of a local newspaper. Poor health would force him to move and change jobs several times over the years. It also caused him to struggle financially. He was, however, a talented writer and wrote some 1,200 poems. In 1925 he wrote “Great is thy faithfulness.” There was no single event that prompted him to write it. He simply reflected upon the…

A New Covenant – Kevin Cauley

Jeremiah 31:31 is one of the most transformative prophecies of the Old Testament: God promised that the covenant with Moses would end. In its place, He would establish a New Covenant. Much of Jeremiah is very bad news: Judah is going into slavery to be punished for their sins! However, Jeremiah’s message is tempered with the good news that a remnant will return. Jeremiah chapter thirty-one prophesies the restoration of God’s people from their captivity. In verse two God says,…

Thinking in Evangelism

In telling me about his conversion, our brother, Alan Putnam, told me some words that were spoken to him before committing His life to Christ. He was told, “Christianity is a THINKING religion.” Ever since I heard these words, I have been greatly impacted by them. I remember them almost daily, and here is why. As Christians, we are to THINK about what the Word is saying. We have to THINK about whether or not our actions are consistent with…

The Voice of Wisdom

Statistics fascinate me, particularly statistics regarding how we spend our time. A clear accounting of how we pass the minutes of every day can be terribly humbling. Often, we do not realize just how much time we waste. For example, a 2016 study determined that Americans spend over 1 year of their lives searching for something to watch on TV. Who could have imagined? Another point about our time is that it gives insight into who or what we choose…