Posts by Southwest Church of Christ

In Philippians 2:14-15, the Apostle Paul commanded, “Do all things without complaining and disputing…” for the purpose that we “may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom [we] shine as lights in the world…” Therefore, it is not enough to be “children of God.” We must be “without fault”, and this is only true if we are “blameless and harmless.” Surely, when we do so, we will…

In Philippians 2:12-13, we read something that should give Christians great confidence, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and do for His good pleasure.” We are not alone in our efforts to “work out [our] own salvation.” There is power from God. In Ephesians 1:15-23, this power is something Paul wanted Christians to know. This “power toward us” is “according to the working of His mighty…

In Philippians 2:12-16, the Apostle Paul commands the brethren in Philippi to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling…” This concept in connection with God is not popular today. People prefer to hear about God’s love and mercy. When we point out God’s righteous wrath, holiness, and justice, people reply, “My God is not like that!” Therefore, let’s consider what it means to serve God with fear and trembling. The word “fear” is often used to describe “respect…

In Philippians 2:12-16, the Apostle Paul commands the brethren in Philippi to “work out  your own salvation… in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” Yet, we should remember that we are “saved by grace through faith, not of works” (Eph. 2:8-9), but as those saved through  faith without meritorious works  on our part, we have been “created in Christ Jesus  for good works” (Eph. 2:10; Tit. 3:1-8). Therefore, how…

It has been said, “following the course of least resistance makes men, as well as rivers, crooked.” No doubt, always doing the easy thing is a dangerous way to live, because obeying God sometimes requires doing things that are not easy. In Hebrews 5:8, it is said of our Lord, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” Therefore, the test of true faith is whether we obey when it is hard. It…

Did you know that the tongue is more powerful than a gun? While a gun can only take physical life, the tongue influences eternal destinations. For this reason, God says in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” So, do we own our tongue or does our tongue own us? Yes, it is challenging to control the tongue, but God teaches that it can and should be done (James 3:8-12). Consider a few points on…

When Christ gave the great commission to the apostles, he placed upon every Christian the obligation of teaching the gospel to every person (Matt. 28:18-20). This cannot be done by pulpit preaching alone, nor by the preacher alone. This was never God’s intention. Each Christian must contribute (Phil. 2:15-16). Therefore, let’s consider some reasons for personal evangelism. First, every Christian must be a personal evangelist to be like Christ, just as He said, “the Son of Man has come to…

The growth of the first century church was both spectacular and constant. What caused this tremendous growth? One passage summarizes their success well: ¬“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied” (Acts 9:31). Brethren, if we are serious about church growth, we will pay close attention to these principles of church growth. First, the church…

As Jesus went about preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, He did not always find a receptive audience. The problem He faced was that many people, though they had ears to hear, their ears had become “hard of hearing” (Matthew 13:14-15). To illustrate this problem, Jesus told a parable that is known as “The Parable of the Four Soils.” In it, we can see ourselves as we really are concerning how we receive the Word of God in…

As Jesus went about preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, He did not always find a receptive audience. The problem He faced was that many people were “hard of hearing” (Matt. 13:14-15). To illustrate this problem, Jesus told “The Parable of the Four Soils.” In it, we can see ourselves as we really are concerning how we receive the Word of God in our lives. Therefore, let’s consider the second one, the stony soil (Matt. 13:5-6). According to…

As Jesus went about preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, He did not always find a receptive audience. The problem He faced was that many people were “hard of hearing” (Matt. 13:14-15). To illustrate this problem, Jesus told “The Parable of the Four Soils.” In it, we can see ourselves as we really are concerning how we receive the Word of God in our lives. Therefore, let’s consider the first one, the thorny soil (Matt. 13:7). According to…