Posts by Southwest Church of Christ (Page 7)
Things That Count – Johnny Ramsey
The apostle Paul sincerely desired that the Corinthians excel inn those matters that really counted: ‘Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also” (2 Cor. 8:7). He earnestly sought their spiritual maturity. To grow up in Christ demands that we “put away childish things” (1 Cor.13:11). It is never easy to “go on unto perfection” (Heb. 6:1),…
The Abuse of Technology
In 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul said, “all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” As we consider this verse, there are a few things we need to keep in mind. First, Paul is dealing with matters of expediency, in particular the eating of meats. Secondly, Paul is not saying that everything is lawful. In the same context, he mentions…
Being About Our Father’s Business – Mike Batot
In Luke 2:41-50 we are told of the time “the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:43) after the Feast of the Passover. Once His family realized He was not with them on their return journey home, they returned to Jerusalem to find Him. Three days later, He was found in the temple, listening and asking questions of the teachers. His mother questioned Him concerning His decision to stay behind and He told her in verse 49: “Why did…
Outdated Preaching – Trent Kennedy
Born to a priestly family, set apart from birth, sent with the spirit and power of Elijah, and called the greatest among women, John the Immerser was a man among men. He was part prophet, part trailblazer, John was all preacher. The gospel account of Luke records more of the content of John’s preaching and specifics of his ministry than Matthew or Mark (Luke 3:1-21). When the word of the Lord came to John (Luke 3:2), like with other prophets,…
The Lion who is a Lamb – Tom Moore
One of the most exciting and informative ways to study the attributes of Christ is by giving close attention to the various figurative descriptions of our Lord set forth in holy Writ. For example, the Son of God, our Messiah, is called: Bread (John 6:35), Judge (2 Tim. 4:8), Shepherd (John 10:14), Passover (1 Cor. 5:7), Vine (John 15:1), Light (John 1:7), Way – Truth – Life (John 14:6), Door (John 10:9), Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8), and Word (John…
Counting Your Blessings (Various Sources)
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world. If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in…
Signposts on the Way to Apostasy
We know how important it is for us to be aware of the symptoms of disease. The signs indicating the possibility of cancer or some other malady may save our lives and/or those of our loved ones. To ignore these symptoms can be an extremely dangerous choice. Medical experts continually expend large amounts of funds on research hoping to warn our population of the symptoms that eventuate in life-threatening diseases. There are also symptoms of spiritual disease, that of departing…
Making Worship Count
Of all the responsibilities that accompany New Testament Christianity, worshiping God in spirit and in truth can be one of our more challenging endeavors (John 4:23-24). If we are honest with ourselves we will admit that we sometimes struggle to worship God the way we should. Just because your body is in the pew does not mean you are worshiping in spirit and in truth. We can be present at the assembly, but be spiritually absent. Our unwillingness to admit…
Pandemic
We have heard the word pandemic a lot over the past several months. A pandemic condition exists when disease indiscriminately spreads over an entire country or the world. The word comes from the Greek, Pan meaning, “all”, and the word demos meaning, “people.” A pandemic is no respecter of persons. It can affect both young and old, male and female. Worth considering is the difference between a pandemic and the plagues that struck Egypt in the days of Moses. Consider,…
When Judgment Becomes Doctrine
The church of Christ is designed to be a united body (Eph. 2:14-16; 4:4-6). Unfortunately, the Devil has servants who try to disrupt that unity through false teaching and ungodly practices. In Romans 16:17-18 Paul provides instructions for dealing with such individuals. First, there is the command to “note,” or pay close attention, to those who cause division, and “avoid” them, which indicates purposefully keeping away from them. The rationale for this command is fleshed out in 3 points. First,…
Greater than Gold!
The 19th Psalm is one of the most memorable in the Psalter. The first 6 verses magnificently describe the general revelation of God in nature. It calls us to behold and stand in awe of the creative genius of Jehovah as we see His fingerprints all around us. But the God who created has also commanded, and this theme is taken up in the next portion of the Psalm (vss. 7-11). Note how God’s Word is described (vss. 7-9). The…
Southwest School of Bible Studies Graduation 2020
Sunday marked the end of another year of schooling at Southwest. The pandemic the world finds itself wrestling with did not pass us by. Though none of the students contracted the virus—that we know of—it still left its mark on our schedule. For several weeks, classes were conducted via the internet. We did not skip a beat thanks to the technology skills of brother Logan Summers. The annual year-end banquet held in honor of our supporters and graduates was canceled…