Hearts Knit Together – Kevin W. Rhodes
The first century world, like today, challenged Christians morally, doctrinally, and practically. The gospel barely had opportunity to reach people before false teachers, Satan’s lackeys, began sowing doubt and distrust through whatever means available. The Colossians’ doctrinal confusion over the deity of Christ, their relationship to the Mosaical law, and their susceptibility to philosophical sophistry proved this truth all too well. However, Paul confronted these issues forthrightly while making his motives and aims clear to all. Despite not having personally…
Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord
In Genesis 6:5-7 we read of God’s displeasure with the world and its wickedness. However, as God pronounces judgment on the world and prepares to destroy it with a flood, we find encouraging words concerning one man: “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8). This simply means that Noah found favor in God’s sight, and the result of that favor was escape for he and his family from the flood! But why did he find grace…
A Supreme Decision
Yesterday, May 2, 2022, news broke that the Supreme Court may overturn the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. Though the Court’s final verdict has not yet been announced, the political machine has kicked into high gear churning out narratives and talking points attempting to convince us to think emotionally and incorrectly about abortion in general, and the decision of the Court in particular. But, the politicizing, gaslighting, and nonsensical debating on Twitter and cable news is simply noise to distract…
Church Growth in the First Century
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…
Redeeming the Time
Today the average American lives 78.8 years. That averages out to approximately 945 months, 4,111 weeks, 28,781 days, or 690,746 hours. On the surface that certainly seems to be a long, long time. But, really it is not. Ask someone who has lived for 80 years how quickly their life has progressed and it is almost guaranteed they will say that is has absolutely flown by! The Bible says the same. “Man that is born of a woman is of…
Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
One of the most thought-provoking questions in the Bible is the one asked by Cain in Genesis 4:9. When the Lord questioned him concerning the brother whom he murdered (Abel), his response was: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”. This is a question we need to ask ourselves today. Do we have a responsibility to watch out for and care for one another? When we turn to the New Testament, it becomes clear that the answer is absolutely. First, consider our…
Christ in You – Kevin Cauley
God had an eternal purpose to establish the church based on the work and merit of Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:11). He knew that man would sin, sever his relationship with God, and instigate division with other people. So, He devised a plan to pay for all of mankind’s sins, restore their relationship with Him, and foster human unity. This plan was Christ and the church. Paul discusses this in detail in Ephesians chapters two and three. In Colossians 1:24-29 he…
The Hope of the Gospel – John Haffner
The theme of hope holds a prominent place in the New Testament. Unlike how many use the word today, Biblical hope is never doubtful. The Greek term describes confident and joyful anticipation of blessing or reward. This concept is linked numerous times with the identity and role of the Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ is our hope and the anchor of the soul (1 Tim. 1:1; Heb. 6:19-20). As bondservants of Christ let us remember the joy and peace which…
The Preeminent Christ – Neal Pollard
So often, Colossians has been called the epistle that exalts the Christ of the church. These particular verses have been called “the Christ hymn.” Notice how Paul sings His praises in this paragraph of his epistle. How is His preeminence demonstrated? He is the picture of God (15). John, introducing Christ in his gospel, says, “No one has seen God at any time” (John 1:18; cf. 1 John 4:12). People have tried to depict God many times, but from Michelangelo…
A Prayer for Spiritual Growth – Clay Bond
There are people who have grown up in the church of Christ, but who have never grown in the Christ. What I mean by that is that there Christians who have been members of the church of Christ for decades, but they have never grown spiritually. This was the case with those being addressed in Hebrews 5:11-14, they had remained babes in Christ! Most would agree that the writer of Hebrews addressed these comments to people who had been Christians…
The Book of Colossians
The greatest crime ever perpetrated on humanity began in the garden and continues to this day. When Satan approached Eve in the garden, he did so with one purpose–the abduction of her heart. The devil is not sovereign, and thus he cannot force his will upon anyone. He is a master of deception and thrives upon his ability to bamboozle and con humanity into believing his lies. If he can kidnap our minds and steal our loyalty, then he has…
A Word of Thankfulness – Andy Baker
Thankfulness is often a result of what we hear. There is the story of the man who was doing well at a job interview. The interviewer told the man, “You’re a very impressive candidate, but before I offer you the job, I want to know about this five-year gap in your employment here on your resume.” The man said, “Oh, that’s when I went to yale.” The interviewer stood, shook the man’s hand, and said, “I’m thankful to have found…