Does the Bible Teach Socialism/Communism? – Kevin Cauley
In the movie, Fiddler on the Roof, set in 1905, a character named Perchik is a Marxist revolutionary. In one scene, he has a conversation with some children about how Laban made Jacob work seven additional years for Rachel. He tells them, “The Bible clearly teaches us you can never trust an employer.” The children ask, “And that is what the Bible teaches us?” He replies, “That is the lesson of the story of Jacob, [pause] if you interpret it…
Love Your Neighbor – Cody Westbrook
Love your neighbor. The sentiment seems simple enough but the practice is much more difficult than we may realize. The problem is not that people are unfamiliar with the idea–“love each other” is a refrain heard on a daily basis. The real issue is meaning. What is love? What does it mean to love your neighbor? People tend to answer those questions based on their own philosophy and such is problematic because it produces a chaotic inconsistent atmosphere where one…
What is Social Justice? – Trent Kennedy
Social justice is a moral, political, and spiritual philosophy, that is prevalent today. It has as its objective “creating a fair and equal society in which each individual matters, their rights are recognized and protected, and decisions are made in ways that are fair and honest.”¹ While this definition seems nice, realize that it does not identify who creates equality, who recognizes rights, or who makes the decisions. Researchers and professors might say that social justice implies “equality of the…
It Doesn’t Count – Steve Higginbotham
On August 8, 1988, the Chicago Cubs played the first-ever night game at Wrigley Field. For nearly 60 years, other teams were playing at night and were seeing a huge increase in attendance and revenue. So on August 8, 1988, the Chicago Cubs finally hosted their first night game under the lights. However, if you look at the record books, you will see that the first night game at Wrigley Field was not played on August 8, 1988, but on…
Selfishness – D.J. Stucky
In Genesis 38, Judah married and had three sons. His oldest son married Tamar but was slain because of his wickedness. Onan was told to marry Tamar and provide an heir for his brother. He married Tamar but refused to provide an heir, and he was slain by God (Gen. 38:1-11). Judah asked Tamar to stay so she could marry his youngest son, Shelah. When the time came, Judah did not uphold the deal. After Judah’s wife died, Tamar dressed…
How to Sear Your Conscience – John Baker
Scripture is filled with warnings concerning our conscience. Jeremiah spoke about his people having, “forgotten how to blush” (Jer. 8:12). Further, he said that when wickedness was done in Israel, “my people love to have it so” (Jer. 5:31). Paul speaks of those who, “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” and therefore do not pay attention to God’s will (Rom. 1:18). Later, Paul again mentions people who had spent so much time in sin that they were, “past feeling” (Eph. 4:19).…
Why be a Christian? – Clay Bond
In Isaiah 62:1-2, Jehovah God promised to give His people a new name. We see this promise fulfilled in the book of Acts when those who obeyed the gospel were called Christians (Acts 11:26; 26:28). Sadly, this divinely bestowed title has been traded in for sectarian designations given by men, many of which are not found in Scripture and serve only to divide. Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” (John 8:31). The…
Concern about the Covenant – Kevin Rhodes
The LORD’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7, with all its dynastic implications, dominated Israel’s interpretation of their status and their understanding of the future of the kingdom, for there it records the LORD’s commitment to the king, When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I…
Doing Right in God’s Eyes – Brian R. Kenyon
The darkest days in the history of Israel were the days of the Judges. The period of Judges lasted for 450 years, and the people persisted in sin throughout those four and a half centuries (Acts 13:19-21). The Book of Judges has a cycle within it that is repeated continuously: Israel sinned; they were oppressed by their enemies; they cried out to God for deliverance; and then God sent a deliverer (judge) to the rescue. The key theme in the…
Psalm 100: Giving Honor to God
How do you view God? Think carefully about how you answer that question because your answer determines your response. There are many people in the world who have a distorted view of God and therefore respond to Him in a completely unacceptable fashion. For example, there are some who live lives of complete, open, and unmistakable rebellion against the Lord, yet when they die their friends and loved ones adamantly declare that they have “gone to a better place.” The…
There Is Nothing In A Name . . .
It is quite interesting to listen to the feeble attempts of men to justify those things for which they have no authority. After more than 45 years of preaching, I have learned that once a person has decided to embark upon a certain course of action that is so blatantly opposed to the word of God, reason is thrown out the proverbial window. Some years ago Johnnie Ann and I were making multiple trips to Ukraine to help establish and…
More About Fasting Would I Know…
Why would I ever voluntarily miss a meal? Food is in abundance. So many great restaurants have neon signs lit and today’s specials clamoring for attention. So why would we ever want to do something so strange as to fast—that is, to willfully abstain from food for a spiritual purpose? As was noted in the article two weeks ago, food is not the limit of the things from which we can fast. Someone might fast from video games or from…