It was Paul Harvey who commented that Jesus did not come into the world to get people out of the slums, but he came to get the slums out of the people. Jesus came into the world to save the lost. Prior to his birth, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” In Luke 19:10 we are told, “For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost.” No

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20) A certain preacher had a habit of always beginning his sermon by asking, “Why are we here, Why are

Paul said, "And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves." (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) We have considered some phrases in the previous blogs on this text, but notice one phrase that specifically gains attention. Paul suggests that we “be at peace among ourselves.” When all of the elders are over all of the work of all t

On one occasion David had the opportunity to take the life of Saul, king of Israel. Saul had on numerous occasions attempted to take the life of young David, but had failed. Saul learned that David, his rival, was in the wilderness of Engedi and when Saul came to the sheepcotes, there was a cave and he stopped to rest. David and his men where nearby and while Saul slept, David had his chance to put an end to the rivalry between Saul and him. David was able to get so close to

When we reject the leadership God has provided, we reject the leadership and authority of God! In the Old Testament, as is recorded in Numbers 16, Korah, Dathan and Abiram, with two hundred and fifty princes who were men of renown, “gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.” They accused Moses of being a dictator and lord over them. They said, “Ye take too much upon you…wherefore then, lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?” (Numbers 16:

When Paul wrote in the Thessalonian epistle that we should “esteem” elders, he meant that we should respect them (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). Unfortunately, all church members and even some preachers do not “esteem” or respect elders. There are perhaps some plausible reasons that some men are not respected as elders. One possible reason being that a man may not be worthy of respect. If a man does not live a Christ-like life, he is not worthy of being “esteemed” as an elder. Jes

According to the New Testament, the elders do not serve as a board of directors, but theirs is a work to perform. In citing the qualifications of elders, the apostle wrote, “If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” It is a “good work.” More young men need to prepare themselves for this “good work.” More young women need to prepare themselves so as to qualify their husbands for the eldership. Elders are “over” us and not “under” us. This fact is point

Paul suggests that we take knowledge of, recognize and appreciate our elders. But what is there we should “know” about them? First, we should know the responsibility of their office. The sacred penman wrote, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17) From this passage we see that elders “wat

The biblical concept for elders is that they are God-appointed leaders who are charged to oversee the flock and must answer to God for their discharge of this duty. In the New Testament, the men who are called elders are also referred to under different titles. They are called elders (Acts 20:17). They are called presbyters (1 Timothy 4:14). They are called overseers (Acts 20:28). They are called pastors (Ephesians 4:11). Incidentally, the preacher of a local congregation sho

There is a great need for dynamic leadership in the twenty-first century. A growing world compels it. It is estimated that the world’s population is in excess of seven billion souls. Also, the increase in crime and immorality demands good leadership. We live in the “do your own thing” age. This is the age of the new morality. We are plagued with many problems in America, but doubtless our greatest one is a moral problem. Furthermore, a decline in religious fervor necessitates

In making the plea to restore the New Testament order of things, emphasis is placed upon the weekly worship service. Even a casual reading of the New Testament reveals the acts of worship embraced by the first century church. It is evident that the church participated in these acts of worship in accordance with the divine instructions taught by the apostles (Acts 2:42) which was given by our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 22:19, John 14:26). The church assembled on the first day of

In seeing to restore the New Testament church, one is made keenly aware of the attitude of charity that existed among early disciples of the Lord. “And all that believed were together and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as every man had need.” (Acts 2:44-45) We will never truly restore the church until we have restored the spirit of love and benevolence that characterized the Christians of the first century. We are taugh

If we are to speak where the Bible speaks then we must study the Bible. How can we “give an answer to every man” for our faith without study? (1 Peter 3:15) How can we “speak as the oracles of God” if we don’t know what the oracles of God are? (1 Peter 4:11) A little boy listened intently as his Sunday school teacher talked about Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked, “Did you say that Sodom and Gomorrah were cities? I thought they were husband and wife like Dan and Beersheba.” The on

The distinctive feature of the church of Christ is its endeavor to restore New Testament Christianity. Its plea is to restore the church of the New Testament. Churches of Christ throughout the world are calling upon honest, truth-seeking men and women to return to the Bible. We must “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16). A failure to walk according to divine t

In our last blog we considered some areas where the attempt to restore the New Testament church was already making strides. The roots of this movement began in the Old World but found fertile ground in the newly founded United States of America. The strength of this movement is found in Scotland, Ireland, and in portions of England. Many influential men like O’Kelley, Jones, Stone, Campbell, and others were catalysts. From studying the history of these men, and the roots of t

While for the most part of our study of the Restoration movement will be confined to activity in America, it should be noted that there were some important roots in the Old World. There were churches of Christ in the following places: (1) Morrison’s Court, Glasgow, Scotland, in 1778. (2) Leith Walk, Edinburg, Scotland, in 1798. (3) Criccieth, North Wales (the home of David Lloyd George), in 1779. (4) Tubemore, Ireland, in 1807. (5) Manchester, England, in 1810. (6) Dublin, Ir

The departure from the faith predicted by Christ and the apostles was characterized by six major departures. (1) A change in church government. (2) A change in the designation and descriptors of the church. (3) A change in the subject of baptism. Infants as well as believers were baptized. (4) A change in the form of baptism. Sprinkling was substituted for immersion. (5) A change in the creed of the church. Human creeds were introduced. (6) A change in the form of worship. In

When Moses was given the details for the construction of the tabernacle, he was told to build it according to the pattern that had been given unto him on the mount. (Exodus 25:1-9) There is a pattern in the New Testament for the church. Only by following this pattern can we have first century Christianity in the twenty first century. It was because of the eager desire and sincere aim of good men to follow the pattern of the New Testament that the Restoration movement of the n

In Matthew 21:23 Jesus was asked, “By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority?” Jesus then said He would answer the question if they would answer His. “The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, if we shall say, from heaven; he will say unto us, why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.” (Matthew 21:25-26) Becaus

In a previous blog we noted that we need to respect God's due order. Why? 1) It was because he did not respect the “due order” that Cain’s sacrifice was objected. (Genesis 4:5; Hebrews 11:4), 2) Because he did not seek God after “the due order” in bringing water out of the rock, Moses was compelled to relinquish his leadership of Israel and was denied the privilege of entering Canaan. The “due order” was for him to “speak ye unto the rock.” (Numbers 20:8) Instead, he smote