Posts by Westside Church of Christ

I was about to make the biggest decision of my life. It was a Monday. It was sunny and I was in school. I was hard at work and it was 1:30. I knew my parents would be coming to pick me up at 1:30. They did come and we went to pick up the preacher who was coming to baptize my dad. It was about a 40 minute drive to Milwaukee. It was not that bad of a drive.…

Just a few days before our shepherd selection began here, I asked 8 men with a collective 320 years of preaching and teaching experience the following question: “What is the most overlooked thing in an elder selection process in a congregation?” It was amazing, that to a man, they said this was a question they had rarely or never been asked! It also was interesting how rapidly each responded as well as the depth of wisdom and insight in their…

A complete picture of God’s ideal congregation is given for us in Philippians 1:1. There Paul addresses his ‘sweetheart’ church in Philippi with these words, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.” It is a beautiful picture of the Lord’s church and organized exactly the way the rest of the New Testament clearly outlines. There are three beautiful components all who call on His name today must strive to emulate. SAINTS…

The book of Galatians was written in the heat of controversy. There were some who were trying to coerce Christians to be circumcised and to observe various aspects of the Jewish law. Paul saw this as a threat to the very nature of the gospel (Galatians 1:6-9) and said “to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you” (Galatians 2:5). The math of these Judaizing…

The beloved physician, Luke, records in Acts 9:1-2 that Saul of Tarsus went to the leaders of the Jews and received permission to go to Damascus and bring followers of Jesus bound to Jerusalem. Luke says that Saul was ‘breathing threats and murder’ (Acts 9:1). Saul himself would say later, “I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished” (Acts 22:5). In another setting…

In November 2019, Paul Raynard, an engineer from Great Britan went to Ireland for vacation. He had always been an enthusiast for metal detecting and a friend of his asked him to bring his detector and help him look for his lost wedding ring in a field. He never found the wedding ring, but his detector alerted him to something under the ground. They started digging and found 84 gold coins dating back to the 1500’s. In all, they were…

The “conscience” is our awareness or consciousness of what we believe is right and wrong. Recalibrating our conscience has to do with our better aligning it with the standard of God’s holy word so that it more accurately functions in a way that glorifies Him (1 Timothy 1:5). The conscience is a gift from our Creator and ought to be used in a way that pleases Him! Here’s the attitude I’m talking about. “My conscience is yours, Lord. Let me…

The lives that we are living are full of God’s blessings. Daily we see His benefits and as our Father, we see His tender care and compassion. We must live our lives with an understanding that His desire is for us to live forever in His home. Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive…

The familiar hymn with the above title was written in 1831 by a religious man in Great Britan, William Bathurst. As we prepare to move from one year into the next, perhaps it would be a great time to reflect and to plan. How is your faith now as compared to this time last year? Do you find your love and trust in God to be greater? To ask, “Is my knowledge of God and His precious word deeper and…

There is not a subject in all of Scripture that will do more to cause us to love and live for God than a study of His glory. We either live to our own glory, or to the glory of another – or to the glory of God. To do the will of God to the glory of God by the grace of God is what life is all about! (cf 1 Corinthians 10:31). We’ve been studying this theme recently…

In Luke 5:1-11, the account is given of Jesus teaching multitudes of people on the shores of Galilee. At one point, He stepped into a boat belonging to Peter and continued His teaching. When finished, the Lord turned to Peter and said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter’s response to Jesus was, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” These…

The devil will use temptations and troubles to worry and weaken us, but God can use them to strengthen us (see 1 Peter 5:10-12). When problems cause us to worry, the prescription is prayer. 1 Peter chapter 5 speaks of God as the Mighty Warrior-King and as Merciful Lord and Shepherd. As Warrior-King, we are to think of His mighty hand and know He will lift us up (5:6). He will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us (vs. 10). Our…