Posts by Westside Church of Christ (Page 9)
My Greatest Command
The following words were pinned by a wonderful gospel preacher, Steve Higginbotham: “A little more than 150 years ago, General Robert E. Lee was camped approximately 10 miles from General Stonewall Jackson. Lee sent a message to Stonewall Jackson, informing him that he wanted to meet with him at his convenience. The very next morning, while Lee was eating his breakfast, Jackson appeared at his tent, prepared for their meeting. Lee asked Jackson, “What are you doing here? I didn’t…
A Strategy for Victory
A person who does not recognize the Devil, understand his schemes, and prepare for battle is already a casualty in the war going on for our souls (2 Cor. 2:11; 1 Pet. 5:8-9). How do we rise above our doubt, our discouragement, our indifference, our sin to walk worthy of our heavenly calling? (Phil. 3:14). God’s word gives us a powerful strategy for victory over Satan and his forces. (1) Recognize Victory Is Possible. Certainly the Devil is a powerful…
What God’s People Really Need
Outside of the Lord Himself, it seems no one instructs us more about how to pray for the church than the apostle Paul. We pray about things that are important and meaningful to us. And so does Paul in praying for the church. Thoughtful consideration should be given concerning what and how he prayed for God’s people. Let’s focus on just one example. Paul closes 2 Thessalonians with the following wish and prayer: “Now may the Lord of peace himself…
God Bless Our Elders
A recent conversation got me thinking about how many elders I have worked with and under as a gospel preacher. After some memory jogging, the number I came up with was 67. A number of these men have gone to be with the Lord; still others are slowing down due to advancing years and health issues, but a fair number still are highly active and faithful in service to our Lord. As the faces of these men run through my…
It’s Just a Month Until PTP!
Last year over 5000 people attended. People came from 41 states in the U.S. and from 15 foreign countries. There was 1200 kids present between the ages of infant and 12. There were about 450 teens and 200 more college-age people who came. There were hundreds of elders, deacons, preachers and Bible Class teachers who attended. Thousands of Christians came together from all over the world for one purpose and goal: to glorify God and to focus on becoming more…
Settling the Score
Revenge, retaliation, to avenge, to get even – these are all synonyms for settling the score with someone who did us wrong. And pay-back can be sweet, can’t it? Often it’s not a matter of getting even when we’ve been hurt or mistreated, in our anger and pain we want to get ahead. One wonders how many marriages have been devastated, how many families have been divided and how many friendships have been broken because someone felt they had a…
The Nature of Marriage
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). God Himself instituted marriage – it should, therefore, be our desire to encourage a view of marriage that reflects His design and intent for it. After all, a high regard for marriage is an integral aspect of the pursuit of holiness among God’s people (cf. Hebrews 12:14; 1 Timothy 4:1-4). The Greek expression for “held in honor” means “to…
What Does It Really Mean to be Faithful?
Is a person “faithful” merely because they have been immersed, have a pulse and show up at services with some frequency? Or is “faithfulness” an expression that can only be used of those who seem so good that they must be practically sinless? The question certainly is an important one since Scripture says, “Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Yet way too much confusion seems to exist concerning this question. The…
Wisdom defined in Four Little Creatures
May we never get to a place in life that we think we cannot learn. Learning is something you can do every day, no matter who you are. School might not be in session for the summer months, but learning never takes a break! Near the end of the book of Proverbs, four very small animals are listed with lessons to be learned. What can we learn from them and their life-styles? Examine Proverbs 30:24-28 for the answer. The ant:…
God-Centered Parenting
There is only one perfect parent – God, and the rest of us have an awful lot to learn, don’t we? Parenting often can be so humbling; its tests our communication skills, our heart, our wisdom, our energy, our ability to live without sleep and our patience! Yet few blessings can compare to the tremendous joys given by God to godly parents. We can literally say, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in…
How the Mighty Have Fallen!
These words were part of David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:19-20). Yes, the mighty CAN fall. It is a reality that happened with King Saul, and it’s something that can happen to any of us too. No one – not elders, deacons, preachers or teachers is completely above such a possibility (1 Cor. 10:12). However, an amazing thing about Saul is that he remained king of Israel for approximately 20 years AFTER God had rejected him (cf.…
Keeping God in Godliness
It is significant that 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus give special stress to godliness. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the New Testament occurrences of the word is to be found in these books. The noun “godliness” is found ten times while the adverb “godly” occurs twice. “Godliness” has reference to a manner of life that reflects awesome respect and devotion to God. The fundamental message of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus is that God’s…