Our bodies are filled with microbes, some bad and come good. Heliobacter pylori, a stomach bacterium, used to be present in 70-90 percent of American children, but is found in only 5 percent now, due to increased use of antibiotics. H. pylori causes gastric and duodenal ulcers and stomach cancer. The incidence of these diseases is declining, as might be expected.… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Obedience
Have You Obeyed the Gospel?
When I talk with religious friends about becoming a Christian, I hear people say things like “I accepted Christ,” or “I joined the church,” or “l was saved.” I seldom hear people talk about obeying the gospel, however. That is unfortunate, because Paul tells us, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).… Continue Reading
WHERE YOU ARE GOING
As a child of the sixties, I couldn’t help but like the music of The Beatles, especially their early music. I still like it when those songs come on the sixties channel. I like their music, but not much of their philosophy or lifestyle. George Harrison made a comment that speaks a great truth, though. He said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”… Continue Reading
DOES BAPTISM SAVE US OR DOES JESUS?
While shepherds were abiding in the field, the angel of the Lord appeared to them and said, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). There is no doubt that the promised Savior is Jesus Christ.… Continue Reading
ACTS—THE BOOK OF CONVERSIONS
Where should we turn in the Bible to learn what we must do to become Christians? Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all describe the life and ministry of Jesus. As Jesus was with the disciples at Caesarea, He promised “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Since the church was not built until after His death, it is the book of Acts which describes what we must do to become Christians, or members of His church.… Continue Reading
DOES EPHESIANS 2:8-9, WHICH SAYS WE ARE NOT SAVED BY WORKS, CONTRADICT JAMES 2:24, WHICH SAYS WE ARE SAVED BY WORKS?
By pitting one verse against another, the Bible sometimes seems contradictory. God, the Creator of the universe inspired the Bible, though, so there cannot be any real contradictions. Apparent contradictions disappear with proper understanding of the text.
Emphasizing man’s need to rely on the grace of God, Paul wrote, “by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).… Continue Reading
WHAT DOES “THE NIGHT COMETH WHEN NO MAN CAN WORK” MEAN?
As Jesus passed by, he saw a man that had been blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” Their question reflected an indifference to the man’s suffering, as well as a theological misunderstanding (that it was possible for a child to sin in the womb). Jesus answered, rejecting the idea that either the man or his parents were responsible for his blindness.… Continue Reading
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “OBEY THE GOSPEL”?
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the “good news” that mankind needs. It is a message that must be received and obeyed. Paul warned that the Loving Savior will return “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). The Lord will take vengeance on those who “obey not the gospel,” and He will reward those who do obey the gospel.… Continue Reading
MUST THE CHRISTIAN TITHE?
Tithing is the custom of giving a portion (ten per cent) of products or money to a king or priest. The first biblical mention of tithing is in Genesis 14, when Abram returned from a great military victory and gave a tithe of the plunder he had acquired to Melchizedek, who was the king of Salem, and a priest of God.… Continue Reading
QWERTY
This article, and virtually every printed article you have ever read in the English language was typed on a QWERTY keyboard, so named for the first five letters on the upper left of the keyboard, designed in 1873. Why are the letters on the keyboard arranged this way? Early typewriters jammed easily, so the keyboard was designed to make it harder to type quickly.… Continue Reading
WAS THE PHILIPPIAN JAILER SAVED BEFORE BAPTISM?
The story of the Philippian jailer is found in Acts 16. The jailer was in charge of Paul and Silas, who had been arrested on false charges by the owners of a slave girl. They had cast a demon out of the girl, depriving her owners of the money they made by exploiting her (Acts 16:20-21). Because of this, Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and put into the innermost prison, with their feet in the stocks.… Continue Reading
JUST ONE INGREDIENT
My daughter Jennifer has become somewhat of a gourmet cook, trying many new dishes through her cooking club. She still likes to make some old family favorites as well, such as “pineapple au gratin.” The whole family was anticipating a wonderful dish. It smelled so good as it cooked, and it looked just as good, but it tasted terrible. Consideration of the situation revealed that it had been made correctly, with one exception—salt had been accidentally substituted for sugar in the dish.… Continue Reading
DID THE LORD SAVE PAUL ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS?
No. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus (later known as the apostle Paul) is the most thoroughly documented conversion in all the Bible, but it is still widely misunderstood. As Saul was making his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, Jesus appeared to him, but Saul was not saved simply because the Lord appeared to him. Luke records, “And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?… Continue Reading
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Robert Frost’s 1916 poem, “The Road Not Taken,” is one of the most often quoted poems of all time. The poet speaks of two roads, each “just as fair,” but the traveler chose one, concluding “I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Frost indicated that most have misunderstood the poem. The choice was actually random—the traveler didn’t know which was best.… Continue Reading
WHEN SHOULD A PERSON BE “REBAPTIZED”?
Strictly speaking, scriptural baptism is a “one time” proposition. Ephesians 4:5 says that there is “one baptism” today. The “one baptism” consists of the immersion of a penitent believer in water, whereby he contacts the blood of Christ, receives the forgiveness of his sins, and the Lord adds him to the church. Even if a person “backslides,” or becomes unfaithful, it is not necessary to be rebaptized, if his original baptism was a scriptural baptism.… Continue Reading
ACCEPTABLE PRAYER
One of the most evident characteristics of the faithful Christian is an active prayer life. This has marked the church from the beginning. The church at Jerusalem “continued steadfastly … in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Prayer was especially important in times of distress, such as when Peter was imprisoned by Herod, when “prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5), or when Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi, when “at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25).… Continue Reading
THE BYSTANDER EFFECT
“Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128).
A bystander is someone who is present at an event but does not get involved. The bystander effect refers to a situation where the more bystanders there are, the less likely anyone will come to the aid of someone in trouble.… Continue Reading
“ONE SIZE FITS ALL”
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
Some clothing is “one size fits all.” If we are large or small, we may question if something will really “fit all.” But Peter said repentance and baptism was for all.… Continue Reading
“ME DO IT”
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Every parent of a two year old has heard the words, “me do it.” They are often the prelude to spills and messes. We want our children to learn independence, but they must also learn to be guided.… Continue Reading
DOES SAYING “THE SINNER’S PRAYER” SAVE?
Preachers sometimes invite their listeners to pray something such as, “God, I am sorry I have sinned. Please forgive me and let Jesus come into my heart. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” The preacher then says, “Since you have asked Christ into your life, you are now His child and your sins are forgiven.”… Continue Reading