By the early 800s, the Roman Catholic Church had become a corrupted institution and was constantly moving further from God’s word. Corruption among the leaders of the church was already rampant and would continue to worsen in the centuries following. Most significantly, the doctrine of salvation was false. Although it was not yet the church’s […]

It is likely that there are few people who would be content upon being sold into slavery. For many, the very term “slave” immediately produces images of prejudice and horrific violence. Even more offensive to our selfish hearts is the implication of total subordination to another. To be a slave is to forget about one’s […]

You are at sea.  Your ship is sound, having passed all pre-departure checks with flying colors.  The waves are calm, beating a slow, low rhythm against the hull.  You climb the rigging and reach the crow’s nest for another long, boring day of keeping watch along the horizon for any signs of trouble.  Hours of […]

The ministry of the word is a calling which requires much attentiveness to and emphasis on the words of 1 Corinthians 13:13, where we read that love is the greatest of the three Christian virtues.  In fact, ministering to fellow saints and ministry in general are referred to as a “labor of love” in Hebrews […]

“Grow up!”  “Man up!”  How often do we not hear these phrases in the world in which we live?  To a certain extent, our society scorns showing emotion.  Crying is seen as a sign of weakness and immaturity, in particular on the part of men.  Doing so somehow seems to make us lesser people, not […]

The church of Christ is a universal one.  This means not only that its members are drawn from all over this earth, but that they come even from varying ethnicities and walks of life— “every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9).  This diversity of the elect in my opinion is one of […]