Articles Archives - Page 45 of 115 - Flatwoods church of Christ

Giving Sunday

December 3, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

The days following Thanksgiving are filled with bids for our money. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday encourage us to spend our money to get something for our loved ones at a discounted price or to generously give to create change around the world. The New Testament reveals that the Lord’s church raises money to do its work of helping those in need and spreading the gospel by the voluntary donations. From the very inception of the church, Christians gave freely to help those in need: “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need” (Acts 2:44-45). Some made very sizeable donations, such as selling houses or land and giving all the proceeds to the church, “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need” (Acts 4:34-35).

In the New Testament, the church is never seen going into business or having special sales to raise funds. When a need arose, such as the famine (Acts 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25-27), Christians would freely give as they had been prospered on Sunday, the first day of the week, the day they had been called together for worship in taking the Lord’s supper (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17-29; 16:1-4). These donations first helped fellow saints and then all others in need (2 Cor. 9:13; cf. Gal. 6:10). When Christian missionaries went forth they made it their policy to be supported by fellow Christians rather than peddling the word of God for profit from unbelievers (3 John 7; 2 Cor. 2:17; 1 Thess. 2: 5-9). If a non-believer wanted to house missionaries or give them a gift, it did not have to be refused (Luke 10:3-8); however, their policy was that missionaries would not be begging from those they were trying to convert, but in fact would be supported by those who already believed. After one is a Christian, it is appropriate for the one taught to share material things with the one teaching (Gal. 6:6; 1 Cor. 9:1-14).

Paul commended congregations that did well in giving to those in need (2 Cor. 8:1-5), and who bore spiritual fruit by giving to those preaching the gospel as a well-pleasing sacrifice to God (Phil. 4:14-19). The Lord’s church at Flatwoods is to be commended for generous giving. Whenever special needs have arisen for missionaries (3 John 5-8), to care for orphans (Jas. 1:27), or to help those who have lost much in natural disasters (Acts 11:29), generous members of this congregation have given—above their regular contributions in supporting the Lord’s cause here—to meet these specific needs. Truly, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).

-Mark Day

A King to Comfort

November 27, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Hezekiah was the king of Judah from 715-686 BC. He was a good king who restored priestly temple service (2 Chr. 29), reinstituted the celebration of the Passover (2 Chr. 30), destroyed places of idol worship and even broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made (Num. 21:6-9) which the people had turned into an idol (2 Kgs. 18:4). Because of Hezekiah’s prayers, God delivered Jerusalem from Assyrian siege (Isa. 36, 37) and extended his life by fifteen years when he had become deathly ill (2 Kgs. 20:1-11).

But even good kings have their failures. In Isaiah 39, Hezekiah showed all his riches to Babylonian ambassadors who came bearing gifts after he was restored from his illness. The prophet Isaiah came to Hezekiah and told him how Babylon would come one day and take all these treasures and his descendants away (Isa. 39:5-7). When good leaders fail us, it can be depressing. God’s people had been plagued by wicked rulers throughout much of the history of the divided kingdom. To have a good king like Hezekiah was beneficial, yet he only slowed the process of apostasy that led eventually to punishment. Our nation has been drifting from God for years. When the dam has burst and a flood of moral laxity has swept so much away in our society, we are thankful for good leaders who have tried to stem the tide, but even good leaders are not perfect. Is there any hope and comfort to be had after those we looked to as beacons of hope fail us?

After the sad message of Isaiah 39, comes Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40 speaks of God who is our hope. God created the universe and is supreme of over all (Isa. 40:12). God knows all (Isa. 40:13-14). He is sovereign over all nations (Isa. 40:15-17). “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins” (Isa. 40:1-2). There is nothing that can be compared to God (Isa. 40:18-20; 25, 26); no god we have fashioned nor earthly leader we have exalted is anywhere close to Him. God never grows weary or faint; He restores those who wait on Him and renews their strength (Isa. 40:28-31).

The following chapters of Isaiah disclose the details of God’s Suffering Servant—Jesus Christ—Who would come and ultimately deliver His people. Earthly rulers may let us down or even persecute us for our faith, but remember Jesus Christ came to earth to become King of Kings and He will never let us down (Isa. 9:6-7, 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16). He is reigning now and will continue to reign until the end; all enemies will be put under His feet (1 Cor. 15:24, 25). God says to His people, “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass” (Isa. 51:12).

-Mark Day

The Plan for Unity

November 19, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

The world will know God’s love—that the Father has sent Jesus Christ—if those who believe on Him are one; Jesus prayed for such (Jn. 17:20-23). Many man-made ecumenical attempts have been made throughout the centuries, but have failed. Usually men, instead of going back to the Bible, try to shorten the list of items upon which we must agree in order to embrace an ever-widening field of divergent opinions. However, the Bible shows that the fundamental doctrines of Christianity cannot be abandoned for some pseudo-unity. In Paul’s inspired exhortation towards unity, he wrote that we are to be: “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:3-6).

Instead of concocting our own system of agreeing to disagree, we must maintain the unity the Holy Spirit provides. The oneness of the Lord’s followers is emphasized in the book of Ephesians. God was able to make first-century Jews and Gentiles one in the church, the one body where both are reconciled to God (Eph. 1:22-23; 2:16). Christians can be one as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. Ephesians 2:18 goes on to say of Christ, “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.” By the Spirit we are to walk worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1). We have been called into the fellowship of God’s Son through the preaching of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:14). This fellowship with the Father and the Son is maintained by abiding in the doctrine of Christ, not changing it to include those who bring other doctrines (2 Jn. 9-11).

The mindset that is key to unity is seen when Christians walk “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” (Eph. 4:2). Notice how the same words appear in Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” The Spirit has produced results (fruit) in our lives that create the possibility for unity we could never achieve on our own without Him. We can show humility (Phil. 2:3), because Jesus showed the ultimate humility (lowliness) in giving up the glories of heaven to come to earth, not only to live as a man, but also to die a despicable death on a cross for us (Phil. 2:5-8). The meekness and gentleness Paul showed to His brothers was really the meekness and gentleness of Christ (2 Cor. 10:1). We love others because love was first shown to us (Jn. 13:34; 1 Jn. 4:10). Loving others in the same way results in all men knowing we are disciples of Jesus (Jn. 13:35). God’s plan is for every Christian to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), continuing in the unity and edification of the truth (Eph. 4:13-16), and building one another up in most holy faith (Jude 19-21).

-Mark Day

Veterans of Faith

November 13, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

This past week our nation honored those who have served in the military. Perhaps we should take some time to reflect and be thankful for those who have served in the Lord’s army. The church is God’s holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9). Christ gave His blood for the church (Acts 20:28). Is it precious enough for you to defend? Christians do not fight against flesh and blood, but rather spiritual wickedness (Eph. 6:12) for Christ’s kingdom is not of this world (Jn. 18:36); yet we should be thankful for those who have in faith served in the struggle against Satan’s lies.

Many have been convinced to believe one or many of these lies: that God does not exist, the Bible is inaccurate, grace means the Bible does not really need to be followed and won’t be the standard of final judgment, marriage covenants are just human innovations and can be broken for any number of reasons, any kind of worship that pleases me is acceptable, drinking alcohol and gambling are just fine as long one remains responsible, et cetera. When the devil tries to secretly bring in false teaching, spiritual veterans who are familiar with God’s word, contend earnestly for the once-for-all-delivered faith (Jude 3). On the other side of things, those who have attempted to bind that which God has not bound (Mt. 16:19), such as how we care for orphans, whether we can eat in a building owned by the church, that divorce for any reason is sin, or that a woman should not teach children the Bible, have been answered by faithful followers of God who would not allow the Lord’s work to be hindered by man-made laws. We often depend on past precedents. If we have thought through these issues, we’ve likely benefited from the service of others who have spent time in God’s word and communicated it effectively to others. Elders who are seasoned in the faith, well-versed in God’s word, have proven experience in nurturing faithful souls, and can with self-control convict those who contradict God’s truth are so vital to the Lord’s church keeping the faith (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). We should be thankful for such servants (1 Thess. 5:12-13). The easy way out is to never confront error or to be unbalanced and blow up over insignificant pet issues. But to handle God’s word properly and be consistent and balanced takes effort (2 Tim. 2:15). As a faithful soldier of Christ, Paul would not allow moral laxity to run rampant among God’s people (1 Cor. 5), nor would he stand idly by while those who had liberty in Christ were brought back into bondage (Gal. 2:4, 11-14; 5:1).

We reap the benefits of God’s servants who have in the past fought the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7). No matter who you are, you came to Christ because someone was willing to influence you with the Gospel. We need to be willing to endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 2:3). If we want to be a connecting link from those who have taught us in the past to faithful individuals who can teach others in the future, then we must (2 Tim. 2:2). Being preoccupied with the distractions, riches, cares and pleasures of this world will not get the job done (2 Tim. 2:4; Luke 8:14). If we are to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ, then we must be willing to make sacrifices for His cause.

-Mark Day

Life With a Purpose

November 4, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Our life upon this earth is of few days and full of trouble. Some days are the best of times; some days are the worst of times. There are moments that look like the spring of hope; others look like the winter of despair. Through it all we need to live a life with purpose and meaning. We all seek happiness as the world lashes about us.

Something to Do

Paul wrote: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phi. 3:13-14). Paul says he was pressing toward the mark. The pursuit is not groping after something undefined. He was pressing on with contentment. He had learned in whatsoever state he was in to be content (4:11). To be happy in life we all need something to do; we need a mission to fill. As preachers we blow the trumpet clear so people will know the battle for truth is on. Do not be disarmed by the smiling tolerance of the new school of peaceful coexistence. Let us stand for the right and not lose sight of our duty to serve the Lord, do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.

Someone to Love

“We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). It brings happiness to love God. We are to love the Lord with all our heart. He first loved us and we should return our love. We also need our family and friends to love. To visit with friends and enjoy good times together brings sunshine into our days.

Something to Hope For

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Tit. 1:2). The hope of heaven keeps us going through sickness, pain, disappointment, suffering, and hardship. In fact these present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed. God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. On that fair shore we shall serve the Lord with perfect bliss. There we shall be with and know (1 The. 2:19) our loved ones whom we have known in this life.

-J. Noel Merideth

(Brother Merideth wrote an outstanding commentary on the book of Galatians which can be found in the church library for your use – Jerry D. Sturgill)