restorationplea.com Blog

Why we must stand FIRM!!!

2010-06-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading an article claiming "there hasn't been a Restoration Movement for well over 100 years" and the movement was "doomed to fail, as it is based on a faulty ideal" - coming out in the June 13th edition of a periodical sent weekly to many Churches of Christ and Christian Churches.

I respond with a quote by one of my teachers at Florida Christian College, the late Roger Chambers (spoken and written in 1985):
The Restoration Movement is alive. Hundreds of intelligent, faithful leaders preserve and preach New Testament Christianity. While nothing could be clearer than that our outfit needs revival (when has that not been true of the Church?), it isnot a given that we cry out for redefinition. I don't trust these fellows who, of late, have been reading over the grave of the brotherhood. I fear they want the movement certified dead so they can apply for the commission to resurrect it to their own vision. We may have lost our nerve; we have not lost our reason for being. And the preacher who has little or no experience in strong doctrine has no right to declare that the Restoration Movement isn't working and call for a new plan.

Things haven't changed, have they?

I am reminded why I do not subscribe to the periodical anymore! More rebuttal to come!

Unity in Truth

2010-05-02T21:48:00.001-05:00

I have a book in my study with the title “Union in Truth”. The restoration plea is about unity—but any unity MUST be based in TRUTH! So many, even within the churches of Christ, have placed all their emphasis on unity and left out truth, or left out some of the truth! It has gotten so bad, that when a church of Christ like South Side places a strong emphasis on TRUTH they are considered as being divisive and legalistic! Believe me, I have heard all those labels thrown at me! Some would even argue that a church that stands solidly on the Biblical plan doesn’t want unity! I can speak for most, if not all, of the assembly here at South Side Church of Christ when I say that we love unity. We love the unity we have as churches of Christ when we have our county meetings! It is a great time of fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ!

Biblical unity, though, MUST ALWAYS be based on the truth of Scripture. Division does not happen when the truth is being taught and preached. Division comes when something is taught or practiced that goes against the Scriptures. So, in reality, it is not the truth that divides the church—it is false teaching!

I have always said, at least since I was taught well, that I am not non-denominational, I am anti-denominational. The very word “denomination” means to divide. When used in religious circles, denomination means: “a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices” (according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary). I thought the definition describes denominationalism well. But I also thought about how sad it is . . . “congregations are united in their adherence to ITS beliefs and practices”. At South Side Church of Christ, a person does not adhere to OUR beliefs and practices—you simply follow the Bible and the Bible only! That is the plea of the church of Christ. Remember the old slogan: No creed but Christ; No book but the Bible!

You see, it is truth that unites! It is truth that brings true biblical fellowship! This is the type of unity that we here at South Side Church of Christ are protecting (Ephesians 4).

When I consider things happening in the church of Christ, I have to wonder what happened to the plea to throw off all denominational names and creeds and be simply Christians. I personally came out of denominationalism—I have NO desire to ever go back. In fact, I would just love it if all those in our entire world would simply follow the Bible and the Bible only and be New Testament Christians!

In one way I can relate with what Pliny wrote in a letter to Trajan about the impact Christians had upon some of the places he visited. About 50 years after the death of Jesus, he wrote that Christians have “pervaded not merely the cities but the villages and country places, so that the temples were nearly deserted.” The Christians had been SO strong that the pagan temples were nearly closed!

Here is where I relate to Pliny: My desire and plea is that the churches of Christ can stand so solidly on the Bible that any denomination or church not following the New Testament plan would desert their teachings and simply become Christians! That is my prayer for Danville and Vermilion County, and our world!

Unity, yes, when based on truth!

Isn't That a Church of Christ?

2010-03-21T22:41:00.001-05:00

Download PDF file of the South Side Church of Christ "Side Lites" Newsletter

I ask that question often when browsing through some Church of Christ web sites and reading very weak positions on God’s plan. Sometimes as I am listening to a Church of Christ sermon, I ponder the same question—thinking that maybe I tuned into a denominational church, and when I check, I am disappointed that I heard that at a Church of Christ!

Now those of you who know me well, know that I am a stickler in “saying Bible things in Bible ways”. But what I am referring to here, is not simply using bad terminology and calling your evangelist a “pastor”. This article is not about using sloppy terminology. Rather, it is about teaching and promoting false doctrine; or by leaving out the truth. What ever happened to sound biblical teaching?

You can go to many church websites and not know what you must do to be saved, even though they have their “statement of faith” right on the website! Often times I have to go back to the homepage and make sure that I am still on the Church of Christ website! Unfortunately I have experienced this a lot!

This isn’t just limited to websites! One time I listened to a sermon by a Church of Christ preacher on John 3. It was on the new birth. How could a Church of Christ preacher go wrong when preaching about the new birth? But in the entire sermon, not once did the evangelist make reference to immersion—including the invitation! I had to check the bulletin cover! Sure enough, it stated that I was at a Church of Christ!

How about no invitation at all? I have both heard and attended Churches of Christ where no invitation is ever given. Now I know that a “standard” invitation may not be recorded for us in the New Testament. But isn’t it interesting that at the end of every sermon recorded in Acts, the listener was challenged to make a decision—if the preacher didn’t offer one, it was only because he was interrupted before he got to it (like in Acts 2). One service I attended, when the preacher was done with what he called preaching, he said a prayer and then he said, “you’re dismissed”. No invitation! No challenge! No decision time! I guess that day was not the “day of salvation” in that assembly (II Corinthians 6:2)! When I checked the sign on the way out of the parking lot—yes, the sign still read Church of Christ!

Another sermon I listened to included an invitation for a person to become a Christian. All right! An invitation! But wait! The Church of Christ preacher then invited those who were Christians, but have not been baptized, to be baptized, even inviting these Christians to be baptized into the church as an outward sign! The Bible teaches that a person is immersed into Christ, not the church! When someone is immersed, they become a Christian, not the other way around! Mark 16:16 teaches, "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved”? It does NOT teach “He who has believed and been saved shall be baptized”. This one really made me wonder whether I was listening to a Church of Christ preacher or a denominational preacher who is confused about the order of salvation. And when I checked, sadly I was listening to a Church of Christ preacher!

If one is Church of Christ, be the Church of Christ! Be His church, not simply in name, but in teaching and preaching! And it doesn’t matter whether it is on a website or in our daily lives or in the classroom or from the pulpit! “All the churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16).

Coming Sunday!

2010-03-18T15:04:00.004-05:00

It has been a while since I posted my South Side Church of Christ "Side Lites" newsletter article. This Sunday, Lord willing, I will post my newest article. The goal of the article is to promote New Testament Christianity!

Satan's tactics - the same today as they were with Eve

2010-01-10T07:14:00.001-06:00

Evangelist Ed Bousman, in his message this morning, dealt with this very subject:

Giving the second reason he wants to be a friend of the Bridegroom, Ed Bousman quoted the warning of the Apostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians 11:2, "For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity, and the purity that is toward Christ."

The Devil uses the same temptation on the Bride of Christ as he did for Eve in the Garden of Eden. Listen to him as he says to Eve, "Yea hath God said?"

Eve, are you sure God said, you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

Eve, do you think that is a good translation? Eve, don't you think that is just your interpretation?

Eve, don't you think God is too good to let you die for such a thing as eating just one bite of forbidden
fruit?

Eve, don't you know some of the scholars think that statement is not in the original manuscript?

Eve, do you really believe God actually said, "In the day ye eat thereof ye shall surely die?" Surely your heavenly Father would not say anything like that!"

Not until she was stripped of the sheen of her immortality, and found that she was standing in the dark, cold, naked, ashamed, and afraid, did she realize that the Word of God does in fact mean exactly what it says.

Click on the title of this post to listen to the entire sermon.

Saved by "Faith Only"?

2009-04-23T09:44:00.002-05:00

Just raise your hand? Only believe? Only trust Him? Say the “sinner’s prayer”? Is it possible for a person to be saved by “faith only”? One verse should be enough to answer this question, but I am a preacher and tend to have longer answers!

Here is the one verse: James 2:24. Go ahead—look it up in the version in front of you. Here is what the NASB says, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Can the Scriptures be any clearer? So you are not a NASB fan.
KJV—”not by faith only”
NIV—”not by faith alone”
Amplified—”not alone through faith—through works of obedience as well as by what he believes”
RSV—”not by faith alone”
If those don’t work for you—simply go back and check the original Greek. It reads like the versions above “not by faith only.”

Hopefully you still have your Bible open to James 2. Just go up a few verses. James asks a rhetorical question in verse 14: “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” The anticipated answer by James is a resounding “NO”.
Still have it opened to James 2? Look at verse 17: “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” Seems pretty clear to me!

Even the demons themselves practice “faith only”. Look at verse 19: “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

So why is it that the Church of Christ has often bought into this “faith only” teaching? Maybe we watch too many “faith only” shows or movies? Maybe we read too many “faith only” books? Maybe we walk into any restaurant in Danville and there is a tract rack with “faith only” tracts in them? Maybe we heard too many of our own preachers and teachers be weak on the subject of the rest of the plan leaving “faith only” as an viable option unto salvation?

Here is where I lay out a principle I learned from Clearance Greenleaf at Hillsboro Family Camp: “There are more terms of pardon that are found in anyone verse—but there can never be less.”

So, when the “faith only” teachers go to Acts 16:31, and other verses like it—"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." - remember the principle! Besides, as Ed Bousman points out, if you close the book there, you leave the jailor’s home too quickly. Verse 33 says, “And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was immersed, he and all his household.” There are MORE terms of pardon than are found in Acts 16:31—in other words, you must do more than believe—but you MUST believe! You can use this great principle with any verse that talks about a term of salvation.

But before I run out of room on the page, if a “faith only” preacher or teacher tries to take you to Revelation 3:20 and says that Jesus stands at the door of the sinner’s heart asking to come in, suggest they look at the CONTEXT of the passage. Who is Jesus writing to: a lost sinner? NO! He is writing to a church! Jesus stands at the door of His church and wants back in!

As you can probably tell, “faith only” teaching gets me a little worked up! But I will stick with the New Testament teaching—a complete teaching of what a person needs to do to be saved—Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, Be immersed and walk the faithful life! Anything else is simply man’s doctrine and not God’s teaching.

Where are all the preachers?

2009-03-01T21:12:00.001-06:00

Vermilion County has a very special event that happens monthly! Each month, the churches of Christ and Christian churches gather together in one of our church buildings for fellowship, encouragement, and exhortation. Each county meeting is different, as our churches each have their own personality—but standing solid on the “one Lord, one faith, one immersion” of the Bible!

I have been to some great county meetings (and some not so great county meetings—I am not going there in this article). South Side had the privilege of hosting the February meeting. And as is the tradition during the business meeting, the roll was called and many of our churches were represented. The final “official” count was 100. (We also had some Girl Scouts who were not here for the business meeting, making the total 120—and that is NOT a “preacher’s” count)!

I have been attending the Vermilion County Churches of Christ and Christian Churches monthly meetings since before I became the evangelist here at South Side. Now I don’t have perfect attendance (I am not shaving a week off of my vacation to be at a county meeting), but I do try to make as many as I can. I write all of that not to pat myself on the back, but rather to make an observation (this is where I really get in trouble—but that is okay, I am used to trouble): During that whole time (roughly four years), the most preachers that I can recall being at a “regular” county meeting was nine—of course many times that included three, or more, retired preachers! Usually the total number is more like five to eight. The count at the most recent county meeting that we hosted was five, two of whom are not currently preaching in a local ministry—meaning that three active preachers were in attendance. My question is, as the title asks, Where are all the preachers?

Okay, I know the first thing you are going to say is that nowhere in the Bible does it say that we have to attend a county meeting. Well, I must admit, you do have me there! But as we all know, the Bible is “silent” on lots of issues. Sunday School, church buildings, revivals, mid-week prayer meetings, Bible colleges, church camps . . . and the list goes on and on. That doesn’t mean, though, that we cannot support and be a part of these types of functions, unless they violate Scripture! In fact, I would venture to say that most of the preachers of the county attend these functions regularly.

Now I know, preachers are busy—I wonder how I know that? Between preaching, calling, lessons, working on newsletter articles, and a host of other things (not to mention personal or family time) our time is limited. But just thinking from a preacher’s perspective, if I am going to promote any event, wouldn’t it make sense that I, as the evangelist of the church, also show up? I wonder how big the county meetings would be if the preachers not only promoted the meetings, but also attended them? My question again is, as the title asks, Where are all the preachers?

Okay—I vented! I think I actually feel better! Before you call or email me with all kinds of nasty comments, give the whole matter some thought—and remember the words of the Hebrew writer: “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near“ (Hebrews 10:25).

Celebrate Lincoln's 200th - Church of Christ Style!

2009-02-01T21:07:00.000-06:00

America has such a rich history! And this month we celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. Of course, Illinois is truly the “land of Lincoln”. The last couple of years I have had the privilege of going to some Lincoln sites—including right here in Danville.

One of those sites is the Fithian House. According to the Vermilion County Museum website, on September 21, 1858, Lincoln made one of his last visits to Danville. He was campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat and had just completed four debates with Douglas. Lincoln arrived at Dr. Fithian’s home, and in his stocking feet, he gave an informal speech from the balcony.*

Also here in Danville, is the Lamon House. The Lamon house was buit in 1850. Joseph and Melissa (Beckwith) Lamon built the home. Joseph was the cousin of Ward Hill Lamon. Ward Hill Lamon was the law partner, and later body guard of Abraham Lincoln. This is an easy one for us to visit as it now sets across the street from our home here in Danville. And, as many of you know, our daughter volunteers during the summer for their open houses.

One other place we had the privilege of visiting in 2008 was the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. What a great memorial for one of our greatest presidents. The Memorial was officially dedicated by President William Howard Taft May 30, 1922. The Lincoln Memorial has 36 columns—one for each state during Lincoln’s day—25 in the Union; and 11 who had seceded from the Union. The view from the steps was incredible looking over the national mall—Washington Monument and the US Capitol all in view.

History is important to be studied. Sometimes history is portrayed as boring and meaningless. But there are so many lessons to learn from history. In fact, as the old saying goes, “those who do not know their history are bound to repeat it”.

The Bible, which is a historical book is meant to be studied. In fact, the events that have been recorded for us, have been preserved by God for us! In I Corinthians 10:6, Paul writes about the Old Testament: Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. I hope that we can learn the lessons of history and stay faithful to God.

*http://www.vermilioncountymuseum.org/history.htm

Titles for Christ in the Revelation

2009-01-01T17:17:00.001-06:00

I have been doing a lot of preparation for our Wednesday evening Bible Study in Revelation. My main resource, besides the Bible itself, will be Glenn Bourne’s personal class notes and his book Tower of Truth. Another good resource, which I will use, is The Seer, the Savior and the Saved. You may recognize the author of that book: Dr. James Strauss.

In Dr. Strauss’ book, he has a special study in it entitled Titles for Christ in the Revelation. It is not an exhaustive study, but may make a good sermon series in the future. Based on the titles, it is no wonder that Revelation 4:11 reads, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Here are a few of the titles that Dr. Strauss lists in his book:
· Jesus Christ (1:1, 5)
· Jesus (1:9; 12:17 and other texts)
· Christ (20:4, 6 and other texts)
· The Lord Jesus (22:20-21)
· The Lord (1:10; 14:13 and other texts)
· The Lord’s Christ—also God’s Christ (11:15; 12:10)
· The Son of God (2:18)
· The Son of Man (1:13; 14:14)
· The Word of God (19:13)
· The King of Kings and Lord of Lords (19:16)

Dr. Strauss calls these the “simple designations”.

He then lists several “descriptive designations”:
· Him that loved us and loosed us from our sins by His blood (1:5)
· The Lamb that hath been slain (5:6, 9, 12; 7:14; 13:8)
· The Lamb (5:8, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22, 27; 22:1, 3)
· The First born of the dead (1:5)
· The Faithful witness (1:5)
· The Faithful and True (19:11)
· The Amen (5:14; 18:4)
· The Beginning of the Creation (3:14)
· He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the keys of David, He that openeth, and none shall shut and that shutteth and none shall open (3:7)

There are many other “special designations”, but this gives you a hint of what is to come in our study beginning January 7, 2009. Dr. Strauss ends this special study with these words: “There is some great biblical preaching to be done on the great names of Christ. They describe His person and function of His work. The imagery is not hard to communicate in preaching and teaching”.
I pray that as we study through this great book, we may draw closer to our great Savior and Lord!

(The Seer, the Savior, and the Saved, pp. 333-338)

Shepherds in Their Fields at Night

2008-12-01T21:18:00.002-06:00

We all know the REAL Christmas story, as it is recorded in the Scriptures. Forget this “Happy Holiday” thing—”MERRY CHRISTMAS” - but that is a whole different newsletter article.

In this newsletter space I wanted to take a look back at those shepherds who received the announcement about the promised Messiah. Luke 2:8 reads, “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night”. There are so many things we can learn from each of the characters in the nativity scene. Let me share a few we can learn from these shepherds.

First thing we learn is right out of Luke 2:8. The Shepherds stayed with their flocks! Simple lesson, but it also teaches us a little about the sheep. The sheep NEED the shepherds! The sheep needed guidance. And the sheep needed to be fed. As I think about the shepherds here at South Side (our elders, overseers or pastors), I am reminded how much we need their wisdom within the assembly.

A second lesson we can learn comes out of that same eighth verse. Luke records that the shepherds were out there even at night. They watched their flocks by night to protect the flock. Wild animals and thieves could break in and try to steal the sheep. But not these Christmas shepherds—they stayed with their flock even at night. Again, reflect on the eldership here at South Side. One of their roles as the pastors of the flock are to protect us from any false doctrine or false teachers who might enter the flock and try to steal the sheep.

Luke 2:9 gives us the next lesson I would like to bring out. As the angels appeared to them, the text says that the shepherds were “terribly frightened”. I hope I am not stretching this, but let me suggest that these Christmas shepherds were humble shepherds. We have the greatest example of a humble shepherd when we look to the Good Shepherd—Jesus—who laid down His life for His sheep. All one has to do is read Philippians 2 to read about the great humility of Jesus! James 4:10 reads, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you”. Humility is truly a quality of the shepherds here at South Side.

For the fourth lesson, we need to drop down to Luke 2:15 after the angels had left. The shepherds said among themselves, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us”. These Christmas shepherds did not trust their personal experience—they wanted to see for themselves! Same way “doubting” Thomas wanted to see for himself the resurrected Christ—I personally am glad he “doubted” - I want my faith to rest on the eyewitness testimony! Our shepherds are firmly planted on the eyewitness testimony of the Bible!

The fifth lesson, is that the shepherds told others about what they had seen. Luke 2:17 says that the shepherds “made known the statement which had been told them about this Child”. What a great example for our shepherds, and each one of us! Each one of us, our pastors included, are commissioned by Christ to go and share the message! May we at South Side learn from the Christmas shepherds to present the Gospel!

The final lesson (and I am running out of space) comes from Luke 2:20 which says, “The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen”. Shepherds spend time glorifying and praising God! In caring for the flock, the shepherds become examples to the sheep for worshiping and praising our God.

In conclusion—I am thankful for our shepherds—all six of them! Len, Lawrence, Larry, Denny, Myreon and Dick are all to be commended on their shepherding the flock here at South Side! I know they won’t mind me saying that I am thankful for someone else even more. I am most thankful for the Chief Pastor (or Shepherd) because when He returns, I will “receive the unfading crown of glory”. (I Peter 5:4).

Bridling the Tongue

2008-11-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

We did it! Yes! We pulled off a surprise for Stella Good and her 90th birthday! What a wonderful day for South Side as we honored one of our many faithful Christian women!
It was great to hear Stella talk briefly after lunch about her church family. It was also nice to hear her talk about her husband, who served as an elder here at South Side.
In honor of Stella and her faithfulness to our Lord and Savior Jesus, I am reprinting an article published in a 1967 Side Lites by her husband, George Good.
As an evangelist, I am always humbled by the perseverance of people who have been in the Lord’s assembly for a good part of their lives. I am humbled even more when I realize some of the battles these saints have been through (both physical and spiritual) . Life is full of many ups and downs—and persevering can be quite challenging at times. Life can even be tougher when one stands firmly on the Word of God.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this month—lets remember to thank the Lord for the many faithful Christians—those who have fought the good fight and the many who are still fighting the good fight right now. Thank you Stella Good for your godly example to our church family. Thank you for your continued faithfulness.

Your evangelist,

Kevin

Elders Speak
“Bridling the Tongue”
By George Good
Otherwise be swift to hear and slow to speak. We are not to be teachers unless we know what to teach. The teacher does not have power of life or death over the listener, he does have the power of eternal destiny.
All men make mistakes, only One was perfect—Jesus the Christ, the Saviour of men.
If we are able to master our tongue, we can master sin. The head controls the tongue and the tongue has tremendous power. The horse is controlled with one little piece of iron, just as a bit is small, it does control the horse. Even the small rudder controls the great ship. And the tongue, tho small, can control us—note it’s power:
James in 3:6 identifies the tongue with fire! Money and the tongue seems to be our difficulty. The tongue represents the unrighteous world in our members—the tongue can defile the whole body. The tongue setteth on fire the course of nature. No one can tame this little organ in the mouth. Notice what is done with it—With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse! Can we bless and curse at the same time? Not if we have faith and love for our fellow man and for God.
Those who truly worship and honor God will be afraid to speak slanderously against men or God. Can blessings and cursings come from the same mouth? It cannot be for the Christian. A fountain cannot send forth sweet and bitter water at the same time. It is against nature to do this. A tree does not grow grapes and a vine figs. To one who knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)
Plan your life with God. If you are sinning, God has all power over sin. Remember James 3:7-8.

Side Lites, March 24, 1967

Fundamental Differences

2008-10-01T11:57:00.000-05:00

As the presidential campaign winds to a close in the next month, you have probably noticed that there are some “fundamental differences” between the two candidates. These “fundamental differences” are seen in about every issue that the candidates debate about.
Fundamental differences can be seen in:
· Abortion
· What constitutes a family
· War in Iraq
· Economy
Some of these issues are not simply matters of opinion, but fundamental! Take the issue of abortion as an example. One candidate believes that life begins at conception and the other believes that during the pregnancy the mother has the choice about what to do with her body. (I won’t tell you who to vote for, but FYI, the Bible teaches, and agrees with science, that life begins at conception). Fundamentally different!
One more example: what constitutes a family. One candidate believes that a marriage should only be between a man and a woman and the other believes that the same privileges and benefits, including marriage, given to the traditional husband and wife relationship should be extended to same sex relationships. (Again, I won’t tell you who to vote for, but FYI, the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin and an abomination, and those that practice it will not enter into the kingdom of God). Fundamentally different!
You can watch the rest of the debates and distinguish between the fundamental differences of the candidates. Then on November 4, you can go to the polls and vote for the candidate that holds the same fundamental ideas as you do. The purpose of this article is not to talk about politics, though, but rather some of the fundamental differences in the church.
The church of our Lord Jesus Christ has teachings that are fundamentally different than those taught in the world, and often times, in the religious world. All one has to do is ride around town and see all the churches—each holding to a different doctrine. And many of these teachings are fundamental differences.
I am glad that our ladies class here at South Side is going through a study on denominations in our world. My wife, who grew up here at South Side, said that she was taught lessons like this as she attended Sunday School here in her teenage years.
In many churches of Christ, though, this type of teaching would not be allowed because the thinking is that “we are all heading in the same direction anyway”. Hopefully as the ladies go through the study they will see that there are fundamental differences between what the New Testament teaches and what these different denominations are teaching.
These differences go beyond simply matters of opinion. Many of them are matters of faith!
The New Testament is fundamentally different than a church teaching communion is something offered at any other regularity than once a week on Sunday (Acts 20:7).
The New Testament is fundamentally different than a church teaching a person inherits sin and must be sprinkled as a baby to be saved (any conversion account in Acts teaches otherwise).
The New Testament is fundamentally different than a church teaching “faith only” is what saves, when the Bible teaches the exact opposite (James 2:24).
The New Testament is fundamentally different than a church teaching once a person is saved, they can never fall away (Hebrews 6:4-6).
The New Testament is fundamentally different than a church teaching immersion has nothing to do with our salvation (I Peter 3:21).
The New Testament is fundamentally different than a church supporting missions that do not promote New Testament Christianity when the Bible warns against this (II John 1:9-11).
The goal of South Side Church of Christ is to be fundamentally the SAME as the New Testament. And it does not matter how unpopular it may be—and believe me, it is unpopular to hold strong to the New Testament principles! When an outsider looks at South Side, we want them to realize that we are a Bible believing church!
Striving to be fundamentally sound!

Purity in Docrine

2008-09-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us (Titus 2:7-8).

The year was 1882 and samples of a fairly new brand of soap were sent to college chemistry professors and some independent laboratories. They compared this new soap with castile soaps, which were the standard for that day. The soap proved to be 99.44% pure. “99.44% pure” became so associated with this brand of soap, that even today, it is part of the registered trademark for Ivory Soap.

For the sake of this article, I want to compare Ivory Soap to the Church of Christ/Christian Church. And then I would like to use the Bible for the standard of purity. Just how pure is the church in doctrine? What is the standard we use to measure our purity?

I am afraid in many Churches of Christ/Christian Churches “purity in doctrine” is no longer important. At least that seems to be the case as I surf the internet and view some of the websites of our churches. One would think that if “purity in doctrine” was important to them, they would not put up some of the very weak statements of faith that I read. Many of them are so weak, in fact, they could be accepted in almost any denominational church. It is almost like they are embarrassed to make the connection between faith, repentance, confession, immersion, faithful living and our salvation! I personally agree with the Apostle Paul when he writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). What has happened to the boldness to share THE faith once delivered? Whatever happened to “purity in doctrine”?

One would also think that if “purity in doctrine” was important, they would not put some of the links on their websites that I find. I have been on some church websites, that if they didn’t teach faith only doctrine in their statement of faith, it was simply one or two clicks away because of a link purposely placed on the website. Whatever happened to “purity in doctrine”?

One would also think that if “purity in doctrine” was important, churches would use extreme caution when choosing curriculum for classes or which internet site or book to get the sermon from! Many of my brethren in Christ would much rather study from a “faith-only” book than a good solid book in line with the Scriptures! I have to wonder if some would rather study these “faith only” books or websites than to study from the Bible itself! We hand out false teaching in books and videos and then say we will adjust the materials to match the Scriptures. But I ask again: Whatever happened to “purity in doctrine”?

One would also think that if “purity in doctrine” was important, we would be extremely careful about the missions we support. Shouldn’t we only support missions that are going to promote New Testament Christianity? Isn’t “one Lord, one faith, one immersion” still essential in our missions? Shouldn’t our missions wear the name of the Lord instead of some denominational name? The Apostle Peter wrote, “if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name” (I Peter 4:16). Whatever happened to “purity in doctrine”?

In fact, I wonder sometimes if we have not changed the standard. It used to be that the BIBLE was our only source of authority! I believe some churches would rather use something written by Rick Warren or Bill Hybels as the standard, rather than the Word of God! If someone tries to point out the errors within the theology of men like these, they are labeled a legalist! I say, if that is the definition of a legalist, THANK YOU for the label! I would rather be simply classified as a Christian, though!

The church here at South Side, nor myself, is in no way perfect. But I would pray that we would try to stay pure to the Scriptures. The Apostle Peter encourages us to “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (I Peter 2:2)

Seeker Sensitive?

2008-08-10T12:01:00.000-05:00

Several months ago I was giving someone a tour of the South Side church building and when they walked into the auditorium they said, “Wow, this looks like a church”. I am not sure exactly what they meant by that, but I assume the pews, the stained glass windows, Bibles, hymnals, communion table, baptistery, pulpit, gave it away! But there are many in the Churches of Christ trying so hard to not look like a church. They don’t want to offend the “unchurched” (not my word, but their word). This type of thinking is called “seeker sensitive”. It is a very popular approach to the church today—popularized by the likes of Rick Warren and Bill Hybels.

Although not all churches doing some of the following things are “seeker sensitive”, these are red flags that a church is leaning that way:
* Moving or eliminating the communion table
* Promoting casual dress—including the evangelist in the pulpit (no suit and tie anymore)
* Removing the pews
* Adding lots of multimedia (movie clips, etc)
* Shortening sermons
* Using paraphrases instead of reliable translations in preaching and teaching
* Removing an invitation
* Often participate in interdenominational activities (The “seeker sensitive” often believes that we are not to judge other people’s faith)
* Expanding the song service, usually with contemporary songs on a screen
* Eliminating the eldership and promoting coaches
* Replace “saving the lost” with “reaching the unchurched”
* Evangelist becomes “the pastor”.

We saw a good example of this as we were traveling back from Delmarva Family Camp. We went by a church which had a sign outside of it that read: A church for a people who don’t like church. A church with a sign like that, seems to be a church that does what it can to be a “seeker sensitive” church. When I mentioned this to someone at South Side, they said, I wonder if there will be a heaven for people who do not like heaven.

By studying the sermons of the Old and New Testament, I wonder how many of the spokesmen for God were “seeker sensitive”? I would venture to say that even Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount would not be classified as “seeker sensitive”.

I wonder just how “seeker sensitive” the prophet Elijah was. I am sure these words were said in a way as to not offend the idol worshippers of his day:
Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened (I Kings 18:27).
“Seeker sensitive”? I think not!

I wonder if we would classify John the Immerser’s sermons as “seeker sensitive”? When he saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming out to be immersed, he said to them:
You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham (Matthew 3:7-9).
“Seeker sensitive”? I think not!

How about the “seeker sensitive” sermon of the Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified and Be saved from this perverse generation! (Acts 2:36, 40).
“Seeker sensitive”? I think not!

It is interesting that the Apostles were not afraid of offending the lost—and even after offending them, 3000 people were immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins on that day!
I want to be part of a church that is not necessarily “seeker sensitive” but rather is promoting the plan of the New Testament! I am glad that South Side is the latter!

And besides all this, the true “Seeker” is God! He is seeking fellowship with the church! He is seeking and saving those who are lost! He is seeking faithfulness in the church! He is the one and true living God who does not wish any to perish, but for all to come to eternal life. He is the God who seeks the lost and wants them to believe and be immersed in order to be saved—and if someone disbelieves that he should respond to the Gospel, he will be condemned (Mark 16:16).
“Seeker sensitive”? I think not!

The Love of Preaching

2008-07-01T12:03:00.000-05:00

I love to hear good, solid, biblical preaching. You would expect to hear that from your preacher, though, I suppose. It is great to have many of you here at South Side that are as excited about good biblical preaching as I am. If you are like me, you expect to hear a good sermon when the church meets; whether on Sunday morning or evening, or at the county meeting. In fact, you may be disappointed when there isn’t a good, challenging message. Now there is nothing wrong with a few good songs, but nothing beats a good Bible-based sermon!

Along with this love to hear good preaching comes a lack of much patience for preaching that is not sound. I would much rather listen to a boring, but solid biblical preacher who stumbles on words than to listen to a polished preacher who may be able to motivate you, but couldn’t pass Bible 101.

I suppose that is why I love to go to family camps. From 9 AM—9 PM, with the exception of a few breaks, one can enjoy getting into God’s Word. I wish more from South Side could join my family as we travel to Delmarva and Hillsboro this month. I believe between the preaching, music and fellowship—you would love the camp meetings!

This is my twentieth year attending Hillsboro Family Camp in Ohio and my first one in Delmarva. And this is my first time to be asked to speak (at Delmarva). I consider it quite an honor to be on the same program as Lee Mason, Raymond Bennett, Kevin Yeager, and many others. I pray that I represent our Lord with my finest. And I also pray that I can do my best in representing South Side Church of Christ.

God has used preaching throughout human history to get His message out. Noah is called a “preacher of righteousness” in II Peter 2:5. And of course Solomon considered himself a preacher as recorded throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. John the Baptist was a preacher. Even Jesus, Himself, was a preacher. One of His greatest sermons recorded is in Matthew 5-7: the Sermon on the Mount.

The Apostle Paul told the church at Corinth in I Corinthians 1:21, “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe”.

Of course proclaiming the good news is every Christians’ ministry. Jesus commissioned the disciples to: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

It was the Christians who “preached the Word” as they scattered away from Jerusalem because of persecution (Acts 8:4). Simply put, they shared the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus with everyone they had opportunity to talk with. And I am confident that they told the lost what they needed to do to be saved as they preached Jesus.

It has been wonderful to see several Christians here at South Side be excited about the Gospel! I pray that this trend will continue. You want your family, neighbors and friends to hear about the “one Lord, one faith, one immersion.”

One last thing: pray for boldness in preaching. But be prepared, because when you share the Gospel, you may be rejected. We should expect that because the early New Testament preachers were rejected. For that matter, Jesus Himself was rejected.

But there is great joy, even in heaven, when a sinner obeys the gospel. This makes any rejection worth the effort! May we continue to preach and teach the good news in all of it’s clarity!

Twenty Years and Counting!

2008-06-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

The old saying is that “time flies when you are having fun”. It seems like yesterday that I began as an evangelist. It was twenty years ago this month (June 5, 1988) that the elders at the Central Christian Church in Tampa, FL, ordained me as an evangelist of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I had already been working as a youth evangelist. But as I graduated from Florida Christian College (May 1988), my desire was to preach. It was May 7, 1988, that the eldership at Lawshe Church of Christ in Seaman, OH, woke me up from my afternoon nap to interview me to become their evangelist. They liked me well enough that they flew me up so that I could preach two trial sermons on June 12, 1988. They were either desperate, or they really liked my preaching, as they wanted me to begin the following week! After packing up all my things in a large truck, I moved north and began full time at Lawshe on Father’s Day, June 19, 1988!
Being an evangelist involves a lot of things. Here are some specific things that Paul wrote to a couple of young evangelists in the first century.

Duties of an evangelist:
o Public Ministry of the Word
o (I Timothy 4:13)
o Herald the Message of Salvation
o (I Timothy 2:7)
o Remind the Saints of Basic Christian Virtues
o (Titus 3:1,2; I Timothy 4:16; 6:17-19)
o Rebuke Unchristian Attitudes and Actions
o (Titus 1:13; 2:15; II Timothy 4:3)
o Warn Divisive People
o (Titus 3:10,11)
o Preach the Word
o (II Timothy 4:1,2)
o Teach
o (I Timothy 4:11)
o Passing onto others what he has been taught
o (II Timothy 2:2)
o Set things in order
o (Titus 1:5)
o Train and install Godly men into leadership positions
o (I Timothy 3:1-12; Titus 1:5-9; I Timothy 5:22)
o Rebuke those who sin and deal with them
o (Titus 3:10; I Timothy 5:20)
o See that Widows are properly cared for
o (I Timothy 5:3-16)
o Responsible for proper conduct within the Assembly
o (I Timothy 2 - Paul instructs Timothy on the proper conduct of men in prayer, women, etc.)
o Guarding against False Teaching
o (I Timothy 4:1-6; Titus 1:10-14)
o Servant
o (II Timothy 2:24)
o Student
o (II Timothy 2:15) The word “diligent” (NASB) or "Study” (KJV) means to “become a master-craftsman.”

WOW! That is a lot of things! Thankfully here at South Side, I have a great group of elders who encourage and support me completely and assist me in doing the work of an evangelist! The congregation has also been wonderful in loving and taking care of my family. Thank you for your patience and encouragement. I consider it an honor and a privilege to be the evangelist at South Side Church of Christ.

From Darkness to Light

2008-05-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

I am currently reading a great book entitled “From Darkness to Light”. Each chapter is written by a different author. It is part of the Restoration Reprint Series of books. The book is about how people left the darkness of denominationalism and came into the light of New Testament Christianity. Ever since starting to read it, I have thought that we need a book like this today! If I were to write my conversion from denominationalism to New Testament Christianity, it would include the following:

I remember as a child, at a fairly young age, going forward one Sunday morning and saying the “sinner’s prayer”. The Wesleyan church which we attended believed that a person should be immersed, but only as an “outward sign of an inward act”. The building where my Dad took us to church did not have a baptistery in it. So a group of us kids went to the Nazarene church in town to be immersed. As I was lowered in the water, I was reminded that this immersion had nothing to do with my salvation. What saved me, according to their teaching, was God’s grace when I went up and repeated the “sinner’s prayer”.

I spent a few years after this in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, including being immersed as an “outward sign of an inward act” - this time into the Jehovah’s Witnesses. And then I spent a few years not going to any kind of church or “kingdom hall” at all.

This all changed in 1984. I am so grateful for the grace of God that He sent into my life some people who would help lead me out of darkness into the light. Two of those people would be my neighbors, the James family, who constantly invited me to attend the Central Christian Church near my home in Tampa. I am glad that they did not give up on me, but kept persevering as I kept promising that I would attend sometime.

I decided to finally attend and was surprised when I saw people actually carry their Bibles to church with them, and they used them! In fact, I attended a Sunday School class like I had never attended before. God used my new Sunday School teacher Daniel Hefner to teach me some of the basics of the faith. Dan’s goal was that we would learn. In order to meet this goal, he had us memorize Scripture. You read that right! My adult Sunday School teacher had us memorize Scriptures that I still have in my memory today. These Scriptures included verses that would help us win others to come to New Testament Christianity.

I am also thankful that God placed Edgar Harris into my life. Edgar Harris was the evangelist at Central Christian Church. God used him to set me straight on the order of salvation—belief, saved, baptized (as the Wesleyans and Jehovah’s Witnesses taught)? or belief, baptized, saved? All he really needed to do was quote Mark 16:16—He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Edgar Harris became the “Aquila and Pricilla” in my life, as he explained to me “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). Using the Jule Miller film strip series, he taught several newcomers the basics of the faith, right in his own study. Between that and his solid Biblical preaching, he convinced me from the Bible that salvation does not take place when one lifts up their hand and says a prayer. Rather it happens when a repentant believer is lowered and then raised in the watery grave of baptism. I remember going up to him and telling him after the fifth film strip that I needed to be immersed, this time into Christ to have my sins finally removed. That evening, October 21, 1984, Edgar Harris immersed me into Christ to have all my sins washed away!

There were many others who would influence me during this time of my life. God used each of them to lead me to the New Testament position. I was so convinced of the restoration of New Testament Christianity that less than a year later I was in Bible college training at Florida Christian College to be an evangelist.

The plea to return to the New Testament position is so logical. And that plea must begin with winning people to Christ the way it was done in the first century church (as we read in the book of Acts).

The Ancient Paths

2008-03-31T21:44:00.004-05:00

When I was at Florida Christian College and taking Hebrew under the late Dr. W.W. Winter, I used the Hebrew name “Yirmeyahu” in class. I am sure you are wondering who “Yirmeyahu” was, never having heard that name in your Old Testament reading. It was simply the name Jeremiah, just spoken in the Hebrew dialect. There were basically two main reasons that I chose to use the name of the great prophet Jeremiah in Hebrew class. One of them is not that I was always crying (he is known as the “weeping prophet”).

The first reason was Jeremiah 20:9—But if I say, “I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name”, Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it. As a future evangelist in the mid 1980’s, this verse of Jeremiah became like a theme verse as I prepared to go out and preach the Gospel. Nothing could shut me up because the message was like a fire in my bones—I was weary of holding it in! Wouldn’t that be a great attitude for all Christians about sharing the Gospel?

The second reason was Jeremiah 6:16—Thus says the LORD, "Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ As I continued to be taught about the foundations of the faith at FCC, this verse was a constant reminder to go back to the “ancient paths”! If you will—go back and restore the New Testament Church! Go back to the “old paths” - the New Testament!

Too often in the New Testament church, we are more concerned about “new things” than we are the ancient order of things.

I remember being in Nazareth at the church building built overtop of the traditional home of Jesus. The guide was very proud of the building and as he lead us through the courtyard, he pointed out the new baptistery the church had put in. As the 40 or so Church of Christ members looked over, all we saw was what looked like a bird bath. It was obviously a place to sprinkle or pour water onto someone. As we continued on our tour into the ancient ruins underneath the modern church—we came upon something that looked like an ancient hot tub. It was obvious to us that it was an ancient baptistery used to immerse. We asked the guide what that was and he answered, “That was the ancient way of baptizing people”.

Wow! The old paths! The ancient ways! The old Jerusalem Gospel and the old ship Zion! What has happened to preaching and teaching of the Old stuff—just some good old fashioned Gospel preaching?

While at FCC I also was privileged to study under Dr. James Smith. “Doc Smith” as we called him (or “Doc”), is a great preacher and teacher of the ancient paths. He is also a great scholar. Doc Smith wrote the whole Old Testament commentary set for College Press. He also wrote a couple of those Bible Study Textbook Series Commentaries. In his one on “Jeremiah and Lamentations” he writes, “True reformers are not those who are advocating new things but those who give due weight to old truths. The person who walks the old path will find spiritual rest for his soul. He will live a life free from anxiety about the here and now and the hereafter as well.”*

South Side—lets be a church that is constantly looking back to the “old paths”! Lets be a church that is continually devoted to the Apostles’ teaching! Lets be a church that is restoring New Testament Christianity, always seeking the “old paths”! The Bible is our source of absolute authority—for the things we do in the church building and for our lives!

Have you ever felt all alone in this endeavor? Don’t feel bad, even Jeremiah was told that the people would not walk in the old paths! So, if sometimes you have this feeling—keep pressing on! For as we do, we ensure salvation for ourselves and for those we lead to Christ.

*Bible Study Textbook Series: Jeremiah and Lamentations, Dr. James Smith, College Press, 1972, p. 214.

Gospel in a Nutshell

2008-03-03T13:47:00.003-06:00

My Mom loved to go to a restaurant where we could throw the nutshells on the floor. As you walk in, there was a big barrel of peanuts and you could fill up your pail and take it to the table with you. One of her last birthdays we celebrated together before her death, we went to one of these restaurants. Every time I go to a restaurant today where you can do this (which isn’t very often), I am reminded of different passages of Scripture referred to as the “Gospel in a nutshell”. Usually what is meant by that, is the Gospel is presented in a clear, concise package.

One such text is I Corinthians 15:1-8:
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

To summarize the Gospel from this passage:
* Jesus died, according to Scripture
* Jesus was buried
* Jesus rose from the grave, according to Scriptures
* All this was confirmed by eyewitness testimony

That puts the Gospel in a very clear, concise manner. If you will, the “Gospel in a nutshell”. If we believe that a person must start with hearing the Gospel—this would be at least a good place to start.

I remember hearing Ed Bousman speak of an experience he had one time at a meeting in Cincinnati of some big denominational preacher. As he described the sermon, he said it was one of the best sermons on the blood of Christ that he had heard. He continued on, though and said that the only problem with it was (and this is a BIG problem), the preacher didn’t tell us how to apply that blood. So I Corinthians 15 may lay out the groundwork for sharing the Gospel, but how do I apply it to my life?

One other passage I like to think is the “Gospel in a nutshell” is Acts 8:35:
Then Phillip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture (Isaiah 53) he preached Jesus to him.

Now you ask, where is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus in that passage! You would have to open up your Old Testaments to Isaiah 53 to find out about the death of Jesus—that is what the Ethiopian was reading. But Luke, the author of the book of Acts, summarizes the Gospel in the translated phrase “he preached Jesus to him”. “Preaching Jesus” is pretty concise and to the point. But what did it mean?

* To “preach Jesus”, is to share Jesus!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His death!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His burial!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His resurrection!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His love!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share His grace!
* To “preach Jesus” is to share how to apply this whole event to our lives.

All one has to do is to look at the very next verse in Acts 8 and you will find one of the things that “preaching Jesus” included:
As they traveled along the road they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
(Acts 8:36)

How did the Ethiopian Eunuch know he needed to be immersed UNLESS the preaching of Jesus included it? Now I challenge you to go back through the other conversion accounts in the book of Acts and see what sharing Jesus meant! Read through sermons! You will find the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. But you will also find the need for the non-Christian to believe this Gospel and to apply it to his or her life by repenting of sin, confessing Christ, being immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then continued faithful living!

Lets all learn the “Gospel in a nutshell”. And then lets all “preach Jesus” - share our faith in Christ!

Your evangelist,
Kevin

Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-20T21:15:00.004-06:00

Tonight my family and I watched the lunar eclipse together. The picture shows our view right before it was completely covered. It was a beautiful, clear and cold night here in Illinois. The next full lunar eclipse does not occur until December 20, 2010.

When I see events like this, it reminds me of our Great Creator God, who with His word. On the fourth day of creation the Bible says, "Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day" (Genesis 1:14-19).

Great is our Lord and worthy to be praised!

Confidence in Christ!

2008-02-03T20:40:00.000-06:00

This month South Side has the privilege of hosting the Vermilion County Churches of Christ and Christian Churches County Meeting. And I, as the evangelist here, have the privilege to preach! This year it happens to fall on President Abraham Lincoln’s 199th birthday. Being in the Land of Lincoln, we will celebrate our heritage as a nation.

As I have been planning for this great meeting, I have come across some interesting facts in regard to Lincoln and his possible immersion into Christ. The debate on whether he was immersed or not has been around since Lincoln’s untimely death.

David Lipscomb mentions the debate in the July 24, 1873, edition of the Gospel Advocate:
Quite an interesting discussion is going on as to whether Mr. Lincoln was a believer in the Bible and in Jesus Christ. One of his biographers, an intimate, personal friend, pretty clearly proves that he was an infidel and ridiculed the Bible and the claims of Jesus to be the Christ until the end of his life. Others present pretty conclusive evidence that he did acknowledge a change in his opinion about Christ, before his death. He often, after the forms of public rulers, expressed a reliance on God and Christ in his public proclamations.
Gospel Advocate, July 24, 1873, 691.

There basically are two stories told about Lincoln and his invitation to be immersed. One takes place in Springfield, IL, and the other in Washington, D.C.

The immersion in Springfield is described by James DeForrest Murch:
There is a tradition among Illinois Disciples that John O’Kane, when state evangelist, discussed the state of Lincoln’s soul with him on several occasions; finally he was convicted and wished to be immersed. He reportedly knew that his wife, who had strong Episcopal and Presbyterian social obligations in Springfield, would be greatly embarrassed if it were known that a “Campbellite” evangelist had baptized him. But one night, Lincoln slipped away from the house with proper garments for baptism, met O’Kane and was immersed in the waters of the Sangamon River.
Christians Only, Standard Publishing, 1962, p. 155.

The other story was submitted by W.R. Lowe:
W. H. Morris told me that in 1862, while his regiment was in Washington, or just across the river in Arlington Heights, he held a protracted meeting of about two weeks, during which he baptized many of the soldiers of his regiment. Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet attended his meeting. Mr. Lincoln and Secretary Stanton attended nearly every night and, near the close of the meeting, Mr. Lincoln came to him and said, “Morris, do you think it necessary for every person to be baptized?” He replied: “It is not a matter of think-so with me! It is a matter of revelation. Jesus said, ‘Go and teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.’ And Peter, by the Holy Spirit, said, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins.’” When he had made these quotations from the old Book, Mr. Lincoln said: “Well, Morris, I look at this matter just as you do, and I intend to attend to it.” Bro. Morris says he thinks from what he saw that Secretary Stanton and other members of his Cabinet persuaded him to defer the matter for the time being, and he never had a favorable opportunity after that, or, at least, he never attended to it.
W. R. Lowe, “An Interesting Incident,” Christian Standard, January 21, 1911.

I doubt a biography will ever be written about me. But if one is written, just for the record, I was immersed on October 21, 1984, at the Central Christian Church in Tampa, Florida, by evangelist Edgar Harris.
We should have confidence in Christ!

Front and Center!

2008-01-06T21:27:00.000-06:00

What are the most important aspects to the Church of Christ? What are those things which we believe should be “Front and Center”. This phrase means to have “the most prominent position”. It means to be at the forefront. There are some things in the assembly that are more important than others.

Many Churches of Christ/Christian Churches, lose sight of the things that should be most prominent. There are churches more interested in entertainment than in evangelism. Many are more interested in an upbeat song service than a sermon with depth. Other churches put emphasis on buildings, programs and many other things that are never “front and center” in the Scriptures.

I have always taught that there are two main purposes in the church. No, you don’t have to write me a large check and go through a forty day program to tell you the purpose of the church. I can summarize it within the two columns of this newsletter!

Everything the church does, should fall into one of the following two categories. My prayer for the church is that the church would bring these two aspects back to FRONT and CENTER!
The first one is evangelism. Jesus commissioned us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). And again Jesus told His disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).

The church is to preach the Gospel! We are to try to convert the lost (notice I did not use the popular term “unchurched” which is not found in the New Testament—I personally want to convert both the “unchurched” and the “churched” if they are outside of Christ). The church does this by sharing their faith and by the teaching and preaching the truth.

The second purpose of the church that needs to be brought back to front and center is building the church up. The Apostle Paul told the church at Ephesus that Jesus had given leadership gifts to the church. He then went on and told the church what these gifts were for. The Apostle writes, He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Notice the purpose of leadership is to equip the saints (that is the church) for works of service and build up the body of Christ. Notice it is NOT the role of leadership to do all the work in the assembly. No, rather, it is the role of leadership (evangelists and pastor/teachers—or elders) to equip the church for the work of service!

Wouldn’t it be great if every member at South Side brought these two purposes back to front and center—and yes, it takes every member?

In closing let me lists some other things that should be front and center in the church:

The Apostles’ Doctrine—what happened to a good Gospel sermon? I love good Christian music with good messages, but replacing the preaching of the Gospel with a song service is not taught in Scriptures!

Christian fellowship—the Biblical word fellowship has to do with participation and sharing. This not only involves a fellowship dinner, but giving of an offering—participating in the Gospel!
The Lord’s Supper—literally needs to be brought front and center! Many churches have placed the Lord’s Supper somewhere other than a prominent place in the assembly!

Prayers—The church needs to be known as a house of prayer.

If you didn’t notice—I believe we need to put front and center what the early church put front and center! Luke records it this way: They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).
Alright church—FRONT and CENTER!

Never give up! Perseverance! Patience!

2007-12-16T16:02:00.000-06:00

Never give up! Perseverance! Patience! Being a Tampa Bay Bucs fan takes all three of those characteristics sometimes. All one has to do is go back to when the franchise began in 1976 - goodness, I don't want to go back to all those loses (0-26) and blunders (not to mention the old Buccaneer orange jerseys). Growing up in the Tampa Bay area, I remember those years well!

But today, in their 32nd season and on the 1,865 try, Tampa finally returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Never giving up! Perseverance! Patience! It was bound to happen one day. The 1,865 attempts over the 32 years were made by 141 players. Before today, Tampa Bay's kickoff returns had covered 37,395 yards, or more than 21 miles. Michael Spurlock returned the kickoff back 90 yards in the first quarter for the touchdown!

And to top everything off, with the 37-3 win over the Falcons, the Bucs clinched the NFC South division title.

The Bible talks about never giving up - God never gave up on us, but while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The Bible talks about perseverance - mankind should be faithful to God unto death. And yes, the Bible talks about patience - patience on the part of God to us and mankind to one another.

OK, I know that the Scriptures are not applying it to a football team! But sometimes events that happen today help remind us of Biblical characteristics. Even during a football game!

Global Warming?

2007-12-09T13:34:00.000-06:00

I am always confused come winter time in Illinois about our friends who believe in global warming. Instead of thinking that man is going to destroy the seasons of the earth, I will go along with God's promise - the one He gave at the same time as He promised not to have a global flood again: While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)

Deer and Snow

2007-12-08T12:03:00.000-06:00

My son spotted a deer in our backyard this morning before we left for our men's breakfast. There is no water up there (other than the frozen snow), but seeing a deer always reminds me of Psalm 42:1 - As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God.

And of course the snow reminds me of Psalm 51:7 - Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Or even Isaiah 1:18 - Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.

Flipping Houses

2007-12-04T09:07:00.000-06:00

Over the past several months we have been involved in “flipping” a house. We still have a long way to go. Flipping houses is a very lucrative adventure if you have the vision, money, time and patience to see it through. We watch several shows on TV where houses are purchased and then remodeled for big profit. The difference between us and the ones who do it on the television shows is that they make lots of money! We are not planning on selling our home for profit, but to live in it. The TV flippers take houses that most of us would not even consider buying and fix them up for great profit.

Many people have probably already flipped their normal everyday living quarters into a holiday festive atmosphere. Of course they did this in the stores months ago, I believe!
As an evangelist, working with the elders here at South Side, I consider our leadership as a “flipper” team. No, it is not our job to flip houses, but rather to flip lives. And if need be, to flip the church back to the “one Lord, one faith, one immersion” when she gets off track!

That is what restoration is all about. When a person responds in faith, repentance, confession and immersion, we are part of the process of restoring a broken relationship with our God. Enmity was between the seed of woman (people of God) and the seed of the serpent (people of the world) since the very first sin (Genesis 3:15). Paul said that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

What a great ministry—flipping a life that is outside of Christ to a life in Christ! Offering someone the free gift of God—the only hope for mankind—Jesus Christ is exciting (Romans 6:23)! What a great joy it is to witness someone who is not living for God turn their life around. Paul described some in the Corinthian church who had done some major flipping in their lives. After listing out several things that would keep people out of the Kingdom (the church), he writes, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11).
And what a great ministry to assist a church in restoring back to the New Testament pattern!

Sometimes after years of renovations, flipping the church back to the New Testament can be difficult—not impossible, but difficult. For instance, we would love to find the original floor plan for our home. Having been renovated very early on into three apartments has made that a rather challenging task—not impossible, just challenging. I believe the church is easier—we have the New Testament as our source of authority!

As we settle in for Christmas, may we look for lives that need flipped. We may need to look first at ourselves. But after being redeemed, we can share the Prince of Peace with our family and friends so that they too can have their lives flipped!

And if you want some hands on experience flipping a house, come talk with me! I even know about a $2000 house! But more importantly, lets work together flipping lives here at South Side!

Baptism and Salvation?

2007-11-01T20:53:00.000-05:00

Ok – here I go again talking about words! Words are so important. The order of words is critical! When we are presenting the Gospel, we must only use ideas and concepts that are Scriptural. Paul wrote to the evangelist Timothy: Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you (I Timothy 4:16).

It used to be that the only place where you would find words like the following were in a “faith only” denominational tract. I copied the following from a denominational church: Baptism doesn’t make you a believer — it shows that you already believe. Baptism does not “save” you, only your faith in Christ does that. Baptism is like a wedding ring — it’s the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart.

When I was in college studying Sotieriology (Doctrine of Salvation) this doctrine was the ol’ “outward sign of an inward grace” false teaching. But now it seems these words, or ones like them, appear on the web pages and tracts that we “Bible believing” churches are putting out.
Here is how one Church of Christ/Christian Church words it: Baptism isn’t what makes you a believer or a Christian. It just shows that you already believe! Baptism does not “save” you. You are “saved” by your faith in Jesus . . . In a way it is like a wedding ring. Just as a wedding ring is a visual symbol of the commitment you make to your husband or wife, baptism is a visual symbol of the commitment you make to God.

Sounds very similar to denominational tract, doesn’t it? Quite honestly, it was difficult to read those words from a Church of Christ/Christian Church. It was even harder to type them in light of I Peter 3:21 : Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now I understand that baptism without belief (or faith) does not save a person – but I also understand, belief (or faith) without baptism does not save either (according to I Peter 3:21 and other Scriptures). Jesus connected belief, baptism and our salvation in one breath in Mark 16:16: He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Notice the order of words by Jesus. Do you think the order of words is important? Believes . . . has been baptized . . . shall be saved. The two quotes from tracts seem to change the order just a bit . . . believes . . . is saved . . . later baptized – because the tracts make baptism simply a “symbol” of what already took place on the inside – “outward sign of an inward grace”.
Baptism is a symbol of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, but it is so much more than that.

Consider the following Scriptures which connect baptism with salvation:

Acts 2:38 – Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins
Acts 22:16 – Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins
Romans 6:3 – do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death
Galatians 3:27 – For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Colossians 2:12 – having been buried with Him in baptism
Also Mark 16:16 & I Peter 3:21 (quoted above in article).

If we are a Christian, we are “in Christ”. And if we are a Christian BEFORE we are baptized, into whom are we baptized into, seeing we are already “in Christ”? I am not sure how anyone can disconnect baptism and salvation.

As for me and my house, we will stick with the Scriptures. God has plainly outlined that one must believe, repent, confess and be immersed for the forgiveness of sins. Then we live the faithful life the rest of our lives! If my sins are unforgiven, I am lost. If my sins are forgiven, I am saved! Unforgiven sin is what will keep me out of heaven. Thanks be to God who gave us the plan by which we might be saved! Preach it! Teach it! And when you do – you ensure salvation for yourself and for those who hear you (I Timothy 4:16).

"Nit Picking" or Biblical?

2007-10-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

To “nit pick” or not to “nit pick” - that is the question. Actually, maybe a better way to state it is: To “be Biblical” or not to “be Biblical”? Why is it that church members and preachers have started to call those of us who insist on being Biblical “nit picking”? I would expect that from the world. They are not as educated in the Scriptures as we are (or at least as we should be)!

I have heard preachers say “words don’t matter”. If you insist on calling something by a Biblical term, it is just nit picking. If this is the case, lets just throw out the entire Bible—it is made of words! And I would add, not just words, but specific words with specific meanings!

If “words don’t matter”, what difference does it make that every New Testament author used the word for immerse when talking about our baptism? “Words don’t matter”. If words don’t matter, what difference does it make that the New Testament authors chose the Greek word “agape” for God’s love for us? Maybe their intent was one of the other Greek words for love? Or maybe the authors used very specific words, as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit?

Sometimes when I try to use a “Bible word” for a “Bible thing”, I get accused of nit picking. So sometimes I have to wonder if I am simply being too nit picky or not.

If someone comes to me and wants to be sprinkled and I insist on them being immersed, am I being too nit picky, or am I being Biblical?

If someone asks why we don’t serve communion on Saturday night and I insist on partaking on the first day of the week (Sunday), am I being too nit picky, or am I being Biblical?

If a person comes to me claiming to be a Christian by repeating the “sinner’s prayer” and I insist that they show me in Scripture where that teaching is found, am I being too nit picky, or am I being Biblical?

If a person comes to me and asks where the “altar call” is in our assembly and I insist that there is not altar in the New Testament church, am I being too nit picky, or am I being Biblical?

If a person asks me what denomination is the Church of Christ and I insist that we are anti-denominational, am I being too nit picky, or am I being Biblical?

If a Christian refers to the Lord’s Supper as a “sacrament” and I insist that the Lord’s Supper is a remembrance, not a means of grace, am I being too nit picky, or am I being Biblical?

If a person comes to me and says that they were saved and later immersed and I insist that they be immersed for the forgiveness of sins, am I being too nit picky, or am I being Biblical?

If a church member calls me “pastor” and I insist that the elders are the pastors of the church and I am an evangelist, am I being too nit picky, or am I being Biblical?

I could go on, but I want to allow myself a couple of lines for closing thoughts. I often wonder where we have failed. Are our new preachers not being taught right or are they simply reading the wrong book? Or maybe we have elders who have given in to the religious world jargon and don’t care anymore? But instead of dwelling where we have gone astray in our language, let me encourage you to grow in your faith and knowledge. My prayer is that our goal would return to the original goal: that is to restore the church back to the New Testament pattern And part of that restoration should be the words we use. But if you do, be ready. You can join the “nit picking” club like me, because people will be quick to call you that, instead of what you really are, and that is Biblical.

Jesus believed even the individual letters of the Bible were important: “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18). And some think words are not important?

Words convey our thoughts and meanings. Words are so vital to communicate the correct message. I pray we use the right words to share with the world. Jesus said very plainly, “everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).

Being the Church

2007-09-01T20:43:00.000-05:00

Ok—you should know by now I am not referring to the building, a service or a time slot on our Sunday schedule. I am writing about the people! We, who are in Christ, are the church of Christ! Jesus, referring to Peter’s confession that He is the Christ, said in Matthew 16: 18, “Upon this rock I will build My church”. Paul would later greet the Roman Christians by writing in Romans 16:16, “All the churches of Christ greet you”. I am honored to be part of the church of Christ! It is His church!
But what does it take to be the church? Let me suggest a few characteristics of the church as taught in the New Testament. This is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully will be enough to help us identify the church of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Right Lord
If we want to be the church that Christ built, we must have the right Lord. When Peter made the good confession in Matthew 16:16, he identified the right Lord. When Jesus asked who do you think I am, Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Later in Peter’s first Gospel message he said, “God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you have crucified” (Acts 2:36). Later Paul would plainly write that there is only “one Lord” (Ephesians 4:5). In the New Testament church we must only have one Lord. It is not the eldership as a group. It is certainly not me, your evangelist. It is Jesus! He is the Christ! He is Lord! He is the Savior! He purchased the church with His own blood. That is why we insist on identifying ourselves as His church—namely the church of Christ!

Right Faith
If we want to be the church that Christ built, we must also have the right faith. Biblical faith does not have varieties or flavors. Don’t you love going to a nice buffet restaurant? At the buffet we pick and chose what we want to eat. Many would have you believe that biblical faith is like that. Pick a little doctrine of the New Testament here, and a little there, maybe throw in a small dash of the Old Testament and load on the opinions!

That is not what Paul taught when he wrote to the Ephesian Christians that there is only “one faith” (Ephesians 4:5). The Apostle Peter would word it this way in his third recorded gospel message: "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Peter was referring to the one Lord and the one faith needed for our salvation and to be identified as His church! He of course was referring to Jesus and His way. The right faith involves both our trust in the message of the Gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus) and our obedience to that message (repentance, confession of our faith, immersion into Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and faithfully living with Jesus as Lord). When we have the right faith, and we teach the right faith and we live the right faith, we can be the church of Christ!

Right Remembrance
If we want to be the church that Christ built, we must have the right remembrance, and may I add, on the right day! Each and every Lord’s Day, the church gathers for at least four reasons. Luke wrote about the early church devoting themselves to “1. the apostles’ teaching and to 2. fellowship, to 3. the breaking of bread and to 4. prayer” (Acts 2:42). Luke would later write about the apostolic practice of “breaking bread” on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). Besides the Gospel accounts of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, we have Paul’s teaching in I Corinthians 11. The breaking of bread is a great weekly reminder of what saves us—the death of Jesus on the cross. This is why when you visit South Side, we have the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. It is His church and we certainly want to be the church!

Right Attitude
If we want to be the church that Christ built, let me suggest one last thing: we need to have the right attitude! The church exists for two main purposes. We exist to seek and save the lost (not the unchurched, but the LOST). That is why we insist on bringing the lost (churched or unchurched) to the New Testament position. We also exist to encourage and build up each other. In meeting both of these purposes, we must have the right attitude. Paul wrote to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). We must believe that we have the truth (the faith), but be willing to present the truth in a loving, humble way. The Apostle Paul knew the importance of love as he was dealing with the problems in the Corinthian church (I Corinthians 13). If we want others to know that we are the church of Christ, we need to show love toward one another (John 13:35). As the church, we need each other. I never quite understand the person who thinks they can be the church without being part of the assembly.

Jesus built His church! He died for His church! One day He is going to present His church (his bride) “in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27).
Joshua made the commitment to serve Yahweh. I pray that we will make the same commitment. And in doing so, we will be committed to being His church, the church of Christ! I am thankful to God to be the church along with you here at South Side. Let us be His church to the best of our abilities!

2007 Hillsboro Family Camp

2007-08-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

The camper and a tent were our humble abode this last week. We attended the 2007 Hillsboro Family Camp in Hillsboro, OH. The preaching was great! The singing was wonderful! The fellowship was fantastic! The family time was great! The camp looked really good! Person to Person Ministries always plans a program that is top notch. Five immersions (that I know of) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins; one man went forward to go into ministry and another man went forward to rededicate his life! It is always a blessing to be on Restoration Acres! The temperatures were hot - and we drank a lot of water!
I have been blessed to be able to attend most of the Family Camps at Hillsboro since 1988! If you love great, Bible based, straight down the line preaching - you will love Hillsboro! Plan to go next year if you can - July 28-31, 2008 - If the Lord tarries, and Lord willing, my family plans to be there next year! My daughter asked, "Daddy are we coming next year?" I asked her, "Why, do you want to come back?" Her quick, excited response, was "YES!" Maybe I will see you there!

Who Are You To Judge?

2007-07-29T20:51:00.000-05:00

To judge or not to judge? That is the question. At least the question I will attempt to answer. Several years ago I heard Mike Breidenbaugh, former preacher at Macon Church of Christ, speak on judging. It was a great outline! It was the best sermon on judging I had ever heard. Mike is a powerful evangelist and has a ministry called “Open Your Heart”. His web address is: http://www.openyourheartministries.com/

But before you go out and surf the web, lets run back through that outline on judging! In the New Testament, there are three types of judging that God condemns:

Do NOT judge according to appearance.
In John 7:24, Jesus says, ”Do not judge according to appearance”.
Don’t jump to conclusions. In order to make a proper judgment about something, we must not simply guess. Know the facts! Make sure you know things that were said or done! And never make a mountain out of a molehill. It is easy to do—just add dirt! We are not to judge a person’s motive or intention. So if we are going to make a judgment call on something—know the facts, not just what it looks like.

Do NOT judge lest you be judged.
In Matthew 7:1-6, Jesus says, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you”.
What Jesus condemns here is judging hypocritically. We are not to judge in another what we are guilty of doing ourselves. This is the same thing that the Apostle Paul is referring to in Romans 2. We must clean up our own act before we try to clean up someone else's act. Jesus implies that after we remove our sin, there is a proper way to judge. He says, “then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). How can we take the speck out of our brother’s eye without some sort of judging? God's people must determine the difference between 'holy' and 'dogs', 'pearl' and 'swine' in this Matthew passage. This involves judging.

Do NOT judge in the realm of opinion.
In Romans 14:1, the Apostle Paul writes, “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”
What Paul is referring to is disputing over doubtful matters or matters of opinion. This is what the Apostle is referring to when he says, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore” in Romans 14:13. Our opinions are not law. A person should not make their opinion Scripture. A lot of church problems could be avoided if church members would keep quiet in the area of opinion.

There is one judgment which God commands:

Judge righteous judgment.
John 7:24—”Judge with righteous judgment.”
How? By using the righteous standard - the Bible. II Timothy 3:16-17 says that the Scriptures are to be used for instruction in righteousness. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work”.

When you use the Bible to make a judgment—that is righteous judging. If we, as Christians are not to make a “righteous judgment”, what did the Apostle Paul mean by “reproof, correction and training in righteousness”? All of those take a judgment call by someone. But the standard MUST be the Scriptures!

When people do that, don’t get mad at them. Jesus Christ commanded Christians to judge a righteous judgment. So please don’t hate or blame the messenger. They are there to help bring you back in line with the Scriptures. In fact, if someone comes to you and suggests that, according to the Bible, you should be doing things differently in your life, thank them for loving you enough to confront you. Maybe that person is like the person James was referring to when he wrote, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

Two more thoughts—all things are to be done in love and with the purpose of bringing someone back to the Lord. Personally, I am thankful to all the righteous judges in my life who have helped keep me on the straight and narrow. And I didn’t have to go to a courtroom! All I needed was a Christian brother or sister who loved me enough in Christ to judge my actions, according to the Bible.

Thankless Jobs

2007-07-25T20:36:00.000-05:00

Many people work where they never hear "thank you" for all their labors. It happens in ministry and it happens in the secular world. Today I have one big thank you to the Public Works - Solid Waste Management Department here in town.

We scheduled a BIG pickup. And when we said big, we meant BIG!!! This morning about 11:00 they stopped here at our home and took everything we put out! Now we worked hard getting it ready and making it where it would be the right size and weight - but there was a lot of stuff out there. They cleared it all out and only left the trash cans! Thank you for your thankless job. Your role in the city is very important and essential.

It reminds me in the church of just how essential each ministry is. We often think that our role is not important - but the Apostle Paul writes about how the whole body (the local church) works together as the human body does. And each role is important!

(Romans 12, I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4)

Great Lord's Day!

2007-07-23T00:12:00.000-05:00

Preached on the Holiness of God! Challenged congregation to be holy as He is holy! Followed by an immersion of a young lady into Christ for the forgiveness of sins! Partook the Lord's Supper (as we do every week)! Shared in fellowship and prayer! Evening service with Ask the Preacher! God is great! He is awesome!

Catching up!

2007-07-17T11:01:00.000-05:00

I am finally catching up on some computer hobbies, including this blog. Most of what you read here is what is published in the South Side Side Lites (the church's newsletter). We are dedicated to promoting the New Testament! Back to the Bible! Where the Scriptures speak . . . these are our themes!

Enjoy the blog!

Devoted to the Apostles' Doctrine

2007-07-01T10:57:00.000-05:00

Somewhere in my teaching or preaching I am confident that most people have heard me refer to the Apostles’ doctrine or teaching (probably several times). You may have asked yourself: why do we focus so much on the teachings of the Apostles? I think I can answer that question by observing what Jesus promised the Apostles. For about three years Jesus taught the Apostles what they were to teach, preach and write. And if they ever forgot anything about the ministry of Jesus, He gave them a promise about that also. Let’s examine the Scriptures which teach the importance of the Apostle’s Doctrine:

The Apostles given Guidance in Speaking and Teaching
Matthew 10:19-20—But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
Luke 10:16—The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.
John 14:26—But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Matthew 28:19-20—Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
John 16:13—But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

Apostolic Message as Foundational
The Apostles claimed that these promises came true in their ministries. Their message, as it was given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was foundational to what the church believed and practiced.

This concept was not foreign to the Apostles. Notice that they claimed it for themselves:
Ephesians 2:20—having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone.
Acts 2:42—They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Apostolic Message as the Authority
I Timothy 4:11—Prescribe and teach these things.
Titus 2:15—These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
II Thessalonians 3:14—If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.
II Peter 3:1-2—This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

The Apostles also claimed that their messages were prophetic. They claimed their writing were Scripture. And they claimed that their messages were from God.

Practice of the First Century Christians
Simply put, they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching or doctrine. That is one reason why I, personally, am committed to restoration—that is, the restoration of the foundational message of the church—the Apostles’ doctrine!

I believe that the church today needs to constantly contend for the faith once delivered by the Apostles! It is not the elders’ doctrine or the deacons’ doctrine or the evangelist’s doctrine or the ladies’ fellowship doctrine! It is the Apostles’ doctrine that the early church devoted themselves to. At South Side, lets do the same!

Once Saved - Always Saved?

2007-06-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

When a person is immersed into Christ to have their sins forgiven, is it possible for them to “fall away”? This doctrine of “Once Saved—Always Saved” comes in many packages. Sometimes it is called “Once in Grace—Always in Grace”. Other times you will hear the phrase “Eternal Security” used to describe this doctrine. But is this doctrine manmade or is it biblical? I propose to you that it is manmade and the Bible teaches that a person can “fall away”. Here are some Scriptures to back up my proposal.

Galatians 5:4—”You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace”. The Apostle Paul is writing to the Jewish Christians who are trying to make the Greeks follow the Old Testament Law.
I John 5:16—”If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this”. The Apostle John is referring to a brother who has changed and is now denying the incarnation—or a sin leading to death.
Hebrews 3:6—”but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end”. How do we know that we are the house of Christ? We know IF we hold fast our confidence! IF assumes we could not hold fast our confidence! The late Edgar Harris, the preacher who immersed me, taught that every promise has a string attached to it. This one does with the little word IF.
Hebrews 6:4-6—”For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame”. This text teaches very plainly that a Christian (one who has tasted the heavenly gift and has been made partakers of the Holy Spirit) can fall away.
I Corinthians 9:27—”but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified”. The Apostle Paul thought that he could be disqualified from the Christian “race” if he did not follow the Gospel he was preaching!
I Timothy 4:1—”But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” The Apostle Paul warns that some will fall away from the faith!
II Peter 1:10-11—”Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you”. Christians will never stumble AS LONG AS they practice these things! That is the string attached to the promise.
II Peter 2:20-22—”For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,’ and, ‘A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire’”. We must continue faithfully in the way of righteousness.

Church—we need to remain faithful to Christ. We need to continue to be steadfast—and the good news is that God will be faithful. And because of our faithfulness to God and His faithfulness to us, we can have confidence in Him!

The Need for Revival

2007-05-01T10:49:00.000-05:00

It is that time of the year again! I am not referring to the Spring time—although I sure welcome the warmer temperatures! I am not talking about school almost being out—although I love my summer time with my family! What I am referring to is the time for our revival meeting! Now I don’t mean that in a negative sense. You see, I love revival meetings! Over the course of my years of ministry, I have had the privilege to be the host evangelist for many great evangelists. Here is a short list:

· Raymond Bennett
· John Butler Book
· Jack Cottrell
· Larry Pierson
· Dean Mills
· Jim Newman
· Tom Napier
· Tom Claibourne
· Tom Thurman
· Dr. David Grubbs
· Keith Wooley
· Ronnie Abshire

Some of these names you may recognize. But a common thread that runs through all the preaching of the evangelists listed above is strong biblical preaching and teaching! Men who are true to old Jerusalem Gospel! Men who believe in the restoration of the New Testament Church.
Of course there are other elements, besides great biblical preaching, that help to make a revival meeting great! Let me suggest a few here.

Your attendance—How can revival ever really take place in your life if you are not here for the meeting? I wish sometimes that I lived in the day when revival meetings were packed. Stories are told of how the church had to bring chairs into the assembly just to have space for people. Even before those days, which many of you may remember, there were times when people would stand outside in open windows just to hear the Gospel proclaimed. And most of those people were not concerned if the preacher ran a few minutes over! In fact, who was keeping the clock? People just seem to be so busy today, including church members for their own revival. I encourage you to be here every night that you can be here! You know, Lord willing, I will be here—and not simply because I am the preacher!

Attitude—A good one I hope! Our attitude coming into the assembly makes a HUGE difference, not only during a revival meeting, but also every first day of the week. It all goes back to the “get to” or “got to” sermon series I preached last year. The proper attitude is “I get to assemble with church for a revival meeting.” It is not: “Do I got to go to another night of revival?” I personally, consider it a privilege to be here each evening, and, again, not just because I am the preacher. I “get to”!

Open hearts and minds—The Gospel doesn't change, but often times during a revival meeting, things are presented in a way that we may be challenged to make a difference. Revival often calls for changes in our lives. For those who have not followed the biblical plan of salvation, it is taking that initial step. For those of us who have been obedient to the Gospel, it may be some lifestyle changes. It may even be an attitude adjustment. But if we come in with closed hearts and minds to the preaching of the Gospel, these changes will never take place! Pray for those who attend our meeting to open their hearts and minds. And while you are at it, pray that you would also.

There are so many other elements, but I am coming to the end of my space. But here is a list of a few more:

· Great music
· Great fellowship
· Attendance from local churches
· And many other things!

The Art of Preaching

2007-04-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

At Florida Christian College I learned the “Art of Preaching”. I may not be the greatest at it—but I had some great teachers. Many of you met Richard Marshall (and his wife Betty) when he attended an evening service here at South Side last summer. Mr. Marshall was not just my teacher, but for two years he was my preacher. He could bring great powerful sermons, without notes! He always impressed us future preachers with that ability. He has a local tie, as he preached at Lone Oak while attending Lincoln.

Then there was Glenn Bourne. Professor Bourne is a fantastic preacher of the Word. He was my practical ministry professor. I also had him for the Ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church) and the book of Revelation. Professor Bourne is a great mentor to me.

I couldn’t talk about great preaching and leave out Dr. James Smith. Wow! He preached to us future preachers every day in his classes. When you left Doc Smith’s class you weren’t sure whether to repent or study for an exam (or both). I would love to be able to teach and preach like Doc Smith.

Oh, and yes, Dr. Roger Chambers. I think I have listened to everything ever recorded that he taught. Dr. Chambers was such a logical thinker. When I would listen to him preach or teach, it was always the meat, but yet so simple—most of the time!

Throughout my years of being a Christian, there have been many others who have had an influence on me and my “art of preaching”. I often would travel to sister churches holding revivals, especially when any of these men were preaching. Here is a short list:

* Ed Harris
* Dr. Wilke Winter
* Raymond Bennett
* Ed Bousman
* Dean Mills
* Dr. James Strauss
* Clearance Greenleaf
* John Butler Book
* George Faull
* Don DeWelt
* Lee Mason
* Marshall Leggett
* Ben Merold
* Dr. Lewis Foster
* Robert Hodshire

There is one thread that runs through all of these great preachers of the faith. All these preachers preached the old stuff! They preached the old Jerusalem Gospel with such a great passion. I never had to wonder where any of these great preachers stood. They simply preached the Word. Their goal was to promote New Testament Christianity. Their passion was the restoration of New Testament Church. They would never apologize for preaching the basics, frankly because that is what the church so desperately needs.

Why is it that in the church we often think we need something other than that? Many want pop psychology. Others are looking for quick fixes to life’s problems. Still others are looking for “feel good” sermons. Then there are those who don’t think they have heard a good sermon until they heard a good story or joke. Oh, and yes, there are those who think that a good sermon must beat them up spiritually (even though it is just a good sermon to listen to, with no intentions to change).

Let me list some elements that, in my opinion, make a good sermon:
Biblically based—I am not interested in a cute illustration, but rather a sermon! I am also not interested in listening to someone who can’t even get the basics of the faith right. If they miss it there, where else will they miss it?
A lesson to be learned—Many of our non-instrumental brethren have it right. They do not call their messages “sermons” but rather “lessons”.
Well outlined—something easy to remember. Sometimes you hear preachers and wonder what their point was. Well outlined lessons help to give focus and direction.
Preach Jesus—The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and how to apply that so that I can be saved!
An invitation—As Philip ‘preached Jesus’ unto the Ethiopian, they came to some water . . . Philip’s preaching of Jesus included the invitation to be immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of sins! Wow! So simple!

Great preaching takes lots of preparation, not simply the week before the lesson, but years of study.

One other note about the preachers I have learned to love over the years: Several of them have died and gone on to be with the Lord. That is glory to them, but a great loss to us. I pray that I could be half the evangelist of anyone on that list.

The Lord's Supper Every Lord's Day!

2007-02-27T10:15:00.000-06:00

As I read through the New Testament, it seems very clear to me that the first century church met on the first day of every week. For those who don’t know, the first day of the week is Sunday (not Saturday). This is taught very clearly in the New Testament. The focal point of the assembly was to partake of the Lord’s Supper. It saddens me when I hear of our sister churches that deemphasize Communion, or stop partaking all together. That is why at South Side, the table of our Lord sits at the front and center of our facility. The table alone is a constant reminder of the event that saved us—the death of Jesus on the cross.

Churches often change the way they do things for the sake of convenience. When it comes to communion, some churches have cut out the Lord’s Supper on a weekly basis. Many argue if you take it every week, it will get old and simply ritualistic. Some churches have placed communion in a side room and tell the congregation that it is there if you desire to take it. Others, because the first day of the week is too full, offer communion when it is more convenient, on a Saturday evening. And this list goes on of what the church does in the name of convenience!

Obviously, we at South Side insist on “Doing Bible things in Bible ways”. This principle forces me to take the Lord’s Supper in the way that it was commanded in the New Testament.
Let me offer these suggestions in partaking:

1. The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance for the Christian of the death of Jesus, that which saves us! That is one reason it has no meaning to the non-Christian. They have not come into contact with the death of Jesus yet. And it is just a remembrance! I do not have my sins forgiven when I partake of the Lord’s Supper. I have my sins forgiven at immersion! After my immersion He continues to forgive me as I confess my sins to Him (I John 1:9). I am glad that I do not have to wait until Sunday to have my sins forgiven. Communion is a remembrance of the death of Jesus, which saves us! To not partake is to say to God that it is not important.

Acts 20:7 says, “And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.” One of the reasons the early Christians even met on the first day of the week was to partake of the breaking of the bread. Some would say that is only one verse that says they partook on the first day of the week. Let me ask you: how many times does someone have to tell you something before you do it? If we only have one verse, does that make it any less important?

2. Partake of the emblems SERIOUSLY! It is NOT just a ritual! Communion is something that God, in His infinite wisdom, has told us to do every first day of the week. He knew we would forget! He offered the Hebrews of the Old Testament the Sabbath to remind them of their salvation from bondage (passing through the Red Sea). It was a weekly reminder to keep their minds always in tune that God had saved them. In a similar way, celebrating the Lord’s Supper on the first day of every week keeps in our minds ALWAYS that God has saved us! I Corinthians 11: 27-30 – Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

Isn’t it great how God put together Sunday (the day Jesus came out of the tomb) and the Lord’s Supper (reminding us of the event that saved us)? I can’t wait for the next Lord’s Day when we meet to share in the Apostles’ Doctrine, to the breaking of the bread, to prayers and to fellowship!

I am glad to commune with our Lord weekly on Sunday. And I am honored that I get to do it with you, South Side, each and every Lord’s Day.

Valentine's Day Snow

2007-02-14T20:19:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day Snow! WOW! 12-17 inches, with huge drifts, like this one in front of our home! It took the kids and I a couple of hours to dig out the driveway! Resting now - that was a lot of work! Kids got some good sledding time in, though.

Reflecting on Valentine's Day, I am honored to be married to a great Christian woman! She is kind and sweet! God has truly blessed our home very much!

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (I John 4:7-8)

SNOW!

2007-02-06T15:51:00.000-06:00

It's beginning to look a lot like . . . wait . . . it's February! Cold and Snowy (5-6 inches).

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Psalm 51:7).

Reminds me of my immersion. Just as Ananias told Saul, "Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16).

Groundhog Day

2007-02-02T13:31:00.000-06:00

My wife and I traveled through Punxsutawney, PA, during our summer vacation last year. All over this town, were statues, like the one above. We enjoyed lunch at "Punxy Phil's". We enjoyed our trip. It was in this area where I used to preach the Gospel - at the Bolivar Church of Christ. By the way, here is the today's news from Punxsutawney, just in case you missed it:

Phil Says Spring is Right Around the Corner!
Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/07 at 7:28 a.m. at Gobbler's Knob:
El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west.
Here in the East with much mild winter weather we have been blessed.
Global warming has caused a great debate. This mild winter makes it seem just great.
On this Groundhog Day we think of one thing. Will we have winter or will we have spring?
On Gobbler's Knob I see no shadow today. I predict that early spring is on the way.

Weather always reminds me of the promise from the days of Noah. God promised that He would never flood the earth again in the manner that He did then. He also made another promise that many Christians forget about.

"While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease." (Genesis 6:22) - What does that do with "Global Warming"? Springtime is coming . . . and soon, according to Phil! Sitting here at 12 degrees above zero . . . I am with Phil!

Old Jerusalem Gospel

2007-01-28T14:40:00.000-06:00

One hundred years from now, if I could look back from glory and do an internet search on myself, I would love to read this statement about myself: “He believes the old Jerusalem gospel with all his heart, and greatly delights to preach it”.1 That was said of L.L. Carpenter, an evangelist of the New Testament Church from the 1800’s.

Or maybe I could read about myself what was written about another evangelist of the New Testament Church. Before James Creel died in 1923, it was written: “He loves the old Jerusalem gospel, and hopes yet to spend many years in faithfully preaching the same”.2 In fact, I can relate to James Creel’s religious life in other ways. Read what was written about him in 1902:

James' parents were pious and devoted Baptists, and at the early age of thirteen he joined the Baptist Church; and when eighteen years old, having learned the way of the Lord more accurately, he gave up all denominationalism and became a Christian only, belonging to the Church of Christ only; and by this act he became identified with that religious body who, as individuals, are simply disciples of Christ or Christians, and, as congregations, are simply churches of Christ, no more nor less. In other words, he ceased to be a Baptist, and ceased to belong to the Baptist Church by becoming a Christian only, and belonging to the Church of Christ only.2

How do I relate to someone who died in 1923? The same way some of you relate to him. You, like me, may have come out of denominationalism and simply wanted to be Christians. That, in a nutshell, is the “Restoration Plea”. It is a plea to drop all denominational teachings and practices and follow the Bible, and the Bible only. The “Old Jerusalem Gospel” that both of these men loved so dearly, is still the only Gospel that saves today!

I hope that you have learned by now that I have a passion to preach the “Old Jerusalem Gospel”. My passion is to take people back to the Bible as our sole source of authority. I may not always have the excitement of a Raymond Bennett (our “heaven-high, world-wide, shot gun barrel straight revival speaker). I may not always be as well outlined as an Ed Bousman or James Smith. I may not always have the depth of knowledge of a George Faull or the late Roger Chambers. But I believe in the “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” of the Scriptures! That “Old Jerusalem Gospel” is what I live for—and what I would die for!

Why do some call it the “Old Jerusalem Gospel” though? You may have heard the church described as “Old Ship Zion”. Where do these ideas come from?

First, these ideas go back to the second chapter of Acts. As we open up the Bible and read about the beginning of the church (Acts 2) we see the Gospel first proclaimed in Jerusalem. In fact, Jesus told the apostles in chapter one (Acts 1:8) that they would be His “witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth”. Notice that world evangelism would begin in Jerusalem.

On the day of Pentecost, still in Acts 2, we read where Peter preached the Gospel (the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus). He continued preaching Jesus unto them as he told them how to apply this Gospel to their lives. He preached, “Repent and be immersed everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). This first Gospel message was preached in Jerusalem.

Second, these ideas of the “Old Jerusalem Gospel” and the church as the “Old Ship Zion”, goes back to Micah’s prophecy. Notice what Micah wrote as he prophesied the preaching of the Gospel: “For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem”. (Micah 4:2). I would encourage you to read the entire third and fourth chapters in Micah to get the context. But the Gospel would be first proclaimed from Jerusalem—from Mt. Zion!

The old revival song proclaimed:
Give me that old time religion;
It was good enough for Paul and Silas;
It is good enough for me!

I give a hearty “AMEN”. Give me that Old Jerusalem Gospel, it was good enough for Paul, Silas, Peter, Timothy, James, Stephen, Phillip and the first century church, it is good enough for me!

Get excited with me, as we together, share the Old Jerusalem Gospel and help guide this Old Ship Zion to Danville and the surrounding area!

Your evangelist,
Kevin

References about above evangelists:
1. http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/jtbrown/coc/COC1343.HTM
2. http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/lwilson/tcsab/CREELJC.HTM

Audio now on Blog

2007-01-27T21:14:00.000-06:00

This evening I added a new feature on the blog. I posted on the right hand side of this blog one of my sermons. If you click on the play button, you can hear the sermon. If you click on the "Posts" button, you can see other sermons that I have preached and uploaded to the podcast website.
You can also listen to any of my sermons by going to the South Side Church of Christ website and clicking on sermons. Enjoy!

James A. Garfield

2007-01-25T21:23:00.000-06:00

James A. Garfield
20th United States President
(1831-1881)

Listen to what his biographers included in his life story:
1. We call ourselves Christians or Disciples
2. We believe in God the Father
3. We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and our only Savior. We regard the divinity of Christ as the fundamental truth in the Christian System
4. We believe in the Holy Spirit, both as to it agency in conversion and as an indweller in the heart of the Christian
5. We accept both the Old and New Testament Scriptures as the inspired Word of God
6. We believe in the future punishment of the wicked and the future reward of the righteous
7. We believe that Deity is a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God
8. We observe the institution of the Lord’s Supper on every Lord’s Day. To this table it is our practice neither to invite nor debar. We say it is the Lord’s Supper for all the Lord’s children.
9. We plead for the union of all God’s people on the Bible, and the Bible alone.
10. The Bible is our only creed.
11. We maintain that all the ordinances of the Gospel should be observed as they were in the days of the Apostles.

Sounds very . . . biblical!

Relating to the Prophet

2007-01-18T18:36:00.000-06:00

When I was in Hebrew class at Florida Christian College we had to adopt a Hebrew name. The name I chose was the name of my favorite prophet - Yir-meh-yaw-hoo. OK, you are thinking that you have never heard of that prophet before, right? That is the way you pronounce the name of Jeremiah in the Hebrew.

Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. But before you hold that against Jeremiah, realize that he lived during one of the worst time periods of Hebrew history. As he preached, it seemed that no one was listening. And it was during his ministry, that the city of Jerusalem and the temple of God were destroyed. Out of this terrible event, Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations - a lament about the destruction of the city and temple.

Now Jeremiah had his tough times. And at one point he even wondered if he could go on preaching. All he felt like he was sharing was "violence and destruction". It got to the point where he was even thinking, "I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name". But even then, listen to the words of the great prophet: "Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it" (Jeremiah 20:8-9).

What does all that have to do with me? I have a passion to share New Testament Christianity! I have a passion to teach the "ol' Jerusalem Gospel"! It is like a fire that keeps burning in my bones to preach the "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" of the Scriptures. I am weary of holding it in!

My prayer is that this love which I have for the restoration of New Testament Christianity will spread! My prayer is that we can use the Bible only to make Christians only - the way they did in the New Testament, with the preaching of the Apostle's message. May we as Christians (not just evangelists) have the desire and passion to contend and share the faith once delivered! May it be a fire that keeps burning in our bones! May we share our faith so that we can honor the simplicity of the Great Commission: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned" (Mark 16:15-16).

Today I was invited to share the message with a men's group at the Leroy Christian Church on March 6. I consider it an honor to break open God's Word and sharing the message on the Uniqueness of the Churches of Christ/Christian Churches with the churches just west of here! Pray that I can be bold as I share. You don't have to worry about the passion - I certainly have that!

County Meeting

2007-01-07T23:38:00.000-06:00

I am excited! This Tuesday, the South Side Church of Christ is hosting the Vermilion County Churches of Christ/Christian Churches. Each month a different church hosts the meeting. Of course, the churches are not a denomination, so that is not the nature of the meeting. The meeting is simply a time of singing and fellowship and preaching! Isn't it great that people of like faith can meet as one - as the church? Of course, with us being the host, I get to preach! My sermon will be on the Uniqueness of the Churches of Christ/Christian Churches. Basically, I will be speaking on why I attend the Church of Christ. I am really looking forward to sharing this with the churches.

To help fire me up (as if I needed to get anymore fired up for the meeting) I have been reading a forum this past week where many are trying to say that we are a denomination. I have not posted anything in the forum because it seems that several in the group are in there to simply be divisive. But I firmly believe that we are NOT a denomination. In fact, I don't describe myself as non-denominational, and definitely not inter-denominational. I consider myself anti-denominational. I came from denominationalism, and I never intend on going back!

If you are interested, the sermon will be posted on the web site for South Side later this week. Pray for boldness! Pray that we can be gracious hosts. Pray that we can continue to contend for the "one faith" and the "one church" that Jesus Christ said He built!

Pastor Appreciation? from Newsletter

2006-12-27T23:11:00.000-06:00

I want to use this column to show my appreciation for our “pastors” here at South Side. Before I do, let me deal with several thoughts that may already be running through your mind.

Maybe you are thinking—I thought that “Pastor Appreciation” was October. Well, it might be in the denominational world, but we are anti-denominational. If you don’t know what that means, ask me later. We should appreciate “pastors” ALL year long!

Then you may also be thinking that I am simply writing an article to appreciate myself. That wouldn’t be a very humble attitude to have! But according to the New Testament, I am not a “pastor”. And if that isn’t shocking enough to you, read on.

You may be thinking also—I thought South Side only had one “pastor”. Even if I was a “pastor”, I would not be THE “pastor”. At South Side we don’t have just one “pastor”, we have six! Yes, you read that number right—SIX! In fact, if we only had one “pastor”, we would not be biblical. In the New Testament church, there was always a plurality of “pastors”.

South Side is a people of the Book. South Side calls Bible things by Bible names; and does Bible things in Bible ways. That is why at South Side, we do not follow the popular view of “THE pastor” run church. Just because everyone else is doing it, does not make it biblical! Rather at South Side we try to go back and restore the pattern for church leadership from the New Testament. That is why we have six “pastors”. These “pastors” are the shepherds of the flock. These “pastors” are the overseers of the body of Christ. These “pastors” are, if you haven’t guessed it already, the elders of the church.

So when I think of “pastor appreciation”, I think of our group of elders. I think of how much they should be appreciated by us (and not just during the month of October).

The New Testament is very clear on the subject of the eldership in the church. These “pastors” are best described by the terms used in the New Testament.

* Elders—Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; I Timothy 5:17; Titus 1:5; James 5:14; I Peter 5:1
* Bishops (Overseers)—Acts 20:28; Philippians 1:1; I Timothy 3:2; I Peter 2:25
* Pastors (Shepherds)—Ephesians 4:11

All of these terms are referring to the same function! I love the way Luke describes the function of the “pastors” from Ephesus. In Acts 20:17, Luke writes, “From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.” Notice he calls the “pastors” “elders” in the text. Then talking to the same group of men (the elders from Ephesus), Luke records for us in Acts 20:28, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd (or pastor) the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” In this verse Luke records the words of the Apostle Paul as he refers to the elders as “overseers” who are to “shepherd” (or pastor) the church of God.

The Apostle Peter then uses all three terms in his first epistle to describe the elders. Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd (or pastor) the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. (I Peter 5:1–3)

With all that said, I am very thankful for all six of our “pastors”. They are very godly men. I am very honored to serve with them at South Side. I take advantage of every opportunity that I can to spend time with them. We are all very blessed to have them as our “pastors”, “elders”, and “overseers”.

Let me encourage you to show your appreciation for our “pastors” also. Here are a few things that you can do:
* Pray for them DAILY!
* Encourage them every chance you get!
* Remember, they are mere men, and do make mistakes.
* Allow them to pastor the flock—they have the desire to do so!
* Remember they are a team—a group. They are united. No one elder is the “head” elder. The chief “pastor” is Jesus (I Peter 5:4).

Lawrence, Larry, Denny, Dick, Myreon and Len: Thanks for your service for the Lord here at South Side. Thank you for leading us by your examples. We appreciate all of you men serving as our “pastors”.

Your evangelist (Ephesians 4:11),

Kevin

GIJAPA

2006-12-23T22:28:00.000-06:00

I feel very honored to know several great evangelists of the Gospel, and their families. It was nice today to chat back and forth with Ed and Naomi Bousman. I have enjoyed their ministry with "God is Just A Prayer Away" (GIJAPA) for years. Check it out - you will like it too! http://www.gijapa.org/ (The poster above is from a 1964 Revival Meeting Ed Bousman held at South Side Church of Christ.)

I was just Folding the Side Lites!

2006-12-20T11:04:00.000-06:00

I was just sitting here minding my own business. I was folding the Side Lites (which are going out on Sunday). I was looking back over my article on the front cover called "Pastor Appreciation?". Now if you know me very well, and if you are a good Bible student, you will realize that my article is about the elders of the church. So I am folding up a storm, when what would pop up in my email inbox but a note from a "senior pastor" from one of our sister churches.

Now normally Pat, the secretary here at South Side, would hear me groan and come check on me, but she is not here. So I thought I would do my groaning here.

What ever happened to "Calling Bible things with Bible names and doing Bible things in Bible ways"? Are the principles of the restoration plea still valid and appropriate for 2006 (soon 2007). I believe they are! I still seek to go back and restore that church we read about in the New Testament - including their "pastors" (elders) and evangelists (Ephesians 4:11).

All my blog readers will have to wait until after Sunday to get the full article from the Side Lites - I always make sure the local church gets it first. I will post it here in the blog. But lets all go back to the Bible!

Thanks for letting me groan here. I am longing for the day when the ONE AND ONLY "Senior Pastor" will appear. I believe Peter calls Him the "Chief Pastor" (I Peter 5:4). You see, when He appears, we will receive our unfading crowns of glory!

One Year!

2006-12-11T21:20:00.000-06:00

One year ago today I preached my first sermon at South Side as "interim" evangelist. It is great to see the growth as we continue to minister together! As long as the Lord hasn't returned, let us labor together during 2007 "contending for the faith"! Thank you for a great first year!

First Snow

2006-12-01T10:05:00.000-06:00

My chair never looked like this when I grew up in Florida . . . unless the sand from the beach covered the chair!

It was a messy night here! Rainy and icy all night - and then a covering of snow this morning. The first of the year! Schools are closed or letting out early because of the very slick roads.

As I sit here waiting for the family to come home from school, I have been enjoying some Heaven High! Hell Deep! World Wide! Shot Gun Barrel Straight preaching by Ray Bennett . . . Maybe you would like to listen too!

http://www.biblevoice.org/listen/?search=&region=&bcid=226&langid=-1&do=Search&offset=5

Have a great day - whether snowy, sunny, rainy, cloudy, or whatever, because this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in HIM!

Home!

2006-11-29T10:06:00.000-06:00

Home! Do we appreciate our home?

At school last week, my youngest was asked what she wanted to do over the Thanksgiving break. She responded quickly by saying, "I want to stay home." There is much more behind that answer than I will share in this blog entry, but I think I can make my point.

Sometimes it is good just to be home - and I don't mean the four walls of a house! Home is where the heart is. Home is where love is shared. Home is where stability is offered. I like to be "home" also - "home" with my family.

It is also good to be home with the church. And again, I am not referring to the four walls of the building I am sitting in while I type this. Church is people! Church is where love is shared. Church is where your heart should be. Church is where stability is offered! Salvation, encouragement, discipline and many other things are offered through our church home.

And one day I will go to my home in heaven. Heaven will be a great place to be, not because of fluffy white clouds! It is because we will be at home with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Heaven will be people! Heaven will be where love is shared! Heaven is where our treasures are laid - "and where our treasure is, there our hearts are also". Heaven is where stability is offered . . . FOREVER!!! Heaven is where Salvation and encouragement and rest will be offered . . . FOREVER!!!

Come Lord Jesus, come! And if He continues to tarry, may we continue to offer "home" to our family and friends.

Excitement!

2006-11-29T09:58:00.000-06:00

From December 2006 Side Lites . . . I am EXCITED!

Are you ready to hear about excitement? Get ready to get excited! Now I realize that I was taught in English class to use my thesaurus to find different words with similar meanings. Please pardon my use of the word “excitement” (or a form of this word).
When I think about excitement in the religious realm, I think of the Hillsboro Family Camp. Each year at Hillsboro Dan Schafer would lead the assembly in the chorus: “Get All Excited”. Dan really made use of the whole platform as he generated excitement in the preaching of the Gospel through songs. I would walk away from the evening sessions all excited to “tell everybody that Jesus Christ is Lord!” Dan would also lead us in the chorus, “I’m Excited, I’m Excited, I’m Excited in the Lord!”
Many things that have happened recently have excited me. Let me write in this column about a few of them.

First: I am excited that we have seen the Lord add to our number at South Side in the past couple of months. How could that not be exciting? South Side is a great assembly—a church strong in the Scriptures. It is very exciting to see additions to the assembly!

Second: I am excited about the growth on Sunday and Wednesday nights. As a teacher of the Gospel, I have seen, not only numerical growth, but the spiritual growth of those who attend. It is exciting to see people with an excitement for learning.

Third: I am excited about hosting two County Meetings next year. South Side will host the January meeting and I get to preach—now that really excites me! Then in May, we will host the County churches while we are in the middle of our revival.

Fourth: Which brings me to my fourth reason to be excited—our May Revival Meeting. I believe you are going to love Ray and Gyneth Bennett. Ray is not only a great evangelist, but he and his wife are wonderful Christians! I first heard Ray preach in 1988, and have loved hearing him every time. Each year he opens the Hillsboro Family Camp on Monday nights. We also had him preach every year at Lawshe when I preached there. Gyneth can really play the piano, also. And if we are really blessed, maybe Ray will pull out the harmonica! I am really excited about having an old fashioned, Heaven High! Hell Deep! World Wide! Shot Gun Barrel Straight Revival Meeting! We should have an exciting time!

Fifth: I am excited about being your evangelist. Over the past year I have grown to love preaching and teaching here at South Side. I am very excited about working with the eldership here. They are great men of God! I am blessed as the evangelist, and you are blessed as the congregation, to have these six men pasturing the flock. I hope you join me daily in praying for the eldership and thanking God that He has blessed us with them. It is exciting to work with these godly shepherds of the flock at South Side.

Sixth: I am excited about the assembly’s giving. We are blessed at South Side to have good givers. This giving is not limited to money. But our offerings for Sunday Bible School have been tremendous since we adopted the four children in Haiti. Our main giving has stayed steady throughout my first year. And enough cannot be said about the excitement that I have as I see people giving of their time and talents. So many things go on behind the scenes at South Side with unnamed servants of our Lord. This is one area where true growth is seen in the assembly.

Seventh: I could list many more things that excite me about South Side. As I look to the bottom of my computer screen, I realize that I am quickly running out of space. I did, though, want to mention the most important excitement here at South Side. I am really excited that South Side continues to be solid in the Scriptures. As I look around and see so many churches compromising in so many areas, I see South Side as standing firm on the foundations of Scriptures! We still believe that there is only “one body (one church) and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). I pray that we will always have strong leadership in the area of the teaching of Scripture. I pray our membership will always contend for the faith! We have the truth that leads to eternal life—that in and of itself, should be enough to make each of us excited! Don’t do anything to stop the excitement!

Excitedly in His service,

Kevin

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T16:07:00.000-06:00

"I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonders". (Psalm 9:1)

My family and I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. God has blessed us so much, and we really do have so much to be thankful for.

In His love,

Kevin & family

National Missionary Convention

2006-11-19T16:50:00.000-06:00

My son and I attended the National Missionary Convention in Indianapolis, IN. He loved this view through the doors leading into the RCA Dome in Indy. That is not what we were there for, though. We both enjoyed the fellowship with many other Christians. That really, in my mind, is one of the best things about big conventions like the NMC. Here is just a small list of some of the people we were able to visit with (or see) while at the convention:

Dr. Richard Geringswald - Jamaica Christian Seminary - he wants me to bring a team down to Jamaica to do a VBS and revival
Harold Armstrong - President of Florida Christian College
Professor Glenn Borne - Retired from Florida Christian College, taught me all my practical ministry classes and Revelation and Ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church)
Wyburn and Dee Osborn - went to Florida Christian with Wyburn; he and Dee minister with Haitian ministries
Darrell and Kathy Combs - Jamaica Christian Mission - Darrell and I went to school at Florida Christian; Darrell wants me to be a board member for JCM - which might mean I will need to go to Jamaica in the future
The Jamaica Christian Mission Board - It was great to meet with some of the people I get lots of emails from with JCM!
Jim Newman - Southern Cross Ministry; Australia
Russell and Mary Ruth Newman - Jim's parents; Russell is an elder at Countryside Church of Christ (formally Lawshe)
Carl and Carol Copas - Carl is an elder, along with Russell above
Professor Twila Sias - Florida Christian College, taught my education courses and English
George and Nedra Melton - still trying to get them to come and sing at South Side
Lee Mason - Editor of the Restoration Herald of the Christian Restoration Association
Victor Knowles - Director of POEM, son of Dale Knowles who was preacher at South Side in the 1940's
Larry Owens - Director of Northwest Haitian Christian Missions; He wants to come to South Side to speak and he wants me to make a trip to Haiti (also met another couple from Cayuga, IN representing the mission)
Rick Champ and Kent Dunn - Illini Christian Ministries
Tom and Kristie Anders - Church of Christ of St Joseph
Jeff Snell - Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Lincoln Christian Seminary
Many other missionaries and friends in the Exhibit area of the NMC

I also saw, but did not get the opportunity to talk with:
The Good Twins - singing twin brothers that I saw back in 1984 (don't think they would remember me)!
Ben Alexander - Exposing Satan's Power

We had a good time visiting - the fellowship was great!

Missionaries

2006-11-15T21:28:00.000-06:00

You may be wondering why I have two grave stones in my blog.

Let me explain: My son and I are going to go to the National Missionary Convention and I was reminded of some of the early missionaries in the American Restoration Movement. Dr. James Barclay came out of denominationalism, as I did. He became convinced that a person needed to be immersed. He was soon baptized by R.L. Coleman in the James River at Scottsville. After the death of his mother he decided to go to Jerusalem as a missionary. One of his desires was to proclaim the New Testament faith from Mt. Zion, as it was preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). What an honor to go back and preach where the Gospel was first proclaimed!

Earlier this summer, my wife and I visited Bethany, WV. Bethany is where Alexander Campbell lived. He is also buried, along with his father Thomas, and many other family members, across the street in "God's Acres". While there, I snapped the picture above. Julia Ann Barclay is buried beside her husband James. Their grave stones are in the shape of Bibles - turned up on their sides.

I pray daily for our churches. I pray daily for our preachers. I pray daily for our missionaries. I pray daily that we would preserve and contend for the faith once delivered!

History notes above taken from the Churches of Christ by John T. Brown, Louisville: John P. Morton and Company, 1904, pp 440-441.

Dr. James T. Barclay

A Preacher's Preacher (part 2)

2006-11-05T15:04:00.000-06:00

Here is the full article from the South Side November 2006 Side Lites:

Sometimes it is hard to be an evangelist. Some would ask, “How can that be, seeing you only work on Sunday?” That would be a nice cushy job, wouldn’t it? Hopefully you realize that is not the case here at South Side. The ol’ saying that the “work is never done” is true when it comes to sharing the Gospel. And while it may be true that there are some lazy preachers out there, this evangelist is not one of them.

That being said, that is not what this column is about. I want to use this space to share about the hard work of a preacher to . . . Are you ready for this? . . . To listen to another preacher preach.

I can already read your thoughts. I have to listen to a preacher every Sunday! What is so tough about that? Maybe you would just have to be an evangelist to understand the point of this column, but probably not. All you really need to be is a good solid student of the Bible.

I have listened to many horrible sermons in my lifetime. Now again, before you begin to run all those bad sermons of mine through your mind, realize that I am not referring to the delivery of the message. I am not referring to whether the preacher is a “smooth” speaker or not. I am referring to content! In other words: Is the preacher being consistent with the Word of God? I, personally, would rather listen to a “dry” preacher who teaches strong biblical truth than to listen to someone who is “smooth” and wouldn’t know the basic principles of the faith if they came up and bit him. Now I know that is strong language, but I am much more interested in content than delivery.

That is one reason (not the only reason) I do not support denominational gatherings, or even interdenominational gatherings. In my mind, the most important thing is not the beautiful sound of hearing 10,000 men sing “How Great Thou Art”. I am sure it is beautiful. But more important in my mind is: How was the preaching and the teaching of the Word? What was taught from behind the pulpit or in the workshops?

Again, that being said, that is really not what this column is about. By now you are thinking that I have been reading this column and he hasn’t made his point yet! Let me illustrate my point by using a personal illustration.

I have preached twice in chapel at my alma mater, Florida Christian College. Can you imagine teaching something to the very people who taught you everything you know? Talk about pressure! But I remember Doc Smith coming up to me after I preached out of Haggai (Doc Smith taught me everything I know about the Old Testament!) and he told me I was faithful to the text and did a nice job. I was preaching to a group of preachers and professors! Wow!

I was honored and humbled this year to have Richard and Betty Marshall in our services one Sunday evening. Mr. Marshall used to be my preacher and also taught me how to preach while I was at Florida Christian College. It would be easy to get a big head, but in reality, it humbles me.
For most of this past year I had the honor and privilege to be a preacher’s preacher. Robert Hodshire, and his wife Ruth, have been attending South Side for some time now. When I first met Robert and Ruth, I was told they were “stanch” Church of Christ. I thought: that is all right, because I am “stanch” Church of Christ also. I believe in the restoration ideals and principles. I live by them! So when they begin attending the Bible School class I was teaching and morning services and Wednesday evening services, I was quite honored and humbled that out of all the preachers in the area, they would come and listen to me every week.

I was honored and humbled with Robert’s comments like:
* Kevin, I don’t know if I could have said it better.
* Kevin, it is scary, you sound just like me.

Now as I reflect on Robert’s life, and consider our continued ministry to Ruth, I am just reminded that we have a big task before us. I am reminded of preachers like Robert Hodshire, Ed Harris, Roger Chambers, Lewis Foster, RC Foster, Wilke Winter, Paul Bennett, Clarence Greenleaf, Don DeWelt, JW McGarvey, Alexander Campbell . . . . And the list goes on of men who have fought the good fight by preaching the Word! These preachers have contended for the faith once delivered and have now gone on to be with the Lord. They have left us big shoes to fill. I don’t think my foot can fill even half of any one of those men’s shoes. I just pray that I can do my part in fighting the good fight and preserving the sound doctrine that they worked so hard to contend for!

I am very honored and humble to be a preacher’s preacher! I am very honored and humbled to be your preacher!

A Preacher's Preacher

2006-10-24T23:46:00.000-05:00

It has been an honor to be a preacher's preacher for most of the last year. Robert Hodshire, and his wife Ruth, have been attending South Side, starting shortly after I begin my ministry there. Robert and I are much alike in our stance for New Testament Christianity. Robert and I both are strong Church of Christ/Christain Church preachers.

This past Sunday Robert finished the race of life. He died of a massive stroke. While we all miss Robert already, we celebrate because we know he has received his reward in Christ.

In his last sermon at South Side, Robert spoke of how "God Knows Us, Do You Know Him?" And in the sermon he mentioned how God desires the "cream of the crop". Robert, in his faithful life, was one of those who I would consider the"cream of the crop".

My prayers go out to Ruth and family. I hope we can continue to minister to her as she remains faithful.

II Timothy 4:5-8 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Restore - the Symposium

2006-10-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

I just returned, along with one of my elders, from the Christian Restoration Association 2006 Symposium. We had a great time! It was a fantastic meeting. We must go back to those restoration ideals. The messages were wonderful. We must revive the passion - and that passion begins with our relationship with God! Great job CRA! I will write more later about the messages.

God's Handiwork

2006-10-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Fall is here! The trees are beautiful. Oh, yes, I know it means raking - we know about that with our eleven trees in our front yard!

But our God is an awesome God! Enjoy the handiwork of God! Moses starts out the book of Genesis, "In the beginning GOD". Moses knew there was and is a God! It is He who created the earth! It is He who created life! He is all powerful! He is a God of love and mercy and at the same time a God of justice.

Over the next several weeks we will be studying the names of God from both the Old and New Testaments. His names speak of His character. I pray that we can learn together as we introduce again these beautiful names.

GET TO

2006-10-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

Sunday is my last "Gotta" sermon! Do I really "gotta" preach it? You know it is on giving! Of course I don't "gotta" preach it - I "GET TO". I consider it a privilege to preach the Gospel at South Side. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16). My family and I do appreciate the support and love we get from the assembly at South Side.

Well, I "gotta" go to bed! Yes, I "gotta" because I "gotta" get up early in the morning. But the neat thing is: I "GET TO" have a great time of fellowship with the men of the church at our Men's Breakfast! Keep the coffee pot hot for me!

You know you drink too much coffee if you get dressed in the morning and dab a little coffee on your wrists so you’ll smell great all day.

Gimmicks - What Does It Take?

2006-10-01T08:03:00.000-05:00

The other day I received in the mail a check for $30,000. Well, at least it looked like a check. It smelled like a check! It said “Pay to the order of” and had my name in the blank! It had the amount $30,000 both in numbers and spelled out:
Thirty thousand dollars……..00/100
Wow! I couldn’t wait to go cash it! But wait! As I looked at the small print, it said “valid only when used toward the purchase . . .” and then those words I hated to read: “DO NOT CASH”! Then I turned it over and read the rest of the letter that was attached and realized quickly that this was just another gimmick to try to get me to buy something. If they could just get me to come down and look, then a sale could possibly be made.
Many Churches and para-church organizations (camps, colleges, conventions) often find themselves caught up in the gimmick game. What does it take to get people to come to church services. And if we get them there, how do we keep them? What about the children? Do we have to have right “gimmicks” to win people to Christ?
I remember telling people about Hillsboro Family Camp and how great it is to attend. They asked what do you do all day long. I told them I am fed the Word by preaching and teaching! I was often asked how I could sit and listen to sermons from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM with only a few breaks for meals. There was nothing there to entertain me but the preaching of the Word! Oh, yes, they did have some singing, but that was not the focus. The focus was upon the preaching and teaching of the Gospel!
That old saying comes to my mind, "what you win them with, is what you win them to". I love good music—but if you win people with just music, you win them to just music. What happens if the music isn’t so great? Does that mean that someone doesn’t attend services or a camp or a convention? To some in our churches it does. If the preacher isn’t a good story teller or polished or gives us good pop psychology and “positive” preaching, we are not going to attend. But a church that is simply winning people by entertaining them, is only winning people over to entertainment as the old saying goes.
I remember years ago being part of a church softball league. In order to play on the church team, a person would have to be there at least three Sundays a month. During softball season the attendance would go up. People would attend services that you never thought would even come through the church building doors. Even after hearing the gospel proclaimed “at least three Sundays” out of the month, when softball season was over, so was their church attendance. We won them with softball, and that is all we won them to. Is it possible that the only reason they even attended was to put in their time so they could play softball?
Now I may be old fashioned, but I believe that there is still power in the Gospel WITHOUT all the gimmicks! Maybe this doesn’t bring the “instant” growth like many Christians are expecting. The Gospel must remain our focus, not the gimmicks! It was the Apostle Paul who wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). He doesn’t mention any gimmicks. He simply says the Gospel! He would later tell the same Christians in Rome that faith came by hearing (Romans 10:17).
I personally believe that the preaching of the Word can still win people to Christ. Not that there is anything wrong with music or softball or entertainment, but that cannot be the focus of the church. We Christians like to have a good time together and that is all right (look at the back of this newsletter)! But the church is not in the entertainment business! We are in the business of saving lost souls from a dying world!
I do understand the concept that we need to draw people into listening range. How we do that is something that still needs to be restored in the church today. Let me suggest that the early church didn’t win the world with gimmicks. The converts in the New Testament were won because of two primary things.
1. The preaching of the Gospel (Acts 8:4).
2. The faithful committed lives of the early church (Acts 2:42).
I still believe that if you win people with the gospel, you will win them to the gospel!
Boldly preaching the Gospel, without the gimmicks!
Kevin

Looking for Lincoln

2006-09-23T23:41:00.000-05:00

Today ten of us traveled to Springfield, IL, to search for Lincoln! Actually, we went to the Lincoln Presidential Museum. WOW! It was great. I would encourage everyone to make the trip to Springfield. There are many other Lincoln sites to visit in Springfield to enhance the trip. Lincoln's home and tomb, plus both the old and current state capitals are located in Springfield.

Lincoln was a president who took a stand on an issue and did not budge. This strong stance caused many people to hate Lincoln. The museum portrays this through the numerous politcal cartoons that showed this hatred. Lincoln did what he believed to be the right thing to do, whether it was popular or not.

This reminds me of church leaders. Elders and evangelists have to take strong stands on the Gospel and these may not always be the most popular positions. But if we are standing on the solid rock of Jesus and His Word, we have to stand firm! I pray that the elders at South Side will continue to always stand firm on the Solid Rock, popular or not! It is not the goal of the church to be popular! It is the goal of the church to be faithful. May we continue to contend for the faith that was once delivered!

It thrills me that Lincoln was immersed into Christ to have his sins forgiven!

There is a tradition among Illinois Disciples that John O’Kane, when state evangelist, discussed the state of Lincoln’s soul with him on several occasions; finally he was convicted and wished to be immersed. He reportedly knew that his wife, who had strong Episcopal and Presbyterian social obligations in Springfield, would be greatly embarrassed if it were known that a “Campbellite” evangelist had baptized him. But one night, Lincoln slipped away from the house with proper garments for baptism, met O’Kane and was immersed in the waters of the Sangamon River.

Christians Only: A History of the Restoration Movement by James DeForest Murch, p. 155, Standard Publishing, 1962.

Unity and Truth Together!

2006-09-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

Yes, the restoration plea is about unity. But that is only part of it. This unity hinges on the second part, which is truth! The restoration plea, you see, stands only on the authority of the Scriptures. Raccoon John Smith once stated it this way in the 1800's, “Let us, then my brethren, be no longer Campbellites or Stoneites, New Lights or Old Lights, or any other kind of lights, but let us come to the Bible, and to the Bible alone, as the only book in the world that can give us all the light we need.” Notice that union and truth are together! Union not based on truth is not biblical union at all. My prayer is that we continue to come to the Bible and the Bible alone! I pray that that Bible will continue to be our source of authority! I pray that we use the Bible only to make Christians only! Let's restore the restoration plea of unity, but ONLY on truth!

What a week!

2006-09-14T13:12:00.000-05:00

This week has reminded me of Hebrews 10:25 on how we are not to forsake our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

This week has offered opportunities for many of us to encourage one another - all the more so as we see Sunday approaching! It started last Sunday with fellowship and encouragement opportunities in both of our services. Then on Monday evening, it continued with a meal, report and fellowship at Pleasant Meadows. Tuesday evening offered a great time of fellowship by the churches of Christ and Christian churches here in Vermilion County. And then our own fellowship and Bible Study and Prayer time on Wednesday. We are not through yet! Ladies can attend the fellowship at Hanging Rock tonight, if they would like. Saturday the Sunday Bible School Classes are meeting and sharing a meal together.

Encouragement! Encouragement! Encouragement! Keep it up as we continue to see the next Lord's Day approaching!

Service matters!

2006-09-12T13:40:00.000-05:00

What a nice evening yesterday at Pleasant Meadows. Yes, even the "cozy" ride down and back was nice. It is always great to be able to spend time with Christian brothers and sisters, even when you have to sit real close!

It was a treat to hear about all the things going on at Pleasant Meadows. It was my first trip to the home, although we support it monthly through our missions giving at South Side.

We were also reminded that our service does matter. It does not matter how small or large the task is, they are all so very important for the kingdom.

Reflecting on 9-11-2001

2006-09-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

I wanted to reflect on the fifth year since 9-11-2001. That day I was teaching history at a Christian school in Ohio, already having started into my regular routine. My classroom was in the library and someone told me to turn the TV on because a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I turned it on briefly, and then went back to teaching, figuring that it was an accident. It wasn't too long after that when the assistant administrator popped his head in the door and told me a plane just went into the Pentagon. I said, "no way"! I turned the TV back on and it stayed on most of the day after that.

Before we left school, the whole Jr/Sr High met in my classroom/library and we had a prayer meeting. We did not know all the details yet, but knew it was enough to cause concern and a certain level of fear. At the same time, we knew we had a God that would be our strength through whatever we would have to face. We prayed for the victims. We prayed for the surviving families. We prayed for our president. We prayed for our students. We prayed for our families. We prayed for our staff.

I will never forget this day as the staff tried to comfort the fears of the students and other staff members. Even when I got home, I needed to remind my children that God is our rock - we must stand upon him, no matter what might happen. I am reminded of the words of David:

Psalm 31:1-4 - In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed; In Your righteousness deliver me. Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly; Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me. You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.

God Bless America, the land which we love!

Wednesday Evening Bible Study

2006-09-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy Wednesday evenings. Yes, it is a busy day. I make the trip to Danville twice. Then if you throw in a meeting of the elders and deacons, followed by an elders's meeting . . . whew!
But I love teaching. I enjoy good Christian fellowship. I enjoy spending some time together in prayer for friends and family of the church. I am glad that I GET TO serve in this way! I hope you feel the same way!

Gotta or Get to?

2006-08-31T11:11:00.000-05:00

I had to get up this morning to come into Danville to work on this newsletter, among many other things! I knew there were lots of things that I had to do today. For instance:

I gotta make a few phone calls
I gotta work on Sunday’s sermons (both of them)
I gotta finish up my Sunday School lesson
I gotta post the bulletin and announcements online
I still gotta post last week’s sermons online
I gotta work on this news letter

The GOTTA’s are piling up!
Gotta! Gotta! Gotta! Or is it “Get to”? Quite honestly, I consider my role at South Side a “Get to” position. It is not that I “gotta” do these things, it is that I get to! You could change all those “gotta’s” to “get to” above! After Wednesday evening Bible Study, I told Paula that I love teaching. Teaching is something that I am very passionate about. I “get to” teach—every Wednesday and Sunday and any time someone will let me!
Now that is my attitude about my role as the evangelist at South Side. What is your attitude about your role at South Side? Maybe you did not want to go there! But here we go anyway!

Do you Gotta teach Bible School?
Do you Gotta lead the singing?
Do you Gotta work in the nursery?
Do you Gotta serve in Junior Church?
Do you Gotta help serve at the table?
Do you Gotta set up for a fellowship meal?
Do you Gotta prepare communion?
Do you Gotta run the sound board?
Do you Gotta greet people at the door?
Do you Gotta . . . Ok, that is enough to make the point, I hope!

No, you do not “Gotta”! You “get to”! It is a privilege to serve our Lord and God in whatever capacity we are able to serve Him! God wants us to serve because we want to, not because we have to! He wants us to minister to others because we love him, no because we feel forced!
I personally would much rather have a Bible School teacher who feels they “get to” teach, than one who feels they “gotta”! I have always tried to look at Christian service is as a “get to” ministry.
Anything we do, no matter how small or how big the job, it all is important and is part of the work of the church.
Paul writes in Ephesians 4:15-16—"we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
The whole body (the church) is held together by what every joint supplies. Paul has just told them about four gifts which Christ gave the church. Then the Apostle says how they each have to work together for the growth of the body.
In order for these gifts to work together though, we must have the “get to” attitude about whatever we do within the assembly!
My prayer is that the morning sermon series will help to adjust any attitudes of “gotta” and help you realize that it is a privilege to serve our Lord. We “get to” serve our God and that is a HUGE privilege!
I am honored that I “get to” be your evangelist and serve our Savior with you here at South Side. Hopefully you have the same “get to” attitude!

Kevin

To view the Power Points for the sermons or to listen to the audio, click here.

South Side is Unique!

2006-08-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

I recently taught a Sunday School class on the topic of what makes the church of Christ unique. I decided to use my newsletter space to share the outline so others, who were not able to be in the class, could have the outline. I am glad to be in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I am honored and glad to be simply a Christian, with no other labels. I hope this outline will help you share with your friends and acquaintances what makes the church of Christ unique.

South Side is a church following Biblical principles.
* Where the Scriptures speak, we speak. Where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent.
* Do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names.
* Book, chapter and verse for everything we believe and practice.
South Side is a church that rejects human creeds.
* No creed but Christ; No Book but the Bible; No home but heaven.
* If creeds say less than the Bible, it doesn’t say enough; if more than the Bible, it says too much; and if it says just what the Bible says, it is unnecessary.
* Creeds do not unite; they divide.
* As far as I find it consistent with the Word of God.
South Side is a church with no denominational affiliation.
* The church practices local autonomy. This means that each local church is independent of other churches.
* There is no denominational hierarchy.
* Divisions caused by denominationalism are wrong. I Corinthians 1:10-13
* Church members prefer to be called simply “Christians” and reject any man-made label.
* The Bible only makes “Christians” only.
* Each local assembly has Christ as the Head of the church.
* Each local assembly selects its own plurality of elders (pastors) and evangelists to assist in evangelizing and equipping the local assembly. – Ephesians 4:11
* Deacons are also selected by the local assembly to serve the church in many different ministries.
South Side is a church which believes that Jesus is the ONLY way.
* Jesus said this in John 14:6.
* Peter said this in Acts 4:12.
* The Bible only presents one way to heaven and that is through Jesus and on His terms.
* The Biblical plan to salvation is plain and very simple.
* This Biblical plan can be easily summarized:
* Hear God's Word - Matthew 7:24; I Corinthians 15:1-4
* Believe God's Word (have faith in it) - Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:1
* Repent (turning away from sin unto God) - Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30
* Confess Jesus Christ as the Christ, the Son of the living God - Matthew 10:32, 16:16; Romans 10:8-13
* Be immersed into Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:38, 22:16; Romans 6:3-6; Galatians 3:27; I Peter 3:21
* Live the Christian life showing love and gratitude to God for His salvation, looking forward to His Son's return - James 1:22-24, 2:20
South Side is a church that is devoted to the Apostles’ doctrine.
* They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42
* This includes weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of the death of Jesus – Acts 20:7.
* This includes the preaching and teaching of the Bible.
* This includes opportunities for Christian fellowship for growth and edification.
South Side is a church that believes in unity, but only based in the truth.
* There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6
* In matters of faith, unity; in opinions, liberty; and in all things, love.

I am glad to be unique! Aren’t you?

Kevin

I am "One of Them"

2006-05-31T11:09:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been accused of “being one of them”? Years ago, at a Church of Christ/Christian Church preachers’ meeting, I was sitting across the table from a preacher when he asked me where I was the “pastor” at. I responded, “I am the evangelist at . . . “ In a sarcastic tone of voice he responded, “Oh, you are one of them”. I guess that I am “one of them”! And quite frankly, I am proud to be “one of them”!
One of the things that has frustrated me the most in ministry is when other evangelists cannot get the terminology right. I heard once about a “pastors and elders” conference being held at one of our Bible colleges. As I reflected in my mind about the Scriptural teaching on eldership, I thought it was redundant to say “pastors and elders” seeing that the words are talking about the same thing! Words convey thoughts and ideas and are a great way to teach.
Being practical with teaching and preaching is an important part of ministry. As I have shared many of those great Restoration principles with the congregation, some have inquired how to put those principles to work in daily life. How can we share those principles with the people we come in contact with?
I keep coming back to the fact that it starts with the words we use. Words are a simple way to teach people outside of the church basic biblical truths. One of the slogans that came out of the early days of the American Restoration Movement was, “Do Bible things in Bible ways and call Bible things by Bible names”. This is a simple principle that can help us teach others about what New Testament Christianity is all about.
Here is a simple illustration of how this works from the church office: A salesman called the office one morning and asked to talk with the “pastor”. Pat, our secretary, politely told him that none of the pastors are available because the word pastor in the bible is referring to the elders of the church and none of them are in the building. She did not go back to the Greek language and explain how the word “poimen” is used in the New Testament for elders. She didn’t have to! Pat went on to inform the gentleman on the line the “evangelist” was in, if he wanted to talk to him. What a great opportunity to teach that basic restoration principle for calling “Bible things by Bible names”. Of course the salesman was confused as he talked with me. Towards the end of the call, he called me “pastor”. Then he tried to correct himself when he said, “I mean elder”.
Words are so important and a great way to teach. A person does not need to know the Greek and the Hebrew to do it. Neither does a person need a Bible college education to teach using words. In fact, I believe that some Bible college educations have created some of the mess we are in with bad terminology!
Here is another illustration to make the point:
Several years ago a young man, who knew that I was a preacher, came up to me and asked me where was “my church”. I looked surprised at him and responded, “I didn’t know that I had a church”. I kind of caught him by surprise because he begin to wonder if I was still preaching. I told him that I did still preach—but I preach at Christ’s church and not mine. As the elders at Bolivar, PA, would continually remind the congregation that it wasn’t their church! Jesus died for the church! The elders did not die for the church! Simple words that taught a great lesson!
Someone once got confused with a visiting song evangelist. This confused member of the congregation told one of the children to stop “running in the church”. The song evangelist, teaching using words, simply said that it was impossible to “run in the church”. He went on to explain that the church is the people and you cannot run in the people (church). Simple words teaching a simple Biblical truth.
Scott Sheridan, a preacher friend of mine in Seattle, once wrote an article titled: Sloppy Terminology means Sloppy Theology. How true that is! Scott writes:
The Church has become extremely tolerant of sloppy terminology and sloppy theology. I hear it almost everywhere I go, everything I read, people I speak with, etc. I am not talking about major issues, necessarily. Although you can hear some out-and-out heresy in some of our pulpits, that is not what I am talking about. This article deals with some sloppy terminology that good-hearted people use from time to time. Nevertheless, just because we may not be discussing major heresies does not mean that it is not an important matter.
Scott hit the nail on the head! Unfortunately, the worse our terminology gets, the worse our theology can get. We start to actually believe the things we are saying. Or we say that they are not that important anymore. Or we say that they are just words. I have been hearing this about hymns during my entire eighteen years of ministry. I can point out how unbiblical the words to a hymn are, and the response is: “it is just a song”. Sloppy terminology means sloppy theology. It definitely can eventually lead to sloppy theology! Be careful of the words you use! If you use the wrong ones, you may convey a thought that is not Biblical.
Just “one of them” with you too, I hope!

Kevin

Constitutional Lessons

2006-05-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

OK! This article really isn’t about the United States Constitution. It is about the South Side Church of Christ Constitution and By-Laws (1979 Edition). I will be the first to admit that I have never been a big fan of Constitutions and By-Laws for churches unless they are VERY well written. I understand that many were written, though, to protect congregations from denominational takeovers of property, finances and doctrines. Some were written because their state mandated they have some as an organization.
I have to admit, though, I really like the way our Constitution starts out. And you know what I like about it the best? The best part is that Article One and Article Two (Section 1) cannot be amended in anyway! That is a good thing, because those first few paragraphs are filled with sound Biblical doctrine. Here are a few things you will find (if you ever read your copy):
First is the NAME of the congregation! The congregation will always be known as the South Side Church of Christ! I am glad that the drafters of our constitution started off with this! In recent years many churches of our brotherhood have changed their names. The only problem is if Danville all of a sudden moved south of the church building. I don’t expect this to happen, but because we cannot change the name, we would be simply known as South Side Church of Christ on the north side of Danville. That would be fine with me as long as we continue to wear His name as a congregation!
Second is the PURPOSE of our congregation! Many of our churches have sent $1000’s to the denominational world to find out what their purpose is. You don’t have to buy a book or wait forty days to find out the purpose of South Side! All you have to do is look at our constitution (and they are free)! Saves us a lot of money and time! The constitution says our purpose is to “conduct a church”. Pretty simple, huh? But what did the writers mean by that? Good question (and you didn’t even have to wait for Ask the Preacher Night to get the question answered)! In fact, I don’t have to dig and study very much at all, because they told us what they meant by “conduct a church”. Here is what they meant, in their own words:
* We will be “known among religious bodies as the church of Christ”,
* We will have “Local autonomy” (self-governing),
* Members are known as Christians only,
* CONGREGATIONAL in form of government,
* No creed or articles of faith, other than those contained in the New Testament,
* Primitive ordinance of BAPTISM by immersion,
* Primitive ordinance of the LORD'S SUPPER shall be observed on the FIRST DAY of each week,
* Independent of any denomination, State or National, Ecclesiastical or other type of religious or quasi-religious organization,
* We are not to “support the United Christian Missionary Society or any other agencies of the ‘Disciples of Christ’ denomination, in any manner whatsoever”.
WOW! That says a lot about our congregation and the ones who put together this document. The last item listed above speaks of the time period they drafted the constitution, as many of our churches and colleges were taken over by the Disciples movement. Many of our congregations placed statements like these in constitutions to protect themselves.
Third is Membership Requirements of the congregation! The writers of the constitution wanted to make sure that South Side Church of Christ always had the same membership requirements as those given in Scripture. It was not open for our own interpretation!
Invitation to membership shall be extended to all:
* To those whosoever will believe with honesty and sincerity, that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,
* To those who “confess this faith before men”,
* To those who are “fully repentant”
* To those who are “subsequently immersed in water into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for the remission of sins”.
Sounds like the back of the bulletin (and the other side of this newsletter where the plan of salvation is laid out)! The message has not, and will not change at South Side! It is the same message that was taught in the New Testament! This message cannot be changed!
Oh, yes, the drafters of the constitution did allow for transfers, but only to those who had followed the New Testament pattern! Good for those authors of the constitution!
* To those who “by transfer of membership by letter, or statement of membership from a sister congregation of the Church of Christ holding identical membership requirements”
* To those who “by reaffirmation of faith and transfer of membership from another church where said candidate for membership has been previously immersed in water, “into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit””.

Standing firm on His Unchanging Word with you,

Kevin

You Mean I Need to Study?

2006-04-01T23:15:00.000-06:00

At the top of this page, right under the picture of the church building, I label us as a people of the Book. When I use the word Book, I mean the Good Book—the Bible! We, as a Church of Christ, should always be striving to use the Bible as our only source of authority. I am afraid, though, that we have become lax often times. Part of the reason is that we do not know the Book as well as we should know it. We have, in many churches, raised a generation of people who cannot find the time to study the Word of God daily in their homes.
Don't allow your generation to do that! Start right now to be a student of the Word. Be like the Berean Christians who examined the Scriptures daily to make sure that what the Apostles said was true.
Let us not fall in the temptation of just praying about the text. Prayer is essential in our Bible reading and study, but Paul wrote Timothy to STUDY to find ourselves approved before God! "Be diligent (or Study) to present yourself approved by God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed - handling accurately the Word of God" (II Timothy 2:15).
We must also not fall into the temptation of replacing study with devotional time. Devotional time is fine, and essential. But, we must figure out what the passage means before we can find out what it means to me! We need time with God reading His Word just because we enjoy it. But it will never replace the need to study!
I urge you to STUDY! STUDY! STUDY to present yourself approved by God.
Like the Berean Christians, in the early days of our American Restoration Movement we were known as a "people of the Book". We should never be ashamed of that! I would rather be a "people of the Book" than be a people who will spend eternity separated from God because we do not use His Book! I plead with you to join the elders and I in this simple, basic, yet foundational principle of the Restoration movement.
We must get beyond "Well this is what I think it means" to "This is what the Bible says about it" When you have a problem with what someone says or does, use the Word of God to resolve the conflict. Do not jump to conclusions with your own opinions. One writer said that the only exercise some Christians get is “jumping to conclusions”. If we do come to conclusions on matters, make sure they are in line with the Word of God. If you are wrong; repent! We must stand on the Word of God and be a "people of the Book"!
When the history of the Restoration movement is updated let it be known that South Side Church of Christ took the Bible as our only source of authority - not just a statement printed in bulletins (if the future generations still print bulletins) but also in action! Make it the goal of your family and of the Lord's church here at South Side to be known as a "people of the Book"!
The Word of God MUST always be our source of authority. It tells us what is important and necessary.
Read it daily! Study it daily! Examine it daily! Handle it accurately daily!

Standing firm on His Word with you,

Kevin