Progressives have successfully shifted our language. We have ceded ground to them they do not own. Their efforts have created enough ambiguity and fluidity around the nature of the church that many no longer believe in the concept of a non-denominational church of Christ. The surest path back is to reclaim the language. The definition of the “church” is as fixed as the definition of a “woman.”
What is the Church? Read More »
However, both actors are using the same approach in providing that offer. The verse states that both actors are “saying” the invitation of obey the Gospel. Both are “saying” the gospel to the lost. Both are using words to appeal to the heart of those needing to find the “new Jerusalem.”
The Gospel’s Two-Part Invitation Read More »
Since then we understand that the path to salvation begins with the hearing of faith, if it is true that the order of the phrases in this verse is significant we would arrive at an interesting conclusion. We would come to a position stating that prior to the Thessalonian Gentiles’ believing the gospel, God acted through His Spirit to sanctify (or set apart) them.
The Sanctification of the Holy Spirit Read More »
The exact same phrase, we are told, describes two gifts that have not one point of commonality between them except that they are both from God. I understand why people are confused when they hear teaching about the Holy Spirit. Is there another doctrine where God’s use of language is so unpredictable?
God’s greatest and most cherished creation of the universe is not found in the unimaginable and immeasurable expanse of space. It does not soar in the freedom of the sky or wander in the protected passages deep in the seas. It is proclaimed and glorified in the love of home and family. Its power is experienced in the most intricately crafted piece of God’s creation: Marriage.
Marriage is Golden Read More »
Within their theology, Calvinists have a perfectly consistent mechanism to address the problem of people who cannot receive the things of the Spirit. They simply assert that the Spirit overrides the depravity of the human condition and forces salvation upon them. Centuries ago, John Calvin “solved” this problem the only way possible. In time, our preachers will also come to the same conclusion. From where they stand now, without turning back, Calvin’s conclusion is inescapable.
The Resistible Grace of the Holy Spirit Read More »
What would have happened in A. D. 68 to a Jew who turned from the gifts of God given him through the Holy Spirit? He would have returned to his people. What then? Simply put, he would have died.
When It was Impossible to Repent Read More »
What does the audience hear in the debate? It hears inconsistency. Our argument sounds contrived. It contradicts their own experience. The singing they have done for their entire life has been helped by instruments of music. Now, we are compelled to convince them that their perception contradicts reality. It is a tough sell. The progressive has placed us in exactly the right position to sway the undecided in our congregations.
Instrumental Music and Expediency Read More »
The man of the flesh, the carnal man, and the natural man are all the same person. He is the man who lives after the works-based philosophy embodied by the Pharisaical Judaizer. The man of the spirit is the man who had understood the teaching of the gospel brought by Paul and has rejected that philosophy of works.
Your Spirit or the Holy Spirit? Read More »
For a generation, we have tried to make our services as polished as possible. There are very few large churches of Christ with ugly preachers. Smooth and dynamic has been the fashion for a long time. It is phony, plastic, imitation, and we know it. “Throw it out. Get small. Home churches are the answer.”
Deconstructing the Church Read More »