Category: Subject Index

The Christian is to be a servant of God. To be a servant, one must learn the principle of submission.

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The question of our title is similar to other questions that have been asked. Can a Christian be a lawyer? Or, can a Christian tend bar?

Those questions speak of the morality of the two occupations. While I believe that a Christian could certainly practice law, there are certain types of lawyers who seem, if they do their job successfully, to violate Christian morality.

However, when I ask the question, “Can a Christian be President?” I am not so concerned with the ethics of the job; rather, I am referring to the electability of a Christian. I am convinced that one who truly holds to the teachings of Jesus Christ would be considered an extremist, and would have no chance of being elected to the highest office in America.

Continue reading “In The News: Can A Christian Be President” →

Revelation 3:1-6

The Lord’s fifth letter to the seven churches, written to the church in Sardis, identifies a local congregation that was “dead.”

Sardis was the capital city of ancient Lydia, a province of Asia Minor. The Lord noted that the congregation there had “a name that you are alive.”

It must be noted that God does not see things the way man does (cf. Isaiah 55:8). That the church in Sardis was seen to be alive (perhaps by others, perhaps by themselves), held no sway with the Lord. He reserved his strongest condemnation for this congregation, and called them to repentance.

Note that their “works” were not “perfect before God.” God judges us by the things we do, whether good or bad (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10). He demands righteous and steadfast obedience to His will. This is a serious consideration as any congregation examines her standing before God.

Romans 13:1-7 and other passages establish the responsibility of Christians toward the government and ruling authorities. The sermon examines those duties.

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Last week I came across a news article relating the exhumation of a body in Italy. The body is that of Francesco Forgione, a Capuchin friar, popularly known as Padre Pio. He died in 1968, and was ordained a Catholic “Saint” by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

Many Catholics believed that Padre Pio had the “stigmata”, the wounds of Christ’s crucifixion, appear on his hands and feet by a miracle. Though some believe him to have been a fraud, and it is suspected that he used carbolic acid to create the wounds, he remains revered by millions of Catholics. His body will be contained in a glass topped coffin, to be viewed by Catholics for several months.

Continue reading “In The News: Bi-Directional Superstition” →

Guest Speaker Shawn Abraham explains that the qualifications listed in Titus 1:6-9 regarding the elder are worthy characteristics for every Christian to aspire to. The lesson explains what the qualifications are, and how they can be applied to the lives of individual Christians.

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The life of the disciple of Christ is characterized by love. Three expressions of that love are especially important:

• Love of God
• Love of Brethren
• Love of the Lost

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Four examples are given to illustrate the concept of scriptural authority. These four are: 1) Baptism as immersion; 2) Singing in worship; 3) First day of the week contribution; 4) Elders in every church.

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Apathy, the distractions of sin, lack of study, discouragement, a lack of love… All of these things can be an impediment to spiritual growth.

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Titus 2:11-15

Our text contains a wonderful explanation of grace, and what it means for man.

First, grace brings salvation. Man can not save himself, he can not earn his redemption. But, God freely gave His son to die in our stead. This is grace. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, allowing us to be spared an eternity in hell.

Second, grace is available to all men. It is not limited only to the Jew. All men have access to the saving grace of God.

Third, grace does not excuse us from personal responsibility. The idea of cheap grace, so popular today, is false. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Rom. 6:1-2). Rather, Paul says that grace teaches us to deny worldly lusts, and live “soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.”

Finally, as recipients of grace, we have hope as we look for the second advent of our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

The gospel of John records several short conversations Jesus had as He began to attract disciples at the beginning His ministry. These conversations are contained in verse 35-51 of John 1.

Andrew

One of John the Baptist’s disciples was Andrew. Two things led him to begin following Jesus. First, John proclaimed Jesus as “the Lamb of God.” Then, as Andrew heard Jesus speak, he became convinced that he had found “the Messiah.”

We do not have the words Jesus used that convinced Andrew that He was the anointed One. However, we do have words of Jesus available to us, that clearly show the truthfulness of Andrew’s conclusion.

Continue reading “The First Disciples of Jesus” →

Danish newspaper Jyllands-Poste reprinted a cartoon Wednesday drawn by Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard one day after Danish police arrested three people suspected in a plot to murder Westergaard for his characterization of Muhammad. [characterization at right] Westergaard was one of 12 cartoonists who published cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad in 2005 that sparked widespread protests across the Islamic world. Several other Danish newspapers also reprinted Westergaard’s depiction Wednesday, accompanied by statements defending freedom of speech and the public’s right to see the cause of the backlash.

The Muhammad cartoon controversy led to a number of international lawsuits and arrests alleging defamation of character and disruption of the peace. A French court in March 2007 dismissed charges against Charlie-Hebdo magazine and its director after the court found that the defendants had not purposely meant to offend Muslims. In September, Bangladeshi authorities arrested cartoonist Arifur Rahman and suspended the publication of weekly satire magazine Alpin after it reprinted the cartoon. Last month, a former newspaper editor in Belarus was sentenced to three years in prison for reprinting the cartoons in the Zhoda newspaper.

The Jurist (Legal News and Research)

Analysis:

I appreciate and understand why Muslims would be upset about the characterization of Muhammad. While the cartoon is fairly innocuous compared to some of the obscene and blasphemous representations of Jesus Christ I have seen, it is easy to see why it would offend them. Similarly, I am disgusted about the way Jesus Christ has been represented in cartoons, movies, etc. It is blasphemous, and shows the ungodliness in the world today. I do not plot to harm these infidels, but I am distressed at the disrespect they show to my Lord.

Continue reading “In The News: Muslim Extremists Arrested” →

This sermon is a discussion of the text of Romans 10:1-13. It includes a discussion of the difference between the two covenants; the necessity of faith and confession unto salvation; and a definition of the phrase, “calls upon the name of the Lord.”

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Jeroboam convinced the Northern Tribes that it was too much to ask them to return to Jerusalem to worship God. Instead he fashioned golden idols, and introduced idolatry to the nation of Israel. (cf. 1 Kings 12). It is often claimed that God requires too much of us. Is it true? This sermon establishes that what God requires is reasonable and doable for the Christian.

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John 1:1-4

John’s gospel is not the only book that begins with the words, “In the beginning.” The first book of the Bible, Genesis, begins with the statement, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Our text reveals that God consists, at least, of the Father and the Son. Of course, the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead.

Verse 14 states that the “word became flesh”, clearly showing that Jesus Christ is God, and is the Word mentioned in the first four verses as existing “In the beginning”, being “with God”, and actually being God.

The Word, God’s Son, is behind the entirety of creation. “without Him nothing was made that was made.” Because of the positions He holds as Creator and Savior, He is worthy of our worship and devotion. As John so eloquently put it, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Consider carefully the person and position of your Lord.