LET THE BIBLE SPEAK.

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS By: - Bro Benjamin Yamah INTRODUCTION: The world today believes that “Christmas” is the birthday of Jesus Christ. But it should be noted that the word “Christmas” is derived from two words – “Christ” and “mas”. We Christians know that the word “Christ” means the Messiah or the One sent to redeem us from sin. On the other hand, the word “Mas”, according to James Gibbons, a Catholic scholar, is derived from the Catholic sacrifice of Mass (during Eucharist or Holy Communion celebration). Candles are usually burnt during the process. (See Faith of Our Fathers, page 355). Thus, it is clear that the word “Christmas” has nothing to do with birthday. The word is therefore a misnomer for our Lord’s birthday as Christ and Mas do not connote Christ’s birthday. We Christians must therefore separate our Lord (Christ) from Mass as the term, apart from lacking support of scriptures, does not mean birthday. ORIGIN OF CHRISMAS: Before the advent of Christianity, the Roma

JESUS AND JEHOVAH BY WAYNE JACKSON “Jehovah’s Witnesses” argue vehemently that it is never proper to refer to Jesus Christ by the name “Jehovah.” Their literature states: “Jesus is not Jehovah” (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1989, p. 198). As was pointed out in a previous article (see A Brief Study of the Angel of Jehovah), however, the designation “Jehovah” simply denotes the self-existence of deity. If it is the case, therefore, that Christ is self-existent —thus an eternal being —then it follows that it would be entirely appropriate to refer to Jesus as “Jehovah.” Reflect upon the following line of evidence. That the Second Person of the Godhead is eternal is clearly affirmed in the Scriptures. The prophet Micah declared that the person who was to be born in Bethlehem had an existence “from of old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2). Additionally, the apostle John wrote: “In the beginning was the Word...” (Jn. 1:1). The imperfect tense form of the verb “was” (Gr. en) denotes a “con

IMMANUEL — GOD IS WITH US WAYNE JACKSON Names are of great importance in the Bible. Some names have historical significance. “Adam,” for example, may derive from the Hebrew adama, “the red soil”—thus suggesting something of his physical origin (Gen. 2:7). And “Eve” (“living,” “life”) was so designated because “she was the mother of all living” humans (Gen. 3:20). Sometimes names were symbolically descriptive of character. During his earlier years, Abraham’s younger grandson was denominated “Jacob” (“heel-catcher,” “supplanter,” “trickster”), for ever attempting to achieve success by his own cunning—sometimes with unethical devices. But after his experience with Jehovah’s messenger, i.e. the pre-incarnate Logos, at Peniel, his name was changed to “Israel,” indicative of the transformation of character that was henceforth to characterize him (Gen. 32:28). Names could also be prophetic. “Abram” (“exalted father”) was changed to “Abraham” (“father of a multitude”) because God intende

IS JESUS JEHOVAH? WAYNE JACKSON “Jehovah’s Witnesses” argue vehemently that it is never proper to refer to Jesus Christ by the name “Jehovah.” Their literature states: “Jesus is not Jehovah” (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 198). As was pointed out in a previous article (see A Brief Study of The Angel of Jehovah), however, the designation “Jehovah” simply denotes the self-existence of deity. If it is the case, therefore, that Christ is self-existent—thus an eternal being—then it follows that it would be entirely appropriate to refer to Jesus as “Jehovah.” Reflect upon the following line of evidence. That the Second Person of the Godhead is eternal is clearly affirmed in the Scriptures. The prophet Micah declared that the person who was to be born in Bethlehem had an existence “from of old, from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2). Additionally, the apostle John wrote: “In the beginning was the Word...” (Jn. 1:1). The imperfect tense form of the verb “was” (Grk. en) denotes a “continuous timel

WAS JESUS CREATED BY GOD? WAYNE JACKSON “Is there a possibility that before the Universe was created that God, the ‘Ancient of days,’ was all alone, and that out of his own being he brought into existence the Word, who eventually became Jesus Christ?” No, that is not a concept that can be harmonized with Bible truth. Consider the following: No other God before or after Jehovah God explicitly declares that no other God existed — either before or after him. Note the testimony of Isaiah: “[B]efore me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no God” (Isa. 43:10-11). Christ is eternal Eternality is a prime characteristic of one who possesses the nature of deity. God is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psa. 90:2). He is the “high and lofty One who inhabits eternity” (Isa. 57:15). Now, inasmuch as it is clear that the divine Word (Christ — Jn. 1:1, 14) possesses the nature of deity, one must conclude that he is intrins

The Love of Money David King. “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:9-10). At the outset, let us first exonerate money of any blame in this passage. Whatever role money may play in the downfall of men, the money itself cannot be faulted. Money is morally neutral, and can be used for great good, as well as evil. The problem here is not the money itself, but the attitude of those who would have it. The love of money is under consideration here, not money itself. A man can be as poor as the proverbial church mouse and still be guilty of the crime, if his heart is in the grip of greed. The love of money, Paul says, is “a root of all kinds of evil.” Not the root, for there are other sources of tempt

A dangerous trend in the churches of Christ . By Jack Wilkie . I understand the headline is fairly provocative, so I’ll get right to the point I want to make – we put far too much emphasis on our own rightness. Right doctrine that leads to right actions is critically important, but if we’ve come to the place that our rightness outranks Jesus in terms of where we direct our attention (and I believe we have), we have a problem. In his book on modern idols (“Counterfeit Gods”), Tim Keller pointed out this issue by saying, “Idolatry functions widely inside religious communities when doctrinal truth is elevated to the position of a false god. This occurs when people rely on the rightness of their doctrine for their standing with God rather than on God himself and his grace.” We aren’t saved by being right about everything and perfectly understanding the Bible. We’re saved by God’s grace as long as our  faith is continually placed in Jesus. How do we know if this is a problem? What does

The Rapture by R. L. Morrison Many religious people today are anxiously awaiting the rapture. There are many various doctrines concerning the event and what will happen at that time as well as who will be involved in it. These doctrines vary so greatly, it is impossible for them to be reconciled. Many teach that Christians will just disappear and others will be affected in other ways at that time. Some say that three and a half years later (some say seven years) Christ will return to earth and set up his kingdom after a great battle has been fought, the forces of evil defeated, and then he will begin a thousand years reign. Some today might be surprised to learn that the word "rapture" is not found in the scriptures. The word means "a catching up"; or "to be caught up". This idea is found in the scripture. "For the Lord imself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ

Should Enoch Be Included In The Bible? By Steven Bancarz - October 30, 201710700 By Steven Bancarz| One of the most common questions I have seen since coming to Christ is the question of whether or not Enoch should be included in the Bible.  The short answer to this is that Enoch is not Scripture and was never considered to be on the same level of Scripture historically by any Christian institution other than the Ethiopian Orthodox church of 1959. But wasn’t the Book of Enoch quoted from in Jude of the New Testament?  While it is true Jude quoted from Enoch in Jude 14-15, all this means is that what Enoch said in that particular passage is true.  It doesn’t mean the entire book is divinely inspired, but it does mean that at least that quote by Enoch was true.  Just because something is true does not necessarily mean it is inspired by God.  History books are true but are not inspired by God.  Paul quotes a greek poet named Epimenides in Titus 1:12 but that does not mean that Epimeni

The Homosexual Lifestyle Condemned? By:  Gary Colley Date:  May 12, 2002 Past/Future Articles Our hearts are saddened anytime we hear of one living outside of God’s requirements for a successful life.  Realizing that the wages of sin is death or separation from God (Rom.6:23), we strive to teach and preach the Gospel, which is the key to these who need to return to favor with God.  When God created man (Gen.1:26-27), he did not intend that man should be wicked,  nor that his thoughts would be “only evil continually” (Gen.6:5).  Realizing that one who has “been there and done that” carries more wait at times with the sinner, we turn to one who formerly practiced homosexuality.  Tony Horton has written to give his reasons for leaving the homosexual lifestyle.  His reasons are very appealing to every thinking man and woman, and should be considered by all.  He stated that the reason why he left the homosexual lifestyle was “simple.  I want to spend eternity in heaven.  Our life is a

Will Christ Reign on Earth 1000 Years? By: Garland M. Robinson Date: Nov. 16, 2003 Past/Future Articles This is not taught in the Bible. No scripture can be found that the Lord will ever set foot on this earth again. All the saints will meet the Lord in the air. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the cloud. (1Thessalonians 4:16-17). Nothing can be found saying the Lord will establish a political or military kingdom on this earth. In fact, Jesus said, “...My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence" (John 18:36). There were those in the first century who would have made Him

Does God Allow Women to be Preachers ? By: Garland M. Robinson Date: March 21, 2004 Past/Future Articles No, God DOES NOT allow women to be preachers. That is not my opinion or interpretation! That is plain Bible fact! The Bible restricts what women can do in the church in I Timothy 2:11-12, "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." There are two specific contrasts in verse 11: women are to LEARN, not to TEACH, and, they are to be in SUBJECTION, not DOMINION. This is a principle stated throughout the Scriptures. Verse 12 makes it plain, women are not “to teach nor to usurp authority over the man." A woman does not have the authority to teach, or in any other way, have authority or dominion over the man. Therefore, any and all teaching over the man is prohibited! This is not a cultural situation, nor is it simply a first century practice. The force of the Greek

WHAT IS A “PASTOR”? BY JASON JACKSON “Is the term ‘Pastor’ a proper title for ministers of the gospel?” Three verses in the New Testament include the word “pastor” (in various forms): Ephesians 4:11, Acts 20:28, and 1 Peter 5:2. In Ephesians 4:11, Paul discusses various roles that Christ placed in the church. He intends for “pastors and teachers” to serve in the church. The expression “pastors and teachers” identifies a single group. Homer A. Kent writes, “Pastors and teachers are named as one grammatical unit (by use of just one article in the Greek text)” (72). Pastors (i.e., shepherds), as they care for the flock, are also teachers. In Acts 20:28, Paul again refers to pastors. Here, however, he uses the verb form of the word, which is translated “to feed” (ASV) or “to care for” (ESV). Pastors feed, tend, and protect the church. They are to do all the things that a shepherd would do for a flock. Note in this verse that the church is called “the flock.” Similarly, in 1 Peter 5:

Why A Christian Cannot Be A Mason Kenneth E. Thomas Bradenton, Florida Many good tracts and articles have been written over the years about a Christian and Freemasonry. What I shall write will not be completely new, but will hopefully be stated in such a way as to be a worthy addition to what is already available to one wishing to know more about Freemasonry and a Christian's proper attitude towards being a Mason, and toward our "brethren" who find themselves involved in this "secret society." Something Very Strange! Several Protestants and not a few Catholics are dead set against any involvement in the Masonic Lodge. Why do you suppose some of my own brethren who are knowledgeable concerning New Testament religion do not and/or will not stand opposed to Masonry? In some cases, no doubt, it is because they are not as knowledgeable about Masonry as they should be to see the inconsistencies of trying to be a faithful Christian and a Mason. In other cases they