LET THE BIBLE SPEAK.

*PROVE ALL THINGS* _Lesson 5_ The Church and chorus prayers: How Scriptural? _By Kola Ajibola_ *Introduction* The Bible is so clear on the church and issues about prayers. However, just like every other thing from God, men have polluted, bastardised, and corrupted, congregational prayers have not been spared. Most things the religious people do now in the name of religion leave people flabbergasted and leave the serious Bible students in sorrow and heartaches.  The social changes in every sphere of life have also affected the church. Miller noted that “the church has not eluded the clutches of the social circumstances. The influence of these cultural currents is being strongly felt. In fact, hurricane-force winds of changes are pounding down the body of Christ” (Miller, 1996, p. 11). Because of the noticeable departure from the original template given by the Holy Spirit as regards congregational prayers, this write-up is to explain whether or not the practice of chorus prayers in the c

Evolution is not Necessarily True David D'Armond Naperville, Illinois Editor's Note: Mr. DArmond is a geologist who is affiliated with the Midwest Center (a division of Institute for Creation Research). In a statement from him he said, "I became aware of the serious scientific deficiencies of evolution as a result of changing majors from mathematics to geology my junior year. Mathematics is very scientifically rigorous compared to historical geology where flights of imagination reign supreme. This occurred years before I ever considered thinking about a Creator. Therefore, my strongest arguments are scientific and less susceptible to attack for being 'religiously motivated.'" This article will provide a brief summary of why the philosophy of evolution need not be taken as a serious obstacle to Christianity. 1. Evolution is neither science nor scientific: A definition of science shows that something is scientific only if it can be observed and verif

              Except . Scripture Read ing: Matthew 18:1-5 Intro. 1.  Except (KJV) is also translated “unless” (NKJV, ESV, and NASB). 2.  Meaning is obvious, cf. John 3:2; Matt. 12:29; Acts 27:31.  If and only if  the stated  condition  exists does the  result  occur. 3.  Christ used “except” (unless) to teach a number of conditions we must understand and follow for the sake of our souls.   I.  THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.   A.  You Will Not Enter the Kingdom Unless You Are Born of Water and the Spirit, John 3:5.     1.  Born again; See God, John 3:3.     2.  Washing of water by the word, Eph. 5:26.     3.  Born again through the word of God, 1 Pet. 1:22-23.     4.  The Spirit plants the seed (word) in the heart and obeyed in baptism – kingdom is entered (saved), Acts 2:47, 41.   B.  You Will Not Enter the Kingdom Unless You Are Converted and Become as Little Children, Matt. 18:3.     1.  Little children are humble, innocent, dependent, trusting.     2.  Kingdom greatness is measured by humil

Paying the Preacher: The Laborer is Worthy of His Reward Ron Holbrook Whether the preacher's needs are supplied by individuals, as in Luke 10:7, or by the local church, as in 1 Timothy 5:18, the Bible says in both passages, "The laborer is worthy of his reward." Preachers and all other brethren need to remember first and foremost that when we labor together in the gospel, this is God's work and not our own. We plant and water, but God gives the increase. "For we are laborers together with God" (1 Cor. 3:6-9). As we all labor together, our focus must be on pleasing God, saving our own souls, and saving the lost. With regard to paying the preacher, he should not focus on squeezing every possible penny out of his brethren, and his brethren should not focus on pinching every penny while keeping the preacher as poor as possible. When our attitudes are right toward the work of the Lord, they will be right toward each other as respects the preache

The Impact Of Opposition To Located Preachers On The Church Ron Halbrook West Columbia, Texas The challenge of spreading the gospel includes a place for "the work of an evangelist" (2 Tim. 4:5). In the course of his work, an evangelist may "abide still" at one place and function as part of a local church, giving rise to the expression "a located preacher" (1 Tim. 1:3). Some brethren have opposed that arrangement. In surveying the preacher's work, we shall assess the impact of opposition to located preachers. The Work of An Evangelist (2 Tim. 4:5) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation." "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 2:2). The heart of every Christian should throb with the same confidence in and determination to spread the gospel as Paul had. We all have the sacred duty and privilege of &q

Paying the Preacher Bill Murff Crosby, Texas "Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a master in heaven" (Col. 4:1). One of the bigger problems in the brotherhood is the fact that we are losing a lot of good preachers. They have finally been "beat down" by the brethren they work for over insufficient wages. Preachers, as a rule, don't go into preaching for the money. They feel they must preach to personally do the thing that will please God and give them personal satisfaction. Let's compare the men of God to the average worker in the petrochemical industry. Our comparison could be Midwest auto workers, government professionals, etc. A fellow with 15 years experience - say 38 years of age, will be making around $20.00 per hour. He will also have hospitalization insurance and about four weeks of vacation. In addition, by the time he is in his mid-50s he could be eligible to retire at a c

Paying the Preacher: The Laborer is Worthy of His Reward Ron Holbrook Whether the preacher's needs are supplied by individuals, as in Luke 10:7, or by the local church, as in 1 Timothy 5:18, the Bible says in both passages, "The laborer is worthy of his reward." Preachers and all other brethren need to remember first and foremost that when we labor together in the gospel, this is God's work and not our own. We plant and water, but God gives the increase. "For we are laborers together with God" (1 Cor. 3:6-9). As we all labor together, our focus must be on pleasing God, saving our own souls, and saving the lost. With regard to paying the preacher, he should not focus on squeezing every possible penny out of his brethren, and his brethren should not focus on pinching every penny while keeping the preacher as poor as possible. When our attitudes are right toward the work of the Lord, they will be right toward each other as respects the pr

How Much Should a Preacher Be Paid? Robert H. West North Las Vegas, Nevada In virtually every congregation we find some brethren who are critical of or opposed to the amount of wages received by local and visiting evangelists. Such criticism and opposition has precipitated general unrest among the membership and has thus given occasion for loyal gospel preachers to be accused of "riding a gravy-train," "milking the church dry," etc. We hasten to add, however, that such accusations seldom come from elderships of working congregations. In most instances these charges are pressed with equal force against the elders themselves who have agreed to supply the questioned amount of financial support. The purpose of this article is, therefore, to point out a few of the reasons why we, along with the majority of godly elders, feel that the present wages received by preachers is justified, and why, in many cases, any increase in the It would not be unjustified