LET THE BIBLE SPEAK.

Who Is a Christian? Wayne Jackson   The appellation of “Christian” is widely used as a category of people. But who, in fact, is (and who is not) a Christian? The term “Christian” is found three times in the New Testament. It is employed initially in conjunction with the ministry of Barnabas and Saul in Antioch of Syria. [T]he disciples were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts 11:26). Later, when pressed with evidence for the validity of the Christian system, Herod Agrippa II said: Almost you persuade me to be a Christian (26:28). Christian Courier Recommends Watch entertainment your way with VidAngel. Get Started The King James Version suggests a man who is wrestling with his conscience. Others feel that the ruler’s remark is cynical: “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (NIV). Perhaps the truth is somewhere between the two. The king’s comment may reflect a respectful evasion. Finally, Peter writes: [I]f any man suffer as a Christian,...

WHY MEN ARE CALLED "GROOM”, AND THE WOMAN “THE BRIDE” ON WEDDING DAY?. By Victoria Isoko. Why is the newly wedded man called GROOM and the woman called BRIDE? A friend of mine got tired of his WIFE just about six months after wedding. He complained bitterly to me about her and told me that he has concluded to break up with her; he went on to say that he was sure that he made a mistake. I did not respond immediately because I knew I must tell him that right thing, so I went home. And that is what birth this message. Many MEN have broken up with their WIVES because they end up not being the WIVES that they have dreamt of. But they have forgotten that on their wedding day was when the man was commissioned for the new task. Nobody calls the woman WIFE on her wedding day but BRIDE, because it is the man that will GROOM his BRIDE to become the WIFE. That is why the man is called ‘BRIDEGROOM or GROOM’ and the word grooming has to do with PATIENTLY NURTURING, TEACHING, TENDING...

INVESTIGATE THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. September 23, 2017 By Ezekiel Akinyemi. The church of Christ is composed of those who are being saved. It is not a denomination. When a person hears the gospel of Christ, believes it with all sincerity, soberly repents of his sins, confesses Christ as the Son of God and is baptized (immersed in water) by the authority of Christ, God forgives that person all his past sins and seals him with the Holy Spirit. Such is the person considered in the Bible as being saved and added to the Lord's church, the body of Christ. And such is the person rightly called a Christian. Please, confirm all these things in Acts 2:36-47; 1 Cor. 12:13 and Acts 11:26. God wants you to investigate the church of Christ, the church for which Jesus shed His blood and died. Satan, the deceiver of man from the beginning has created several and various counterfeit churches many of which seem to look in some aspects to be the church of Christ. In denominationalism, Satan...

BIBLE STUDY FOR  SCIENCE STUDENTS OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST'''  Subject:    HOW OLD IS PLANET EARTH'    ACCORDING TO 'GOD'  AND NOT ACCORDING TO SCIENCE....☺️ GOD MADE THE FIRST MAN AND WOMAN  1,056 YEARS BEFORE THE GREAT FLOOD' ...Gen.6; ABRAHAM WAS BORN 400 YEARS AFTER THE GREAT FLOOD: FROM ABRAHAM TO CHRIST ARE 42 GENERATIONS'   MATT. 1:17;   42 GENERATIONS ARE 1,680 YEARS.   THERE ARE 400 YEARS BETWEEN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT; FROM CHRIST'  UNTIL PRESENT DAY IS 2,022+-  YEARS;  1,056 + 400 + 1,680 + 400 + 2,022 =  5,158 years   Let's just call it 6,000...

                    Should Women in the Church Attend Business Meetings? W.R. Jones Conroe, Texas As the Women's Movement grows in the world about us it is having its effect on some ladies in the church. I was recently confronted with this question by a Christian who worships with a congregation where sisters attending business meetings is a fairly common practice. I am told they attend and speak out concerning their views. The first thing this practice tells me is that sisters who attend and so exercise themselves do not properly understand their role in the kingdom or they have no respect for God's &vine arrangement. The second thing this practice tells me is that brethren who allow it are either poorly informed of women's role in the New Testament or they have lost their courage to speak against such conduct. In either case it is an indicator of spiritu...

We All Fail, At Times, To Exercise  Self-Control The word "self-control" is translated from a Greek word which literally means, "one who holds himself in." It is a better rendering than "temperance," since today the word "temperance" is usually limited in the meaning to one form of self-control, i.e., abstaining from alcohol. Self-control is the bringing of all our appetites, desires and passions into harmony with the will of God. It is self-restraint, self-discipline. The ability to restrain ourself. What if the diabetic did not control his appetite for sweets, or if the person with high blood pressure did not control his intake of salt, or if the person who needs to study for a test let his mind wander off, etc.? We all know there are consequences to be suffered when we do not maintain self-control. Self-control is mastering the whole person. This may be the hardest task each of us has (Matt. 16:24). There is a great need for self-control since...

             Sexual Sins Paul K. Williams Indianapolis, IN "Flee fornication," warned Paul (1 Cor. 6:18). And "flee" is what we must do if we are to succeed in keeping ourselves pure from sexual sins. The Old and New Testaments are full of admonitions concerning sexual sins. These warnings are especially necessary, for the emotions involved are so strong that some of the mightiest of God's people have fallen victim to them. King David, whom God described as "a man after my own heart," fell victim to passion when he saw a beautiful nude woman. The adultery committed by the pair then led to a chain of sins, culminating in the murder of her husband and resulting in the death of the infant boy as punishment. The New Testament describes false teachers who used lasciviousness to entice newborn Christians (2 Peter 2:18), and some who taught their followers to commit fornication (Rev. 2:14-15, 20-23). A number of se...

Discipleship Denny Diehl Claremore, Oklahoma For many years I was under the false impression that the main thrust of Matthew 28:19-20 was "Go." I saw charts of the commandment to "Go," but Jesus didn't say how we were to "Go," therefore, we could go by whatever means were available to us. Even though I agree with the conclusion, I believe that a disservice has happened in misdirecting our attention in that important direction of Jesus. "Go" is not the main idea but is only a participle, a subordinate to the main thought of the sentence, as the following original translation will show: "Therefore, after you have gone, disciple all the nations, while you are baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and while you are teaching them to obey everything which I have commanded you . . ." We notice that the main thrust is not going, baptizing or teaching, but, after having gone, and while baptizing an...

        Advice To The Graduands.  (I Tim. 4:12-16.) "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example to the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity... Give attendance to reading, to exhortation,  to doctrine. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee."  (Tit. 2:7-8) " In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an  opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.  01. It is my happy privilege to stand with you all, at this time of your happy moment. Infact among you are my dearest Brothers and Friends. God knows I have love and  encouragement for every tr...

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS COMING SOON! Jesus said,  "I will come again. . ." (John 14:1-3).  "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when He comes shall find watching" (Luke 12:35-42; see also Matt. 25:31).  Angels said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) Paul said, "...rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, (2Thessalonians 1:7) It is a question of when, not if, he comes! Until he comes again, HOPE should motivate us: a. To watch, pray, be sober, and always be ready (Matt. 25:13; Mark 13:33-37; 1 Thess. 5:6),  b.  To use our talents (Matt. 25:14-30),  c.  To be charitable and benevolent toward the needy (Matt. 25:31-46),  d.  To be steadfast (James 5:7; 1 Cor. 15:58),  e.  To live holy lives (2 Pet. 3:11, 14; Tit. 2:11-13),  f.  ...

I Am Ready to Preach the Gospel Jarod Jacobs As a young person, it is a hard decision to "pick up and move" to a new area. It is, however, a necessary decision when making the choice to "preach the gospel" to a lost and dying world. My wife, Becky, has told me many times that 1 Timothy 4:12 is "my verse." It describes how my attitude should be as well as the attitude of my peers in Christ. Remember, the words of Paul in this passage are to a young preacher. "Let no man despise thy youth... ." In other words, do not let anyone look down on you because you are young. He continues, ". . . but be an example to the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." We can see a contrast in this verse. "Do not let any-one look down on you because you are young. To keep people from doing this, show the right example in every facet of your life." This is something all young Christians need to remember. It...

To Young Preachers Fred E. Dennis Marietta, Ohio ( Note:  This good article is a reproduction of a tract, a copy of which Brother Dennis sent, giving his permission for its publication in TRUTH MAGAZINE.) It is my happy privilege to number many young preachers among my dearest friends. God knows I have nothing but love and encouragement for every true gospel preacher. For more than a quarter of a century I have been traveling among the churches. I believe that I can offer some observations that will be beneficial to all young preachers. Preaching the gospel is the greatest work on this earth. Your preparation for this work must not end with a few years of schooling. You must be a student of the grand old Book always. Make it a daily practice to read and study the Bible. Try to know a little more about it today than you knew yesterday. Read the best books of the brotherhood. In the course of a year you should read many books. Read carefully our best gospel papers. Some of the best p...

The Preacher Raymond E. Harris The word “preacher” is found eleven times in the Bible. In 2 Peter 2:5, Peter speaks of Noah as “a preacher of righteousness.” In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon spoke of himself seven times as “the preacher.” In 1 Timothy 2:7 and in 2 Timothy 1:11, Paul speaks of himself as a preacher. And in Romans 10:14, Paul writes of preachers in general. In both the Old and New Testaments, preachers are also described as a “Man Of God.” That expression is found 78 times in the Bible. Moses, Samuel, Elijah, David, and Timothy are a few so designated. The words “Evan­gelist” and “Evangelists” are found three times in the New Testament (Acts 21:8; 2 Tim. 4:5; Eph. 4:11). The Place or Purpose for Preachers, Men of God, or Evangelists in the Affairs of God There have always been proclaimers of God’s Word, heralds of glad and evil tidings. In 1 Corinthians 1:21, Paul wrote that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” Today, all across...

The Preacher Raymond E. Harris The word “preacher” is found eleven times in the Bible. In 2 Peter 2:5, Peter speaks of Noah as “a preacher of righteousness.” In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon spoke of himself seven times as “the preacher.” In 1 Timothy 2:7 and in 2 Timothy 1:11, Paul speaks of himself as a preacher. And in Romans 10:14, Paul writes of preachers in general. In both the Old and New Testaments, preachers are also described as a “Man Of God.” That expression is found 78 times in the Bible. Moses, Samuel, Elijah, David, and Timothy are a few so designated. The words “Evan­gelist” and “Evangelists” are found three times in the New Testament (Acts 21:8; 2 Tim. 4:5; Eph. 4:11). The Place or Purpose for Preachers, Men of God, or Evangelists in the Affairs of God There have always been proclaimers of God’s Word, heralds of glad and evil tidings. In 1 Corinthians 1:21, Paul wrote that “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” Today, all across...

"Is There Any Sick Among You?" Weldon E. Warnock Xenia, Ohio "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" (James 5:14-15). The preceding verses raise several questions. What is the sickness? Is it physical or spiritual? Why call for the elders? What is the significance of anointing with oil? What is the prayer of faith? On what basis are the sins forgiven of those who are sick? Do these verses apply today? We will endeavor to briefly answer these questions. Various Views Several schools of thought are espoused as to the correct interpretation of these passages. 1. The Catholic position is that James is teaching extreme unction. They tell us that extreme unction is a sacrament through which the priest, by prayer and anointing with oil, ...