Historical Posts
The Purpose of Snow
This past week we got to see the first snowfall of winter. This is always a special treat for me because we rarely got snow in Alabama, and it certainly did not last very long. Our first snowfall in Ohio was beautiful to look at, and was not a driving hazard. Within 24-48 hours it all melted away.
Many complain that a lot of snow causes accidents and a lot of hard work. However, there are other things that need to be considered. What is snow for?
First, snow is beautiful! One can look at its beauty and purity and know there had to be someone to make it. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).”
Besides the spiritual reason of knowing there is a God, there is a physical reason. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).”
Snow nourishes the earth in winter as rain nourishes it in summer. This benefits God and us!
We can teach others about snow and the God that created it. Thus, God’s word will not return to Him void by leading many to Him through Jesus Christ.
Content by Richard Dillon
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Skeptical Christianity
Many of the oldest denominations have a history of keeping their membership under control by keeping them ignorant of what the Bible actually says.
Prior to the Protestant Reformation, Bibles were literally chained to the pulpits of churches and were considered to be objects of mystery by the laity. Even the oldest of the Protestant denominations continued to make the Bible the exclusive property of the clergy by teaching their membership that it was just too mysterious for them to understand, and that one must be “ordained” before he may even begin to understand its secrets. Even in the twenty-first century, there remain those who never call into question what their preacher tells them, because they have been taught not to study the Bible for themselves and to depend completely upon the clergy to tell them what to believe.
This is not in accord with the will of God!
As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches Christians to be skeptical of what they are told, and to demand proof of the veracity of what is preached to them. “Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me [Jesus]” (John 5:39). “These [the Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). These are only a few of the Bible verses, which help us to understand that skepticism is a desirable quality in every member of the Lord’s church.
Some argue that having faith means that you cannot have answers to some of life’s essential questions.
But the Bible describes faith differently. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The text does not say that faith is something we have, in spite of a lack of evidence, but rather that faith is something we have because of the evidence. Whereas one might say, “I don’t know if God is out there, but I have faith,” a New Testament Christian says, “I know that God is out there—therefore I have faith.”
Many point to Second Corinthians 5:7 as proof of the assertion that faith is some kind of an ethereal feeling we have, rather than a firm conviction. But, when the text says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight,” it is not saying that we walk by faith because we have no sight. Rather, it is declaring that faith is superior to sight. Our sight may be deceived, but our faith cannot be deceived, because it is based upon substantial evidence (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith is not a blind leap in the dark.
It is a kind of trust that we have in God, because we know that we have good reason to trust in Him “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Faith is about being convinced of the reality of God, and then putting complete trust in Him. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Being a skeptical Christian does not mean that one has no faith.
As a matter of fact, it is absolutely essential for every Christian to have strong faith. As questions of your preacher and your Bible class teacher, when you do not understand what they are saying to you. Look up the passages of Scripture that they cite and see if what they are telling you is true. Preachers and Bible class teachers can make mistakes and they can have sinister agendas, so do not simply accept everything you are told about religion, without question.
If the people in your church are discouraging you from asking questions and searching the Scriptures, then it may be time for you to seek a church where the pursuit of Bible knowledge is encouraged, rather than discouraged. At the churches of Christ, skepticism is a virtue, rather than a vice.
People learn the truth by seeking answers to their questions.
It is my sincere hope and fervent prayer that you will find the truth you seek.
Content by Russell Kline
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Galatians 01:13-14 Conversion of Saul
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Text: Galatians 1:13-14
Introduction
1. Fundamental to the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
a. If Christ was not raised, our faith is in vain – cf. 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17
b. If Christ was not raised, the apostles were liars – cf. 1 Corinthians 15:15
2. One evidence for the resurrection is the transformation that took place in the lives of those who knew Jesus…
3. An amazing transformation that took place was that in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus…
a. A devout Pharisee, persecutor of Christians
b. Who became Paul the apostle, persecuted by his Jewish brethren
Body
I. SAUL’S FORMER MANNER OF LIFE
A. HE PERSECUTED THE CHURCH…
1. In Jerusalem – Acts 8:1-3
2. And beyond – Acts 9:1-2
— Something he believed he ought to do – Acts 26:9-11
B. HE WAS ADVANCING IN JUDAISM…
1. As a scholar, trained at the feet of Gamaliel – Acts 22:3; 5:34
2. In social standing, advancing beyond many of his contemporaries
a. Holding positions of religious power – cf. Acts 26:12
b. Which likely included access to financial power
C. HE WAS ZEALOUS FOR HIS TRADITIONS…
1. Proud to be a Hebrew – Philippians 3:4-5
2. Proud to be a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee – cf. Acts 23:6
a. A conservative sect of the Jews
b. Noted for their opposition to Jesus during His ministry- Matthew 12:14
— With such a religious background, he was naturally prejudiced – Acts 26:9
[Yet this prejudiced, prominent Pharisee, fierce in his opposition to Jesus and His church, became one of the most influential Christians of all time. How did this happen? Let’s examine several…]
II. SAUL’S CONVERSION
A. PERHAPS THERE WAS AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE…
1. Could it have been wealth?
a. He had that with the Jews
b. He left it for the poverty of following Christ – cf. 1 Corinthians 4:11-12; Acts 20:33-34
2. Could it have been fame?
a. He had that with the Jews
b. Consider what he experienced as a Christian – cf. 1 Corinthians 4:10, 13
1) Regarded as foolish and weak, even by other Christians
2) Viewed as the filth of the world by those in the world
3. Could it have been power?
a. He had this with the Jews
b. Compare this with what he suffered as a Christian – cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28
— Indeed, no ulterior motive can be found to explain Saul’s conversion
B. PERHAPS HE WAS DECEIVED…
1. Then who deceived him?
a. Friends would not, for he was their champion against the Christians
b. Christians could not, because of his persecution against them
1) Putting them into prison, chasing them into other towns- Acts 8:3; 9:1-2
2) Even after his conversion, many feared him – cf. Acts 9:26
2. His testimony does not allow for the possibility of deception
a. He claimed to receive his gospel from Jesus, not man – Galatians 1:11-12
b. He claimed to see Jesus raised from the dead – 1 Corinthians 15:8
— The empirical nature of his testimony precludes the possibility of deception
C. PERHAPS HE WAS MAD…
1. Such was the conclusion of Festus, the governor – Acts 26:24
2. Others have tried to explain his conversion in psychological terms
a. That his intense persecution of Christians gave him a guilt-ridden conscience
b. That combined with the heat on the road to Damascus, he became delirious and only thought he saw Jesus!
3. Yet consider the testimony of Saul (Paul)
a. He had a clear conscience regarding persecuting the Christians – Acts 23:1
1) It was something he thought he should do – Acts 26:9
2) He did it out of ignorance, for which he knew he received mercy – 1 Timothy 1:13
b. He said he saw Jesus more than once
1) Not just on the road to Damascus
2) But on other occasions as well – Acts 18:9-10; 22:17-21; 23:11; 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
— Read his epistles, do they seem like letters written by a mad man?
D. THE ONLY PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION: HE SAW JESUS…!
1. This is the explanation given by Paul (Saul) himself
a. Before the Jerusalem mob – Acts 22:1-16
b. Before King Agrippa and Festus the governor – cf. Acts 26:12-23
2. It is the only explanation that explains his conversion
a. Why he was willing to forego wealth, fame, and power
b. Why he was willing to suffer poverty, shame, and persecution
— As he said “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision…” – Acts 26:19
Conclusion
1. The conversion of Saul is best explained by…
a. His testimony that it was the resurrected Jesus who appeared to him
b. Not once, but continuously throughout the rest of his life
— Serving as one of the greatest evidences for the resurrection of Jesus!
2. What is the significance of the resurrection of Jesus?
a. For the unbeliever, it verifies…
1) The fact of His deity – cf. Romans 1:4
2) The fact of final judgment – cf. Acts 17:30-31
b. For the believer, it verifies…
1) The adequacy of our justification (Jesus’ blood does cover our sins) – cf. Romans 4:25
2) The hope for our own resurrection – cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
3. God has born witness to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead through such evidence as the conversion of Saul
4. Have you responded to this evidence with the obedience of faith?
Content by Donald W. Treadway
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