• The Half Tribe of Manasseh

    The Half Tribe of Manasseh” by Kyle Sanders

    Upon arrival to the land of Canaan half of the tribe of Manasseh, along with Gad and Reuben, were given their inheritance on the East side of the Jordan River (Josh. 13:8). Interestingly, these three groups of Israelites were given this portion of land upon request in Numbers 32, granted they would not abandon their Israelite brothers on the west side of the Jordan River (where most of Israel would eventually dwell) during the coming conquest of Canaan. “but we will take up arms, ready to go before the people…

  • A Faith strengthened by doubt

    A Faith strengthened by doubt” by Gary Henry

    “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren'” (Luke 22:31-32).

    DOUBT IS NOT NECESSARILY THE ENEMY OF FAITH. When we pass through the wastelands of doubt and our faith falters, or perhaps even fails, it is possible to respond to doubt in such a way that our faith later becomes more vibrant. And a faith that has been invigorated…

  • Why the Triumphal Entry?

    The account of the “Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem is included in every gospel account in the New Testament (Matt. 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12). In each of these accounts, we find Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, with the crowds shouting “Hosanna” and laying down their cloaks and palm branches in the road in front of Him. In short, they spoke and acted as if the “King of Israel” (John 12.13) were entering the city.

    One reading the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and…

  • Driven by love
  • Understanding Transgenderism Biblically

    Understanding Transgenderism Biblically Things are getting worse than confusing. Currently, Facebook lists 58 options for gender. Where we once simply checked male or female on applications, today we have options like Cis, Pangender, Gender fluid, etc. Add to this the … Read More

    The post Understanding Transgenderism Biblically appeared first on Church of Christ Articles.

  • This Little Light of Mine

    I'm going to let it shine
    Let it shine, let it shine,
    ALL the time.

    Many of us have sung this song all our lives, not remembering a time we did not. We think of it only as a children's song to be sung during Bible classes and VBS. However, as adults shouldn't we also let our little light shine?

    The impact of these words was "brought to light" (sorry for the pun) June 6th during Eastside's VBS. As Gary Kerr was beginning the song section for the evening we were…

  • Jesus and Paul – Connor Boyer
  • Justification for Drinking?
    A study by Harvard researchers tracked 38,000 men, aged 40 to 75, for 12 years. The results revealed that "those who drank alcohol had 35 to 40 percent fewer heart attacks" and that "the best results came from drinking almost every day." The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

    We are certain that there will be some folks, even some of our brethren, who will quickly latch onto this study and use its results as a further argument to "justify" the practice of "moderate, social drinking." This is anticipated, unfortunately, because there have always been…

  • The Ichthus

    (slightly adapted)

    I know you have seen it on T-shirts, sweatshirts, bracelets, necklaces, lapel pins, bumper stickers, and castings on trunk lids. I am referring to the little fish symbol which sometimes has the five letters on it. To many people, it has become as much a symbol of the Christian faith as the cross itself.

    What does it mean? What are those funny letters? What difference does it make?

    The symbol is called an ichthus (pronounced "ickthoose"), which is a Greek word for "fish," and is spelled by those five Greek…

  • Can We Play the Lottery?
    The word "covet" is found (in various forms) eighteen times in the Old Testament and twenty-two times in the New Testament. Webster defines covet: "to desire (passionately) [especially, something that another person has]." The Greek meaning of the word is "to fix the desire upon (syn., lust)."

    The Christian is bound by the Law of Christ with such passages as Colossians 3:5, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." The nature of covetousness is the act of idolatry. In this realm, God is not put…

  • Plain Words about Dress (Or Lack Thereof)
    Few bulletin articles begin with a warning, but I feel compelled to provide advance notice that this article will contain some quite explicit, though not vulgar, language. One would not be far off the mark if he said that the Bible begins and ends with references to the shame of nakedness (Genesis 3:7-10; Revelation 3:18), yet few today seem to have a sense of shame or modesty when it comes to the display of their bodies. No, complete public nakedness is still uncommon, but when Adam hid because he was naked, could his fig leaves have covered much less than…
  • The Mission of the Church
    It is not the mission of the church to furnish amusement for the world or even for its own members. Innocent amusement in proper proportion has its place in the lives of normal people, but it is not the business of the church to furnish it. The church would come off a poor second if it undertook to compete with institutions established for the express purpose of entertaining people. It would make itself ridiculous if it entered into such competition.

    Again, it is not the responsibility of the church as such to furnish recreation for its members. A certain…

  • Godly Reserves
    "I have stored up your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you."
    Psalm 119:11 (ESV)

    In ancient times, foreign invaders would besiege a city by surrounding it and cutting off commerce, travel and supplies from entering the area. Then the invaders would play a waiting game to see if they could make the city submit due to hunger or thirst, before any allies might come to provide military aid. If the city were unprepared for such an event, they would soon run out of supplies and would be forced to open the gates…

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