POINTS TO PONDER

  • Sorrow cannot be divorced from sin.
  • Truth cannot be changed by majority vote.
  • Measure your fellowman by his excellencies, not by his shortcomings.
  • Since the days of Adam, men have been busy disclaiming personal responsibility.
  • Men regret their words more often than they regret their silence.
  • A human creed hampers faith and spiritual growth. Let us make the Christ – His life and teaching – our only creed.
  • The man who speaks evil of your brother in his absence would speak evil of you in your absence. To a backbiter, lend no encouragement — Do not lend him your ear!

 

Author Unknown

Things to make you think...

...You cannot always prevent people from saying evil things about you, but can so live that no one will believe it.

...A man may fall several times, but he is not a failure until he begins saying someone pushed him.

...All that is not eternal is eternally out of date.

...Correction does much, but encouragement does much more.

…Sorrow cannot be divorced from sin.

…Truth cannot be changed by majority vote.

…Measure your fellowman by his excellencies, not by his shortcomings.

…Since the days of Adam, men have been busy disclaiming personal responsibility.

…Men regret their words more often than they regret their silence.

…A human creed hampers faith and spiritual growth. Let us make the Christ – His life and teaching – our only creed.

…The man who speaks evil of your brother in his absence would speak evil of you in your absence. To a backbiter, lend no encouragement — Do not lend him your ear!

Author Unknown

What Is the Church of Christ?

To answer this question in one sentence, they are people who wish to go back to the Bible for their only guide in religious matters, thus restoring in our time the original New Testament church.

If we go back in time to the latter part of the eighteenth century there were different men of differing denominations, each studying the Bible independently of each other, and coming to the same conclusions. These men had a great desire for unity, for this is what Christ prayed for in John 17:20-21: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” 

They also realized that this unity could never be achieved if we followed after human creeds, synods, councils, opinions, etc. It could only be achieved if we threw off all denominationalism and these human creeds and follow only the Bible. 

This does not establish another denomination, but rather it returns to the original. We thus are not a denomination, neither Catholic, Protestant, nor Jewish; but simply members of the church which Christ established, and purchased with His blood.

This also is why we wear the name church of Christ. It is not used as a denominational designation, but as a descriptive term setting forth that the church belongs to (of) Christ. We also recognize that there are other biblical terms, for example, church of God (I Corinthians 1:2); church of the firstborn (Hebrews 12:23); kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19); body of Christ (Ephesians4:12); bride of Christ (Ephesians 5). Any term which signifies the church, kingdom, or body belongs to God, Christ. While it cannot be the Lord’s church without the proper name other factors, doctrine, are important.

Michael Hatcher

 

UNITY — Can It Be Had In the Modern Religious World?

Yes, if we respect the wishes of Christ. He prayed for unity: John 17:20-21.

Yes, if we believe there is one God. The Ephesians were told to keep unity on the basis of this truth: Ephesians 4:3-6.

Yes, if we realize the dangers of division. Paul taught against religious division: I Corinthians 1: 10- 13.

Yes, if we are willing to yield human opinions to the authority of God’s Word.  Jeremiah urged that man’s wisdom is not a safe guide: Jeremiah 10:23.

But unity does not now exist! The modem religious world is divided into several hundred denominations who war over names, creeds, practices, organizations, worship and ritual.

Unity can be had when creeds are discarded in favor of the Bible. The world can have the blessings of unity when all people accept the Holy Scriptures as the sole authority in religion. The Bible only makes Christians only! If all are just Christians, nothing more and nothing less, all will be united!

William S. Cline