flynn034

    Thought for the Week   And the time of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead.--Acts 17:30-31   There is no truth more firmly established in God's word than that which tells us we are going to one day die. then face God in judgment to account for how we have lived in this life (Heb.9:27; 2 Cor. 5:10). We are frail human beings and must always be aware of how brief this earthly existence is. Regardless of what our life span is, it will be only a short time when we considers the eternity to which we are going.   The words of Amos, spoken to Israel long ago echo down the corridor of time and should be ringing in our ears: "PREPARE TO MEET THY GOD" (Amos 4:12). Because of the certainty and the nearness of death, th...

In Ezekiel 37:22-24, God foretold He would make Israel “ one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd .”  The next verse adds, “ My servant David shall be their prince forever .”  This is actually a beautiful prophecy of the church in the New Testament. One church under one Christ The church of Christ is the spiritual nation of Israel (Rom. 2:28-29; Gal. 6:16; Heb. 12:22-23), God’s spiritual, “holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:5...

Running Toward Danger   He was one of the 17 people who were killed by a gunman in the Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.  His name was Aaron Feis, a 37-year-old a father and husband, who served as an assistant football coach and a mentor to many students.   Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel spoke at Feis’ funeral on February 22nd.  He said of Feis, “Before you even heard how he died, you knew he died putting himself in harm's way to save others.  That's who he was.”  The sheriff said that while others were “correctly running away from danger,” Feis was “running toward danger” to help students.   The sheriff knew Feis personally.  “I coached with him. My two boys played for him,” Israel said. “The kids in this community loved him, adored him.”   Family friend Brandon Corona described him as loving, strong, kind, and patient....

Truth Is Truth, No Matter Who Disagrees With It Neal Pollard     Today, one of the most famous preachers of modern times died just short of his 100th birthday. Not only did he achieve longevity, his name was almost synonymous with American religion in the 20th Century. He reached hundreds of millions of people through live crusades, radio, and television. He was regularly listed as one of the "Ten Most Admired Men in the World." His website claimed that he preached to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history (info via FoxNews.com).  His influence on society is unmistakeable.   However, this much loved and now much lamented man used the weight of his name and influence to oppose something which Scripture seems very clearly to teach. In the answer section of his website, he addresses the question, "Is baptism necessary for salvation?" While answering that he believed it to be important and that he had done it himself, he also said,...

  Thought for the Week   Behold , what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not--1 John 3:1   One of our grand old songs begins with the words, "The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can tell". No truer words can ever be spoken about God's love for us. In order for us to have the honor and privilege of being sons of God, God sent his only begotten son into this world to live among men and then through his death on the cross make it possible for us  to be redeemed. The son of God had to suffer ridicule and shame at the hands of those who crucified him. He had to walk that lonely road to Calvary and have nails driven into his hands and feet. The son of God had to give his life's blood so that it would be possible for us to be called sons of God (Hebrews 5:7-9; Col. 1:12-14)   As sons of God we are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14...

Set Free   Since 2014, the Ukraine nation has been divided by war.  Pro-Russian separatists seized control of part of the Ukraine, including the homeland of Igor Kozlovsky.  On January 27, 2016, the separatists seized Kozlovsky, accusing him of espionage against what they call the Donetsk People’s Republic.   Erik Tryggestad reports that the separatists claim that the Russian Orthodox Church is the region’s only true church and see other Christian groups, especially those planted by foreign missionaries, as tools for Western propaganda, full of spies.  Kozlovsky, a 63-year-old author, theology professor and preacher for Churches of Christ, was therefore viewed as one of those spies and taken captive.   In an interview with The Christian Chronicle, Kozlovsky recounted that at one point, his captors placed a cloth bag over his head, locked him in handcuffs and forced him to hold a pair of grenades, which they claimed they had found behind a booksh...

Thought for the Week   "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust"--Psalms 103:114   "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it"--Eccl. 12:7   The fleshly body in which we now live will one day be no more. Our creator knows how feeble and frail we are in this earthly tabernacle. He knows that we are made of dust and one day this corruptible earthly body will be laid in a grave where it will become nothing more than a pile of dust. Thanks be to God, our spirit will live on as it returns to the one from whence it came (1 Cor. 15:50-57).   Each day we live on this earth we are made to realize that this physical body does not endure very well. Every passing day takes its toll and we simply grow weaker as age creeps up on us. Sickness and disease strike our earthly frame causing us to groan under the burden (2 Cor. 5:1-4). Isn't it comforting to know that as a faithful child of G...

  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS         THE QUESTION:  “ And behold a certain lawyer stood up and made trial of him, saying Teacher,  what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”   (Luke  10:25 ).  This question was asked by a “lawyer”.  “Lawyers” were men trained in the “law of      Moses,”  They were the experts, looked to as the leaders of the people.  His question was good, even if his motive was bad.      THE ANSWER:   “Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.”   (Luke  10:27 ).        WHAT MUST I DO?  Many have asked this great question.  Having heard the message, and realized their ne...

  Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4   The New Testament has a huge amount of history and religion, promises and warnings, recorded within its pages.   It claims to be the result of research and inspiration.   The more information you provide the stronger the case you can make. The Bible does just that.   What if someone had scribbled a few notes on a page to the effect that some bloke had come into Israel making out He was the Messiah. He pulled a few magic tricks, had some good words of advice on various subjects, and was then arrested and crucified because...

Why is it so Difficult? Why so seemingly Confusing?   Why don’t we have a clear, short paragraph in the New Testament that tells us how people were to be saved during the time Jesus walked the earth, and another clear, short paragraph that tells us how people would be saved, in every generation after Jesus had returned to heaven?   Wouldn’t that be a lot easier and less open to interpretation than having to wade through the four gospels and Acts to determine what is required of us today for salvation?   Isn’t a large part of the reason we have so many different denominations teaching different things for salvation, is because fallible minds have to wade through the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts - 117 chapters, plus all the epistles, to determine what Jesus requires of sinners today if they are to be saved eternally?   Some see examples of sinners praying for mercy, and say salvation comes from praying for it. Some see the grace Scriptu...