The local church is God’s “missionary society” — the organization through which we work to spread the gospel. Though man has concocted many different schemes and systems since the time when Jesus established His church, the Lord’s design is that His message is proclaimed through the work of individuals and local churches. Paul mentions the [...]
Sounding Forth the Word
Posted on December 8, 2011 at 11:15 pm by Andy Sochor
“What Prevents Me From Being Baptized?”
Posted on December 2, 2011 at 10:36 pm by Andy Sochor
After leaving Samaria, Philip met a eunuch from Ethiopia traveling home from Jerusalem and reading from the prophet Isaiah (Acts 8:26-33). This man wanted to understand what he was reading so he asked Philip, “Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?” (Acts 8:34). At this point, [...]
Roadblocks on the Way to Adultery
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:37 am by Andy Sochor
The sin of adultery is explicitly condemned in Scripture. It was prohibited in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14) which God gave as a foundation for the nation of Israel. In the New Testament, Paul lists adulterers as those who “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9). The Hebrew writer tells us that [...]
The Rise and Fall of Public Opinion
Posted on November 11, 2011 at 12:34 am by Andy Sochor
Anyone who follows politics and elections has seen dramatic shifts in public opinion. One week a candidate may be at the top of the polls. The next week he starts to fall. Then the week after he is at the bottom of the field. This is just one common example of how quickly the public [...]
Saved by Baptism Alone?
Posted on November 1, 2011 at 3:27 pm by Andy Sochor
The concept of salvation by faith alone is quite popular. Many have been deceived into thinking that all God requires of man is a simple mental affirmation of Jesus being the Savior. As long as one believes this, then he will be saved.
There are several passages that brethren use to refute the concept of salvation [...]
What Makes One a False Teacher?
Posted on October 27, 2011 at 2:40 am by Andy Sochor
The existence of false teachers is a sad reality. Just as there were false prophets in the past, Peter said, “There will also be false teachers among you” (2 Peter 2:1). Our responsibility is to mark them, turn away from them (Romans 16:17), have no fellowship with them (2 John 10-11), and refute their error [...]
The Honest and Good Heart
Posted on October 17, 2011 at 10:31 pm by Andy Sochor
In the previous article we looked at the parable of the sower, noting the four different soils which represented four different types of hearts. Each one responded differently to the word when it was sown among them. Despite these differences, we saw that the message (the seed, the word of God) was not changed. Rather [...]
