Most know Paul wrote 1 &2 Thessalonians, but many forget that Timothy and Silas are also named as authors (1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1).
Something that’s interesting is that most people agree that the letter to the Thessalonians is the oldest letter in the New Testament.
Continue reading “Introduction to 1 & 2 Thessalonians.”Colossians focuses on Jesus as the head of the church and the focus of all things.
Colossae was a small, minor city located about 100 miles inland from Ephesus in what is modern day Turkey. It is located by an important mountain pass and once was a very populated city with a thriving economy. By the time Paul writes to them it had withered, due in part, to the success of neighboring cities like Ephesus and Hierapolis.
Continue reading “Introduction to Colossians.”The city of Philippi had a long and interesting history. It was initially colonized by the people of Thasos around 360 BC. It was renamed “Philippi” by Philip of Macedon in 356 BC and was eventually abandoned in the 1 4th century after the Ottoman conquest.
Continue reading “An Introduction to Philippians.”Paul first arrived in Ephesus on his second missionary journey (Acts 18). He visited a second time during his third missionary trip (Acts 19) which proved to be a tumultuous time for the church. People were baptized, silversmiths were infuriated, and a riot even broke out. Paul’s relationship with Ephesus was interesting, to say the least.
Continue reading “An introduction to Ephesians.”Father’s Day is here. For most dads, it is just another day in the great and rewarding journey of doing the best we can for our families. Like Mother’s Day, we celebrate this day as an opportunity to honor the contributions dads, all over the world, play in the life of the family. Dad’s should be honored and encouraged every day for the role they play in this life, society, and the church. My grandmother used to say, “Anyone can have a child, but it takes a special man to be a father.” I agree wholeheartedly.
Continue reading “A special man.”The book of Galatians is challenging and powerful. Written by the apostle Paul early in his ministry (around 49-50 AD), it reveals one of the first serious doctrinal struggles in the church. The main issue at stake was legalism vs. grace.
Continue reading “An introduction to Galatians.”As we pointed out in our introduction to 1 Corinthians, the Corinthian church would have been challenging. This one gave him the most grief and heartbreak of all the churches he started. You see this culminating in Paul’s admonition in 2 Cor. 13:5, when he said to them, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (ESV) Undoubtedly, Paul is beginning to question their salvation and connection to Jesus.
Continue reading “An introduction to 2 Corinthians.”First Corinthians is a significant book for the church because today’s church struggles with so many of the issues and problems of this church. No doubt this was a challenging church to call brothers and sisters, but that is precisely what Paul did. This letter reminds us that no matter how bad it gets, it could always get worse, and there is always hope.
Continue reading “An introduction to 1 Corinthians.”The book of Acts is perhaps the most widely taught and read book in the churches of Christ. So much of our doctrine and practice comes directly from this 28-chapter history in narrative form. While it does contain history it is also a remarkable story of promises and fulfillment.
Continue reading “An introduction to the book of Acts.”An introduction to John’s Gospel.
There was a time when I didn’t appreciate the Gospel of John as much as say, Matthew, but that has changed. All the gospels are unique and that’s part of the beauty, but John just seemed, well, odd. John presents Jesus in beautifully articulate words and ideas that require more effort. The gospel of John soars to the highest peaks in the New Testament. From antiquity, it was known as “the spiritual gospel” because of its focus.
Continue reading “An introduction to the gospel of John.”This gospel account is the second book of the New Testament that was probably written by John Mark of Jerusalem sometime between 60-68 A.D. Tradition states that John Mark recorded the words of Peter, who recounted the teachings and events of Jesus Christ to Mark and then organized them into the second gospel account.
Continue reading “An introduction to Mark.”I read a story about a young girl who loved playing skeet-ball at the local arcade. The story talks about how the little girl loved the arcade and an exciting trip to the arcade. Once they arrived, the little girl asked her dad for some money. Not having anything smaller, dad hands her a twenty-dollar bill with instructions to get change in the amount of two fives and a ten. It wasn’t long before dad went searching for her, and as you can imagine, found her playing the skeet-ball game and having the time of her life.
Continue reading “Keeping it clear“Good morning Church. I hope that, like me, you are excited about this new day we’ve been given. Not only has the Lord blessed us with a whole new day He has allowed us to move past all of the struggles and hardships of the past two years. I know this has been hard on all of us but Praise the Lord; we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Continue reading “A New Day“Central Haywood Church of Christ has several Churches of Christ Disaster Response Organizations that are in town and ready to assist with recovery from the recent floods.
Continue reading “Disaster Assistance”As you are probably aware, Haywood County has been hit with a major flood due to tropical storm Fred. Many residents in our country have lost homes and businesses or are facing damage to their homes and businesses. In addition, we have many who are injured or missing. If you would like to volunteer or donate to help, check out one of the groups listed below. As always, keep our county and its residents in your prayers.
Continue reading “Places for assistance or to volunteer.”
Central Haywood Church of Christ 