We’ve all been there at some point in our journey. One day everything is great and the next, we find ourselves feeling lost and distant from God. There can be many reasons for feeling like this but most often, it is a result of some struggle we are facing in life. Sometimes it isn`t that God has moved away from us but that we’ve moved away from Him and sometimes it is simply a matter of how we’re feeling in the midst of the struggle. No matter the reason or if the distance is real we should all want to be closer to the Lord. Feeling closer to the Lord gives us comfort when life gets crazy, when we`re struggling with some sin in our life, or when we simply need more strength.
Continue reading “When God feels distant.“Anytime a Christian creates distance, whether intentional or not, between themselves and the church, they are in danger. They are in danger of falling away from the church, the family of God, and eventually from the Lord Himself. Some prefer to keep their distance, not get too involved with the work of the church. Instead, they chose to be something between a member and a visitor. They come on Sundays to the worship services, which is good, but have little or no interactions with the church the rest of the week.
Continue reading “The Need to be close to the Church.”As far as New Testament letters go, first and second Timothy and Titus have probably dominated more of my time and study than any other books. To be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely certain why I’ve had such a fascination with these letters. Perhaps it’s because they were written to young preachers struggling to adapt to new towns, churches, and still faithfully deal with the struggles and challenges associated with ministry. To that I can relate. Not that I haven’t loved it with my whole life and heart, but it has been challenging to say the least.
Continue reading “An introduction to the letters to Timothy and Titus.”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.”Outside of the Church of Christ, Romans is one of the most popular books in the New Testament. I have never been absolutely sure, but it seemed like we were not sure what to do with it.
Continue reading “Introduction to the book of Romans.”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.”Most scholars agree that Luke’s gospel and the book of Acts were written by Luke who is an interesting character. Truthfully, we don’t a whole lot about him personally. We don’t know where he was born or how he died. We have hints to where he was born and how he and Paul became friends and coworkers in Acts 13:1. In that passage we see Lucian of Cyrene as one of the prophets and teachers at Antioch. I believe this is Luke which would mean that that they meet at Antioch before Paul and Barnabas left on their first missionary journey. If this is Luke it means that he was a Gentile like Timothy. He was important to Paul because he was a physician who Paul calls “the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14).
Continue reading “An Introduction to Luke’s Gospel.”
Central Haywood Church of Christ 