There are houses that are wrong and houses that are right because we know this from the word of the Lord (Psalm 119:86-105; Joshua 24:15; Acts 16:30-33). With that being said, we ask. “Is your house right?” Just in case you haven’t a clue as to what makes a house right, listen to this. If you are male, do you show the leadership which directs the family as you walk according to God’s word? Is your house in church on Sunday? Have you obeyed the gospel, being baptized for the forgiveness of sins? (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16). Are you married to the woman in your house? Are your children born into a legal marriage? Are you having Bible classes in your home teaching your children how to behave and become productive citizens of the future? Do you have fits of rage, swearing, smoking, drinking, hanging out in the streets, and your children know?
Once again I ask, “Is your house right?” The problems of cities with crime come from a bad house where no one is teaching or doing what is right. Is your house a breeding ground for the future problems of the city? As Smokey the Bear said, “only you can prevent forest fires.” Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. It makes no difference where people of God meet for worship because in the past people met on the mountains, in upper rooms, and houses (John 4:20-24; Acts 20:8; 12:12; Romans 16:5). It also makes no difference how many people come together for worship because it could be two or three. If they are faithfully following the word of God, the Father is pleased (Matthew 18:20).
So don't worry about where the church meets or how many people go there. Take notice of what is taught. Is it the truth from God's word? And do the members practice what they preach? Are the people loving and friendly? Remember that the doctrine is what will save us on Judgment Day, not the church building or the number of people attending there. Hope to hear from you or see you at services. “He, seeing this before, spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither did His flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses (Acts 2:31-32, KJV). This was the Apostle Peter in the first sermon preached on the Jewish day of Pentecost (Matthew 16:18-19; Acts 2:1, 14).
Peter establishes several points: King David had a grave site, but there is no grave site for Christ (Acts 2:29). The reason is that Jesus rose from the dead (Acts 2:32; Luke 24:1-8). King David and all the other dead people decomposed and became skeletons in their graves, but the body of Christ never decomposed (Acts 2:31; John 20:26-31). Today, Jesus sits at the right hand of God, and He will judge all people on the final day (Acts 7:55-60; Hebrews 4:14-15; Acts 2:33; Acts 5:30-31; 1 Peter 3:22; Acts 17:31; John 5:22-23). Peter also said that he and others saw the risen Christ and can testify that He did rise from the dead (1 John 1:1; John 20:19). You cannot go wrong with Christ, for He is the Way, the Truth and the Light (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; John 10:7-9; John 6:35, 48, 51). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Evil is active because the heart of man desires it (James 1:14-15; Matthew 15:18-20). Murders, robbery, bribes, and bad conduct exist in schools because those who commit such acts see it as the solution (Genesis 6:5, 13:13, 2 Timothy 3:13). People every where are talking about how terrible crime is and how unruly young people are.
But evil cannot exist when each person decides to do what is right, and that is how evil can be is eliminated (Jonah 3:4-10). To put a dent in evil, men must repent by accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ (Luke 13:3; Romans 6:17-18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2). Here lies the problem—people refuse to accept the gospel, and it is the only hope for man (Titus 2:11-14; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Rom. 10:13-21, 1:16). However, the following must be considered first:
The application of this will put a dent in evil. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Divisions among men are many. A Christian doesn't believe what a Jew or Muslim does about the deity of Jesus Christ. A Baptist will not accept the Latter Day Saints' claiming that the book of Mormon is inspired. The Jehovah's Witnesses will knock on the door of a Catholic, and there will be no agreement on the authority of the Pope, blood transfusions, and the establishment of a paradise on earth. A gay rights activist will not agree when someone reads what the Bible has to say about sex, marriage, and homosexual conduct.
None of these issues have to exist; and they would disappear if men sought answers from the right source. Instead, people spend time talking about what they think, and what men think is worthless because men don't have a heaven nor hell in which to place anyone. The Bible claims to be the word of God, and it has existed before any of the other so-called books came along. We ask you to give the Bible a try, allow it to show the way, and the truth will be known. If you desire help studying the Bible, let us know because we will be happy to help. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Many people are confused by the fourth of the ten commandments,“Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). By going to church on Sunday, some people think they are obeying this command. But that is not the case. The ten commandments are a part of the Old Testament given to the Jews prior to Christ’s death on the cross (Luke 16:16). Jesus’ death terminated the Old Testament and established the New Testament, which is for us today (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:14-26, 10:9-10; Colossians 2:10-17; 2 Corinthians 3:3-14).
The Sabbath isn’t part of the law of Christ, and you can’t keep as law that which isn’t the law of God (Romans 4:15). Also, the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week (Saturday). On that day, travel and cooking restrictions were in place, with anyone caught working on the Sabbath being put to death (Exodus 20:11, 31:12-18, 16:22-30). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. There has been a lot of scandals involving people in the public eye, and the exposure of some of these scandals has destroyed the persons involved and brought a lot of shame to their families. From movie stars to athletes; from politicians to preachers; from news people to aunts and uncles; there are enough scandals to make a ladder to the moon, and these scandals continue rather than decrease, considering that many people are getting caught.
So why do people continue to do these things? I’ll tell you why—people think they won’t get caught! Satan has told people that “no one will see.” But this is wrong and I mean dead wrong! First of all, God sees (Psalm 94:7-11). Next, God said a person will reap what he sows (Proverbs 11:5). God also informed us that “sin will find a person out,” (Numbers 32:23). In addition, God will expose the hidden deed to all when we stand to be judged on the last day (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Hebrews 4:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5). So don’t get involved in shady under-the-cover things. For man has a Creator to whom he must answer (2 Corinthians 5:10). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. When man is born, he is helpless and needs 24-hour care (Exodus 2:1-10). As man grows into his teens and adulthood, he will not be ashamed to say that he doesn’t need anyone, and he will do what he pleases (Genesis 6:1-7). Yes, the middle of life looks nothing like that cute, little humble bundle of joy, which was rocked to sleep in a crib. What is seen in the middle of life is a “know it all” “I don’t need you” “don’t you mess with me” person. Sound like anyone you know?
At the end of life, man returns to a helpless soul who again needs help and care. It comes to that because the body ages and cannot remain healthy anymore (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8; 1 Kings 1:1-4). All the living are going that way some day, so let us not be mean and ugly in the middle of life. Be good to those around you, especially if they are younger, because they are the ones who will probably have to take care of you (Proverbs 23:22). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. In Genesis 4:9, Cain's reply to the Lord's question was, "Am I my brother's keeper?" In other words, Cain was telling God, "it's none of my business where he is, or what he is doing." This was the originof, "I don't want to get involved." This attitude is still being practiced, and that is why a man did nothing after seeing a little girl being murdered in an casino bathroom several years ago. In the last episode of Seinfeld, the four stars were sent to prison for not helping a man who was being robbed. They felt it wasn't their problem so why concern themselves?
Though the TV program was fictional, it still showed a strong message. The Bible teaches people to care and not be like the two guys who refused to help a injured man as he lay in the road (Luke 10:30-37; Ezekiel 3:16-21; 1 Samuel 3:13; Proverbs 21:13; Deuteronomy 22:1-4; Galatians 6:1-2; Matthew 25:26-28; 1 Corinthians 10:24). This lesson isn't teaching you to play super hero and rush up and fight an armed thug. But there is something we can do. We can call the police or provide some other type of information, publicly or anonymously. We must take the time to cheer the sad, give food to the hungry, visit the sick. etc. (Gal. 6:10; James 4:17; James 1:27; 1 Timothy 5:9-10; Acts 9:36-43). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. You don’t have to look very far to find a homeless person. Many people in this condition made their own beds with alcohol, drugs, and rebellion. But on the same token, there are those who were forced into homelessness though changes that they couldn’t control. So we have to admit that becoming homeless can happen to anyone. Because of the uncertainty of life, one should be thankful to have any kind of home, be it ghetto or suburbs (Ephesians 5:20).
I realize there could be problems with the living conditions of some homes and neighborhoods. But such is life, and we must find a way to overcome or avoid the hardships. Don’t you know that Jesus had no regular place as home (Luke 9:57-58). Yet, He was the perfect example of what it means to be thankful (John 17:1-26). Since nothing is promised to be here tomorrow, we need to reflect on how important the current day is and be thankful for the roof over our heads. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. |