Posts by Kyle Rye (Page 12)
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DO CHURCHES OF CHRIST OBSERVE THE LORD’S SUPPER EVERY SUNDAY?
While every religious body associated with Christianity observes the Lord’s Supper in some fashion, the congregations associate with the Churches of Christ are considered unique for observing this memorial every Sunday. But does the frequency with which a congregation observes the Lord’s Supper really matter? To answer this question let us explore what the Bible has to say about the Lord’s Supper. What is the Lord’s Supper? Prior to His arrest Jesus shared His last Passover meal with the apostles and…
WHY DO CHURCHES OF CHRIST ASSEMBLE ON SUNDAY?
Under Mosaic Law the sacred day of the week was the seventh day, which was known as the Sabbath. It was a day of rest during which no work was to be done (Exodus20:9-10; Deuteronomy 5:14). According to Mosaic Law, the seventh day was to be held in high honor. The fourth command of the Ten Commandments says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). The reason this day was so sacred is because it correlated to…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST POSSESS ELDERS?
Every religious body associated with Christianity agrees that Christ is “the head of the church” (Ephesians 5:23; cf. Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18); however, not every religious body associated with Christianity agrees on the form of governance that He authorized for the local church. Some employ a hierarchical structure of individual church leaders while others employ a hierarchical structure of church councils. The congregations associated with the Churches of Christ are considered unique because they appoint elders in the local congregation…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT MIRACULOUS GIFTS NO LONGER EXIST?
It is undeniable that miraculous gifts—gifts such as the ability to heal the sick, work miracles, prophesy, discern spirits, speak in tongues, and interpret tongues (1 Corinthians 12:7-10)—were present in the early church (Acts 2:1-12; 3:6-7; 5:12-16; 8:5-24; 9:32-42; 10:44-48; 11:27-28; 13:1-12; 14:8-10; 16:16-18; 19:1-7; 20:9-11; 21:10-11). But does their existence in the first century necessitate their existence today? Must a church that seeks to emulate the first century church advocate the presence of miraculous gifts today? To answer this question…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT SALVATION CAN BE LOST?
The Bible indicates that salvation is received when one confesses his or her belief in Jesus as the risen Son of God (Mark 16:16; Romans 10:9-10), repents of the sins that he or she has committed (Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 7:10), and submits to baptism so that he or she reenacts Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and, thereby, comes in contact with God’s grace through Christ’s blood which removes all sin (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Peter 3:18-22).…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT BAPTISM IS ESSENTIAL TO SALVATION?
Nearly every religious body associated with Christianity administers baptism in some fashion. Some believe it is an act of obedience that symbolizes a believer’s faith in Christ and death to sin. Others believe that baptism is simply the means by which a believer becomes a member of the church body. But the congregations associated with the Church of Christ are known for their insistence that baptism is an essential part of salvation. On what is this belief based? This belief…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST BELIEVE THAT IT IS THE CHURCH JESUS INSTITUTED?
As a member and minister of a congregation associated with the churches of Christ, I often encounter “why”questions—questions like “why do Churches of Christ lack instruments in worship,” “why do Churches of Christ forbid women from leading in the worship service,” “why do Churches of Christ observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday,” and “why do Churches of Christ place so much emphasis on baptism.” Sometimes the questions are posed from those outside our fellowship, and sometimes the questions are posed from those…
THE ME IN BLASPHEMY
In Colossians 3:8 Paul identified blasphemy as one of the sinful behaviors that Christians are to “put off.” It is identified in a list that included anger, wrath, malice, and filthy language. These latter behaviors are familiar to us, but blasphemy is a behavior that is somewhat foreign to our twenty-first century culture since the term is rarely used. So, what is blasphemy and how might we commit it? The word blasphemy is an Anglicanized form of the Greek noun blasphemia,…