Kyle Rye (Page 10)
WHY DID MY SAVIOR COME TO EARTH? (PART 4)
Peace is not the easiest state to achieve. At times we find ourselves caught in stressful and even painful situations that rid us of hope, compassion, or maybe even faith, and Isaiah indicates that one final reason Jesus came to this earth was to provide peace. In Isaiah 9:6 we read, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,…
WHY DID MY SAVIOR COME TO EARTH? (PART 3)
For the past couple of weeks we have been examining the identities associated with Jesus based on Isaiah’s messianic prophecy recorded in Isaiah 9:6 which says: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Thus far, we have explored how Jesus is our “Wonderful Counselor” and our “MIghty God,” so, in this…
WHY DID MY SAVIOR COME TO EARTH? (PART 2)
The Roman playwright Horace, who lived and wrote in the days of Julius Caesar, criticized the other poets and playwrights of his day because every time they presented a problem, in the plot line of their stories, they utilized one of the many Roman gods to resolve it. In regards to their propensity to interject such gods, Horace said, ”Do not bring a god onto the stage unless the problem is one that deserves a god to solve it.” Horace’s…
WHY DID MY SAVIOR COME TO EARTH? (PART 1)
In Isaiah 9:6 we read a Messianic prophecy written nearly seven hundred years before the birth of Christ which says: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. This is a popular passage this time of year when many people choose to focus on the birth of Jesus because of its association…
THE WHY SERIES -WHY IS THE CHURCH OF CHRIST NON-DENOMINATIONAL?
The congregations associated with the Church of Christ have always identified themselves as non-denominational. For centuries this was a peculiar identification, but in recent years it has become very popular for congregations to claim that they are non-denominational, especially among the community church movement. According to a June 12, 2015 Christianity Today article, “over the last four decades, there has been more than a 400 percent growth in Protestants[1] who identify as non-denominational.”[2] With the growing popularity of non-denominational congregations it is important for…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST TEACH DEFINITIVE PARAMETERS ON MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE?
Why Does the Church of Christ Teach Definitive Parameters on Marriage and Divorce? Earlier this year, we presented a series of articles about the beliefs and practices of the churches of Christ that were thematically arranged around “why” questions, such as “Why Does the Church of Christ Believe That Baptism is Essential to Salvation,” “Why Does the Church of Christ Lack Musical Instruments in Their Worship Services,” and “Why Do Churches of Christ Observe the Lord’s Supper Every Sunday.” Since…
FULLY INVOLVED
Have you ever heard the phrase “fully involved?” To me, that phrase refers to whether or not you want all of the fixings on your sandwich at Firehouse Subs. However, that phrase actually comes from the world of firefighting. In firefighting jargon the phrase “fully involved” is a “term of size-up” indicating that “the fire, heat, and smoke in a structure are so widespread that internal access must wait until fire streams can be applied.”[1] If I understand this terminology correctly,…
CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE
In aeronautic terminology “attitude” refers to “the orientation of an aircraft’s axes relative to a reference” point such as the horizon.[1] For the record, I am not an aircraft aficionado so my explanation of aircraft terminology is based on my own research and therefore susceptible to flaws. But as I understand it, the attitude of an aircraft is its position relative to other objects on the axes of roll (i.e. rotation from the longitudinal axis that is controlled by the aileron…
TRAGIC REMINDERS
As most of you know, tragedy unfolded at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, TN last Sunday when a twenty-five year old man named Emanuel Samson arrived at the church building as worship service came to a close and began shooting at churchgoers, both inside and outside the building, killing one and injuring 7 others. In the wake of this event I have been reminded of some biblical truths. First, the Burnette Chapel shooting reminded me that we…
DEVOTED TO EVANGELISM
In Acts 2:42-47 we are given a glimpse into the life of the first century church, and this section begins with the simple phrase “they devoted themselves to.” In the following verses we discover devotion to God’s Word, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer, as well as an emphasis on benevolence, involvement, and worship. But there is one more detail about the first century church mentioned by Luke in this passage that should not be overlooked. The eighth and final…
DEVOTED TO PRAISE
For the past several weeks we have observed what the first century church devoted itself to based on Luke’s description in Acts 2:42-47. The seventh detail we discover about the first century church is that they were “praising God” (Acts 2:47). To what is the text referring when it says that the church was “praising God?” The Greek term employed here means “to praise, extol, to sing praises in honor to God.”[1] So, we are talking about worshipping God and declaring…
DEVOTED TO BENEVOLENCE
According to Acts 2:42-47 the first century church was devoted to the Word of God (i.e. apostles’ teaching), fellowship, the Lord’s Supper (i.e. the breaking of bread), prayer, and, as we noted in the previous article, involvement. It was also devoted to benevolent activity. Throughout the book of Acts the church is depicted as a people who denounced materialism and adopted a communal lifestyle in order to meet the needs of the poor. In other words, they emphasized benevolence. In…