Kyle Rye (Page 11)
DEVOTED TO INVOLVEMENT
For the past few weeks we have been exploring the details outlined in Acts 2:42-47. In this brief passage, we are given a glimpse into the life of the first century church. In it, we not only learn that the first century church was “devoted…to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers” when they assembled, but we also learn that “every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts [and] they broke…
DEVOTED TO PRAYER
For the past few weeks we have been exploring the details outlined in Acts 2:42-47. In this brief passage, we are given a glimpse into the life of the first century church, and in particular what “they devoted themselves to.” According to Acts 2:42, the first century church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.” We have already explored their devotion to God’s Word (i.e. “the apostles teaching”), fellowship, and…
DEVOTED TO THE LORD’S SUPPER
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.” And as the church’s story unfolds throughout the book of Acts it becomes apparent that their measurement of growth was not based on numbers but on one’s level of devotion to God. So, in this series of articles, we are exploring what the first century church devoted itself to so that we…
DEVOTED TO THE FELLOWSHIP
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 that they possessed devotion to God’s Word, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer, as well as an emphasis on giving, involvement, worship, and evangelism. And as the church’s story unfolds throughout the book of Acts it becomes apparent that their measurement of growth was not based…
DEVOTED TO THE WORD
Churches can easily become consumed with numbers. We track the number of people who attend our weekly services. We track the amount of money placed in the collection plate. We track the number of individuals who are converted as a result of our evangelistic efforts. Numbers matter to us because they provide a simple way to measure growth. But are numbers the best way to measure growth? Based on the numbers the first century church were experts in church growth.…
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL TO EXIST? (PART 2)
In last week’s article entitled Why Does God Allow Evil to Exist? (Part 1) we contended that reconciling the existence of God and the presence of evil is like driving a car down a curvy mountain road on a foggy night. In order to arrive at your destination, you have to stay between the known boundaries (i.e. yellow and white lines). The same principle applies to our investigation of the relationship between a good God and an evil world. As long as…
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL TO EXIST? (PART 1)
Events such as the Time Square car attack that occurred on Thursday, May 18, killing one and injuring more than 20, as well as the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England following an Ariana Grande concert on Monday, May 22, killing 23 and injuring in excess of 120, remind us that we live in a fallen world that is susceptible to suffering and evil. Sometimes it can be difficult to reconcile the existence of God with the…
FROM THE INSIDE OUT
Does what we wear matter? Yes, because Scripture clearly indicates that the people of God should dress “with modesty” in 1 Timothy 2:9. But that leads to another question, what is modesty? Before we attempt to define the parameters of modesty it is important that we acknowledge the standard of modesty. To do that we must go back to the Garden of Eden. Prior to the first sin “man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DO CHURCHES OF CHRIST POSSESS AN AMILLENNIAL ESCHATOLOGY?
Eschatology is the study of end times, particularly the second coming of Jesus, the Day of Judgment, the destruction of the earth, and the after life. Christianity in its broadest sense is divided in regards to eschatological beliefs, and this division is largely dependent on how one interprets the reference to the “one thousand year” period (i.e. millennium) during which Satan is bound (Revelation 20:2-3) and Christ reigns (Revelation 20:4-6). Some believe that this millennium is a reference to an…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DO CHURCHES OF CHRIST PLACE LIMITATIONS ON THE ROLE OF WOMEN?
Another distinctive characteristic of the Churches of Christ is the absence of women in leadership roles in relation to the worship assembly or church governance. Is such a practice an act of discrimination or is there a biblical precedence for it? The absence of women in speaking or leadership roles in congregations associated with the Churches of Christ is not the result of gender discrimination but the result of adherence to God’s Word. Scripture places limitations on the roles of…
THE WHY SERIES – WHY DOES THE CHURCH OF CHRIST LACK MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THEIR WORSHIP SERVICES?
One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Churches of Christ is the absence of musical instruments in their worship service. Since the New Testament nowhere explicitly condemns the use of musical instruments in the worship assembly then why do these congregations refrain from using them? The issue of whether or not musical instruments should be used in the worship assembly of the church ultimately is an authority issue. In other words, we must ask, “Did God authorize the use…
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…