Uncategorized – Page 3 – Berkshire County church of Christ Website

Archive by category "Uncategorized" (Page 3)

Why do we sing in church?

“Oh, sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day” (Psa. 96:1-2). Have you ever wondered why we sing in church? I once heard the following story concerning singing praises to God. A little boy goes up to his mom and says, “What happens when we die?” The mother, who was Christian, said, “We will go to heaven, my son.” He thought for a second and asked, “What will we do in heaven?” She smiled as she looked down…

The devil’s delusion of victory

In 1965, Paul Harvey broadcast the following monologue titled, “If I were the devil,” “If I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — Thee. So I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first — I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered…

Finish your spiritual race

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing. (2 Tim. 4:6). As Paul was nearing the end of his life here on earth, he reflected on his spiritual accomplishments. In doing so, he referred to himself have “finished the race” as if he was an…

Mother’s Day should be every day

John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends.” There was no greater love than that of Jesus when he gave His life for you and me, but there is a depth of love that is hard to fathom when it comes to people. We all have special bonds with our mothers. They are the first person to love us, even long before they hold us for the first time. Lovingly, they will stroke their extending bellies as they proclaim their adoration for us. Studies have conclusively shown that fetuses respond…

The “mystery”

Col. 1:24-26, “24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.” Have you ever wondered what Paul meant by “the mystery” that was hidden for ages before being revealed? This is not the first time we…

Walking on water

Matt. 14:25-31, “And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30But when he saw…

Faithful Thomas

John 20:24-25 “Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” This morning I may step on the toes of many people who have read these verses or heard numerous sermons about the man who doubted our Lord and Savior. Most of us have heard…

The real hero

John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” If I were to ask you to tell me all about your favorite hero in a story or movie, could you? Most people would jump at the chance and spend as much time as I would allow, regaling me with story after story of their exploits. If I were to ask you to tell me about all the…

Calming your stormy seas

Matt. 8:23-27, “23. And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26. And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and…

Watch your language; He is listening

I want to begin this article with a warning and an apology. A warning because it contains two commonly used partial acronyms that use God’s name in vain and an apology for having to use them for the context of the article. Col. 3:8, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” In speaking to the Colossian church, Paul had much to say that applies to us today as well, but this morning I want to concentrate on “…obscene talk from your mouth.” Over time, our language has descended into…