Shadyside Church of Christ

Scripture teaches Christians to be ready for every good work to meet urgent needs.  However, sometimes we are so involved in something (even some good work) that we miss an opportunity which God puts right "under our noses."  In this event in Jesus' life, He teaches us about being ready and having the correct priorities. 

Many believers today are skipping the Sunday assembly of the saints in favor of virtual meetings or just being "spiritual."  But the early church met on the first day of the week, and there were several reasons they did so.  If these first disciples saw the need to meet on the first day of the week, how can we afford to ignore their example and teaching? 

Babylon was a very rich and imposing world power.  When Daniel and the other captives were led there in chains, they faced many pressures to abandon their heritage and faith, and to conform to Babylonian culture.  But Daniel and his three companions remained faithful, and God blessed them greatly.  Today, Christians are living in their own "Babylon."  Will you and I remain faithful? 

Too often, we Christians tend to focus on the blessings of the next life and overlook the blessings promised in our daily walk with God.  These blessings are given by our Lord to help us face the rigors of life with peace and joy, so as not to get distracted by the troubles in the world and fall into despair and even lose faith.  God is with us and for us!

God is a God of life.  He made the earth to be inhabited by all sorts of living things from vegetation to fish to birds to creatures of all kinds.  The pinnacle of His creation was humankind for which He planned a truly great blessing - life eternal!  God is all about life, both of the body and of the soul.

Despite demonstrating authority over everything on earth and even death and demons, Jesus was rejected by His own and crucified.  He had forewarned of this often and even told a parable about His being rejected as King.  Jesus still invites people to serve Him in His kingdom, but scripture indicates that far too many will still reject Jesus as their King.  In doing so, they forfeit all hope for a future life in the next age.

When Jesus came proclaiming a kingdom of God, He was speaking of more than a new religious body.  Through the many miracles and wonders which God performed through Him, He demonstrated that the rule of God had come, and in some ways had returned to the world.  Jesus showed power over every facet of creation and affirmed that the "ruler of this world" was to be cast out.

It is a good thing for us all to be reminded that everyone who is saved is saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.  His grace is amazing, but it's also outrageous.  That God would offer forgiveness and a place in His eternal kingdom to the vilest of sinners is an incredible thing.  But such is the outrage of grace.

The church is called by its Lord to do good works. But the church should beware of getting so involved in doing good works of all kinds that it forgets the primary purpose and mission which Jesus has given to it. And that would be to proclaim the gospel to a lost world. Many groups and agencies do good works, but only the church has the gospel to share.

By and large, people do not understand love as God does. The world sees love as a warm feeling which, in turn, doesn't want to hurt the feelings of others. God says: I love you just the way you are, but I love you too much to let you stay that way. God has our best interests at heart - our eternal interests. Problem is - too many people choose to ignore their eternal interests.

Long ago, Job wondered that if a person died would they live again.  Resurrection of the dead is difficult to believe in.  It just goes against the reality which we know.  Even some of those present on the very day of Jesus' resurrection would not believe it happened.  Yet, others rejoiced that Jesus was alive again.  Eye witnesses reported a risen Jesus.  If their witness is true, this changes everything!  What about you?

Regarding faith, Abraham is called "the father of us all" by Paul.  If we consider the many events in his life, we must marvel that he continued to believe in God despite the opposing and contrary circumstances he faced.  What are the key elements of such a faith as Abraham's?

The word of God can penetrate deep into the heart and soul to reveal our thoughts and intents. A person can respond to the word with belief and humble obedience, or they can disbelieve, resist and turn away from the truth of God. Two kings of Judah illustrate these two responses for us quite well, and give us all "food for thought."

A careful look at scriptures which detail the gospel reveals that each one contains some different truths not found in the others.  The church has probably been guilty of shrinking the gospel message into a "neat little package" and not presenting its many and rich truths for people to make an informed, faith decision.  This could be one reason why the church itself is shrinking in many places.

Most Christians would say they trust the Lord, but when things get tough, do we trust Him or look to something else? David had trusted the Lord all his life, but turned his heart elsewhere in a weak moment. It caused a lot of trouble for Israel and cost many lives. What can we learn?