Introduction         The title of today’s article sounds incredulous but there are those would follow this line of reasoning without admitting the same. In Matt. 6:24 Jesus states, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” The word ‘mammon’ is used to denote riches. What Jesus is saying here is, according to Albert Barnes:         “ ye cannot serve the true God, and at the same time be supremely engaged in obtaining the riches of this world. One must interfere with the other.” If I Win…         One of the main discussions in our society today is winning the lottery. Whether it be the standard State Lottery, Powerball, or Mega Millions; when the amount gets over 500 million everyone plays and everyone at work talks about what they plan to do with the money. Everyone, that is, except me. Sure I’d like the money, same as them, but

(From 2018) Introduction         This question comes up from time to time as to why are there four different individuals telling the same story which is the Life of Christ. Wouldn’t it be easier just to have one person tell the story to get the whole picture of his life? The following will try to explain the purpose of having four different authors to one story. Witnesses don’t see an Event the same way         Let’s say that there are two cars that have crashed in the middle of an intersection. On each of the four corners, there is a witness to the accident; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew and Mark can see the front ends of the cars where they crashed but not the backs. Luke and John can see the rear of the cars but not the front. Only Matthew can see the driver of the car that was hit, while John can’t see any people as the trunk lid to the other car has popped open.         When they give their eyewitness report to the police, their stories vary from

(from 2005) Introduction     One of the more noted horror authors is Stephen King. Having written dozens of books and short stories, he is one of the tops in his business. One of the literary devices he has used in a couple of his stories is that of mysterious writings on a wall. Two phrases come to mind; “Red Rum” in his story The Shining and the more enigmatic phrase, “Give me what I want and I’ll go away”, from Storm of The Century. The scriptures tell of a similar occurrence that took place during Daniel’s time.           The Writings’ on The Wall In Daniel 5:1-5, Belshazzar, descendant of Nebuchadnezzar, and last of the Kings of Babylon, was throwing a party when a bizarre event took place:             “Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken fro

This week's Gospel Vault feature is an excerpt from one of Benjamin Franklin's sermons written circa 1869. Brother Franklin is the nephew of the statesman by the same name. ~ Excerpt from sermon, “The Course to Pursue to be Infallibly Safe”, The Gospel Preacher , Vol. 1 (1869) "Some preachers say that justification is by faith only, and others say it is not by faith only. I know not how to decide," says one. What if you never do decide? You know that it is commanded to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Then, it is clearly right to believe. So far, there is no difficulty. You know that God has commanded all men everywhere to repent. Then, it is right to repent. So far, the way is clear. Baptism is commanded: "Then Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." Then, it is right to be baptized. So far, the way is clear. It is always safe to do what you know to be right. You know it is right to believe w

(from 2004)     Introduction People throughout the ages were and are fascinated with speaking to a loved one from beyond the grave. Many will pay a hefty sum of money to have a Medium conduct a séance to contact people from the “other side.” According to scripture, that is impossible.   In the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31), the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus back to his brothers to speak to him of their fate. Abraham refused saying that if they would hear Moses and the Prophets; they surely won’t listen to a ghost.   Even Mediums in the Old Testament were frauds.   In the scenario to follow, however, God makes one of the Mediums the real thing for a short time. Burning Bridges There’s an old saying, “Don’t burn your bridges behind you.” This is especially noted in the workforce. Meaning always leave yourself a place to return to if you new job doesn’t work out. King Saul was one of these people.   Throughout his reign he did wha

Welcome to the Gospel Vault! This week I have an article discussing a 1947 debate, W. Curtis Porter vs. Glen V. Tingley. The subject: Is Baptism essential for salvation? An article from Guardian of Truth magazine .

 (from 2008)             Ever since the popularity of 30-minute sitcoms on television, people of America have adjusted their lives to sit still no longer than that length of time.  When it comes to Sunday Services, and listening to the preacher, they don’t want the sermon to go past 25-30 minutes.  Once the 30-minute mark hits the credits should be rolling (or the Invitation given) and they can gather up their stuff and go home.  Anything longer and people get antsy in their seats; they look at their watch every two minutes, check to see if someone has stolen their car out of the parking lot, etc.             This creates the question: ‘How long is a Gospel Sermon?’  Right away people will respond but their answers will be how long  they  think the sermon should be.  It’s the same as asking the question: ‘How long is a piece of string?’  Again, there really is not right answer as you look at string from 3 inches to 10 inches; it’s still a piece of string.