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 2006)             In today’s society when something goes right for people they say, “My prayers have been answered!” If something doesn’t go right for people they say, “Well, God is testing me to see if I really want it.” Or they might say, “God hasn’t said ‘Yes’ yet.” Did it ever occur to them that God might say ‘No’? Of course not! Because most of the religious people out there think that God would never say ‘No’.             Here’s a perfect example; televangelist Fred Price has written a book called, “Answered Prayer Guaranteed”. From Amazon.com, here’s part of the description of his book: This veteran pastor debunks the teaching on prayer that says, "Sometimes God says Yes, sometimes He says No, and sometimes He says Wait." Too often Christians simply pray the wrong prayer and expect God to cover for them. “Christians simply pray the wrong prayer” is the statement made by Fred Price. Is there such a thing as a wrong prayer? Yes, the

(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

(from 2003) Introduction As we get further into the month of October, thoughts of stories told around the campfire come to mind. One of the favorite types of ghost stories are those that take place out at sea.  Phantom ships that appear unexpectedly with ghost crews that are condemned to sail the sea eternally. The bible tells a tale somewhat like this but as stated in the title, it’s more than a ghost story… Walking on Water Imagine yourself in a boat with a group of friends in the middle of a lake. As you look toward the shore, you see a ghostly figure standing there.  Suddenly the figure walks toward you right on top of the water! It’s enough to raise the hairs on the back of your neck.  The disciples felt the same way in Matt. 14:24-26: “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they

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.

(from 2002) As we enter the month of October our thoughts turn to cooler weather, Fall colors, and the remaining holidays that arrive. Others will think about Halloween and the fun that comes with it; Jack-O-Lanterns, witches, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. Children will put on costumes and go into the streets "scaring" up candy through trick or treat. Some of the denominational churches however will promote haunted houses and Halloween parties for safer celebration of this pagan holiday. Their thoughts are, “As long as you are with other church members in the church building it’s okay”. The scriptures make no mention of haunted houses or parties within the assembly (Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 11:34; 2 John 9; Gal. 1:6-7). However, there is a ghost story, of sorts, in the book of Matthew. It’s more than a ghost story to scare people for it has a very profound meaning. In chapter 27 and verses 50-53, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and