Introduction Have you ever looked up at the moon at night and wondered why it doesn’t have a name? Moons of the other planets have names but ours doesn’t. It’s just known simply as The Moon. The reason for this is that when you have one of something, you don’t need to name it because you’re not separating it from others. Just like the church that Jesus built (Mt. 16:18). The questions to ask are, if Jesus only built one church, which one is it and what is it called?   One of Something When you only have one of something, you don’t need to give it more of a name that when the item is. As stated, we only have one moon so it doesn’t need a proper name. It’s the same with the church. Let’s look at Matthew 16:18, in which Jesus says, “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Jesus say that he would build, “my church” which indicates he only built one. Since he built...

    Introduction When we were children, we grew up in a house full of rules. As we matured, and became more independent, we wanted those rules to be flexible. Parents would make the statement, “While you’re living under my roof, you’ll abide by my rules.” Most times it’s not until we become parents ourselves that we understand why those rules were there and why, sometimes, our parents seemed so strict. The same line of reasoning also applies to the church; whenever God speaks in His scriptures, he’s essentially saying to us, “While you’re living under my roof, you’ll abide by My rules.” Grant it, The Father has never made this statement but you can see the comparison of a parents’ household to that of God’s household. The difference in our Parents’ household and God’s household is that as children we eventually grow up and leave our parents’ home and establish our own; with our own rules. There should never be a time when we outgrow God’s home and want to leave it to e...

  The Work of the Church,  Part 3   Introduction We’ve been looking at the actual work of the church. Two weeks we covered, “Edifying the Saved” and this week’s article is about benevolence and should be cared for. There are a lot of people out there who believe that the church should be doing so much more that what listed in scripture but if we don’t have authority to do it, then we shouldn’t. As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:6, Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written , that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other.   Definition of Benevolence From the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary: 1. The disposition to do good; good will; kindness; charitableness; the love, of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness. The benevolence of God is one of his moral attributes; that attribute which delights i...

  ( Work of the Church, Filler article) Introduction In Gal. 6:10 Paul writes, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” A Christian is to have compassion on everyone he meets regardless of color, creed, gender, etc. But he is to especially do good to his brothers and sisters in the faith whether they are of his own local congregation or someone doing the work in a third world country. There are, at times, those who are simply looking for a handout and see the church as a pushover of generosity and will “tug at your heartstrings” with a sob story to gain a couple bucks here or there. Any church has limited funds and it must be utilized to maintain the work where it resides.   Professional Bums Years ago, someone standing on the side of the road looking for a handout was usually someone in real need. Today, however, it seems more and more that people are preying on others kindness by “earning mo...