Introduction      A few years ago, I was returning home from dinner when I passed by a denominational church. The sign out front gave the service times and next to the evening service it said, “Come as You Are”. I thought to myself, “Does this include pajamas and a bathrobe? Or what about swimming trunks and a beach towel?” Some people take a laid-back attitude toward attire in the assembly. We know that there isn’t a dress code for worship but let’s look at some things in regards to proper attire.   Does it Really Matter?   I’ve heard people say in regard to certain clothes: “God doesn’t care what you wear. We’re there to worship him.”  “I want to feel comfortable when I’m sitting in church.”  “This is Arizona, it’s gets too hot for a coat and tie.”  I’m not suggesting to anyone that you should wear a coat and tie. However, it’s our mindset that should help us decide what to wear and not wear when in worship. Could a person really focus on God if they were in their

    Introduction You may have heard at one time or another someone say, “God has a plan for you!”. Of course, what they mean is that God has something special in mind for your life that He doesn’t have for another person’s life. But that’s okay because God has a plan for all kinds of people; a unique plan just for them. Unfortunately, this is contrary to scripture. In Acts 10:34, the apostle Peter states, “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality .” The apostle Paul confirms this in Galatians 2:6, But from those who seemed to be something--whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man --for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. The good news, however, is that God indeed has a plan and it’s for everyone! As it is written in 1 Timothy 2:4, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.   God’s Plan for Saving Man Even before Genesis 1:1, God had a plan ready for all mankind. As

    Introduction The following story is most likely an Urban Legend…   This upstate New York man was rich in almost every way. His estate was worth millions. He owned houses, land, antiques and cattle. But though on the outside he had it all, he was very unhappy on the inside. His wife was growing old, and the couple was childless. He had always wanted a little boy to carry on the family legacy.  Miraculously, his wife became pregnant, and gave birth to a little boy. The boy was severely handicapped, but the man loved him with his whole heart. When the boy was 5, his mom died. The dad grew closer to his special son. At the age of 13, the boy's birth defects cost him his life, and the father died soon after, of a broken heart. The estate was to be auctioned before hundreds of bidders. The first item offered was a painting of the boy. No one bid. They waited like vultures for the riches. Finally, the poor housemaid, who had helped raise the boy, bid $5 for the picture and e

    Introduction When you hear or see the word, ‘addiction’, your mind immediately goes to substance abuse like: tobacco, alcohol, or drugs; or other devices like: gambling, pornography, or sexual intercourse. But anything in a person’s life, even if legal, can be an addiction and thus lead a person down the path to sin. Nowadays, it’s chocolate, caffeine, video games, social media, and anything associated with the internet. Most seem harmless, but when you become obsessed with it, it’s an addiction.   Definitions Habit: a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior Addiction: a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly. Obsession: a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling . For example, if you drink coffee in the morning every day because you enjoy it, and it gets you going, that’s a habit. If you drink coffee every morning because you know you can’t function without it, that’s an addiction. If you can’t

  Divorce and the Bible, Part 4   Introduction The first part of Ecclesiastes 7:1 reads, A good name is better than precious ointment… Commentary from Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown had this to say about a ‘good name’: character; a godly mind and life; not mere reputation with man, but what a man is in the eyes of God, with whom the name and reality are one thing. This alone is ‘good’, while all else is ‘vanity’ when made the chief end. How we are seen in God’s eyes, and the brethren, is more important that how we are seen in the eyes of man. When something comes along, like a divorce, and disrupts that godly character, we struggle to maintain that good influence we once had.   The Example set by Men and Women The apostle Paul wrote, in Titus 2:1-5 about how both men and women are to conduct themselves that they might be a good example in the local congregation and out in the world, But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be