The Controversy Over Institutionalism

Text: 1 Timothy 3:15 The church is the pillar and support of the truth. It is fully capable as God designed it to do the work that the Lord gave it to do. Do we believe that? Sixty years ago in this country, brethren fought battles over “institutionalism.” It was not a new issue then. It […]

Multiplying Religious Error

Text: Ezekiel 16:23-26 Our text uses some rather crude language to describe the sin of the people of Jerusalem. They had been unfaithful to God and committed spiritual adultery. In an effort to please all the nations around them, they multiplied their sin. This is analogous to what is happening more and more in the religious world, particularly […]

The Lord’s Church

Text: Matthew 16:18 This is the first in a series of lessons about different churches. There are many different churches in the religious world. We need to know why they are different and why that is important. In this lesson, we will look at the church that Jesus established – the one shown to us […]

Congregational Cooperation

Text: 1 Timothy 4:6 From time to time it is good to revisit questions that brethren have debated in the past. If we do not, there is a danger that the next generation can fall into the same errors we once opposed. The question under consideration is this: Can local churches work together? If so, how? This […]

Living in View of Christ’s Return

Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 The second coming of Christ is a recurrent theme in Paul’s letters to Thessalonica. The Holy Spirit wanted these brethren to keep this event in their minds as they went through life. These letters have been preserved for us for the same reason. Understanding the reality of the Lord’s return, what […]

Church Membership

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:27 The term “church membership” is not used in the New Testament, but the concept is certainly taught (1 Corinthians 12:14-30). In this lesson, we will consider the topic of church membership by asking three questions. (1) What is church membership? (2) How do we become members? (3) What are members to […]

Who Is Affected By Sin?

Text: 1 Corinthians 5:1-6 Many choose to ignore sin – sadly, even some Christians do this. They ignore the sins of others because they believe it is between them and God. They ignore their own sins because they believe God’s grace will cover them. Yet sin is described in the Bible as pollution (Isaiah 24:5) because […]