There is very little known about Demas in the New Testament. We know that he was a Christian, who spent time with Paul in Rome, while Paul was imprisoned there for the first time (Col. 4:14; Phile. 24). But by the time Paul was imprisoned in Rome the second time (about 5-8 years later), something had changed in Demas’ life. He had lost his first…

Kids! They know how to make excuses, don’t they! Whew! When they don’t want to do something, they can come up with “the best reasons” to explain their inactivity. “My foot hurts.” “I need to go to the bathroom.” “I’m tired.” As adults, we can see right through their excuses to just how pitiful their efforts to avoid action really are. It makes me wonder. If we can see right…

We use terminology like “falling in love” or “falling out of love,” but what is “love”? We use that word in a variety of ways today, but the Bible explains it very clearly. Do you “love” someone? Here’s how it will be known. In Ephesians 5, Paul tells Christians to “walk in love” (Eph. 5:2). What a way to say that! Make your way of life, how…

There are some highfalutin names that folks use for men who publicly proclaim the Bible today. Some are called “Father So-And-So” or “Pastor So-And-So” or even “Reverend So-And-So.” When you read through the New Testament, did you ever read anything like that? Can you imagine Paul addressing a letter to “Reverend Timothy”? Timothy’s name is found about 24 times in the New Testament. This man, who…

Don’t you like it when things are made easy for you? We love meals that are “made easy” or tax filings that are “made easy” or online purchases that are “made easy.” What about when activities in a Christian’s life are made easy? A present tense (signifying ongoing activity) imperative verb (indicating a command of God) is recorded in James 5:16 – “Pray for…

Usually, we would not think that something could be both “tender” and “firm.” We might think of a piece of meat and want it either tender or firm, but not both. If something was both tender and firm, we might consider it to be deformed or undesirable. Is it possible that something could be enhanced and superior because it was both tender and firm? In…

Please think very seriously about this. The worship assembly of the church has a “worship God” (vertically-focused) emphasis to it (John 4:24). That’s obvious. But, the worship assembly of the church also has a “come together…for edification” (horizontally-focused) emphasis to it (1 Cor. 14:26). This involves EVERY avenue of worship in which we engage, including our giving. The Greek word that is translated as “contribution” in…

The command to give on “every first day of the week” (1 Cor. 16:1-2) is truly a blessing from God! We need (for our own good) to give to Him! One of the great advances in technology that has been beneficial to Christians and to congregations alike is the ability to give online. BUT, if you give online, do you worship when you do? Giving…