14-Oct-22

Building on a Perfect Foundation

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
As we all know, a foundation plays an essential role in the construction and preservation of a building. One look at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the freestanding bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral, ...

07-Oct-22

Fear and Trembling

by John W. Ritenbaugh
One beautiful summer afternoon, as a welder in a steel mill, I was performing a task that required a fair amount of concentration. ...

30-Sep-22

The Narcissism of Small Differences

by Steven Skidmore
We live in a culture driven by an ideology centered around individualism. People spend their free time trying to carve out unique identities for themselves, striving to distinguish themselves ...

23-Sep-22

The Essential Facts of the Feast of Tabernacles

by John Reiss
A well-worn writing technique originated in ancient Greece with Aristotle. In this method, to ensure he has all the essential facts of a matter, a researcher, investigator, or reporter will use what ...

16-Sep-22

Bridle the Tongue

by Gary Montgomery
How often have we said to ourselves, “I wish I hadn’t said that”? Human beings always have a hard time controlling what they say whether when conversing with others, when we become angry, or ...

09-Sep-22

The Perils of Double-Mindedness (Part Two)

by David F. Maas
When Jesus says in His Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8), He refers not only to clean or chaste thoughts but also to “undivided,” “unmixed,” “unadulterated,” “genuine,” and “sincere” ones. ...

02-Sep-22

The Perils of Double-Mindedness (Part One)

by David F. Maas
Have you ever experienced talking on the phone while someone in the room asks a question or tried to converse with another while the television competes for your attention? Have you ever found yourself around ...

26-Aug-22

The Feast Is Coming!

by John O. Reid
As the Feast of Tabernacles approaches, I cannot help but remember 1965, when my family kept our first Feast in Long Beach, California. Even though it was in a city setting and traffic snarled ...

19-Aug-22

Unsharpened (Part Two)

by Joseph B. Baity
Not long ago, a headline read, “Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become." If we substitute the word “dull” for “stupid” in this headline, the point becomes clear. ...

12-Aug-22

Unsharpened (Part One)

by Joseph B. Baity
As children of God, we realize that when the Father brings us to Christ, a relationship begins; we are called into fellowship with the Father and His Son, as I John 1:3 says so plainly. That fellowship is ...

05-Aug-22

Persevering to the End

by John W. Ritenbaugh
Jeremiah 30:5-7 alerts us to consider that the time of the end will be unique and horrific to experience, but it concludes with a comforting hope that we can persevere through it: For thus says the LORD: "We have heard ...

29-Jul-22

Spiritual Gifts: Unity, Edification, and Order

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The members of the early Corinthian church held a keen interest in spiritual gifts. The congregation’s founder, the apostle Paul, notes early in his first epistle to those in Corinth that God had “enriched ...

22-Jul-22

Spiritual Gifts, an Overview

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Jesus Christ launched His church with a bang on the Pentecost after His resurrection. As Head of the church, our Savior made sure that the people of Jerusalem - and others down through the ages - realized...

15-Jul-22

Why Adversity? (Part Two)

by Gary Montgomery
In Part One, we saw that adversities — or as we might more frequently call them, “trials” — strike everyone from time to time. Struggles are a part of every human life, and they are especially prolific for a Christian ...

08-Jul-22

Why Adversity? (Part One)

by Gary Montgomery
Have you ever awakened and felt great to begin your day in a positive mood? Your “hope meter” for enjoying a great day was pegged on “high. You just knew things could not be better! That morning at the supermarket ...

01-Jul-22

Are You Happy? (Part Two)

by Ronny H. Graham
In Part One, we saw that Americans have so many addictions because people try to find happiness in substances and behaviors that ultimately cannot satisfy them. Conversely, God shows in His Word that ...

24-Jun-22

Are You Happy? (Part One)

by Ronny H. Graham
The second sentence of the Declaration of Independence reads: We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that ...

17-Jun-22

Why Bother With Fathers?

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
For some reason, the Kardashians - the high-powered Los Angeles family that is famous because it is famous - came up at the dinner table not long ago. A mild disagreement ensued over who was the father of which ...

10-Jun-22

Did the Early Church Practice Socialism? (Part Three)

by David C. Grabbe
While the early converts in and around Jerusalem were obviously and admirably generous, as Acts 2-5 chronicle, we need to consider another financial principle that is just as much a part of God’s Word ...

03-Jun-22

Did the Early Church Practice Socialism? (Part Two)

by David C. Grabbe
As Part One closed, we found that the members of the nascent church began to liquidate their assets — lands, homes, goods — under God’s inspiration for two reasons: 1) their conversion had made them reprioritize the ...

27-May-22

Did the Early Church Practice Socialism? (Part One)

by David C. Grabbe
As the United States continues to reject its biblical moorings and founder in its character, a growing number of citizens have begun to favor socialism, in whole or in part. Many believe the government should do more ...

20-May-22

The Blessing of Firstfruits

by John Reiss
We are swiftly coming to the fulfillment of Leviticus 23:15 for this year: “And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. ...

13-May-22

All About Attitude

by John Reiss
Patrick Mabilog begins his January 28, 2016, article in Christian Today, “How to overcome doubt and trust God more” with: “It’s often common amongst people to believe that doubt is healthy and a good way to ...

06-May-22

Will We Endure to the End? (Part Two)

by Pat Higgins
Proverbs 6:6 instructs us to study the ant, consider its ways, and gain wisdom. In Part One, instead of an ant, we looked to a rat to learn about a necessary element to enduring — remembering. Remembering engenders ...

29-Apr-22

Will We Endure to the End? (Part One)

by Pat Higgins
Jesus declares in Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved. How do we endure while facing life’s problems? How do we ensure that we make it through those unprecedented trials promised ...

22-Apr-22

In Focus or Out?

by Gary Montgomery
What do an astronomer, a microbiologist, and a photographer have in common? They each use a lensed instrument to see God’s physical creation in detail. The astronomer employs a telescope to investigate the universe ...

08-Apr-22

Jesus Was a Carpenter

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
When people first meet, among the first questions they ask each other is, “So, what do you do?” meaning, “How do you make a living?” This question comes up so quickly because how a person is employed reveals a great deal about him or her. ...

01-Apr-22

Characteristics of the Surrendered Life

by Mike Fuhrer
Human governments can be astonishingly cruel, especially autocratic and totalitarian regimes. It has been this way since the earliest days of humanity. Some of these extraordinarily wrong-headed ...

25-Mar-22

The Leaven of Double-Mindedness

by Joshua Montgomery
As the return of Jesus Christ nears, the need for us to prepare becomes more critical than ever. While witnessing the world winding down the path to destruction, we find that Christ alone is our ...

18-Mar-22

Pre-Passover Traditions

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The life of a Christian revolves around the annual holy days that God instructs His people to observe in Leviticus 23. While most nominal Christians do not celebrate the biblical holy days, except for a version ...

11-Mar-22

Overcoming Doubt

by John Reiss
It can be a shock to look at the headlines these days. Some of the events happening here and abroad can make one wonder about the times in which we live. Are we truly at the leading edge of the end time? ...

04-Mar-22

Controlling Our Thoughts

by Gary Montgomery
Planet Earth currently sustains nearly eight billion people, each of which has different hopes, desires, dreams, and thoughts. Each one reasons that he or she can determine right from wrong. Every day, humans ...

25-Feb-22

What Does "Discerning the Lord's Body" Mean? (Part Three)

by David C. Grabbe
The apostle Paul tells the Corinthians in I Corinthians 11:29 that, when it came time to take the Passover, they were in danger of eating and drinking judgment to themselves. Why? It was not that they were somehow ...

18-Feb-22

What Does "Discerning the Lord's Body" Mean? (Part Two)

by David C. Grabbe
In considering the circumstances of the Corinthian believers, we might be inclined to consider the infractions the apostle Paul reports as occurring at their congregational meals as a minor thing ...

11-Feb-22

What Does "Discerning the Lord's Body" Mean? (Part One)

by David C. Grabbe
In Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian church on observing Passover, he leaves no doubt about the gravity of our approach to taking it. In I Corinthians 11:29-30, he writes: "For he who eats ...

04-Feb-22

Dead Prophets' Society

by Mike Fuhrer
Many mainstream churches, including various Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican, and Catholic denominations, publicly state that they do not believe the Bible to be literally true. Some use only the New Testament ...

28-Jan-22

Use Words Carefully

by Gary Montgomery
Human nature possesses an aspect that causes people to alienate themselves from family, friends, and coworkers. It is a more destructive issue than many believe it to be. In any relationship with others ...

21-Jan-22

Be a Good Neighbor

by John Reiss
My wife and I have a friend whose life has been hit with a series of crises. Through no apparent fault of her own, trials on multiple fronts have confronted her. Our friend’s predicament has moved ...

14-Jan-22

Another Look at the Prosperity Gospel

by Mike Fuhrer
At one time or another, we have probably heard a preacher quoting scriptures that guarantee prosperity through God’s largesse. One huckster I saw some time ago said he needed three hundred ...

07-Jan-22

Concupiscence

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The word of the day is concupiscence. It is an archaic English noun taken directly from a Latin verb that literally means “with desiring,” that is, “to yearn” or “to long” for. “Concupiscence” gets little ...

31-Dec-21

The Rare Virtue of Self-Mastery

by Richard T. Ritenbaugh
January 1 is just hours away, which means New Year’s Eve celebrations are likewise imminent. Millions will be gathering in parties large and small to kick the old year to the curb and toast the incoming year’s promise. ...

24-Dec-21

Loving the Body of Christ (Part Two)

by John Reiss
Disunity among the brethren in the church can occur for many reasons. In his first epistle to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul addresses several severe problems within the congregation, troubles that were ...

17-Dec-21

Loving the Body of Christ (Part One)

by John Reiss
We all realize the level of sickness and death that has recently occurred in the greater church of God. Dozens of members have contracted COVID this year in Church of the Great God alone, and the disease affected many ...

10-Dec-21

Inventing Goddesses and Demons (Part Three)

by David C. Grabbe
Parts One and Two in this series covered the ancient Babylonian myth of the demon goddess Lilith, who became enmeshed in Jewish folklore with her companion, Samael. Lilith was imagined in the ...

03-Dec-21

Inventing Goddesses and Demons (Part Two)

by David C. Grabbe
Part One introduced Lilith, a demon goddess of the night and the reputed first wife of Adam, who found her way into Jewish folklore from the ancient Babylonians. Lilith and her companion, Samael ...

26-Nov-21

Inventing Goddesses and Demons (Part One)

by David C. Grabbe
What if I were to tell you that Adam’s first wife was not Eve but a goddess named Lilith? What if I were to mention that the Bible contains a reference to lilith? Who was Lilith? If you were aware of ...

19-Nov-21

Making the Right Choice

by John Reiss
A quotation recently struck me as timely: “Your journey is not the same as mine, and my journey is not yours, but if you meet me on a certain path, may we encourage each other." God says to His people in Deuteronomy ...

13-Nov-21

Benefits of Thanksgiving

by Gary Montgomery
It is that time of year when we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. These days, it seems like it exists as “Opening Day” to the Christmas retail sales season when shoppers can find discounts up to 70 percent off ...

05-Nov-21

Wasted Energy

by John Reiss
I will admit something that will probably not surprise a single person who knows me: I like to read FOX News on my phone; scroll through post after post on Twitter; watch videos of Scott Adams, Dennis Prager, ...

29-Oct-21

High Places Left Standing

by Gary Montgomery
When God brought the children of Israel to the Jordan River, the land they were about to invade contained high places for pagan worship. Through Moses, God told the people to destroy all the pagans’ sacred sites ...

22-Oct-21

Do We Know God?

by Pat Higgins
Jesus tells us in John 17:3 that eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ. “Know” in this verse does not suggest mere intellectual knowledge but goes far beyond it—to having a close, intimate relationship ...

15-Oct-21

'Before the Foundation of the World' (Part Two)

by John Reiss
In Ephesians 2:20, the apostle Paul writes that God’s chosen people, the Body of Christ, have been built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Most of us are not ministers or deacons or occupy some ...