Posts by Fayetteville Church of Christ (Page 5)

The basic purpose of the Revelation is to provide comfort and consolation to Christians facing or experiencing persecution because of their faith. To the modern (western-culture) reader, this may not seem obvious because the symbols and figures the Holy Spirit employs seem so “strange” to us – we don’t typically relate to images or recognize parallels as readily as we grasp plain, straightforward statements. (People in “eastern” cultures, however, often do not struggle in this way since they are often…

There is only one “revelation” – this letter’s proper “title” appears in its first sentence: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants– things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,” (Revelation 1:1). This means the last book of the bible is “the” revelation, NOT “revelations.” The inspired penman is John the apostle, and this letter dates from about 96 A.D. (some biblical scholars…

April 19, 1775 marks the genesis of a term we have come to know as “The shot heard round the world.” With the pull of a trigger, the hammer struck a primer igniting a single black powder charged rifle to propel a bullet downrange into enemy territory. While the mechanics of the gunshot are simplistic, the consequences were monumental. The battles of Lexington and Concord were underway, and from that point forward many would fight to the point of death…

The need for Jude to “switch topics” and admonish Christians to stand up for the faith (instead of celebrating the joy of salvation, vs. 3) was rooted in the fact that “certain people” (vs. 4) were trying to change and corrupt the body of Christ. These were people who shamelessly masqueraded as faithful Christians in order to promote wanton behavior (“lasciviousness,” KJV) in place of the morality God’s grace would produce. (It seems they were using “grace” as an excuse…

Not much is known for certain about the inspired writer of this brief letter: “Jude” identifies himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ” (a word that can also be translated as “slave”), and also as the “brother of James” (vs. 1). At least six men in the new testament were called Jude or Judas. Many scholars believe James was both the writer of the epistle of James, and a half-brother of Jesus, thus making Jude also a half-brother of the…

The apostle John’s letter to a Christian brother named Gaius is a fascinating window into the uncomfortable reality that sometimes, some Christians don’t act very much like the Christ! Modern Christians sometimes seem to forget that the problems and conflicts that can arise within a congregation are neither unique nor original. In the fourteen short verses of this personal letter, John both extolls the godliness of faithful and consistent brethren like Gaius and Demetrius, and bluntly condemns the arrogance and…

Five times in the first four verses of John’s very brief letter to “the elect lady,” he emphasizes the role truth must occupy in a Christian’s life. He first notes that his love for this “elect lady” is rooted in truth, vs. 1. (The recipients of this letter, whom John addresses as the “elect lady and her children,” are thought by some commentators to be an actual sister in Christ and her family. Those who hold this view generally assign…

“Don’t reflexively believe everything you hear.” This is the gist of the commandment at 1 John 4:1, and the inspired penman goes on in the same statement to explain why Christians should “vet” or verify as true every doctrine or claim made by someone who professes to speak on behalf of God – because many “pseudo” prophets are present in our world. Conscientious Christians try to see the good side of people and give others the “benefit of the doubt,”…

First John 3:4 offers a very practical definition of the word “sin” – a sin is any action that falls outside the boundary of God’s will (including our thoughts, Acts 8:22, and our words, Matthew 12:36). While the KJV translates the last part of this verse as “…sin is the transgression of the law (from a root word meaning “to go over” a boundary), most other English translations use the word lawlessness – acting or being “without,” outside of what…

The words of 1 John 2:7-11 echo our Lord’s own commandment in John 3:34-35, about His disciples’ responsibility to love each other. The Holy Spirit here “amplifies” the Master’s words by showing that Christians who practice His words amid the present world’s darkness are highlighting the fact that the end of sin’s “darkness” is imminent (vs. 8)! Verses 9-11 caution believers to not be drawn back into ungodly attitudes or actions because those things will make us hypocrites who lose…

Like the gospel record that he penned, John’s first letter to Christians begins with a direct, fundamental statement about the nature and identity of Jesus (1 John 1:1-2). The purpose of this letter is stated plainly in verses 3-4: John is writing to enable those who read these words to share with him in the fellowship extended by both the Father and the Son. At verse 7, he will go on to emphasize that the fellowship Christians share with one…

The conclusion of Peter’s inspired writing ultimately centers around one basic point, found in 2 Peter 3:11-13 – every Christian should soberly consider “What kind of person should I be (since I am a Christian) as I live on this side of eternity?” The preface to our being able to properly answer this question is the reminder in verses 1-7 that… We’ve been warned that “scoffers” (vs. 3) will mock our faith because following it would mean they could not…