Articles for tag: Baptism

January 23, 2012

Christian Standard

Lesson for Jan. 29, 2012: Israel Is Delivered from Egypt (Exodus 1-15)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone For the past two months we have studied God”s covenant relationship with Abraham and his descendants. We have seen the Lord”s protection surrounding Joseph and his family as well. God”s chosen people ended up in Egypt after Jacob and his entire family moved there to escape a famine in Canaan. Time passed. The book of Exodus begins with an ominous note: “Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt”

January 7, 2012

Christian Standard

The Old Has Gone, the New Has Come!

By Victor Knowles Today is New Year”s Day, the first day of the year and the first Sunday of the year. What a good way to start the New Year! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Communion is a weekly reminder that in Christ we are a new creation. The old is gone. I remember singing a chorus in youth camp many years ago. “Gone, gone, gone, gone, yes my sins are gone!” The crimson cup reminds us that the old has gone. Jesus

January 7, 2012

Christian Standard

In Just One Year: Tell Me It’s Not Just a Dream!

Nothing challenges us to think about changing times more than the transition from one year to the next. On this first day of 2012, we asked six Christian leaders to think about the church a year from now and to draw a picture of our progress””and our problems””then.  * * * By Eleanor Daniel It is so vivid””identifiable people and places, actions, colors, and sounds. The year is somewhere beyond 2012. I see a church that intrigues me. The people include those of all colors, ethnic backgrounds, and languages. Names like Gomez and Vegas, Wong and Hasmani, as well as

August 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Inexpensive Downloads to Help Your Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s a reminder about a whole host of inexpensive, downloadable resources available for your church now. As you anticipate the after-summer ramp-up of activities and ministries, which of the following would help your ministry most? For new members and nonmembers””Our most popular “What Kind of Church Is This?” gives you 8 full-color pages that explain the unique and beautiful nondenominational position of Christian churches and churches of Christ. “Simply Christians,” which originally appeared in The Lookout, is a 12-page overview to accomplish the same purpose. One user called “Simply Christians” “the best short-form overview of the

July 28, 2011

Christian Standard

A Place at the Table

By Ethan Magness   Many of Jesus” stories and parables center on parties and feasts. A consistent theme in these stories is that many who attend are unworthy. We see this in the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:15-24). Many on the initial guest list refused to come, and so many others were then invited. And those invited later were people one would never expect to be invited to a noble event. The great parable of the wayward son (Luke 15:11-32) ends with a surprising feast. The elder son in the parable gives voice to our confusion when he

May 31, 2011

Christian Standard

A Biblical Response to the Gospel

By Jim Tune Whenever someone is ready to begin a life of faith and discipleship, he or she rightly asks, “What must I do now?” While salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus, most believers in Christ would agree that something must be done. Many modern-day evangelists would encourage the new believer to “come forward” at an “altar call.” Others might encourage the spiritual seeker to say the “sinner”s prayer.” That prayer might go something like this: “Father, I am sorry for my sins and want to turn away from my sinful life. I believe your Son Jesus died

May 1, 2011

Christian Standard

Confronting Our Own Heresy

By Dick Alexander I became a Christian at age 9 to escape Hell. That”s not necessarily a bad thing, but it”s not the only thing, and maybe not the best thing. It took me years to get past fear and learn to love God. In retrospect, I wish I could have started with love. The quintessential evangelism question is, if you died tonight, are you sure you would be in Heaven tomorrow? But statistically, the chances are small the person will die tonight. While it”s dangerous to presume on the future, especially in the highest stakes game of all””eternity””is there

April 16, 2011

Christian Standard

I Bought It with Tip Money

By Chris Travis I bought the Bible that changed my life while working as a delivery driver for Papa John”s pizza””literally, while working. I stopped at a local bookstore during a shift. I bought it with tip money. I can”t remember whose generosity financed that pivotal purchase, but it”s fun to imagine how my customers might have felt about it. Would they have been thrilled? Appalled? I doubt they had any idea what God would do with the couple bucks they gave me. As the door to the bookstore swung shut behind me, a bell jingled against the glass, sounding

March 29, 2011

Christian Standard

In Praise of Congregational Participation

By Becky Ahlberg Contrary to what you might think, “worship wars” have been going on for centuries. I”ll not slip back into my music history professor role and bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say that, from early church days, how we worship has been the topic of a lively, ongoing debate. As is the norm for humans, we tend to swing the pendulum from one extreme to another, rarely finding that center of balance. I suppose if we carry through with that analogy, though, the good news is that it is the swinging pendulum that

March 13, 2011

Christian Standard

Beyond Borders

By Mike Schrage Every once in awhile I read (as I am sure you do) something that stops me in my tracks! An article in the April 11/18, 2010, issue of CHRISTIAN STANDARD was just such a heart-stopper. The article was titled “Mega See, Mega Do,” by Kent Fillinger. Kent, a friend of mine, has for several years undertaken the study of megachurch growth, an American religious phenomenon that has been quite spectacularly manifested inside the Restoration Movement. How, where, and why it is occurring are very important issues, and Kent has gathered and processed tons of statistics surrounding these

February 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Don”t Make Me Lay Hands on You!

By Tim Harlow “If you do this again, I will lay hands on you” (Nehemiah 13:21). Nehemiah wasn”t offering a healing service. This was not a potential ordination. Instead, read Nehemiah”s words this way, “If you do it again, I”ll be on you like a spider monkey!” Nehemiah was mad, and we know he meant it because later in the same chapter he “called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair” (Nehemiah 13:25). As I wrestle with the legitimacy of Nehemiah”s “hands-on” leadership, I notice one thing that looks familiar. “I was

February 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Story of Abuse, Rescue Featured on “˜Oprah”

On Tuesday, Oprah Winfrey devoted her show to the story of Kathie and Kellie Henderson, sisters who were molested and abused by their father and brothers for years””and the family from Countryside Christian Church (Wichita, KS) who rescued them. Jim Vasey, an elder at Countryside and a member of the board of trustees at Ozark Christian College (Joplin, MO), and his wife, Shelly, lived in the same neighborhood as the girls but never suspected the abuse. When the sisters finally confided in them, the Vaseys contacted the police and walked with the girls through the difficult days that followed. Shelly

January 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Whatever Happened to the Invitation?

By Mark Atteberry The elders at my church very graciously gave me seven weeks off, a kind of mini-sabbatical. It was during the summer and my wife and I had a trip planned anyway, so we laid out a plan to visit a different church every weekend. We chose a mixture of large and small churches, city and rural churches, and Restoration Movement and denominational churches from Florida to the mountain west. Overall, it was a positive experience. We heard some fine sermons, met some nice people, and picked up a few good ideas. There was, however, one big surprise

January 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Generation of the Ethiopian Eunuch

By Jeff Arthur It happened about six months after our church launched in 2007. I had preached about Abraham and Isaac that Sunday morning. After the service, one of our ladies told me she was familiar with Abraham and Isaac, because she had drawn the image of Abraham offering Isaac to God while pursuing her degree in art. But she had never heard of other Bible characters I had been talking about in my sermons. That resonated with me all week long. I knew I was preaching to a group divided into three parts””non-Christians, nominal churchgoers, and former Catholics””and that

December 29, 2010

Christian Standard

Family Resemblance

Teresa Schantz Williams At first, joining an a cappella church of Christ was like attending a family reunion of second cousins on your father”s side. Sure, we had kin in common; we definitely shared ancestral roots. The potluck spreads were every bit as good””that lovely “table” where everyone can find a seat. Still, we were enough different to feel awkward around our rediscovered family. Raised in independent Christian churches that do use musical instruments, I”d nevertheless been taught that churches of Christ shared the same vision of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. In college, and in the years before marriage, I

December 17, 2010

Christian Standard

The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 3)

Read “The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 1) Read “The Tyranny of the Paradigm (Part 2)” ________ By Jack W. Cottrell My thesis is that the understanding of the doctrine of salvation in most Protestant groups is captive to the Zwinglian version of the sola fidei paradigm. In the previous article (last week) I showed how this is the case in the way faith is treated as the sole condition for justification, and not just its sole means. It is also seen in the way repentance either is excluded as a condition altogether, or is diminished by being made simply

November 12, 2010

Christian Standard

The Value of Justice

Karen Rees How valuable is justice? Few people in the United States give much thought to this question. But for many in the world, it”s a far different story. In the United States, justice is simply there, a part of the community. It looks like the local police officer or mayor or building inspector. We expect officials to do their jobs properly and treat us fairly. We expect the police to protect us to the best of their ability. Where I live, in Hong Kong, Britain”s 150-year colonial rule has left a similar legacy of justice. People expect to receive

September 30, 2010

Christian Standard

“˜We Are Intentionally Multicultural”

By Darrel Rowland The elders are from the United States and the Philippines. The deacons include a member from the Caribbean. The pastor and musical director are Canadian. And the congregation looks like a mini-United Nations. Sure Keele Street Christian Church is located in one of the most multicultural cities of the world, Toronto. But the church”s tremendous diversity wasn”t an accident. “Are we intentionally multicultural? Absolutely,” says pastor Grant MacDonald. “Those who are here at Keele are here because they want to be part of a multicultural church. There are other options in Toronto to be sure. You can

September 10, 2010

Christian Standard

LARGE-SIZED CHURCHES: Hope on the Road Less Traveled

Hope on the Road Less Traveled By Kent E. Fillinger “Need hope? Find it here.” That is the message on the LED sign at Twin Oaks Christian Church, Woodhaven, Michigan. The message of hope is needed in this southern suburb of Detroit, given the area”s depressed economic condition. Hundreds of new people have found hope at Twin Oaks since it relocated in 2007. The church”s average attendance has grown from 282 to 738 in three years””an increase of 162 percent. Twin Oaks is the fastest-growing large-sized church during this time frame from among the 75 churches profiled. And most of this growth is

September 3, 2010

Christian Standard

Letters to the Editor (archived)

We always appreciate hearing from our readers. In the future, we would like to encourage readers to respond in the comment boxes after the articles. We are looking forward to reading your comments! ‘I Find His Comment Offensive’ (posted 8-31-10) I really appreciated the August 1 edition of your magazine, but a big red flag did pop up when I read Ryan Connor”s article (“Burnout in Ministry”). He said, “Ministers often enter the ministry with a need to compensate for personal hang-ups” (p. 5). Thankfully, the ministers I have known over the years chose ministry because they wanted to serve and

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