October 23, 2023
Acts 9 highlights the two pillars of the early church, Peter and Paul. Most of the chapter tells about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and some of his earliest ministry. The remainder of the chapter tells about the miraculous ministry of Peter. . . .
October 12, 2023
"Ohio presents a mission field of marvelous ripeness and of vast extent. The gifts of our entire brotherhood might be poured into it for years, and yet not gather all of the harvest that is ripe for our hands," the corresponding secretary for the Ohio Christian Missionary Society wrote in 1903. . . .
March 1, 2023
By Rudy and Osharye Hagood There is something wonderful about a perfect gift. When God created vegetation, day and night, wild animals, crawling things, he declared each of those things to be “good.” Yet God outdid himself when he gave us a spouse. God even got an “amen” from Adam, who said, “Now this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23). In his own image, male and female, God created them, giving them dominion (care and management of, concern for, and rule over the earth), and God declared it “very good.” Husbands and wives are
December 19, 2022
As much fun as it is to receive a gift, please consider that Jesus taught that giving a gift is even better, Jeff Stone writes in our second of eight daily Christmas essays. Giving is greater than exchanging.
September 19, 2022
Andrey told me stories of the Nazi occupation of their region during World War II, and how the German army used the building as a prison, and that many prisoners were hanged there. . . . We all assumed it could never happen again . . . and yet Russian occupiers have turned life in the city into a torturous reminder of those old horrors.
September 1, 2022
Help Your Children Use Tech Wisely and Limit the Dangers
August 15, 2022
Prior generations of parents and grandparents may have passed along their own habits, hang-ups, and hurts, but eventually we must stop blaming others and take responsibility for our own actions.
May 6, 2022
Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, I asked my good friend Yuri if he was still in Kramatorsk. His strong reply was, “Of course, Michael, I am a pastor.” . . .
March 30, 2022
News briefs about CMF International, Great Lakes Christian College, Sunnybrook Christian Church, the 2022 Stone-Campbell Journal Conference, and more.
A ministry that serves the foster care system isn't simple. The situations are complicated and the answers are never easy, but it’s been an incredible honor for Christ's Church of Oronogo to be invited into families’ stories.
August 17, 2020
Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What struggles have you faced over the last week? 2. What actions did you take this past week to pass on your faith to the next generation? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Judges 4:1-16 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third person to retell the story in their own words. Remind them to keep it simple. 3. Imagine we as a group are writing a sermon on this passage. Let’s brainstorm a title for the message! 4. Let’s
August 3, 2020
By Stuart Powell During the construction of the first temple in Jerusalem, Solomon received a message from Yahweh God: As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel (1 Kings 6:11-13). David designed the temple, Solomon built it, but God conceived the faith upon which Solomon’s temple stood. That temple in Jerusalem was one of a multitude built throughout
December 22, 2019
(This essay by John Greenlee appeared on p. 7 of the December 19, 1982, issue of Christian Standard. At that time, Greenlee served as minister with First Christian Church, Thousand Oaks, Calif.) A true story of Christmas . . . There was once a great king. His love for his people knew no limits. Although the kingdom was very large, the king knew every person by name. Everything the people of the kingdom had was a gift freely given by the loving king. So, to show their love and appreciation to the king for all he had done for them,
December 16, 2019
By Daniel Schantz “Don’t bother to buy a Christmas tree,” my wife, Sharon, said as she peered out the window at our neighbors who were struggling to get an oversized tree through their front door. “No one is coming to see us this season, so what’s the point?” She sounded disappointed. “Yeah, you’re right,” I agreed. “I think this is going to be the Christmas that wasn’t.” This Christmas would be a special trial for me—my first since I retired after training student-leaders for world service for 43 years. All that time, I “lived” in the classrooms of Central Christian
December 3, 2019
By Stuart Powell At this time of year, Christians proudly proclaim, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” The statement is intended to counteract cultural forces that are attempting to remove Jesus as the foundation of Christmas. Many people push to make the celebration about family, children, and giving gifts. Christians know there is more to Christmas—and we want to share that knowledge. We celebrate with confidence Jesus’ birth, a historical event and a major part of our identity as Christians. As believers we continually focus on the Son of God’s indescribable birth in Bethlehem. We display our conviction that
August 2, 2019
By Michael C. Mack I had the privilege to interview Robert Coleman in his home in Wilmore, Kentucky, for our August 2019 issue. It took me back to when I interviewed his brother Lyman Coleman—founder of Serendipity House, compiler and editor of the Serendipity Bible for Groups, and widely known for being a pioneer in the small group movement in the United States—for a cover story in The Lookout in 1993. Robert described Lyman as his “best friend for all these years.” The brothers worked together many times, and each of their ministries often benefited the other’s. For instance, Robert
December 23, 2018
By Daniel Schantz I was a high school freshman in 1957 when the Russians stunned the world by launching Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite. I was living in the little town of Sabina, Ohio, where my father was minister of the church of Christ. My brother Tommy and I were like the rocket boys in the movie October Sky. After school we would stuff homemade propellant into cardboard tubes and fire our miniature missiles high into the air, where they would disappear, never to be found. But we wanted to go higher, farther into space, so one evening my
December 18, 2018
(This Communion Meditation originally appeared in our issue from December 26, 2004.) By Lee Magness But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Galatians 4:4, 5). The scene is a sparse hill in ancient Judea, not far from Jerusalem. Nearby is a cave. Jesus wears one meager garment. Mary watches, wondering what it all means. A man stands by, not the father of Jesus, but the one who will care for her. Beneath Jesus are
October 17, 2018
By Jim Nieman International Disaster Emergency Service has been extremely busy since mid-September responding to hurricanes that made landfall in North Carolina and along Florida’s Panhandle. David Stine, director of operations for IDES, said recovery efforts are well underway in the Carolinas, largely with the help of partner Two Rivers Church in hard-hit New Bern, N.C.. Work is just beginning in Florida, however, with Bayou George Christian Church, located near Panama City, likely to serve as the hub of response. (BGCC is pictured above.) “We are stretched, but God is providing,” said IDES executive director Rick Jett. “We have a
By Jackina Stark Abraham Lincoln issued several proclamations. Two have forever affected American history and culture. The Emancipation Proclamation, announced September 22, 1863, and effected January 1, 1864, shifted the foremost focus of the Civil War from preserving the Union to the moral issue of abolishing slavery. It made possible the long journey to “liberty and justice for all.” It is a revered document. The original is kept in the National Archives. Its pages are fragile and its ink is fading. It is so delicate it is displayed publicly only on special occasions. Despite its condition, it is considered one
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