April 15, 2024
April 21 Study | Love
Who would deny that love is one of the largest (if not the largest) themes of Scripture? It is the most descriptive characteristic of God himself (1 John 4:8). . . .
Articles for tag: Grace
March 18, 2024
March 24 Application | ‘Communion: More Than a Routine’
Throughout history, Christ’s followers have placed high value on the Lord’s Supper. Whatever else takes place in our weekly worship gatherings, the bread and the cup focus attention on the central facts of our faith: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. . . .
March 8, 2024
About Suicide: I’m Still Learning from My Son’s
LeRoy Lawson writes that his book about his son's suicide "contains both sides of a conversation three decades long; [Lane] talks first in his final communication to us. Then I answer him. He writes with confidence, at peace with his decision and comfortable with his reasons for it. I am not so sure of myself, either as father or as minister . . ."
March 4, 2024
March 10 Lesson | Servant Leadership
The divisions in the church at Corinth were mostly caused by pride, which ran counter to servant leadership. . . .
Preaching Changed My Life
A funeral sermon helped launch me on a path to ministry . . .
March 1, 2024
The Resurrection: A Personal Encounter
By Renee Mitchell In the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, nobody had more fascinating experiences (in my opinion) than Mary Magdalene. Not only was she the first person to see the risen Lord, but we can model our walk with the Lord today on her personal journey with Jesus. JESUS AS HEALER Mary Magdalene is first mentioned in the Gospel of Luke as one of the women accompanying Jesus on his travels throughout various cities and villages. We see an example of Jesus’ healing power in Luke 8:2 which says he cast seven demons out of Mary; his first relationship with
March 1, 2024
Living Hope and Unquenchable Joy: Celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus
Why does it matter that some guy died on a cross and rose again many years ago? . . .
March 1, 2024
Why the Restoration Movement Needs Saints and How to Become One
Recently, I made it a discipline to read a saint story every day for a year. . . .
March 1, 2024
Guardians of Truth
When I was a teen in the late 1960s, my church became a verbal battleground . . .
March 1, 2024
Traders Point Christian Church: 190 Years of Kingdom-Centered Service
Many people assume TPCC is younger than it really is . . .
March 1, 2024
The ‘Only God’ Story of Mountain Christian Church
A 200-year-old church in the Northeast bursting with life, vibrancy, growth, and impact!
January 22, 2024
The Costs of Discipleship and Non-Discipleship
Dallas Willard and Dietrich Bonhoeffer both thought it was important to describe “the cost of discipleship” and “the cost of non-discipleship.” The former is the more famous phrase. But it’s often misunderstood. And the latter is rarely considered—at least directly. What can Bonhoeffer and Willard teach us about these concepts? . . .
January 16, 2024
Why the Restoration Plea Is Still Valid
"Minister shortages. Closing churches. Struggling theology schools," The Christian Chronicle wrote in a recent editorial. "All are happening in Churches of Christ in the U.S., which raises the question: Is the restoration plea still valid?" . . .
January 1, 2024
Remembering Mike / A New Team Member / Defaulting to Mercy and Grace
By Shawn McMullen I WRITE MY FIRST COLUMN AS EDITOR of Christian Standard with mixed emotions. As humbled and grateful as I am to have been given this opportunity to serve Christ and our fellowship of churches, I continue to mourn the loss of the former editor, my friend Mike Mack. When the sister magazines were given new life through the vision of The Solomon Foundation and Christian Standard Media, Mike and I worked together for three years. He edited this journal while I edited The Lookout. During that time Mike and I talked regularly, traveled together occasionally, and supported
December 22, 2023
‘Born that Man No More May Die’
Christian college professor Genilyn McCaffrey starts her Christmas memory by writing, "As a preacher’s kid whose dad also happened to direct the church choirs, I spent the Sundays before Christmas in kids’ choir practices and waiting around for the adult rehearsals to finish. . . ."
December 18, 2023
Dec. 24 Lesson | The True Light Enters the World
Jesus was coming into the world—that is the essence of the Christmas story. . . .
December 18, 2023
Dec. 24 Application | Dreaming of a ‘Right Christmas’
Deep down, at Christmas, most of us don’t long for more presents and fancier holiday extravaganzas. We do yearn, however, for simplicity and mercy. . . .
December 18, 2023
Dec. 24 | Discovery Questions
These Discovery Questions are for use with this week’s Lookout Bible Lesson, “The True Light Enters the World” (John 1:1-18), by Mark Scott.
December 14, 2023
Overwhelmed by Christmas, Again!
"The coming of Christ is breathtakingly good news for all who feel overwhelmed with any need," Alan Ahlgrim wrote in 2014. "Jesus didn't merely identify with us; he came to assume the crushing, overwhelming burden of our sin. . . ."
December 12, 2023
Kentucky Pastor Making Inroads with Deaf Community
Todd Stinson, Deaf Pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., is passionate about helping change a sad statistic. Of the estimated 70 million people in the world who are Deaf, only about 2 percent have been reached with the gospel. Todd, who was born Deaf, remembers the not-so-easy path to accepting Jesus as his Savior. . . .
