January 6, 2025
We Need This to Survive
Each Lord’s Day we can receive encouragement and spiritual strength through the nourishment provided by Communion as we take these emblems in remembrance of our Savior
January 6, 2025
Each Lord’s Day we can receive encouragement and spiritual strength through the nourishment provided by Communion as we take these emblems in remembrance of our Savior
August 26, 2024
The book of Revelation is not as much about charts, predictions, and world events as it is about Jesus. The revelation that John received from God was about Jesus.
August 14, 2023
A big event is coming that will “eclipse” any other sight in the heavens.
October 13, 2022
"With the passage of years the movement . . . has been identified with restoration, not unity," Lewis Foster wrote in 1984. "In fact, with many, this early essential unity thrust of the movement has been allowed to drift out of sight compared with the place it once occupied."
November 25, 2021
In a 1954 editorial about Thanksgiving, Burris Butler wrote: "As a nation we have been blessed with abundant material benefits. For these we may properly give thanks, but our thanksgiving should not stop there . . ."
November 1, 2021
Expressions of Gratitude Mattered to God and His People in the Old Testament, and They Still Matter Today
March 20, 2020
Editor’s Note: Jeff Vines, lead pastor of ONE&ALL Church in San Dimas, Calif., shared these thoughts concerning the COVID-19 outbreak with his church. With his permission, we have decided to share it with our readers. _ _ _ By Jeff Vines I love my church, although ONE&ALL church does not belong to me. I love the people who attend, the staff who diligently make this engine run, and the executive team and elders who give so much of themselves to the cause of Christ. During this coronavirus pandemic, our leaders and servants have stepped up to lead and serve. I’m
January 8, 2019
By Ronald G. Davis Old Doc Richardson, of my Appalachian hometown, kept a human skeleton on display in his office. Carefully wired together and suspended from a metal stand, that skeleton clinked and clanked at the slightest touch of my small-child hand. It was eerie. It was also obvious to my unsophisticated mind: Whoever’s bones these were would never come to life again. Those bones were dead and dry. In Ezekiel 37, when God led Ezekiel back and forth across a field filled with bones, he asked the prophet a simple question: “Son of man, can these bones live?” Now
September 16, 2016
By C. Robert Wetzel On his third missionary journey, Paul had arranged to rendezvous with some of his coworkers at Troas. Arriving there, he stayed for several days so he could meet with the church. He knew they would be meeting on the first day of the week to observe the Lord”s Supper. The meeting proved to be surprisingly eventful (Acts 20:7-12). I wonder how the people at Troas remembered Paul”s visit? “That was the longest sermon I ever heard,” recalled one man. “Far too long,” said the mother of Eutychus. “I know the boy should not have gone to
By Tom Lawson Right now, in this time of worship, it is easy to forget how much violence there is outside these walls. We come into this welcoming place, we sing songs of praise, we greet friends and visitors, and we come to the time of Communion. All very nice and so very far removed from all the ugly that”s out there. It”s surprising, then, to consider for a moment that this brief meal is all about . . . “¢ a human body broken. “¢ human flesh torn and bleeding. “¢ an innocent man hanging by nails in unimaginable
April 3, 2015
By Robert F. Hull Jr. According to the Gospel of John, it was at his last meal with the disciples that Jesus offered them the gift of his peace and told them not to be afraid (John 14:27). But that was before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. A few days later they were huddled in a room with the door locked, very much afraid and not at peace. Suddenly the risen Jesus stood before them and said to them, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). He showed them his hands and his side, and said again, “Peace be with you!
February 20, 2015
By C. Robert Wetzel “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16, King James Version). There are so many rich meanings and experiences in the Lord”s Supper! When the apostle Paul spoke of the “cup of blessing” he used a term that had a special meaning for those who understood Jewish dinner tradition. At the end of a Jewish meal the most honored guest at the table took the cup, lifted it up, and said the benediction. Today when we talk of the benediction we probably think of
August 1, 2014
By Mike Shannon One of the things we fear most is the loss of our memory. We get frustrated over even small memory lapses. It is such a devastating problem that much time, money, and effort go into solving the serious medical issues that contribute to loss of memory. But what if it is not a medical problem? What if we deliberately forget or we forget out of benign neglect? It is vital to Christians to always remember the meaning of the cross. How can we ever forget what Jesus did for us there? The early church was concerned about
August 27, 2012
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone The letter to the Hebrews does not tell us the name of its author. For years Paul was assumed to have written it. Others think Barnabas or Apollos did. Though we cannot be certain of the author, the book was clearly accepted by the early church as part of the Holy Spirit-inspired canon of Scripture. Most Bible students believe it was written before the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in AD 70 since the temple
April 28, 2012
By Bryce Jessup One of my most memorable Communion times was sitting with my family circled in our campsite at Yosemite National Park. The day before, a number of us had caught our limits of trout. Half Dome was visible, the morning sun was warming us up, and we were rejoicing in our family vacation time on the Lord”s Day. Before we communed, my father invited each of us to share a verse of Scripture or some event wherein we had felt the touch of a loving God. Each of our children shared briefly, as did my wife and I.
August 22, 2011
By Ben Merold I walked up Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to get a view of the path of the first flights made by the Wright brothers. They gave proof to the world that a heavier-than-air flying machine could lift off under its own power, fly, and make a safe landing. This was the place of first flight, and a large monument marks the site. I found myself thinking that the entire area is, in one sense, a memorial. However, everything seems to focus on four large stones that mark the distance of their first flights. On
May 26, 2011
By J. Michael Shannon “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord”s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). The first Lord”s Supper was observed in a relatively obscure room in Jerusalem. It was a private gathering. Very few people were there. Those who were there did not understand its full significance. Jesus was making clear the meaning of his death. In the early church, Jesus” followers each Lord”s Day reenacted what happened in that room. Even though the events were fairly recent, they did not want a week to go by without remembering.
December 26, 2010
By Doug Redford Now that Christmas Day has passed, it”s time to move from thinking about giving gifts to the matter of returning them. Many of us will need to spend some time during the upcoming week returning a Christmas gift that happened to be the wrong size, color, or style. Stores usually offer tips to keep in mind when returning a gift, including: keep all the tags and original packing when giving and opening gifts (especially electronics, computers, appliances, and games), keep receipts, and check the time limit on returns (some stores limit returns to 30 days after a
June 10, 2007
This article is no longer available online, but articles about the Lord’s Supper that appeared in the July 12/19, 2009, and June 10, 2007, issues of CHRISTIAN STANDARD–plus more–are available for purchase as a single, redisigned, easy-to-read and easy-to-use downloadable resource/pdf (a fuller explanation is below). The Lord’s Supper: A Memory and More Item D021535209 “¢Â $2.99 If you keep doing something often enough, long enough, it will change you. Take, for example, the Lord”s Supper. If we practice the Lord”s Supper in a meaningful way, week after week, it will change us for the better by helping us grow closer
November 30, 2005
This is the last Sunday of the year. For some it is the last chance to catch up on their New Year”s resolution to read through the Bible this year. For others it is the last chance to write a check to the church in order to receive a tax credit. For all of us it is the last opportunity in 2009 to break the bread and drink the cup together at the Lord”s table. It was at the last supper that our Lord Jesus instituted the Lord”s Supper. It was Passover and Jesus was in an upper room with