Articles for tag: Love

May 21, 2020

Christian Standard

A Biographical Study of Barton W. Stone (Part 4)

Here is the conclusion of our four-part series on Barton W. Stone, as excerpted from Frederick D. Kershner’s 1940 series on six of the “most significant advocates” of the Restoration Movement. (Click on any of these to read the earlier installments of the series: Part one — part two — part three.) _ _ _ “Stars: Message of Barton Stone” May 4, 1940; p. 7  The first relations of [Alexander] Campbell and [Barton] Stone appear to have been somewhat strained and not altogether cordial. The Kentucky reformer was a little dubious about too much emphasis being placed on water regeneration;

May 10, 2020

David Faust

Application for May 17: The Natural Response to Being Loved

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 17, 2020: “His Beloved Ones.”) By David Faust What would you say if someone asked, “Is it difficult to be a Christian?” Might your answer be both yes and no? On the one hand, Christ already did the hardest part. He accomplished what we could never do for ourselves. He lived a perfect life and suffered for our transgressions on the cross. We sinners could never measure up to all the righteous standards of God, but his love overflows and his grace is sufficient in spite of our imperfections. “The

May 10, 2020

Michael C. Mack

Discovery Questions for May 17, 2020

(These Discovery questions go with the Bible lesson for May 17, 2020: “His Beloved Ones.” For a detailed explanation of how to use Discovery Bible Study, click here.) By Leigh Mackenzie 1. What “win” stories from this past week do you have about living out godliness? 2. What were your biggest challenges last week? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the two readers to each read Deuteronomy 30:4-6 in turn (possibly from different Bible versions) and then ask the group what they observe in the passage. What captured their attention? Then ask the same two readers to

April 27, 2020

Michael C. Mack

Discovery Questions for May 3, 2020

(These Discovery questions go with the Bible lesson for May 3, 2020: “His Holy Nation.” For a detailed explanation of how to use Discovery Bible Study, click here.) By Leigh Mackenzie 1. Over the past week, what person or group of people did you love, serve, and/or tell about Jesus?   2. What was challenging for you this past week? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the two readers to each read Deuteronomy 28:9, 10 in turn (possibly from different Bible versions) and then ask the group what they observe in the passage. What captured their attention?

March 10, 2020

Christian Standard

Grapes of Peace

By Daniel Schantz “The blossoming [grape] vines spread their fragrance” (Song of Solomon 2:13). The grape juice our churches use for Communion was developed by Thomas Welch, a Methodist minister, physician, and teetotaler, in the 1860s. He thought it hypocritical for preachers to oppose drinking and then serve alcoholic wine for the Lord’s Supper. Since grape juice contains its own leaven, he used pasteurization to stop fermentation. Welch’s Grape Juice Company resulted from his efforts to sell the juice to churches. But the choice of “grape juice” as the symbol of Christ was entirely God’s idea, and it was the

December 25, 2019

Christian Standard

Christmas Poems from 1877

(Christian Standard featured poetry for many years. This Christmas Day we share three poems by Marie Radcliffe Butler. All of these poems appeared at the top left column of the front page of the December 22, 1877, issue of the magazine. Fun fact: Butler’s poem “The Christian Standard — on the Field of Armageddon” was in the very first issue of Christian Standard, April 7, 1866, and occupied that same top-left position.) _ _ _ (Written for the Christian Standard.) CHRISTMAS POEMS. _ _ _ MARIE RADCLIFFE BUTLER. _ _ _ WHEN SHILOH CAME. (Luke i. 7.) A light in

December 22, 2019

Christian Standard

A Strange Birthday Celebration

(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,

November 12, 2019

Christian Standard

Impressions

By Beau Bruton We all have people we look up to for one reason or another. After meeting someone, it’s common to say, “They made a good impression on me.” The word impression can mean your first thoughts on someone, mimicry of someone, or the imprint of something. Many people look up to the rich and famous—musicians, athletes, movie stars, and sometimes politicians. People of note leave indelible marks on society, sometimes for good things but often for bad. Kirk Franklin sings, “America has no more stars, now we call them idols.” (He obviously is referring to TV’s American Idol.)

October 9, 2019

Christian Standard

Rural Church Sees a-Maze-ing Opportunity in Cornfield

By Chris Moon Rinehart Christian Church in Missouri is surrounded by cornfields . . . and that’s a good reason to celebrate during October. “This is a very rural area,” senior minister Kevin Moyers told Christian Standard. But the church of about 200 people has a heart for families. It wants to see them come to know Christ and to spend quality time together. And so RCC created a corn maze on a 10-acre patch of land adjacent to the church property and is hosting a fall festival for people in the surrounding communities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

August 2, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Two Interviews, Two Brothers, One Passion for Making Disciples

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

July 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Eisegesis for Everyone

From After Class Podcast Do you struggle to apply the Bible to your life? Does the Bible sometimes feel old and outdated? This new resource might be just what you need to jump-start your faith. Sonbeam Publishing is proud to bring you Eisegesis for Everyone. This empowering book employs the familiar technique of eisegesis so you can read your own brilliant insights into the Bible. Free from the shackles of original context, anyone can see any passage talking about—well—anything. No Bible training, no cultural background, and no historical awareness required. Now you can find your ideas all over the pages

July 4, 2019

Christian Standard

A July 4th Message from 1960

Here is an Independence Day editorial by Edwin Hayden from 1960 . . . 94 years after the founding of our magazine and 184 years after the founding of our nation. _ _ _ Which Kind of Freedom? An EditorialJuly 2, 1960; p. 2 About to talk to a group of school children on the subject of freedom, the preacher asked his young hearers to define the word free. First offered was this: “Like getting into the show without paying.” Free—“without cost”—has been lifted from an obscure and incidental place among the definitions of freedom so that it becomes a

May 7, 2019

Christian Standard

Marcus: Choosing to Love

By Jon Wren Nobody came to his first birthday party. He spent it alone in a wing designed for medically fragile infants in a hospital room in Northern Indiana. Marcus was born 3 months premature, weighing 1 pound, to a heroin-addicted mother who left him at the hospital as an orphan. He suffered from multiple medical complications, could not breathe on his own, and wasn’t expected to ever learn how to talk. Truth be told, doctors didn’t expect Marcus to live to see his 2nd birthday. But not long after, Marcus had a visitor, a 56-year-old nurse named Kelly. She

March 25, 2019

Christian Standard

It’s God’s Kindness

By Vince Antonucci One time after a church service a lady bounced up to me and said, “Hey!” I said, “Hey!” “My name’s Sandy,” she said very quickly, “but not for long it isn’t. I’m changing it! It’s been a bad year for Sandys—Hurricane Sandy, Sandy Hook Elementary.” I nodded, a bit confused. “So, hey!” Sandy continued, “I just wanted to thank you for keeping it positive.” I asked what she meant. “I went to church a few times growing up, and I’ve gone a couple times as an adult, and I hate it. Hate it!” Sandy said. “You always

March 20, 2019

Christian Standard

How Could a God of Love Allow the Christchurch Massacre?

Jeff Vines, lead pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley, San Dimas, Calif., is a former 10-year missionary to New Zealand who has shared some challenging thoughts in the aftermath of the mass shootings at a mosque and Islamic center Friday that left 50 dead and dozens injured. Vines—who was in New Zealand when the shootings occurred—wrote “How Could a God of Love Allow the Christchurch Massacre?” for the Vision Christian Media website. VCM broadcasts Christian programming throughout the South Pacific via a large network of radio stations. Vines’s sermons are broadcast on those stations twice each day. Because he was in New Zealand when

March 12, 2019

Christian Standard

Addicted to the New

By Randy Gordon This Wednesday is the first day of spring [in the northern hemisphere], a season we celebrate the newness of life all around us. We’re addicted to the new. That’s just the world we live in. We love the new iPhone. We love new cars (and if we can’t afford a new car, we buy a used car and a “new car smell” air freshener). We love new fashion, new books, new songs . . . new, new, new. Marketing strives to convince us that the newest version of anything—everything—is better than the previous version. It offers more

January 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Meaning of the Cross

By Randy Gordon What does the cross mean to you? The question is simple enough, but I fear few of us give it much thought. Maybe it’s because we see the cross in so many places. We see it on necklaces, bracelets, and pendants. We see it painted on the sides of train cars. We see it on the roadside after terrible auto accidents. We might even hang it on the wall of our home. Christians have embraced the cross, but in Jesus’ day, the cross represented capital punishment. In fact, execution on a cross was the Romans’ primary form

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

Amazing Grace: How One Sunday in a Small, Dying Iowa Church Changed My Life

By Rick Chromey   “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me.” I’ve been singing that hymn my whole life, yet never captured what it truly meant until one frigid Sunday morning. I was a student at Nebraska Christian College. For extra money, I’d occasionally preach for churches in need, and this particular weekend, I agreed to speak for a small church about two hours from school. It was a brutally cold Sunday. The tiny, white, clapboard and steepled church was miles from the nearest town, saddled by snowbanks, and guarded by Iowa cornfields. Only a

September 19, 2018

Jerry Harris

Raiders of the (Almost) Lost Artifacts

History preserved at new Christian Standard Media Library in Quincy, Illinois By Jerry Harris I lacked only a fedora and bullwhip as I channeled Indiana Jones during the excavation of a deep, dark storage-facility locker in a suburb of Cincinnati. Three others joined this expedition: Mike Mack, Shawn McMullen, and Jim Nieman. And no, we didn’t discover the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail that day. In fact, upon first glance, the room seemed filled only with stacks of boxes on pallets, along with totes and other various objects, some wrapped in paper. But we soon began to

July 31, 2018

Christian Standard

Everyday Objects—Eternal Truths

By Joe Harvey Have you ever noticed the way Jesus took the most ordinary objects and attached extraordinary meaning to them? He talked about good seed and bad soil and the next thing we know, he challenges the receptivity of our hearts to the message of God. He talked about weeds to confront our priorities and treatment of others. He talked about catching fish, and he ended up calling his disciples to preach and teach the good news of God’s Messiah come. Over and over again, Jesus used everyday objects to teach eternal truths. When significance is added to the

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