March 15, 2021
Mar 21 | Application
If you want to be savvy and streetwise, read the book of Proverbs. It’s a jewelry box filled with nuggets of spiritual gold . . . a toolbox full of blue-collar common sense . . . a handbook . . .
Articles for tag: Marriage
What Is Truth?
We’re all familiar with Pilate’s question of Jesus, “What is truth?” He was responding to Jesus’ statement, “For this purpose I have been born . . . to testify to the truth” (John 18:37-38). In context, I believe Pilate was mostly being sarcastic, though with a shred of genuine curiosity. Pilate was raised in a pagan society that worshiped Caesar as God during a time of many opposing philosophies. In that day, people did not recognize absolute truth. In other words, it was in many regards much like today, a day when the notion of truth has become controversial. A
March 1, 2021
Truth + Love: The Balancing Act
My wife, Beth, and I had just met a young couple as we were leaving church. After visiting with these strangers for a few minutes, we invited them to go eat lunch with our family. We found ourselves laughing and devouring sandwiches and getting to know them. And that’s when it got awkward. After asking Matt what part of town he lived in, I innocently proceeded to ask the same question of Stacie. In between bites, in matter-of-fact fashion, she replied that they lived together. Two voices in my subconscious immediately began whispering to me. One unwavering, firm voice said,
January 1, 2021
God’s Messenger in Seat 21C
Sometimes God shows up in strange places . . . like an afternoon United Airlines flight from Denver to Houston. At the time, my life was a wreck. My career was gone. My marriage in trouble. My dreams paused. My faith wearing thin. The Great Recession had left me unemployed and broke. I was depressed, skeptical, cynical, and angry. I survived through sporadic speaking and preaching but now wearied from the travel. I didn’t want to go to Houston. I was ready to quit the ministry, find a decent paying job, and live in peace. I despised ever accepting God’s
December 7, 2020
The Second Choice (Dec. 13 Lesson Application)
This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Dec. 13, 2020: Fulfilled through Love (Matthew 1:18-25; 22:34-40) ________ By David Faust Joseph’s second choice impresses me more than his first one. His first choice was relatively easy. Mary was an eligible young woman, and no doubt Joseph found her attractive. Nazareth wasn’t a big town. It’s likely their families knew each other well and their parents approved of their engagement. The local grapevine buzzed with cheerful chatter about their upcoming wedding. As a gift for his wife, Joseph may have used his carpentry skills to build furniture for their
November 23, 2020
Lesson for Nov. 29, 2020: Seek Reconciliation (Philemon 8-21)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the November 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “I Missed You” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Nov. 29, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to break down the barriers that divide believers of different social statuses. ________ By Mark Scott The year 2020 will be remembered for virus and volatility. The virus created
September 22, 2020
Beyond the Pandemic: How the Church Can Respond to Three Urgent Needs in Their Communities
By Kent E. Fillinger The full impact of COVID-19 goes well beyond the number of confirmed cases, the death toll, and the unemployment rate that many are tracking. The pandemic has exacerbated several preexisting problems like anxiety, depression, suicide, child abuse, drug abuse, and others. These often overlooked “killers” are affecting scores of Americans today, and some experts say these conditions have reached epidemic proportions. Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant U.S. secretary for mental health and substance use, said in late May, “The increase in the number of suicides, fatal drug overdoses and instances of domestic abuse will be broad, deep
August 31, 2020
Lesson for Sept. 6, 2020: Serve Devotedly (Ruth 1:3-5, 8-11, 14-18)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the September 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “Ruth’s Exemplary Loyalty,” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Sept. 6, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Serve God devotedly. ________ By Mark Scott Arthur Gossip was the preacher at the Beechgrove Church in Aberdeen, Scotland. The day after his wife suddenly collapsed and died in 1927 he preached his famous sermon,
June 1, 2020
Application for June 7: Down in the Dirt with Your Friends
By David Faust My barber is my best friend. You see, my wife cuts my hair. During our first year of marriage, I was on the receiving end of a particularly bad haircut—a near-scalping experience in a smoke-filled barbershop. Arriving home afterward, I asked Candy, “Could you cut my hair from now on?” She gazed at my freshly shorn cranium and replied, “I can do at least as well as the barber you just visited.” The rest is history. We’ve done the math. According to www.mistershaver.com (yes, that’s a real website), the average price of a standard men’s haircut in
10 Foundation Stones of the Church—No. 2: Authority
By Jerry Harris A 2019 Pew Research Center study reveals that Americans’ attitudes about institutional authority are dropping like a rock. People are losing their trust in government, elected officials, education, journalism, health care, business, law enforcement, science, the military, and yes, religion. The younger we are, the less trust in institutions we have. This lack of trust bleeds down into its most basic form . . . trust in each other. Interestingly, most everyone knows this needs to be reversed and believes it can be reversed—they just don’t know how. The thing is, authority is essential for anything to
CCV Sees Record Baptisms as Wooldridge Settles In
By Chris Moon Christ’s Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona, recorded 4,371 baptisms in 2019. It was the most ever for the megachurch and the most recorded by any Restoration Movement congregation in the 22 years Christian Standard has compiled data from churches. “The church has always had a big focus on evangelism,” said Ashley Wooldridge, senior pastor of CCV. Christ’s Church of the Valley in 2019 also saw a big spike in average attendance, jumping 7.4 percent to 34,444. That made it the seventh fastest-growing megachurch on Christian Standard’s list. It is the largest congregation in the Restoration
January 2, 2020
'Fire and Rain': The Power of a Praying Wife
By Megan Rawlings The lyrics of James Taylor’s song “Fire and Rain” (and this verse, in particular, “I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend . . .”) echoed in my mind as I thought about the past year. I’ve received an unbelievable number of calls from disheartened wives during the past 12 months. Many of these ladies live with men who struggle with porn, constantly threaten divorce, have affairs, and/or battle alcoholism. All of these women are Christians who are married to nonbelieving husbands; they all need reassurance they are not alone. I needed a success
December 17, 2019
‘I’ll Be (Living at) Home for Christmas’
By Kent E. Fillinger This Christmas, you might be looking forward to your adult children returning home. Or maybe they’re home already. A Pew Research Center report found that 15 percent of millennials (ages 25 to 37) were living at home in 2018, nearly double the rate of older baby boomers when they were in that age range. In fact, a smaller percentage of people in the rising generations are checking off the four major life events that historically have signified “adulthood”: leaving home, getting married, becoming a parent, and getting a job. And the percentage of adults in the
September 23, 2019
Lesson for Sept. 29, 2019: Living in Submission (1 Peter 2:11–3:7)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 10 (weeks 37-40; September 15—October 6, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ________ Lesson Aim: Submit to the human authorities over you by doing what is good for them and for God. ________ By Mark Scott Submission is not a dirty word. The Son of God submitted and will submit again in the future (Philippians 2:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:28). When believers submit to human
August 22, 2019
THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (3): Hiring a Pastor
By Richard Creek An objective for this article is to determine how many 2019 graduates from Bible colleges will be entering the pastoral/pulpit ministry. The Pastor’s Project contacted nine Bible colleges associated with independent Christian churches and churches of Christ in the United States and Canada. (That’s about one-third of our colleges and universities.) The total number of students from these nine schools entering the pastoral ministry was 17, which is considerably lower than in previous decades. Yet the need for pastors has been increasing. Without a pastor, many rural and small churches go on life support and eventually die.
May 22, 2019
Vested in Our Leaders: Accelerate Group
Vested in Our Leaders: Accelerate Group By Don and Sue Wilson Accelerate Group was born out of a desire to encourage and support ministry couples. Many times, over our years in ministry, we went to conferences that offered resources and encouragement to pastors about how to be more effective in ministry, but rarely did a conference encourage us together as a couple. With Accelerate Group, we wanted to offer couples a way to see what ministry looks like from their spouse’s perspective, while providing an opportunity for each mate and couple to voice their needs—not only in ministry, but in
April 25, 2019
‘Why Are My Kids Putting Off Marriage but Not Sex?’
5 Ways to Help Emerging Adults Find Good Love and Good Lovin’ By Haydn Shaw Connie wrung her hands as she confessed that her 24-year-old daughter had started having sex with her boyfriend. “My husband and I raised her in the church. Until recently she believed that sex outside of marriage is wrong,” Connie told me. “But she informed me that as soon as she can get a better job, she’s moving in with her boyfriend. She says they love each other and plan to get married in a few years.” Why are my kids putting off marriage but not
March 25, 2019
It’s God’s Kindness
By Vince Antonucci One time after a church service a lady bounced up to me and said, âHey!â I said, âHey!â âMy nameâ™s Sandy,â she said very quickly, âbut not for long it isnâ™t. Iâ™m changing it! Itâ™s been a bad year for SandysâHurricane Sandy, Sandy Hook Elementary.â I nodded, a bit confused. âSo, hey!â Sandy continued, âI just wanted to thank you for keeping it positive.â I asked what she meant. âI went to church a few times growing up, and Iâ™ve gone a couple times as an adult, and I hate it. Hate it!â Sandy said. âYou always
Did You Hear What They’re Preaching About?
Preachers can sometimes experience creative lulls, so in the interest of providing inspiration, but not duplication (we hope), here are what some of our churches have been preaching about in recent weeks. By the way, most sermons from these series are available at the respective churches’ websites (and we’ve provided links). ________________________ Christ’s Church of the Valley (Phoenix, Ariz.) aTypical “Society has taken an interesting turn on what’s considered typical; activity-packed schedules, strained relationships, overextended budgets, and piles of debt. If this is what typical looks like, then now is the time to break the mold! Join us for our
January 29, 2019
The ‘Package Deal’: How to Choose a New Church Leader and His Wife
By Melissa Brandes After many months, the search committee finally zeroes in on their top choice for pastor. The formal interview goes very well. He seems a perfect fit. “Trial sermon” Sunday arrives. He preaches a solid biblical message with a great application. Later that afternoon, church leaders’ spouses take the potential pastor’s wife out for coffee while the men go boating on a lake. That evening, an elder asks his wife about the candidate’s spouse, but she hesitates. “She’s interesting,” the elder’s wife finally says, but not enthusiastically. “I guess she’s pleasant enough. Honestly I just don’t know her
