Articles for tag: North Side Christian Church

February 11, 2020

A Restored House

By Stuart Powell Presidents’ Day, which we will celebrate Monday, February 17, now honors all presidents, but in the late 1870s it was originally set aside as a federal holiday to honor only one—our nation’s first president, George Washington, born February 22, 1732. Let’s fast-forward to the end of that remarkable man’s life. On December 14, 1799, George Washington died at the age of 67. His death occurred less than three years after completing his service as first president (1789—1797) and then retiring to his beloved Mount Vernon estate. When his widow, Martha Washington, died in 1802, the Virginia property

January 21, 2020

Stuart Powell

Communion & Lord's Supper Theology & Bible

Do You Understand?

By Stuart Powell John 13 describes the interaction between Jesus and his followers on the night he was betrayed. As the meal progressed, Jesus got up from the table, removed his outer clothing, tied a towel around himself, and began washing their dusty feet as a servant would do. “So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table again and said to them,’Do you understand what I have done for you?'” (John 13:12, New English Translation). Peter didn’t understand. He thought it might be Jesus’ way of elevating

January 7, 2020

Stuart Powell

Communion & Lord's Supper Theology & Bible

The Bond of Believers

By Stuart Powell When the apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the believers in Corinth, he wanted to correct some wrong practices that tarnished their gatherings. Among the many details he called out was their disrespect toward each other when they gathered together at the Lord’s table. Paul desired that they focus less on themselves and more on the other believers who gathered to partake. He wrote, For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given

December 31, 2019

Stuart Powell

Devotionals

New Things

By Stuart Powell A spirit of optimism permeates our culture at the beginning of every year. The idea of newness is everywhere. However, it seems the “newness” quickly fades. Our government is still in strife. Our boss still makes unreasonable demands. Most of our resolutions are quickly broken. The temptations and sins that plagued us last year haven’t vanished. The old stuff that caused us to long for last year to end looks amazingly similar to the new stuff in our New Year. Israelites in Isaiah’s day faced similar struggles against the sinfulness of their age. They looked to God

October 15, 2019

Stuart Powell

Devotionals

Again

By Stuart Powell I sinned again. The week had barely begun when I embraced the temptation and compromised my witness . . . again. It seems I’m continually choosing rebellion against God. No single temptation is entirely new; these are the same temptations I’ve fought for years. The Holy Spirit warns me. He corrects and confronts me about each temptation. But I keep stepping into the same trap over and over again. Don’t tell me it’s OK that I keep sinning against the creator. I’m willingly choosing my broken desire over the good plan of the sinless God. As the

September 10, 2019

Stuart Powell

Devotionals

Blood and Victory

By Stuart Powell An 8-year-old girl had tried for months to learn to ride a bicycle. Finally, while visiting her cousins one day, she succeeded. Unable to contain her excitement, she ran to her mother shouting, “I know how to ride a bike! I know how to ride a bike!” The mom beamed. And then she saw blood covering part of her daughter’s foot. The girl had cut her toe on a curb while trying to avoid a bush. The concerned mom began asking questions about the foot and the blood, but the daughter ignored the concerns. “I’m OK!” she

February 26, 2019

Stuart Powell

Communion & Lord's Supper Theology & Bible

Remembering Jesus: Bread, Cup, and Fellowship of Believers

By Stuart Powell When Christians gather to partake of the bread and the cup, we have one key focus: remembering Jesus. Our Lord instructed his followers to do this. “Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me’” (Luke 22:19, New English Translation). Most of us celebrate Communion in a comfortable, modern building, but have you considered how our setting compares to those of earlier generations? Paul offers a clue to this in his second letter to