July 19, 2021
July 25 | Application
Human achievements eventually melt to the ground, but God has in store for us “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1 Peter 1:4).
Articles for tag: Reconciliation
Words
Our words have the power to build up or tear down. Yet words can also be the healing agent God uses to bring reconciliation, rebirth, revival, and restoration. We need more of these healing words in every arena of our lives and ministries.
June 14, 2021
Our Greatest Need
Mankind needed a mediator, a rescuer, to act as a go-between from God to people. We needed someone who understood the needs on both sides of the divide . . .
March 1, 2021
Truth and Tone in an Age of Fake News
One of the disorienting realities of living in the United States today is not knowing where to go for truth. Think about it—who do you go to for truth? Politicians? The media? The church? Christian Twitter? Google? The irony is we have more access to content and commentary than ever, but who can we trust? Trust has completely eroded in our society. A 2018 research study conducted by the Pew Research Center cited these statistics: 75 percent of Americans say trust in the federal government is shrinking 64 percent say trust in other Americans is shrinking 61 percent say you
February 1, 2021
COVID-19, Elders, and Forgiveness
The challenges of COVID-19 have made it more important for elders and church staff members to manage relationships with great care and discernment. This has not been easy for leaders. Satan has attacked relationships between brothers and sisters in the body with full force. Breaking and shattering relationships has always been one of his greatest weapons. Here is the heart of the problem: COVID-19 and its ramifications have presented our church leaders with stormy seas that are dangerous and difficult to successfully navigate in our relationships in the body of Christ. In meeting with leaders in churches of all sizes
February 1, 2021
Love Conquers Racism
How Relationship Changed My Dad’s Hard Heart . . . and What All of Us Can Learn from It The picture still brings tears to the eyes of family members old enough to remember my dad. We had gathered as we often did in the backyard of my sister’s house; it was a special occasion—I can’t remember what—and someone snapped the picture of Dad holding his great-granddaughter. Such a picture wouldn’t ordinarily evoke such strong emotions; after all, I have many pictures of my dad cuddling with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. But this picture is different. . . . Memories
February 1, 2021
Talk About It
At some point we stopped talking to one another. Communication has become a mesh of texting, social media posts, and emails—all of it one-way dialogue that doesn’t involve seeing a face or hearing a voice. Gone are the days of eating meals together and hanging around the table long after the food has disappeared from our plates. Faded are the memories of stopping by a friend’s house just to say hello, or of picking up the phone on Sunday afternoon to call home to update Mom on the events of the week. The forced isolation imposed by the coronavirus surely
February 1, 2021
Marching Forward
with a Dream of Destiny
How One Ministry Seeks to Lead the Way in Diversity and Racial Reconciliation in the Church When Dream of Destiny was founded in the summer of 2007, I never could have imagined where we’d be as a country some 13 years later. From the coronavirus pandemic and massive unemployment, to the political divide and racial tensions, 2020 was a year like no other. Without a doubt, these will continue to be critical factors that will significantly shape our nation’s future for many generations to come. The tragic death of George Floyd shocked the entire world and became a turning point
February 1, 2021
Who Will Break Down the Walls?
After all the upheaval of 2020, the world needs some reconciliation. Truth is, it always has. Struggling and estranged marriages . . . damaged friendships and divided families . . . polarized political parties . . . racial strife . . . churches from the same movement disembodied over methodological preferences. Who can possibly break down the walls of hostility that divide us? “[God] reconciled us to himself throughChrist.” That answers the question, but there’s more! “. . . and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). As crazy as it might sound, we, as reconciled sinners,
February 1, 2021
What’s Wrong with Our Movement? Why Can’t We Unify? Why Can’t We Reconcile?
(Read “When Brothers Dwell in Unity,” a companion article by Fate Hagood’s brother, Rudy Hagood.) Our movement, like many other movements, has been fractured, fragmented, and frustrated. I grew up in the Church of Christ vein of the Restoration Movement during a time when our purpose and passion were crystal clear. We saw the Bible speaking of one church. That one church could be discovered through a simple reading of Scripture and a commonsense understanding of what Scripture teaches. The idea of restoration is about going back to the primitive church of the first century and attempting to be that
January 25, 2021
The Third Day
By Stuart Powell There are two days that define every person’s life. The first is the day of conception, when a new life is sparked and another image bearer begins their journey to meet God. That day harkens back to the highlight of God’s creative efforts. The second day is when physical death fulfills the curse that accompanied sin’s impact on every human. These two days have defined too many people throughout history, but these limits are not what God desired for humanity. In his infinite love, God prepared a third day that is available to every person. The third
November 30, 2020
Discovery Questions for December 6, 2020
COMPANION RESOURCES Lesson for Dec. 6, 2020: Fulfilled through Generations (Matthew 1:1-17) “Why Begin with Begats?” by David Faust (Lesson Application) _ _ _ Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What challenges did you face last week? 2. Since we last met, with whom did you personally seek reconciliation or share God’s message of reconciliation? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Matthew 1:1-17 aloud,one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third person to briefly summarize the passage. 3. What stands out to you most in this
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
November 23, 2020
I Missed You (Nov. 29 Lesson Application)
This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Nov. 29, 2020: Seek Reconciliation (Philemon 8-21) ________ By David Faust “I missed you.” I found myself saying those words a lot when the coronavirus pandemic began to ease early this summer. One by one, friends emerged from quarantine. Worshippers inched back to the church building for in-person services. Restaurants reopened. During weeks of lockdown in the spring, I stayed in touch with my granddaughters by phone, text, and Zoom, but I longed to see them face-to-face. I missed the servers at the local deli. I missed visiting patients in the
November 23, 2020
Discovery Questions for November 29, 2020
COMPANION RESOURCES Lesson for Nov. 29, 2020: Seek Reconciliation (Philemon 8-21) “I Missed You” by David Faust (Lesson Application) ________ Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What challenges did you face last week at work, with family, or in other circumstances? 2. What good did you do this past week, especially to show someone else that God is good? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Philemon 8-21 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third person to take about one minute to summarize the passage. 3.
Four Important Questions to Advance Reconciliation
By Larry Griffin, LaTanya Tyson, and David Fincher (The column about racial justice, equality, and reconciliation was written by three Christian college presidents. Larry Griffin serves as president of Mid-South Christian College, Memphis, Tenn.; Dr. LaTanya Tyson serves as president of Carolina Christian College, Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Dr. David Fincher serves as president of Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Mo., while also leading the Association of Christian Church Colleges and Universities.) As presidents of Christian church colleges that serve the Restoration Movement, we lament the examples of injustice and division that have sadly become too commonplace in America.
May 17, 2020
Our Impact in the Wider Evangelical World
By Matthew Wilson As a pastor in an independent Christian church, I’m excited and encouraged that many denominational churches are abandoning traditions and conventions and are migrating toward movements like ours that embrace biblical supremacy. In many ways, I believe we are coming out of a dark ages and entering an era of enlightenment. People no longer follow doctrines and practices just because they are told to; instead, they demand to understand the context for what they believe. In modern history, many Christians relied on the authority of their governing bodies, but now we live in an information-driven age where
January 29, 2020
Dedicated Indiana Youth Minister, 36, Dies of Flu (Plus News Briefs)
Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Allison Williams, 36, who had served as youth minister with Reddington Christian Church in Seymour, Ind., for just over a decade, died Jan. 20 after suffering from the flu for a few days. A funeral was conducted at the church on Thursday. “In my 34 years in the ministry, she is the best youth minister I’ve worked with,” senior minister Scott A. Brown told Fox 59. During Williams’s time as youth minister, the group grew from about a dozen to nearly 100. Brown told the TV station that Williams dedicated herself to the
January 16, 2020
Plainspoken Advice from a Veteran Minister, Circa 1900
We focus today on two short articles by J. M. Land, a man who preached several decades on either side of the Ohio-Indiana line, up until his death in 1905. Land usually shared obituaries or news items during the time he wrote for Christian Standard, spanning from 1873 to 1901, but he also wrote more than a dozen mainly shorter articles like the two we share today. The first piece by Land offers observations on how older ministers and younger ministers should relate with one another, and the second shares advice for how an incoming minister can resolve an inherited
January 2, 2020
Eternity with a Child Molester
By Halee Wood Hatred . . . Love. Despair . . . Hope. Rejection . . . Acceptance. Contradictory emotions filled me as I stood face-to-face with a child molester. Despite having been abused by a much older boyresulting in pregnancy and abortion by age 14God had provided me with a story of redemption that sparks emotion and hope, especially among those who share a similar history and for those living with a spouse who shares my experiences. When I share my testimony publicly, it is not uncommon for someone to discreetly wait around until the room is all but
