by Tom Wacaster

I never cease to be amazed at the absolute gullibility of people in general. It was P.T. Barnum who said "a sucker is born every minute" (or something along that line). The gullibility of the human race makes fertile soil for the con-artists and shysters who prey upon the unsuspecting. Politicians make promises during campaign seasons, and the masses believe those promises in spite of the fact that few of those promises are ever kept.

The religious landscape in our country, and throughout the world, is a living testimony to the gullibility of mankind when it comes to religion. The unbelievable is not only believed but embraced by a great multitude; and it seems that the more foolish a doctrine, the more it is embraced. If men in general loved the truth and rejected error, most, if not all of the religious cults that have arisen in the last couple of centuries would never have gotten off the ground. ...

By Tom Wacaster

My first preaching work was in a small farming community in south central Oklahoma. It was not uncommon to arrive at church services and find someone out front whittling on a stick with a pocketknife. Most of the time there was no definite purpose for "whittling," and the end result was a shortened stick with a sharp point at the end. But every now and then a good brother would be whittling away at a stick for a specific purpose he had in mind. It also seemed as if each of the men carried a knife that fit their personality and needs. There were all sorts of knives, of varying size and sharpness. Occasionally, at one of the fellowship meals, a brother would whip out his pocketknife and slice a tomato in no time flat (I sometimes wondered where that knife had been prior to slicing the tomatoes, but tried not to dwell on the possibilities). ...

Oh the joy of being called sons of God! Man has this special title given by believing in Christ and being born by the will of God (John 1:12-13). The Bible uses different terms both in the Hebrew and Greek for the word “son” or “sons”. One particular Hebrew word, “bane”, designated by Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries “H1121” appears 4924 times in the Old Testament. It is translated in many ways, the majority of which are not “son or sons”. Consider these few: children (Genesis 3:16), old (Genesis 5:32), one born (Genesis 15:3), people (Genesis 29:1), colts (Genesis 32:15), bough (Genesis 49:22), of the first (Exodus 12:5), young (Leviticus 1:14), of the breed (Deuteronomy 32:14), one (I Samuel 13:1), worthy (I Samuel 26:16), soldiers (2 Chronicles 25:13), men (Job 1:3), sparks (Job 5:7), arrow (job 41:28), branch (Psalm 80:15), corn (Isaiah 21:10), ones (Jeremiah 48:45), and robbers (Daniel 11:14). Indeed, a great number of other translations exist and this will be central to ...

by Tom Wacaster

A prospective customer walks into the automobile showroom and inquires about an automobile. After obtaining the details he “test drives” the car to see if it is to his liking. Another might walk into the local Best Buy and inquire as to the details of a computer, or an HDTV. He may “beat out some keys,” or “flip through the channels” before purchase. Then there are those who take a walk up and down the isle of the local Sam’s Club, sampling the “snacks” available for testing, before making a purchase of some featured item. When I travel to Russia or India I exchange dollars for rubbles or rupees, and the banker “tests” my $100 bill to determine if it is genuine. We could go on, but I think you get the point. Why is it that so few seem to care whether or not their religion is genuine? Did not Paul tell us to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess. 5:20)? The New Testament repeatedly warns us to “test” what we hear lest we ...

by Tom Wacaster

A rather interesting article appeared in one of the more liberal periodicals sometime back that, of late, has been parroted by the change agents of this new century. The author's comments serve as a good example of the present effort on the part of change agents to remodel and restructure the Lord's church of our generation into something that is “functional,” though not necessarily in accord with the “form” of the New Testament pattern. The author of that article draws a parallel between the progress in aviation and the supposed progress now being offered the brotherhood. He argues that our first attempts at flight failed because we sought to “imitate” the birds rather than develop the principle of flight. In like manner, he argues, we [those who would demand a 'thus saith the Lord'] have sought to imitate the first century church rather than build a church that is functional. He writes: “Like the ornithopterists of old, we assumed that 'function' was ...

By Charles Box

The Sadducees said there is no resurrection. They tried to trap Jesus with the following question: "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her" (Matthew 22:24-28).

Jesus answered their question by saying. "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God ...

By Tom Wacaster

I am sure that all of us have, at one time or another, had someone jokingly say, “You can’t get there from here.” Uncertain as to the ability of someone to grasp directions, we first seek to put them in a position where the instructions are simple and easy to follow. Take for example the story of a salesman who was seeking to locate a family who had requested someone to contact them regarding a sale or delivery. The family lived in the back woods of east Texas, and every attempt to navigate the roads that had neither name nor number for easy reference produced a growing frustration on the part of the would-be salesman. Finally the salesman came across an old farm house, and sitting on the front porch was an elderly gentleman sipping on a cup of coffee and reading his newspaper. The salesman stopped and asked directions to his destination. The famer leaned ...

By Tom Wacaster

I am profitably engaged in reading Phil Sanders book, Adrift, in which he deals with postmodernism in the church and how it has affected our attitude toward authority and/or divine pattern in churches of Christ. I have scarcely scratched the surface of this 250 page book, and like Nehemiah of old I am “astonied” at the absolute nonsense that permeates the thinking of those in high places of academia. Professors have brain washed this generation into believing that truth is not absolute. To put it another way, truth is changing, “fluid,” adapting itself to the times – so they say! Some years ago Alan Bloom made the same observation in his book, Closing Of The American Mind: “There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative. If this belief is put to the test, one can count on the students’ reaction: they will be uncomprehending” (Bloom, page ...

by Tom Wacaster

Among the many false doctrines that have occupied the minds of men is that of the necessity of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit upon the heart of an individual in order to procure salvation. Such are the fruits of Calvinism. Once you adopt John Calvin’s doctrine of election, the outgrowth of such false doctrine is the necessity of God to somehow operate directly upon those who have been “predestined” to salvation so as to “get them saved.” It is what the Quakers and Pentecostals refer to as a “religious experience.” David Lipscomb, in “The Life and Sermons of Jessie Sewell” demonstrated the absurdity of relying upon a spiritual experience for one’s assurance of salvation. It seems that a fair, honest working famer of remote Tennessee had come in contact with brother J.J. Trott, a gospel preacher. This famer had just returned from a “revival” where ...

Grape cough medicine sounded like a good idea to try for my children when they had a cold, however, once was enough. The officially let me know they would rather die than ever try the grape flavor again. Satan is like Children’s Grape flavored cough medicine. The things he offers sound good on the surface, but when you accept them they are just nasty (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). The Pharisees are also another like comparison in that they appeared one way, but were another (Matthew 23:27-28). Things are not always as they seem to be.

Man often makes assumptions about something they have heard or seen without closer examination. In part, this is done because there is so much information in life to process that quick judgments are often the rule rather than the exception. However, such judgment does not always guarantee accurate assessments. Men make assumptions about others all the time. They do so based on where a man works, how he looks, ...

JESUS VS. PAUL

By Garreth L. Clair

A recent Christianity Today article called "Jesus vs. Paul" looks at the current debate among evangelical New Testament scholars (and their students) who seem to be divided into two main camps: those who emphasize Jesus and the kingdom, and those who focus on Paul and justification by faith. Stan Guthrie, who wrote our Bible study of the same name says, "While this seems to be a knotty problem, unprecedented in church history, such theological turf wars are all too common. As Paul disapprovingly told the Corinthians, 'One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?' (1 Cor. 1:12-13). For Paul, it's all about Jesus."

So how do we ...

What happens when a person dies? Since death happens to everyone eventually, the question is frequently pondered. Will there be a second chance at life? What happens to our loved ones when they die? Can the living do anything to make the afterlife of the dead better? There are a number of teachings on the topic of death and afterlife. Some theories say that there is nothing after life. Many eastern theologies believe in reincarnation. Christianity speaks of Hades and then an all encompassing judgment. Catholicism speaks of purgatory. The concepts of prayer, baptism, and preaching for the dead, as well as purgatory, are related items which will be examined in this article. That such beliefs have been present for ages is not argued. From a Biblical point of reference, is there authorization for belief in these teachings?

Prayer for the Dead
Praying for the dead is an ancient practice to which there is no particular point of origin. ...