Posts by Eddie Parrish (Page 4)
Measuring Our Love for God
While there is definitely an emotional component to love, true love is not merely emotion. True love is also a decision. It is a deliberate act of the will. The Bible reveals some measuring sticks by which we can determine whether or not our love for God is as deep as it could be. Our love for God is measured by how much we love each other. “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and…
Take Charge
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to commemorate the great exodus by observing the Passover, He found that the temple complex more resembled a marketplace and banking center than it did a place to offer worship to His Father (John 2:13-22). The place was filled with corrals full of livestock and kiosks for exchanging currency. With a whip that He crafted Himself, the Prince of Peace made quite a scene. He turned the animals loose and drove them out, overturned the…
How Polishing the Pulpit Helps Brown Trail
If the Lord wills, Mary and I (and a number of other BT members) will travel this week to Sevierville, Tennessee, for the annual workshop called “Polishing the Pulpit.” What began less than twenty years ago with three friends getting together to bounce sermon ideas off each other has now grown to an annual event that boasts an attendance of over 4,000! It’s called “Polishing the Pulpit” because it started out as a workshop designed just for preachers to hone…
Why do we . . . ?
If someone were to ask me which house on Sabine Court in Hurst was mine, my description of it would focus on those traits that distinguish it from the other houses on the street. Every home has its unique characteristics. The same is true with churches. To analyze the religious landscape is to realize quickly that not every church is the same, a fact that begs for an explanation. Why do we do the things that distinguish us from others?…
The Glory of the Word: Lessons from Psalm 119 – Part 5
The 119thPsalm offers some wonderful, timely, and practical lessons for daily Christian living, nearly all of which are rooted in the power and glory of God’s word. Let us consider a few. Psalm 119:104 Regular time spent in the study of the Bible does at least two things: (1) it increases one’s love for God’s word (Psa. 119:97); (2) it increases one’s hatred of evil. “Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” (119:104). If your…
How Should We Serve God?
The Christian’s relationship to God is that of servant to master. When one opens his heart to God and obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ, he becomes a servant of righteousness (Rom. 6:16-18). No longer is he his own master. He belongs to another (1 Cor. 6:19-20). As servants of God, what characteristics should govern our service? We should serve fully. Tragically, it was said of Solomon that he “did not fully follow the Lord” (1 Kings 11:6). Jesus said, “No…
Simple Truth: the Singularity of the Church
Peter once referred to the writings of Paul this way, “There are some things in them that are hard to understand” (2 Pet. 3:16). Not that my opinion matters, but I know where Peter is coming from. I suspect you do, too. But just because there are some Biblical concepts that are hard to grasp, this does not mean that all of them are. As a matter of fact, some of the most important doctrines of the New Testament are…
Jesus Went About Doing Good (2)
Peter made one of the simplest statements about Jesus that you’ll find in Scripture. But it is also packed with meaning and application. He said that Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). This understated affirmation deserves our deeper exploration. What were some of these good things that our Lord went about doing? Here are three more: He Pointed People to the Scriptures. People regularly approached Jesus with questions. Some were only trying to trap Him in His words, but…
Jesus Went About Doing Good (1)
Peter made one of the simplest statements about Jesus that you’ll find in Scripture. But it is also packed with meaning and application. He said that Jesus “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). This understated affirmation deserves our deeper exploration. What were some of these good things that our Lord went about doing? Consider the following list representative, but not exhaustive. He Rejoiced with Celebrating Friends. The apostle John tells us of a wedding that took place in the small…
What Lies Beneath?
On 24 March 2015, Andreas Lubitz took control of Germanwings Flight 9525 and crashed the Airbus A320 into the side of a mountain in French Alps. 124 passengers and 6 crew members perished. Investigations into this catastrophe revealed that Lubitz, a co-pilot on the flight, had a history of severe depression and suicidal tendencies, characteristics that might have kept him out of the cockpit. So why didn’t they? We may never know the full story, but it seems to have…
Ancient Psalms and Modern Worship (3)
In recent weeks we have highlighted some areas in which the Psalms can enhance and improve our worship (specifically, in the areas of prayer and penitence). I suppose it goes without saying that the Psalms can be used even today as part of our worship in song (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). But in this regard, a word of caution is in order. Some in churches of Christ who are pushing for the inclusion of instrumental music in our worship will…
Ancient Psalms and Modern Worship (2)
Like the disciples in the days of Jesus, we sometimes struggle with prayer. They asked Jesus for help (Luke 11:1). We, too, can find help from God by looking into His word for instruction. The Psalms brim with the help we need, yet are an untapped resource for many. While there will probably always be times when “we do not know how to pray as we should” (Rom. 8:26), we can lessen those occasions by utilizing the Psalms. Consider the…