Church of Christ at Oshkosh

"I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." - Isaiah 45:23 (NASB) In this passage God is speaking through Isaiah and He mocks the utter uselessness of idols while declaring His glory and His power. He also warns His people of that day, the Jews, that this ignorance and this idolatry will one day come to an end. One day, God says, every knee will bow and every tongue will acknowledge the true God. Paul quotes this verse in Philippians 2:10 to point to the return of Christ as the final demonstration of God's glory, and for unbelievers, their last glimpse of God before their eternal condemnation. Both Isaiah and Paul point to the fact that the final justice will be that scoffers and doubters, and idolaters and unbelievers will be forced to confess (to their dismay) that what they so vigorously rejected in this life turned out to be true and the cau...

Enough cowering! Enough hiding out and social distancing from getting things done because of the virus! Paul said that there would be "in season" and "out of season" times for preaching the gospel (II Timothy 4:2) and for growing the kingdom. He did not mean that sometimes we work and serve, and at other times we should stop because it is inconvenient or dangerous. I believe he was exhorting the church to stay busy even when it was inconvenient and/or dangerous as it has been here for the last month or so with the COVID-19. What a bonanza for the devil! The church waiting around until things get better so it can get busy again building the kingdom. What if things get worse? What if the quarantine lasts until December? We need to realize that the evil one never takes a break in attacking the church and consequently the Lord's body should always be in the fight: no let-up, no retreat and no furlough in the spiritual battle. This Coronavirus crisis and the resultin...

One of the more recent issues in American society is the notion of tolerance for individuals, which like most things seems like a reasonable request. You should be able to as an adult tolerate someone else’s behavior meaning you do not have to like or appreciate what is happening, but just the sort of allowing them to do their own thing. The more common definition of word meaning the allowable deviation from a standard.  The real problem is the tolerance factor quickly shifted from allowing to accepting the deviation as it were. Suddenly it is no longer encouraged to promote Christian values, but to embrace those people and ideas that would oppose being a Christian. I would take it as one step further already and say that we are encouraged to embrace and promote sin versus living as a Christian. Before I go any further, I want to clarify Christians are commanded to love one another as stated in several passages of the Bible including John 15:12. There is no commandment to hate or h...

When you are thinking about the Lord’s Supper, what thoughts cross your mind, are you thinking about the Lord or what you are going to do after Church services. Do you think about what kind of sacrifice was made for you or the notification that just came in on your cell phone. I am going to make a suggestion, think about your covenant, your agreement with God.  Do you remember when you became a Christian, and you promised God you would honor Him by living as a Christian should?   The agreement was fairly simple, He agreed to be your God.  You agreed to be His child.  The Lord’s Supper is a meal you partake of, that also reflects your covenant with God, do this in remembrance of me.  1 Corinthians 11:24. The Lord’s Supper is a great time to examine our lives.  Am I keeping my end of the agreement?  The supper can be a moment of great resolve, to be all that we can be for the Lord. A time specifically set aside once a week to reflect on our relation...

Why me? Is one of the most commonly asked questions, and can often be grouped in two different scenarios: times of despair or unfavorable situations. Instead of it being an actual question meriting a response, it is generally a plea to other individuals or to God that they are facing a scenario or situation that they do not want to deal with. A quick web search of the question why me, will yield over a billion different search results. Notably on the first page of results will also include references to why me is not the correct question that you should be asking yourself. Most of the responses deal with the hardship factor or the reality factor of worldly views.  The real problem with the question why me is that its people do not want to take the time to reflect on their relationship with Christ and their involvement with his Church. Instead of the why me it should be a moment in time where you pause to understand what is going on and put your trust in the Lord.  People that ...

In I Peter 5:8, the Apostle Peter warns his readers concerning the devil. He says that the devil prowls like a roaring lion seeking to devour and he seeks and knows where to find us in order to devour us. For example, the devil found Samson in the arms of pagan and immoral women. He found Judas where power and money were traded. He found Jesus hungry and tired in the desert alone and struggling in the garden. He always knows where to look in order to find and devour you. He finds you online because there is stuff there you should not see; in your car in heavy traffic when you are in a hurry and least patient; when you are broke and would compromise honesty and generosity to get what you want; after a fight, insult or offense when revenge is planned. He knows exactly where to find you in order to devour you and draw you into sin. Of course, there are places where he cannot find you, places where his power cannot overcome you. This is when you are in the Word and prayer; worshipping, fel...

 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. 25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, - Ephesians 4:24-26 Paul is encouraging the church to grow in Christian maturity and grace. One sign of that new maturity, that new balance, that new person is that a person learns to deal with his/her anger in a proper way. In the old life, the sinful, unbelieving life, anger was dealt with and used in a variety of ways: A vent to spew out our frustrations An excuse for violence or unreasonable conduct (I was angry so I…) A way to intimidate or manipulate others (…don't get him mad…) When one becomes a Christian however, the old man of sin dies, is buried in the water of baptism and a new man emerges. And this new man emerges with new ways of thinking and new ways of actin...