An Appeal To The ABA Blogging Fraternity

Dear brethren,

We have quite a group of us who taken the plunge into the blogosphere. Some of you may have grown tired of blogging, may feel it takes away from your ministry, etc. but hear out my appeal to you. In this computer age, we need to utilize every means of spreading the gospel and Bible doctrine that we have at our disposal as long as it does not take away from worshipping the Lord "in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24) There is a limitless opportunity to reach others for the Lord and to show them the truth of God's Word. There are no telling how many who read our posts and may not comment from possibly anywhere on the planet. We should show them how we, although we may not agree, we can debate our differences by "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) while maintaining our convictions. It is a chance to give a positive impression of our work. We should not let this opportunity slip away because there are many out there in other works who are getting their message out and false doctrine needs to be combated at every turn. Also, who knows but that the Lord might use us to be the next J.R. Graves, Ben Bogard, A.J. Kirkland, I.K. Cross, to influence those of our own membership back from the moral, spiritual, and doctrinal abyss. Trust me: you are not wasting your time if you manage your time wisely as with any other endeavor. God bless and I hope you have a blessed service and lives are changed today.

Your brother,
Jonathan Melton

Sonata or Accord?

I had an accident and totaled my Honda Civic about 2 weeks ago. I have been doing some investigating on the internet about a car to replace it. My sister used to sale Hondas and highly recommends the Honda Accord, her biggest compliment being the high resale value. She is down on the Hyundai make because of its past bad reputation and past poor resale value.

However, comparing the features of the two cars I see that the Hyundai Sonata is very economically priced and its features really give you a bang for your buck. Also, Hyundai has a reputation for being a very safe vehicle. The 2011 redesigned model has really improved in its fuel economy and is tops in the midsize class. It is also very aesthetic in its style. I really am leaning toward the Sonata but don't want to disappoint my sister, especially since she is working very hard at her old dealership to get me a good deal. What would be your advice?

The Church, Part 2

It looks as if that my demonstration showing how an obscure passage of Scripture confirms our teaching on the nature of the church may grow into a series. In part 2, I want to give an instance in Scripture where the church is distinguished from the rest of the saved. In Paul's salutation in his second letter to the church at Corinth, he distinguishes between that assembly and the other believers in the Greek province of Achaia:

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:..." (2 Corinthians 1:1)

1 Timothy 2:15

What is your interpretation of this difficult and often misinterpreted verse?

"Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."?

Restaurants With Bars

The idea for this post comes from a sign I saw on the way to work the other morning outside of a local seafood restaurant which said "Longnecks $1.00" I just wanted the thoughts of some of you on this subject: in your way of thinking, how would you differentiate between a full-fledged bar and a restaurant, such as Chili's, which is a bar and grill?

The Church

The idea for this post comes from a discussion on the Landmark Baptist forum on the use of the word "church" in Ephesians 5:22-33. First of all, one cannot take a position that Christ will "present...to himself a glorious church" will be made up of all the saved (called the Glory Bride), and that it is local and visible now made up of those who have been saved, received Scriptural baptism, and become a member of a true, New Testament church. The "it" that is the glorious church in verse 27 has as its antecedent the church in verse 24 that "is" subject unto Christ, and the church in verse 23 whose head "is" Christ.

I don't know if it will clarify the meaning for anyone any better, but I have found an instance where the word "church" is used both in the plural form and singular form in the same context: the plural referring to the plurality of local assemblies and the singular form referring to churches in the institutional sense, with equal application to EACH AND EVERY LOCAL CHURCH ALIKE and not one, universal church as a universal church cannot assemble as is the clear import of the word "ekkleseia" from which our English word "church" is translated. This passage perhaps in its primary application has little relevance to our churches today in that we no longer prophesy or speak in tongues in our churches today with the completion of the Bible, but perhaps it will help someone to change their view on or become stronger in their conviction about the nature of the Lord's church.

"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." (1 Corinthians 14:34,35)

The Revelation of God

This question was brought up by our instructor, Bro. Crain, at the end of our systematic theology class today. Since revelation from God to man has been completed in the Word of God, has God revealed all there is to know about Himself to man?