Simply Gospel

May my steps be worship. May my thoughts be praise.

  • Watch and Pray

    “But of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. It is as when a man, sojourning in another country, having left his house, and given authority to his servants, to each one his work, commanded also the porter to watch. Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.… Continue reading

  • Jephthah’s Vow

    And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, “If thou wilt indeed deliver the children of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, it shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering” (Judges 11:30-31). The vow certainly seemed to be a good idea at the time. The Israelites were suffering under the oppression of the Ammonites. Jephthah was certainly not the first choice – the son of a prostitute… Continue reading

  • The Christian Purpose

    Have you ever considered the purpose in your life. While we often study from Ecclesiastes when considering this topic, we also see a few statements by Jesus that define His purpose on this world. If we want to be Christians – that is, Christ-like individuals – our purpose and his purpose should be one and the same. To Seek and Save In Luke 19, we meet a tax collector named Zacchaeus who seeks Jesus out. Jesus goes to dine with this person, and the Scribes and Pharisees criticize Jesus for associating with corrupt sinners, but Jesus calls Zacchaeus a son… Continue reading

  • Instruments in the Worship

    We can’t read many psalms without seeing God’s worshipers encouraged to play upon instruments like cymbals and harps. When Solomon brings the ark to the temple, the people play upon instruments in praise of God. Why, then, do we not use instruments in our own worship? It seems contradictory with what we see in the history of God’s people and their worship of Him. A Short History of Instruments in Worship A cappella singing is often considered a modern Church of Christ tradition or doctrine. The term a capella literally means “in chapel style.” The use of a capella singing… Continue reading

  • Modern Golden Calves: Negativity

    We love to complain. We want to complain about service being too slow at a restaurant; about the food being too hot or too cold; about seeing the bottom of our coffee cups; about the loudness of the radio. We complain about the person who cut us off in traffic; about construction; about light timings; about people in the wrong lanes. We complain about politics; about the “liberal media;” about so-and-so’s policies that we disagree with (unless our favorite party does the same thing); about taxes. We complain about the people in line at the grocery store; about the slow… Continue reading

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  • Modern Golden Calves: Our Traditions

    But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in… Woe to you, blind guides, who say, If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath. You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?… Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the… Continue reading

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  • Render to Ceasar and God

    And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in talk. And when they were come, they say unto him, “Teacher, we know that thou art true, and carest not for any one; for thou regardest not the person of men, but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?” But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, “Why make ye trial of me? Bring me a denarius, that I may see it.” And… Continue reading

  • The Fool Speaks In His Heart

    The fool hath said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works; There is none that doeth good (Psalm 14:1). The Psalmist’s declaration in Psalm 14:1 (and Psalm 53:1) is understandably famous and often used these days when referring to those who do not believe that God exists. While it is true that many people turn to atheism in order to get around having a superior moral authority than themselves, and the presumption that there is no spiritual power beyond our ability to comprehend or perceive is folly, such is not really what… Continue reading

  • Modern Golden Calves: An Introduction

    In Exodus 20, when the Levitical code is given to the children of Israel, God begins the covenant with ten basic commandments that serve as a scaffold upon which the rest of the law would be built. The Ten Commandments open with a warning against worshiping other gods or creating idols. These would be commands Israel and their leaders would have difficulty sustaining. Before leaving Sinai, the people pressure Aaron the high priest into crafting a golden idol for them to worship in Exodus 32. Later, in Numbers 25, Israel would submit to idolatry in Moab; Solomon would yield to… Continue reading

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  • Relating the Father

    No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him (John 1:18). In both the Gospel and the first letter that bear his name, John affirms that no man has ever seen God (John 1:18, 1 John 4:12, 20). This seems to be a most baffling statement considering everything else that John is trying to teach, and, for that matter, what has been revealed in the Old Testament. How can John say that no one has ever seen God after saying that the Word was God… Continue reading