Shadyside Church of Christ

It is a good thing for us all to be reminded that everyone who is saved is saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. His grace is amazing, but it's also outrageous. That God would offer forgiveness and a place in His eternal kingdom to the vilest of sinners is an incredible thing. But such is the outrage of grace.

The church is called by its Lord to do good works. But the church should beware of getting so involved in doing good works of all kinds that it forgets the primary purpose and mission which Jesus has given to it. And that would be to proclaim the gospel to a lost world. Many groups and agencies do good works, but only the church has the gospel to share.

By and large, people do not understand love as God does. The world sees love as a warm feeling which, in turn, doesn't want to hurt the feelings of others. God says: I love you just the way you are, but I love you too much to let you stay that way. God has our best interests at heart - our eternal interests. Problem is - too many people choose to ignore their eternal interests

Long ago, Job wondered that if a person died would they live again. Resurrection of the dead is difficult to believe in. It just goes against the reality which we know. Even some of those present on the very day of Jesus' resurrection would not believe it happened. Yet, others rejoiced that Jesus was alive again. Eye witnesses reported a risen Jesus. If their witness is true,

We often make the mistake, and it's too often been implied that Christianity is about doing the "big" things, you know - mission trips, seminars, Bible camps, etc. Although these have a place and serve a purpose, we don't see them emphasized in the scriptures. The Spirit spends more instructional ink on the home, family, work and congregation life. What we do in

Regarding faith, Abraham is called "the father of us all" by Paul. If we consider the many events in his life, we must marvel that he continued to believe in God despite the opposing and contrary circumstances he faced. What are the key elements of such a faith as Abraham's?

The word of God can penetrate deep into the heart and soul to reveal our thoughts and intents. A person can respond to the word with belief and humble obedience, or they can disbelieve, resist and turn away from the truth of God. Two kings of Judah illustrate these two responses for us quite well, and give us all "food for thought."

When Amalek attacked Israel in the wilderness, God told Moses for them to fight back. Up on the hill overlooking the battle, Moses held up the staff of God. When he did so, Israel prevailed over Amalek. But when he dropped his hands, Amalek would have the upper hand. So, Moses got help in holding up the staff, and Israel won the day. What was the deal with the staff, and what spir

A careful look at scriptures which detail the gospel reveals that each one contains some different truths not found in the others. The church has probably been guilty of shrinking the gospel message into a "neat little package" and not presenting its many and rich truths for people to make an informed, faith decision. This could be one reason why the church itself is shri

Most Christians would say they trust the Lord, but when things get tough, do we trust Him or look to something else? David had trusted the Lord all his life, but turned his heart elsewhere in a weak moment. It caused a lot of trouble for Israel and cost many lives. What can we learn?