Shadyside Church of Christ

Too many Christians flounder and get discouraged because they try to face the world on their own. Paul admonishes to "pray without ceasing." That can be difficult at times in our fast-paced world. And although we should make time for quiet prayer, we offer some "two-word" prayers which can help us in some of those frantic and tense moments we often encounter. 

Why do some people obey the gospel and some do not? We will never have all the answers to that question? But we do know that God went to great lengths to save Lydia. By the word of the Holy Spirit and a vision, Paul came into Macedonia, and he found her among a company of praying women on a riverbank near Philippi. But she still needed help in understanding the gospel which Paul was telling them....

God has fixed a day in the future when Jesus will return and judge the world in righteousness. The dead will be resurrected. Every eye will see Him, and all will bow and confess Jesus as Lord. Justice will be served. The faithful of all ages will fly off to ever be with the Lord Jesus and receive their eternal reward. What a day that will be!

2020 was a year many want to forget or throw away. In truth, many of us were tested. A good thing or a bad thing? Are we still finding joy in our lives in such difficult circumstances. Jonathan, the king's son. His life was engulfed in adversity. Yet, he always looked for the good in every situation and was always quick to praise the Lord for every Blessing.

 Melchizedek appears as a lesser figure in scripture, but as one digs deeper, he takes on real significance. Abraham interacted with him in what might seem an odd way, but what happened actually shows Melchizedek as prefiguring Christ. In fact, God made Jesus a priest after the order of Melchizedek. We can get much hope from this rather puzzling person. 

 It was prophesied He would be called the Prince of Peace, and angels proclaimed peace on earth when Jesus was born.  But peace seems to be far out of reach for this world.  Nations still go to war.  People still hate and kill one another.  Families break apart.  Individuals worry and fret and seek solace in drugs and booze.  Just how is it that Jesus brings peace? 

Jesus assures us that His words are spirit and life. Sometimes the "flesh" gets in the way, and the world pressures us so we do not recall exactly what Jesus said. Maybe we never knew in the first place! Maybe we just want to ignore a particularly "hard" saying. This is dangerous. We need to consult the scriptures to know what Jesus said, and to know what Jesus never said. (Due...

Beginning in the Old Testament, God indicates there are but two ways to live. One way leads to death, and one to life. Jesus affirmed this in His sermon on the mount. In fact, in the book of Acts we find in six places that the church was actually called "the Way." We're not sure of the origin of this designation, but it could be that they knew for certain that they had found the Way...

What with the emphasis on faith and baptism, repentance is often overlooked in teaching about salvation, but it is every bit as needful. The call to repent is the call to turn back to God. Jesus' teaching included exhortations to repent. The apostles echoed His words. Without repentance, a person will perish. It is a beautiful thing! 

With the help of the devil, mankind has opposed the word of God from the beginning. This is the same as opposing God Himself because you cannot separate God from His Word. On Paul's first missionary journey, a man was called out for opposing the word of God. It didn't go well for him. What do we need to learn from this incident so we are not found to be opposing the Word of God?

Witnesses are important for establishing first hand accounts of what they have seen and heard.  John wrote that he saw blood and water come from Jesus' side when the soldier pierced Him while on the cross.  Later in his first letter, he wrote of blood and water giving testimony about Jesus along with the Spirit of God.  What is John talking about?  Why did he think these witnesses were necess...

Are faith and doubt mutually exclusive? Does having doubts at times mean our faith is suspect? Many Christians have "beaten themselves up" when their prayers failed to produce a desired result, and they blame themselves for having doubts and a weak faith. What do we find in the Bible? Do we find examples of faith and doubt together in the same individuals? The results may surprise you.

The world is in chaos, and people are at each other's throats because of all the lies which people believe.  Now, more than ever, the world needs the truth of God's word.  The church must start believing again that the Bible is the true Word of God, and start living by it and teaching it and talking it to others.  The Lord affirms that His word is a fire and a hammer to break down barrie...

The Bible is filled with teachings about prayer and exhortations to pray. Prayer is a special privilege for the believer in which he or she, among other things, can request the direct intervention of God in the affairs of men. Christians are urged to pray for all people, from the least to the greatest. Our prayers can make a difference in world affairs and in the eternal salvation of men and women...

Christianity is full of apparent contradictions.  One of these is that in order to live you must die.  What does that mean?  In fact, Paul wrote that he had been crucified with Christ.  Really?  When Paul wrote that he was still alive in his body.  How can that be?  Of course, we recall that Jesus died on the cross but was then resurrected to life.  Is there a connection, and if so, how?  

The beginning of any organization or undertaking establishes its goals and purposes. So it was when God set out in the beginning to create the earth, its universe and all that was on the planet. He was purposeful and intentional in creation. And beyond this, what God did was and is a direct reflection of His power, wisdom and character - His love, orderliness, joy, beauty. What a marvelous creatio...

Sometimes we hear people talk about the sacred and the secular, the religious and the ordinary. Such terms may be useful in some settings, but what does the word of God teach? When Jesus was making tables and axe handles, did He consider it just ordinary work? When Christians are admonished that whatever they do or say is to be done in the name of the Lord, would that leave room for anything to be...

Lesson Description: Do you believe in aliens? The Bible affirms that there are such creatures. In fact, they are crawling all over the place! And they do some very strange things. Jesus affirms that Christians are not of this world. Paul says that the Christian's citizenship is in heaven. Christians love Someone they have never seen, they love their enemies, and they expect to live even after...

Lesson Description: The Holy Spirit through the Word exhorts us to grow and mature in Christ, yet He reminds us that we are also children of God. While on the earth, even Jesus called God His Father. The fatherhood of God precedes human fatherhood as He created us in His image and brought us into existence. How does our heavenly Father care for His children? Are you a child of God?

The early church spent a lot of time in prayer, and this appears to be one reason for their success in spreading the gospel.  Do we believe in prayer?  Really and truly?  How much time a day do we spend in fervent, serious prayer?  Do we expect God to act in response?  The prayers of the church helped rescue Peter from prison, but even they were surprised when he appeared at the gate of the house....

Lesson Description: Scripture plainly teaches that all people have sinned. No one is perfect. Sin is displayed in a variety of ways in different people - from the most heinous acts of violence to subtle deceptions and everything in between. Jesus tells a parable about two sons to illustrate this and to show our heavenly Father's response to a repentant sinner. When the dead come to life again...

Long ago in the midst of his sufferings, Job asked if a person died would he live again.  From of old this has always been a question which mankind has asked.  Is there to be a resurrection of the dead?  What do you believe?  The Bible teaches that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and that there will be a resurrection of all people at the end of time?  Is there any connection between the two? ...

People get nicknames for various reasons. Where they are from. Some physical characteristic. Something they did or do. Perhaps you have a nickname? Joseph from Cyprus was given a "nickname" by the apostles - Barnabas. It means son of encouragement or exhortation. As we follow Barnabas in the book of Acts (chapters 11 through 15), we'll see why he received this name. He teaches us a...

Most of us are always on the lookout for sales: BOGO, clearance, end of season, etc. But you must always be careful about cheap imitations and damaged products. Similarly, with real love - it's never on sale. The price is too high. Love comes at great cost. Our God has shown us the great cost of love in sending His Son to die for us. Nothing cheap about that. So real love in our lives is not...

We usually don't have a whole lot to say about "nothing." (Some of us can talk a streak about anything!) Nevertheless, our God has a great deal to say about nothing, and what He says is important, even crucial, to our understanding of life and our spiritual journey. Only God can truly make something out of nothing.