Shadyside Church of Christ

 We're always wanting things to be bigger, faster and stronger. It's a sign of the times. When it comes to spiritual things, though, God is far ahead of us. He has seen the need for some things to be "greater" and has provided them for His people. 

 Solomon tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and this is especially true for the Christian who has the gospel to share. Surprisingly, in one particular place, the apostle Paul was afraid to speak the good news - not unlike us at times. What was going on then, and what can we learn from him? 

After his great victory over the Baal prophets, Elijah fled for his life from Jezebel. But God showed up on Mount Horeb because He had other plans for Elijah. God always has other plans!

 Simon the magician had been wowing the crowds in Samaria for some time. Then he came face to face with some real power. This changed everything. 

 People need Jesus. Everybody needs Jesus. But people don't know how much they need Jesus. The church has the privilege and joy to tell people what only Jesus can do for them. 

 In the beginning, God breathed life into the lifeless body of Adam. In the same way, it is the Spirit of God who is active in giving life to the body of Christ, both to individual believers and to the church as a whole.  (Audio begins at 00:16)

Some people these days want nothing to do with the Bible, but they still want Jesus. What would He think about that? What was Jesus' view of Holy Scripture?

 Jesus came not only to save but also to rule. He is now reigning over both the physical and spirit realms as He is bringing "all enemies under His feet." 

Peter helps us "get a handle" on the scope and the richness of the salvation which is given to us in Christ Jesus . It far surpasses anything we have in this life.

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were faced with bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar's gold image or going into his furnace, it was a "no brainer" for them. They chose the furnace! What do we choose today when faced with bowing down before and caving in to the gods of this world or being ridiculed, ostracized or cancelled? 

Finding true joy or blessedness is an on-going search for most people. They look for it in various things such as good health, a secure job, money, college degrees, entertainment, etc. However, Jesus teaches us that deep, soul-satisfying joy does not come via externals but in the spiritual things of the heart. As usual, His ways are true and very opposite of those of the world.

Elder Mike Bassaro presents his lesson "God Allows U-Turns" to the congregation. The lesson gives us examples of people who have fallen off God's path for them and still managed to change their ways and find their way back to His good graces. Enjoy!

Elder Mike Bassaro takes us through Ephesians Chapter 6, discussing the traits and knowledge the Christian needs to successfully battle the evil one.

 From its early days, members of the church have suffered for the name of Christ. In some countries even today, Christians experience kidnappings, imprisonment and death for their faith. Others of us have encountered milder forms of suffering including ridicule, ostracism, loss of jobs or businesses, broken families, etc. But whatever the suffering, God is fully aware of it, and He provides the co...

The Christian life is one of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. The gospel draws us in to the lovely and powerful person of Jesus, and we seek His truth and ways as we journey on, making changes and adjustments as we learn. Apollos and the disciples at Ephesus are excellent examples of those who were following Jesus, but needed to make a change in their belief and obedience to Chr...

 Life is filled with choices. Some are mundane and others are matters of life and death. Leading up to His crucifixion, Pilate and the assembled Jews made several choices regarding Jesus of Nazareth. Those choices were very similar to the ones which we make on a regular basis, and especially about those we must make about following Jesus as we navigate our way through life. 

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!