Shadyside Church of Christ

Usually when we study about love, it's about the self-sacrificing Greek "agape."  But the Song of Solomon tells of a romantic love which has also been given to mankind.  It is depicted as being exclusive, gracious and "as strong as death."  Together with the covenant love of marriage these two form an indestructible bond of devotion, joy and mutual benefit between husband...

 At times, we can get to thinking that life is all about being serious. In fact, the Bible instructs us to approach life soberly and with wisdom. But the Scriptures also teach us that God is big on pleasure! He Himself takes pleasure in His people and has built pleasure and opportunities for happiness into His creation. Leviathan was made to "frolic" in the sea. The bride and groom find...

 Jesus is called the "last Adam" by Paul. What exactly does he mean by that? There are marvelous comparisons between Christ Jesus, the "last Adam," and the first Adam who was created by God. God even provided "brides" for both Adams, and the comparison between them is also quite striking. The first Adam and his bride were a foreshadowing of the last Adam and His bride...

 Bullies try to shame people by making fun of something about them.  The world tries to shame Christians these days about their faith.  People who believe in God, who believe in the truthfulness of the Bible, who believe in creation, who believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, who believe in a coming judgment day, etc. are derided and looked down upon by the world.  Jesus challenges His followers...

When Jesus came to their house, Martha was very busy with being a good hostess and taking care of her guests, while Mary was busy sitting at Jesus' feet and listening to His word.  Both are righteous and godly pursuits, but under the circumstances one lady chose well and one poorly.  What can we learn from this situation?

At our recent holiday gatherings, most of us probably noticed a place that was empty or a face that was missing.  It was a reminder of the brevity of life.  And if this life is all there is, then truly we should just indulge our passions and die.  But God has something better for us - much better.  He offers us a new life, another life, a glorious life.  It's called eternal life.  Life after...

Immanuel means "God with us."  Why did God have to become a human being?  Well, both Jews (who had the Law) and Gentiles (who did not) had sinned and thus were guilty before God.  Sin brings death so this situation left the entire human race in a hopeless mess.  But God's plan for mankind's salvation (which was His eternal purpose and plan from the very beginning) was for Him i...

With God, anything is possible is a theme repeated in scripture.  But sometimes we begin to think that God cannot forgive my sin, my terrible sins, my repeated sins, my selfish sins.  And sometimes we who have loved ones who need to obey the gospel or return to their first love begin to think that will never happen.  We must jettison such wicked thinking and be assured that Christ's blood can...

We all experience losses and struggles of all kinds.  And we all have questions about why God did not answer our prayers to avoid those losses and alleviate our heartaches.  But we must remember that our lives fit into a greater narrative which is being worked out upon the earth and that God is the author and director of it.  The account of Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead in John 11 give...

Many of us wonder about our purpose in life, our calling.  What does God want me to be knowing the skills, abilities and resources which He has given me?  Certainly one should carefully consider such things.  But know this that no matter how we put food on the table there is no greater calling than to be a Christian and serve with the Lord Jesus in His fight against all that's evil!  There is...

 Scripture plainly declares there are none righteous before God.  Bible history even shows great men of faith - Abraham, Moses, David - to have great weaknesses and having committed grave sins.  We dare not begin to think we are righteous in ourselves, but must confess our sins and sinfulness and our need for Someone else's righteousness.  Nothing will drive people away from a church faster t...

John the Baptist administered "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."  Multitudes responded to his message and came and were baptized in the Jordan River confessing their sins.  But why is Jesus baptized by John?  In fact, He rather insisted upon it.  Jesus has no sins and therefore none to confess nor anything of which to repent!  So, what is happening here?  Hmmm?

 We have "friends" all over social media, but are they true friends?  If we were down and out, would they come and help us?  If our car broke down, would they give us rides?  If we were deathly ill, would they visit and help care for us?  The Bible says a great deal about friendship which it affirms is based upon love.  David & Jonathan's friendship is an example of true friends...

When creating marriage, God said that the two shall become one flesh. Both husband and wife have responsibilities which reflect those of Christ (husband) toward the church, and the church (wife) toward Christ. The model is perfect, but the two people coming together in the same space at the same time are both sinners and have many differences. This situation creates one of the greatest tests for t...

When Levi gave his reception for Jesus after accepting His call, his house was packed with every sort of person from tax collectors and known sinners to scribes. Jesus defended Levi's guest list by saying that it was the sick who needed made well. It was sinners who needed healed. Repentance was needed for the healing, but everyone was welcome, no matter who they were or what might have been...

This question has been debated for years and is still debated today.  One's answer to this question will even affect how a person interprets some of scripture.  Paul in his writings gives us insight as to how to answer this question, but we must go back to God's dealings with Abraham to get a good foundation for our understanding.  By the way, what is your answer to this question at the...

There is a bottom line purpose for preaching and teaching the word of God.  The goal of teaching is often seen as converting people to Christ Jesus, but this is only the beginning point.  To stop here is to fall far short of the end purpose which the Holy Spirit has set for teaching the word.  Experience is telling us that too many churches are failing to pursue this ultimate purpose for teaching...

The devil is working hard in the world today to close off people from God and from each other. God is being pushed out of the public square, and people are isolating themselves in their political and religious enclaves, holed up behind their tablet and cell phone screens. Dialogue is minimal and the art of communication has been replaced with the science of verbal warfare. The word of God plainly...

Sin is a "non-starter" subject for lots of people. Most don't understand sin, and others simply try to downplay its effects. But scripture teaches that mankind's sin is the cause of all human misery and troubles. This is readily seen played out in the book of Genesis after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. It is a tale of heartache and woe. But the good news is that Jesu...

Toward the beginning of His ministry Jesus had come to the synagogue in Nazareth and read from Isaiah 61 which told of the mission of the Messiah. He told those present that day the scripture was fulfilled in their hearing. Good news would be preached to the poor. Captives would be set free. The blind would see. Understanding the spiritual nature of the kingdom of God, do we know who these people...

The parable of the sower is familiar to most of us, but it will always yield "a crop" of understanding when we look into it again and take a closer look. We are advised to read our familiar scriptures even more carefully. This parable provides great insights into several aspects of the kingdom of God. Did you know that whenever anyone gets up to preach, to teach a class or even to have a...

Sometimes we just don't want to do certain things in life: get out of bed in the morning; clean the bathroom; go to the dentist. And sometimes we don't want to follow the Lord's call and do what He wants: make a visit to Sister Crabapple; lead a study; greet visitors. We are not alone in this. Scripture records several who offered their excuses and resisted God's call to serve....

We are taught that all scripture is inspired of God and profitable for teaching, but some scriptures (even entire books) seem to be neglected. Philemon is one such letter. Despite having only 25 verses, this book of scripture paints a beautiful picture of Christian love influencing life and yields many lovely and enduring truths for us to take to heart and follow.

Jesus affirmed in two different places that all things were possible with God, but scripture plainly teaches that God has restrictions even on Himself when it comes to certain things. For example, God cannot lie. When it comes to His dealings with us, there are also restrictions which God has set in place which are usually characterized by such key words as "unless," "except,"...

The world is craziness and "nut-ness" these days, and this often makes us all agitated and frizzed out on the inside. Jesus said that in the world there would be tribulation. It is a broken and dying world which dishes out plenty of trouble and turmoil. But how do we find peace among all the lunacy? Many seek it with their drug of choice, booze and other forms of escape. Jesus said that...