Shadyside Church of Christ

Jesus was called a friend of sinners by his adversaries - and He truly was! The reason He became one of us was to give us comfort, peace and hope so He focused on the individual more than the situation that each was in. He "loved" the young ruler who had much wealth. He marveled at and praised the faith of a pagan centurion. He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery. He knew who we...

Paul has no hesitation in affirming this group of believers as the church of God and that they were in Christ, had received the grace of God, were in fellowship with Jesus Christ and would be confirmed "blameless" to the day of Christ. Then he goes on in the bulk of the letter (1 Corinthians) to point out all of their failings and even immoral behavior! We have to ask: "What's...

The new year 2018 is upon us (the Lord willing),  We know not what great blessings which God might bestow upon us which will be cause for rejoicing and thanking God.  We also do not know what troubles the devil might bring and temptations which the world will throw at us, so we need some words to fight by.  We need reminders of the power, glory and purposes of the God who is "for" us.  A...

Over the years, people have painted and sculpted what they thought our Lord looked like, but the New Testament is silent on Jesus' physical appearance. Was He short? Tall? Of rugged build? What color were His eyes? Hair? We just don't know. Perhaps God is telling us something in this?! But when we consider the whole person of our Lord, we do know what Jesus looked like. He looked like a...

It was prophesied in Isaiah that the promised Messiah was to be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Knowing that names correspond to the character and position of the one so named, we ask if Jesus fulfills the meanings contained in all of these names? Was this child born in an obscure village in occupied Judah really God being a man? And if it'...

All too often we make decisions or take positions with out really examining their logical consequences. Such is the case with atheism whose adherents often have chosen a non-belief in God to avoid having any restraints in their lifestyles (especially sexual) and to escape any end of time judgment (so they believe). However, atheism logically leads us to the following conclusions: We are worthless....

Without faith a person cannot be pleasing to God. But what is faith? Many have tried to come up with a simplistic definition, but since faith is such a complex idea, finding a definition is difficult. A "picture" of faith is a better approach, and this is exactly what God through the author of Hebrews gives us in chapters nine and ten of the book. It's worth careful consideration to...

Jesus was asked by what authority He taught what He did, healed people, cast out demons, etc. It was a legitimate question. Authority seems to be something which is shoved into the background these days. People are bending the rules, breaking the rules, and even making up their own rules! How does that work? Scripture affirms that all (legitimate) authority rests with God. He created this planet a...

It has been said that you can't out give God. God's blessings flow daily upon all people with gifts for the body, the heart and the soul. When Jesus lived among us, He was continually opening up a treasure trove of God's gifts to humanity. Sometimes, though, we fail to see the gifts and appreciate them. And sometimes, we just focus on the gifts and forget the greatest One of all.

Over the years, many have thrown aside Jesus and His teaching in favor of science, worldly religions and human philosophies to provide the answers to life's questions and give guidance on how to live. But Jesus is just as real today, and His words are just as true as they've ever been. And when we ask such questions as: Is there really a God? What kind of God is He? Why is there pain and...

We've all seen the TV shows in which somebody buys a house on the market, goes in and extensively remodels it, and then resells it. We like to watch them break down walls, tear out old kitchens and re-purpose living space. We love to see the finished home. When a person becomes a Christian, a similar process takes place. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes to dwell in that person. When He co...

In His confrontation with Satan, Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Now we like to eat and do a good job of providing "bread" for the body. How much do you eat in a week? How many times? It seems we are always going to the fridge or looking in the pantry for something to nibble on. So how well do we do with feeding our soul? How...

Israel was "up against it" when they came out of Egypt. Pharaoh's army was pursuing and the Red Sea was a barrier in front of them. They could not see a way out and began to cry out in fear. But the Lord had a plan (He always does), and He made a way thru the Sea for them to escape. The Lord still helps His people out of trouble today. He is God!! When we can't see any way out...

Jesus refers to Himself as the good shepherd in John 10, and He speaks there of some of the blessings for those who are shepherded by Him. David wrote in Psalm 23 of the blessings which came to him since the Lord was his shepherd in life. If a person were truly letting Jesus shepherd them, would not their life be characterized by the one which David describes in his psalm? Hmmm?

Last week we talked about the design and purposes of God's family. But is God's family for everybody? Some believe that only certain folks are eligible to be part of God's family, the body of Christ, the church. You know, you have to have achieved some standard of good or not done certain things in your past. Is this true? And how does this all work? The Bible speaks of people being...

There are a lot of differing views floating around out there about the family of God, i.e. the church. Some people see it as this rather faceless body of Christians worldwide. Others believe it's all about a once a week worship service. What does the Bible teach about the family of God? Who is part of it, and what are its purposes? Like all things which God created, He designed for His family...

People become Christians for many different reasons, some of which are rather poor. Perhaps this is why the witness of so many Christians is also rather poor. If some one asks us why we are Christians, what do we say? How do we answer?

"Works" has been debated for a long time in Christian circles. Do they have anything to do with salvation at all? What are these good works, anyway? The Bible does not supply a listing. What is their purpose, and what should be the Christian's attitude toward them? Are they to be a prime focus or are they sort of optional, like when you have the time? Lots of questions! Let's l...

The history in the Old Testament is filled with bad news. Adam and Eve sinned and were removed from the Garden. Man's wickedness was so great that God told Noah to build an ark. Despite being called as God's people and having a covenant relationship, Israel continued to go astray and ended up on the other side of captivity with a beggarly-looking temple and 400 years of silence out of Go...

Some of us don't like change at all. Others are ready to change at the drop of a hat! Sometimes God tells us to stay the course, but at other times He says we need to change, even that we must change. But change can be very difficult. What are the obstacles which we must remove in order to bring about effective change in the Christian walk? What is the prime key which sparks good and effectiv...

Glory is a word whose meaning derives from the idea of "weighty importance." Things which have glory have some kind of great importance. Moses asked God to show him His glory. God did in fact do that for Moses on Mt. Sinai, but it may surprise you what God thundered about Himself as He passed by Moses in His glory. Hint: It wasn't about all of His power nor His infinite knowledge.

As the original Creator and Builder, God has called His people throughout the years also to be builders. Noah, of course, built the ark. Moses, the tabernacle. Solomon, the temple. Others built as well. Jesus began building His church on the day of Pentecost and continues to this day. Each one of us are called to build: our lives, our families and our congregations. Are we seeing the need? Heeding...

We all need good role models for life, even those of us who have been around for a while. One couple who is mentioned in just a few places in the New Testament are marvelous examples for Christians today. The resilience, hard work and devotion of Aquila and Priscilla shine through in a handful of verses, and we wonder why more wasn't written of them. But we can learn a lot from what we can se...

Many Christians these days worry about whether they are saved and have eternal life. Some even say you can never know about that for sure. One of the reasons John wrote his first letter was to tell his readers that they can know they have eternal life! Amazing. John includes all we need to know in order to know if we have this life promised by God. But it requires an honest evaluation of one'...

Another reason John wrote his first letter was to warn the church of the deceivers, the false prophets, who were in the world. The concept of what is truth and reality as opposed to what is falsehood and fantasy is at the core of the battle between good and evil. The devil is the master of lies and delusions who began to ply his trade in the Garden. John warns of the deceivers who are spreading th...