Shadyside Church of Christ

Jesus affirmed to Nicodemus that a person could not see the kingdom of God unless they were "born again." Must be important. What does that mean, and how does it happen? And after being born again, is anything different in a person's life?

Samson is a very puzzling individual. He was chosen by God from birth to be devoted to Him as a Nazirite and to begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. But Samson had a weakness which he allowed to be used against him, and it was nearly his undoing. We can learn several powerful lessons from Samson.

Many people have weighed in on the meaning of this scripture.  So did Jesus.  In His parable of the "good Samaritan," Jesus beautifully shows the true meaning of this commandment.  What does it really mean?

They believe that Jesus their Lord was resurrected from the dead. Because of that belief, they are baptized (immersed) into Him and raised from that water to a new life in which sin and Satan can make no claim on them. They anticipate that after their death they will be raised to a new life in a new immortal body to enjoy life in the kingdom of Christ. They believe that death is not the end but th...

Jesus used the illustration of the vine, the vinedresser and the branches to teach about the spiritual growing process and fruit bearing in His disciples.  As we have seen so often in scripture, spiritual life parallels the physical world.  There are several not only important but life and death lessons here that we need to learn here.

Jesus used the illustration of the vine, the vinedresser and the branches to teach about the spiritual growing process and fruit bearing in His disciples.  As we have seen so often in scripture, spiritual life parallels the physical world.  There are several not only important but life and death lessons here that we need to learn here.

Most of us don't like it in the dark because too much bad stuff happens there.  Too many people don't realize there is a spiritual darkness where a lot of bad stuff happens as well.  Saul found this out when he was persecuting the church and Jesus appeared to him in a great light and shined the light of truth into his heart.  Saul came out of the darkness then, and his life was forever c...

We all love to hear about the grace, mercy and love of God. And rightly so. But there is another side to the "God coin." God is holy and righteous. He must be reverenced, and His word honored by learning it and keeping it as closely as we can. He is our Creator, the Most High, and as He Himself says in Malachi, "a great King." Israel and Achan learned a hard lesson about revere...

The scriptures encourage us to gain knowledge and understanding.  But Paul warns that knowledge in and of itself can make a person arrogant.  Gaining Bible knowledge has several purposes, but, in the end, it all is to lead us to one particular place.

 The gospel of God is most certainly about the salvation of mankind, and this is on what we usually focus. However, it is also good news about several other things as well. These many facets of the gospel all come together to provide a more complete message of the good news which God wants all people to know. We need to know and proclaim the entire gospel of God. 

 The Bible records several individuals who had close encounters with God. Some lasted for extended periods while others were quite brief. The response in these various encounters ranged from fear and amazement to an adoring love and a desire to know more. The Lord still calls His people today to walk with Him, to love Him and to "know" Him. As you get closer to God in your walk with Him,...

Baptism remains a point of controversy in Christian circles. However, overlooked in the whole discussion is the connection between Jesus' baptism by John and believer's baptism as ordained through Peter on Pentecost. And this connection is marvelously beautiful as we see with everything to which God puts His hand.

Jesus tells the parable of the shepherd who left the 99 sheep in search of the one which had wandered off.  We wonder about this since this potentially exposes the 99 to danger or having them wander off as well.  Why would the shepherd do this?  What does this tell us about how much God loves and values each individual human being?

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus described people who would be part of His kingdom.  He noted some of the challenges they would face.  But He also said that they would be truly blessed in this life, and even more in the life to come.  Are you a kingdom person?

 Crime and immoral behavior of all kinds seem to be spiraling out of control.  What is going on?  What has changed?  The apostle Paul describes a world which has rejected God, and has been left by God to its own devices.  The description given in scripture certainly describes what we see happening now.  It all seems to fit.

The cross of Christ is very often misunderstood.  Paul wrote that Jews found it a stumbling block, and Gentiles thought it foolishness.  But he affirmed that the cross was the power and wisdom of God?  What actually happened at the cross of Jesus?

Our consumer mentality often carries over into how people search for a church. They look for programs, ministries and niceties which appeal to them. In turn, many churches focus on offering things which will attract people. Certainly, a church is to offer something to the world, but what exactly is a church to offer?

Those who die with Christ in baptism and are raised with Him become a "new creature." Old things have passed away, and the new has come. What are those old things? What are the new? How extensive is this transformation to be? Every devoted Christian needs to know the answers to these questions and to make a personal assessment.

Contrary to what many people think, an atheist has beliefs.  These beliefs have certain sure outcomes and consequences, and they also preclude other beliefs from being true for them since they are mutually exclusive.  Here's a brief look at some beliefs of atheists with some contrast with what is taught in God's word.

Temptations are the devil's attacks in this war between good and evil. He is "calling us out!" Too many Christians don't take these attacks very seriously and give in too easily. Scripture provides plenty of instruction on how to overcome in these times of testing. We should fight hard to resist the devil and bring honor to our Master.

When Paul was in Athens, he was provoked by its idolatry and a shrine to "An Unknown God." He began teaching about Jesus and the resurrection and eventually had opportunity to declare this Unknown God to them - the living and true God. This situation is so similar to today's world in which people are worshiping many "unknown" gods, but need to hear of their Creator and His...

Many people who say they are Christians are believing things and practicing things which are not found in the New Testament. What does the New Testament teach us about Christian beliefs and practices? Do we need to go to any outside sources for instruction about the church or being a disciple? Here is a brief overview of what is written in scripture, and where we should go to get our answers.

When Jesus put aside His clothes, took a towel and began washing the disciples' feet, He was teaching them. When He was finished, He asked them if they knew what He had done. Do we?                

On more than one occasion Jesus challenged His listeners if they had "ears to hear."  Unless a person is truly deaf, would they not be able to hear what He said?  What is Jesus talking about?  What would cause a person not to be able to "hear" the words of God? Show less

Jesus came proclaiming a gospel of the kingdom.  Gospel means, of course, good news.  We tend to focus exclusively on the good news of salvation which we do not wish to downplay at all.  However, there is much more to this "good news" than that men and women can be saved from their sins.