Posts by Graeber Road Church of Christ (Page 12)

Wayne Jackson, in my opinion, is one of the best students of the Bible the church has produced in our lifetime. His articles, books, and commentaries have blessed numerous lives.  Jackson once wrote an article titled, “Skeptics Who Could Not Dispute The Evidence.” It gave examples of several men who, at one time in life, opposed the word of God and openly challenged the validity of it. But, each man changed his view.  The story of one of those men,…

Do we truly appreciate the work of Jesus as our High Priest? Reading through Hebrews 5, the writer is comparing the role of the Jewish high priest and then beginning to look closely at the high priestly ministry of Jesus. A keyword for the book of Hebrews is “better” and shows Jesus to be far greater than the Old Testament system of approaching God through an earthly mediator. Consider a few points from Hebrews 5 about the greatness of Jesus,…

John Gipson, a talented writer and preacher, once wrote about another talented writer. You would not likely know the name, Jozef Korzeniowski. But, you might know the name he took, Joseph Conrad. Conrad is generally considered to be one of the great novelists to write in the English language. A number of Conrad’s stories involved a nautical setting. He seemed to capture the thrill of a sea voyage beginning and ending. The excitement of departure carried great expectation. But, there…

In Luke 8:18 Jesus warned, “Therefore take heed how you hear.” He had said earlier, “And hearing they may not understand” (vs. 10). The words “hear” and “heard” are also found in vs. 12, 13, 14, and 15. Later, Jesus would add, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it” (vs. 21).  Seems that hearing is important, especially if God’s will is being communicated. A disposition to hear, to hear carefully, to…

When tragedies and disasters occur—like our present pandemic—conspiracies abound. The temptation to believe them is strong because they make sense of an otherwise senseless event. They grant us the power to place blame at the feet of someone, rather than remain a victim of confusion. They provide comfort in the calamity by legitimizing themselves with partial truths and creating a common enemy (usually a corporation or government).  Our present culture is rife with false news stories that appear legitimate. We…

There are a number of interesting scenes presented in the book of Nehemiah. One, often overlooked, is found in chapter 8.  People were gathered in an open square to hear God’s word read to them. Ezra was the reader and it was an extensive reading, to say the least. All morning long he read. And, people listened attentively (Nehemiah 8:3). With reverence, people stood. Careful explanation was given to be certain the hearers understood the meaning of what was read (Nehemiah 8:8). …