Picture a world wherein everyone agrees, everyone gets along, and there is no question concerning laws, morality, or ethics. Clearly, this picture is rather different than the world in which we live. Our world looks the way it does because of a failure to hold to one unified standard of truth. Today, moral relativism and subjectivism take center stage as everyone’s truth is true for them even if that truth might be different for us. Unless we can all come to accept and agree upon one unified standard of truth, the moral, ethical, and social problems of our world will continue. Left up to men, the unified standard of truth is sure to be flawed. Thankfully, we do not need a council of our wisest minds to meet to discuss what is or is not morally, ethically, or socially right. We as men have been providentially left with the source of all truth – God’s word! 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NKJV). The English Standard Version helps us better understand the idea that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” as it translates this verse to say, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” In other words, what we have contained in the Scriptures (i.e., the Bible), is in truth the word of God!  Because the Bible is God’s …

A few weeks back, I saw an interesting thought shared by a preacher friend on Facebook. The post he shared had to do with how we can gauge the health of a congregation by two distinct sounds — crying babies and singing men. The idea stood out to me because these two elements are prevalent at every service here in Mt. Vernon. More than that, the reasoning behind these two elements as being a gauge of our congregation’s health help explain why these things are important. Crying babies serve as an indicator of good health because it means there is another generation being brought up in the “old paths” (Jer. 6:16, NKJV). Further, as it was stated by one of our elders last week, crying babies and noisy children mean there are dedicated parents or grandparents trying to do what is best for their children and grandchildren. The sound of these children shows a deep concern by parents and grandparents to teach their children and grandchildren about the salvation that God offers by His grace through Christ Jesus. Where there are children, there is a future.             Alongside the sound of crying babies, the sound of men singing reveals the health of a congregation. Singing to God as He desires makes us vulnerable. Many do not want to be seen or heard singing their hearts out because it might be embarrassing. If our hearts are in the right place, however, none of this will matter. We will do our best to …

One of the age-old questions pondered by every generation is, “From where did we come?” Scientists, anthropologists, and many other “-ists” have researched and researched and researched and still have failed to reach a clear answer that can be understood as truth rather than theory. The problem is that those conducting the research often fail to bring the Bible into the equation – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1, NKJV). Understanding God as our Creator requires one to first and foremost accept the Bible as authoritative. If one does not believe the Bible to be true, he or she will not accept what the Bible has to say about creation. There are, however, certain Bible passages that might help to convince skeptics that what the Bible says concerning our origins is true. For example, the Bible speaks of the vast nature of space and the reality of gravity to hold the earth in place (Job 26:7), the depths of the ocean and the springs found within the seas (Job 38:16), barometric pressure (Job 28:25), ocean currents (Psa. 8:8), etc. We understand all of these to be scientific facts today, yet at one point or another they all have been debated or seemingly “undiscovered.” Long before science accepted it as truth, the Bible – God’s word (2 Tim. 3:16) – recognized it as true.  When we come to recognize the truth of God’s word, we will see that what the Bible says concerning creation is …

January 1st marks the start of a new year. For many, January 1st also marks the start of new goals or resolutions that one hopes to achieve before the year’s end. Most new year’s resolutions center around diet and exercise. These resolutions often start great, but by the time January 14th rolls around, most diets have been forgotten and gym memberships are no longer used. While diet and exercise or any other new year’s resolution one makes are important, the most valuable resolutions and goals we can make are those of a spiritual nature. As we enter 2023, let us be challenged to make spiritual resolutions and stick to them. 2 Peter 3:18 tells us that we are to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (NKJV). As Christians, let’s set our sights on growing closer to our Savior and to our God in this new year. The brevity of this article by no means allows us to offer an exhaustive list, but below I want to suggest some possible goals that we as a congregation might be able to accomplish together. If we will set out together to fulfill the resolutions, we can hold one another accountable and strive together to grow closer to our God. Read through the Bible in a year. Work to attend Bible classes and worship each week. Attend any special workshops or Gospel Meetings set up by our elders. Make it a point to be present at any fellowship opportunity. Extend …