The Gospel of Luke opens by introducing us to “a certain priest named Zacharias…and his wife…Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years” (Luke 1:5-7).Continue reading “A Prayer is Heard”
Author Archives: randylivingston
Wisdom from Above
James’ epistle teaches us that true Christianity is a product of the new birth and results in a genuinely changed life – one that desires to glorify God. This new life manifests itself in our speech. This is natural when we recognize our speech reveals what is in our heart. When God gives us aContinue reading “Wisdom from Above”
The Road of False Teaching
There is only one gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Since the days of the early church, Satan, the destroyer of men’s souls, has provided many imitations of the true and only gospel. But there is at least one thing these false or pseudo-gospels have in common. They cannot save from sin nor deliver theContinue reading “The Road of False Teaching”
Loving as Christ Loved
The Apostle Paul taught the Galatian believers that the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ purchased their liberty from sin, both its penalty and its power. Therefore, they were no longer to be governed by self-love, but use this liberty to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). Paul went on to remind themContinue reading “Loving as Christ Loved”
Looking on the Things of Others
Paul wrote to the believers in Philippi “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). He was instructing his audience to be mindful of the state of affairs pertaining to those around them, whether spiritual or material. Paul was not advocating that they shouldContinue reading “Looking on the Things of Others”
Cut Off From the World
Have you ever thought that you just don’t fit in? I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves at one time or another feeling ill at ease with our surroundings as though we just did not belong there. For the Christian that should be a common or recurring experience as we make our journey through this life.Continue reading “Cut Off From the World”
Abstain from Fornication
Many Christians struggle to know the will of God for their lives. What profession should I pursue? Should I get married? How will I know the “right” one? Where should I settle down? All of these considerations are natural to man. As believers, we can be confident that God has a plan for our lives.Continue reading “Abstain from Fornication”
Whether It Be Right…
The spread of the gospel message in the early church was accompanied by signs and wonders performed by the Apostles. These miracles served to authenticate the message and the messenger as one sent from God. These miracles later became unnecessary with the completion of the New Testament Scriptures. We now have in His word allContinue reading “Whether It Be Right…”
What is a Christian?
The Bible tells us that the “disciples [of Jesus] were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Over the centuries, the term “Christian” has grown in its embrace of peoples and practices that are anything but what those who coined the term observed of believers in first century Antioch. Reviewing the term in its originContinue reading “What is a Christian?”
We Ought to Obey God…
Following Christ is a path that regularly encounters opposition. In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). If you are walking close with Christ, you know whereof Paul spoke. The world is not a friend to Jesus Christ nor his followers.Continue reading “We Ought to Obey God…”