Posts by Kountze Church of Christ (Page 2)

Many of us think that it’s harmless to harbor negative emotions toward other people. We often excuse it as something natural, like when we get angry at bona fide injustice or unfairness. At other times, we spin negativity into something positive, such as when we hold a grudge against someone else as a defense mechanism to remind us that we cannot trust them. Bitterness can be of those things. But if we are going to be the salt and light…

There is perhaps no more significant study in Christendom than the study of Jesus Christ. Without the humanity and deity of Christ, there no longer remains a fruitful approach to the Christian lifestyle. We have to come to terms with Jesus being the King of kings in addition to our propitiation. As God, He demands our obedience to live as His people (Ex. 19:5). As man, He seeks to develop a deep and eternal relationship, one that could be described…

What makes a Christian? There are many places to go to find that answer, but my favorite is Colossians 3. Skipping over v.1-4 for now Colossians 3:5-9 illustrates what the Christian life does not look like. Following that we see the picture of a Christian in v.12-17. A Christian should strive to be merciful, kind, humble, meek, patient, caring, and forgiving, loving, peaceful, and thankful. However, these characteristics alone do not make one a Christian. They are good morals, and…

One of the lessons that I taught in logic class was the nature of contradiction. True contradictions are rare because they depend upon very specific details conflicting with each other. For example, suppose someone came running into the building and said that there was basketball size hail coming down outside. We would immediately think about the weather. Was it sunny when we walked in? Cloudy? What was the temperature like? Did the forecast even call for a storm? Some might…

“There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.” (Ps 86:8) When we say “God” today it is typically understood to be in reference to the God of the Bible, which is Jehovah. It is normally no longer needed to say Yahweh or Jehovah for someone to know who you are addressing or talking about. Though today there are still many individuals who believe in another god or many gods they do…

Psalm 51 In this well-known psalm of repentance, David comes clean before God concerning his sin with Bathsheba and his having Uriah killed (read 2 Samuel 11& 12). The words of David are especially appropriate from another occasion: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm34:18). Few passages anywhere in the Bible resonate with such truth and emotion regarding confession of sin. This psalm deals with 12 words that will change anyone’s life. Psalm…

Are you running from God? There are many times in our lives when we find ourselves doing just that. Maybe we don’t even notice in the moment, but our boots are still pointed in the opposite direction. In John 12:26 Jesus said His servants must follow Him and we know that having accepted salvation we have become servants to the Lord. (II Cor. 6:4) Yet still, in times that our hand should be on the plow, we have walked out…

Psalm 86:11-12 Once someone accepts the salvation that Jesus Christ offers through the watery grave of baptism their journey to Heaven is far from over. The old saying “once saved always saved” is simply just not true and this belief is proven to be incorrect throughout the New Testament. A good example of this is 2 Timothy 4:10 when Demas fell in love with the world rather than the work of a Christian and fell away. The truth is when…

The Fountain of Youth is maybe one of the most famous mythological legend. Appearing as early as the 5thcentury BC in the writings of Greek historian Herodotus, it is a spring that has been sought after through the course of time. This legend appears in stories from the 3rdcentury AD, during the time of the crusades (11th/12thcenturies), but maybe more memorably from the Age of Exploration during the 16thcentaury. During that time, according to legend, many conquistadors, explorers, colonists, and…

In 1937, Thomas A Dorsey wrote the song, “Peace in the Valley.” It didn’t become a “hit” until 1951 when Red Foley sang it. Since that time many artists have recorded it, the most famous among which was Elvis in 1957. The song is often sung at funerals due to the comforting words offered regarding peace that allegedly waits for the deceased after death. In the song’s third stanza, there is a line about the lion laying down with the…

If you need a passage that will help you focus on the Lord’s day, I would suggest reading the opening section of Ecclesiastes chapter 5 and give some heed to the phrase “the sacrifice of fools.” Let’s begin with this understanding –there are many things that we might want to be called when we come into the presence of God; saint, servant, son or daughter, humble, empty, holy, worthless, tired, hungry, or joyous. However, we would never want to be…

Between the years of 1976 and 1981, a man named Donnie Brasco began working for the Bonanno crime family. During this time, he reported to several captains in the crime family and was trusted with important jobs. In fact, in 1981 he was set to become a “made man” and officially become part of the Bonanno family. However, Donnie Brasco wasn’t real. He was actually an undercover FBI agent whose real name was Joseph Pistone. This undercover operation became one…