Barnes church of Christ

“It is what I like to do.”
(But see: 2 Timothy 4:3-4)
“A well known man said…”
(2 Thessalonians 3:3-8)
“An angel whispered to me…”
(Galatians 1:8-9)
“It says in my church creed book…”
(Matthew 15:9; Revelation 22:18-19)
“We have been doing it for a long time.”
(Joshua 5:2-9)
“The Bible nowhere says, ‘Don’t do it.’”
(Colossians 3:17; 2 John 9; Hebrews 1:13)
“Just be sincere in what you do.”
(2 Samuel 6:6-7)
“People in the world do it.”
(James 4:4; Philippians 2:15; 1 John 2:15-17)
“The denominations do it.”
(Isaiah 30:1-3; 31:1-3)
“Another Christian does it.”
(2 Timothy 4:10; Galatians 2:11-14)
Gary Henson

When a husband has the love of which God would have him to have for his wife, then we will have husbands like:

JACOB – who will really love his wife (Genesis 29:20).
ELKANAH – who will go to worship with his wife (1 Samuel 1:3).
MANOAH – who will pray with and for his wife (Judges 13:8-14).
ZACHARIAS – who will live righteously with his wife (Luke 1:5-6).
JOSEPH – who will not embarrass his wife (Matthew 1:19).
AQUILA – who will work for Christ with his wife (Romans 16:3).

• – – May our caring God help us to be as such – – –

The Wife’s Responsibility To Her Husband

When a wife has the love of which God would have her to have for her husband, then we will have wives like:

SARAH – who will be in subjection to her husband (1 Peter 3:5-6).
THE WORTHY WIFE – who will keep herself attractive for her husband (Proverb 31:22).
SOLOMON’S WIFE – who will build the environment for their love to grow (Song of Solomon 2:15).
MANOAH’S WIFE – who will worship God with her husband (Judges 13:19-23).
PRICILLA – who will work for Christ with her husband (Romans 16:3).

• – – May our caring God help us to be as such – – –
• – Gary Henson

It is good that our nation has set aside a day in which to give thanks. However, with the Christian, every day should be a day of thanksgiving. Since God is the daily giver of all good things (Jam. 1:17), then we should thank God for those blessings each and every day: “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thes. 5:17-18).
Jesus was thankful. He thanked the Father for food (Mark 8:6), for the revealing of His Word (Matt. 11:25-27) and for the Father hearing His prayer (John 11:41). David, upon the retrieval of the Ark of the Covenant, gave a psalm of thanks (1 Chron. 16:7-36). Daniel, in spite of the evil civil law, “Kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did afore time” (Dan. 6:10). Paul “took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat” (Acts 27:35). Even the angels in heaven fall down before God and give thanks (Rev. 7:11-12).
Yes, the Christian gives thanks to God continually for God’s daily blessings. We are told to be “abounding with thanksgiving” (Col. 2:7), to “be ye thankful” (Col. 3:15), and to be one who is “giving thanks always for all things unto God” (Eph. 5:20).
To be thankful we ought to practice what we sing: “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.” We should count our physical blessings of food, shelter, clothing, our measure of health, family and friends. We should also count our spiritual blessings of God’s love and mercy, Jesus the Savior, the Holy Bible which serves as our guide of life on earth and the way to heaven, the church, one’s conversion, the hope of heaven and many, many more. Truly we see that God’s blessings overflow us daily. Thus, our thanksgiving should likewise be abounding.
May our loving God help us to see the wonderful blessings of His hand, and may we return with our deepest thanksgivings
Gary Henson

Circular reasoning goes like this:

Eva: “These fossils are 100 million years old.”
Manny: “How do you know?”
Eva: “Because the rock layers in which we find them are 100 million years old.”
Manny: “How do you know the rock layers are that old?”
Eva: “Because the fossils that are buried therein are 100 million years old.”

Such a fallacy is obvious to everyone except those who are blindly bent on believing in evolution. Circular reasoning “consists in making two propositions reciprocally prove each other” (Bales, Christian, Contend For Thy Cause¸ page 91) and is such a procedure proves nothing—it is a logical fallacy.

Are we likewise guilty of using circular reasoning in proving the inspiration of the Bible by saying, “The Bible is the inspired Word of God because it tells us it is, and we believe what it tells us because it is inspired of God”? True, if that is all upon which we have to base our belief, it would be circular reasoning. However, we are able to prove that the Bible is inspired of God due to evidences and characteristics contained in the Bible itself which can only be the result of the mind of God. The logical argument is as follows: If the Bible contains characteristics which are capable only by God, then God wrote the Bible. Such characteristics include: prophecies made and fulfilled, scientific foreknowledge, and its amazing unity of numerous doctrines by forty different writers of different backgrounds and different lands during a fifteen-hundred year time span. Since such features can be accomplished only by God, and since they are contained in the Bible, then the Bible is written by the inspiration of God. Such is not circular reasoning; it is reasoning right!
Gary Henson

Physical exercise has become very popular as millions of people are taking up walking, biking, skating or dozens of other activities. Perhaps the major reason for this increase is the discovery of the wonderful benefits of exercise. When considering the following list of major benefits of exercising, could it be that God was mistaken when He said, “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Tim. 4:8)?
MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM
Increases muscle strength * Increases flexibility of muscles and range of joint motion * Produces stronger bones, ligaments, and tendons * Lessens chance of injury * Enhances posture, poise, and physique.

BODILY PROCESSES
Improves the way the body handles dietary fat * Reduces heart disease risk * Helps lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides * Raises HDL, the “good” cholesterol * Helps improve calcium deposits in bones * Prevents osteoporosis * Improves immune function * Aids digestion and elimination * Increases endurance and energy levels * Promotes lean body mass, burns fat.

HEART AND BLOOD VESSELS
Lowers resting heart rate * Strengthens heart function * Lowers blood pressure * Improves oxygen delivery throughout the body * Increases blood supply to muscles * Enlarges the arteries to the heart.

MENTAL PROCESSES
Provides a natural release from pent-up feelings * Helps reduce tension and anxiety * Improves mental outlook and self-esteem * Helps relieve moderate depression * Improves the ability to handle stress * Stimulates improved mental function * Relaxes and improves sleep * Increases self-esteem. 
Julian Whitaker, M.D., Dr. Whitaker’s Guide to Natural Healing, pp. 31-32

This list certainly reveals remarkable benefits, but, no, God was not mistaken. He knew about all these things (and, no doubt, many other benefits which man has yet to learn) long before doctors discovered them. The point that God is making is that, if physical exercise gives man such extensive and amazing benefits, but are considered little in comparison to spiritual exercise, then how truly astonishing must be the benefits of spiritual exercise!
The point is easy to see. Let’s exercise spiritually!!
Gary Henson

In order for a person to be acceptable before God he MUST know AND do the Will of God. Regarding the extent of fellowship, God’s Will is that they who are in fellowship with God have no fellowship with false teachers nor practitioners of false doctrine (1 John 1:7; 2 John 9-11; Eph. 5:11).
Although Promise Keepers present the admirable plea for men to keep their promises, with further investigation it becomes clear that a member of the Lord’s church cannot participate (thus, fellowship) in Promise Keepers without sinning in so doing.
I. The meetings of Promise Keepers are meetings of fellowship in worship. Many who have not attended a meeting do not realize this. “By attending a Promise Keepers conference, you will join men from around the nation and world for worship, prayer and teaching” (PK, pp. 8-9). Thus, by participating in their national conferences or their community rallies (CR), you fellowship with (as presented in the next point) false practices, teachings and teachers.
II. If you participate in Promise Keepers, you fellowship with false practices, teachings and teachers. [1] Promise Keepers teach salvation by faith only (MC, ‘96). [Note: How can a Christian have spiritual fellowship with a man who has never become a Christian?!] [2] In their rallies they sing with mechanical instruments (CC, pp. 14-15; CR). [3] They teach that the Holy Spirit gives a special empowerment in a mysterious or miraculous way (MC ‘95, inside cover; PK, p. 1; CFF, p. 4). [4] They preach, practice and accept denominational-ism (PK, p. 4). The inside back cover of the program for the Men’s Conferences of 1995 has the pictures of numerous speakers and leaders who are of various denominations. While there are many other false teachings involved, it is clear that one who is in fellowship with God cannot participate in Promise Keepers without loosing his fellowship with God (see: 2 John 9-11).
III. Promise Keepers is an ecumenical movement among denominations. Their attempt to unite all denominations is just as crucial to their agenda (if not even more so) as is their well known plea to “fix America’s men.” “We believe that we have a God-given mission to unite Christian men who are separated by race, geography, culture, denomination, and economics. We refer to something much greater than humanistic unification and more powerful than political equality. Rather, the biblical directive to pursue reconciliation compels us to address the division that has separated the body of Christ for too long (John 17:20-23; 2 Cor. 5:18-19)” (PK, p. 4). Promise #6 states: “A Promise Keeper is committed to reach beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity” (PK, p. 11). The Promise Keepers’ booklet closes with this statement: “More than an event, we believe God wants Promise Keepers to be a spark in His hand to ignite a worldwide movement calling men to reconciliation, discipleship, and godliness” (p. 12). How then, can a member of the church be loyal to promise #6 and their ecumenical goals, while at the same time be loyal to God and Ephesians 5:11 and 2 John 9-11? A man may deceive himself, but he does not fool God.
Brethren, do not wet your finger and hold it in the air to see which way the wind is blowing in the church to determine what you are going to believe in this (or any) issue. Rather, learn God’s Will on the matter and then stand fast in the Lord!
PK=Promise Keepers Men of Integrity booklet. MC=Men’s Conferences program. CR=Community Rally at Harrah, OK, ‘97. CC=Christian Chronicle, Aug. ‘95. CFF=Contending For The Faith, July ‘96.
Gary Henson

A genius architect designed and built a masterful tree-house for his son and said, “Son, here is the house I said I would build you.” The house provided perfectly for every need of the boy. However, much to the grief of his father, the son gathered up some scrap lumber and built a tree-house of his own design.
Jesus the all-knowing (Heb. 4:13), built the perfect church (Mat. 16:18), and gave to it and it alone the mission of making known to man the Word of God (Eph. 3:9-11) by which “the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). However, from time to time, men try to establish an organization to replace the church and her mission. Promise Keepers is such an organization. Founded in 1990 in Boulder, Colorado, it still recruits and attracts today.
That Promise Keepers is a religious organization, there is no doubt. Promise Keepers president Randy Phillips stated, “It is not political preferences we are concerned with but biblical convictions” (The Sunday Oklahoman, Oct. 5, 1997, p. 1, 16). The October ‘97 gathering at Washington D.C. was described as “…one of the largest religious gatherings in American History…” (Ibid.). Yes, Promise Keepers is a religious organization. Thus, it must be asked, “Isn’t God’s organization good enough anymore? Or can we snub our nose at what our Father has provided and go about building our own ‘tree-houses’?”
That Promise Keepers has a creed, there is no doubt. In the booklet Promise Keepers: Men’s Conferences, 1996 (Firm Foundation, Jan.’97, p. 18), there is the “Promise Keepers Statement of Faith.” Again, it must be asked, “When did God’s Word stop giving man everything we need to become ‘ perfect, thoroughly furnished unto every good work’?” Or, are we to make ourselves out to be God by making our own creed (tree-house) and replacing His?
Although Promise Keepers certainly has in mind that which is good, they fail like Uzzah, Nadab, Abihu and others who, while doing God’s things, did not do it God’s way. They “…have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2). They have taken it upon themselves to “…go onward and abide not in the teaching of Christ…” (2 John 9). They have gone about “teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men” which is vanity before God (Mat. 15:9).
Since Promise Keepers has such a noble cause, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for some good people to accept the fact that religiously, the Promise Keepers movement is not of God. However, we must not see things through men’s eyes, but through God’s: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, saith Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:8-9).
Gary Henson