Barnes church of Christ

Have you ever wondered how you would re-live your life if you could do it over? If so, then you may have thought about the changes you would make; the different roads you would take; the decisions decided otherwise. I remember my uncle (at the time, a very successful furniture salesman) saying upon one occasion, “I wish I knew then, what I know now” Such is probably the feeling of most of us.
You and I cannot live our life over again. We cannot live over even the past year. But, instead of bemoaning the fact (with our now gained wisdom of experience) that we did not live the year(s) the way we now wish we had, let us rather say, “Although I did not know what I do know now, I will use what I now know and better my life now.” My uncle followed that advice and went on to own his own furniture store.
In the Bible, there were individuals who had that opportunity of a new beginning – – the opportunity to use what they now knew to better the rest of their life. Although the actual situation may differ from ours, the principles are the same.
Noah had a new beginning following the flood. The water had washed clean the earth from sin and corruption. Noah now knew what the forefathers had either not known or ignored: worship and obey God (and teach your children to do the same) otherwise man will fall into reprobation resulting in destruction. Today, it is no different. Noah, in his new beginning, worshiped and followed God – – we must do the same (Gen. 8:20; Heb 10:25).
The Psalmist had a new beginning after he counted his blessings rather than his blights (Psalm 73). Upon realizing the truly great blessings God had continually been bestowing upon him, he then had a new outlook on life – – a new beginning. He took what he now knew and bettered the rest of his life in peace and service to God (v:28). We can do the same.
Later in his life, the great and mighty King Nebuchadnezzar, who was pride-intoxicated, learned humility before the all-powerful God. Now knowing what he had not known before, he put his new knowledge into practice by praising, extolling and honoring the King of heaven – – rather than the king of Babylon (Dan. 4:37). If we have lived the past in pride of self, we too can have the same new beginning.
Romans 6:1-12 tells of a new beginning. Actually, it uses the words: “walk in newness of life” (v:4). This new beginning occurs in baptism. Due to repentance, we have become dead to the love of sin. This dead, old self (v:6) is then buried in the watery grave of baptism (v:4). During the burial, one is freed from sin (v:8; 4a, 7-8). As one arises from the water, at that moment (and not before) he is a new man who has a new beginning (v:4). This is the greatest new beginning of all. If you haven’t had it, you need it.
No, we cannot relive the year(s), but we can use what we know now to better the year(s) before us. As Noah, the psalmist and Nebuchadnezzar had a day in which they changed their life – – this day can be the day in which you have a new beginning.
Gary Henson

“A leader in the church says….”
(But see: Galatians 2:11-14)
“I do not see any harm in it.”
(Proverbs 16:25)
“Look at the results!”
(1 Samuel 15:20-23; Romans 3:8)
“Civil law allows it.”
(Acts 4:19; 5:29)
“I think…”
(2 Kings 5:1-11)
“I feel…”
(Genesis 37:28-35)
“Everybody else does it.”
(1 Samuel 8:4-8)
“Other Christians do it.”
(Galatians 2:11-14; 5:4)
“Other congregations do it.”
(Revelation 2 & 3)
“Just be religious”
(Matthew 7:21-23; Acts 10:1-3 & 11:14)

“Be faithful to most of the Bible.”
(But see: 2 Corinthians 2:9)
“It’s close to the Bible teaching.”
(2 Timothy 2:15; Galatians 3:16)
“I can’t be wrong.” [Self pride.]
(Acts 10:34; Romans 12:3)
“Just be in the right church.”
(1 Cor. 5:5; Gal. 5:4; Rom. 11:22)
“No one sees me do it.”
(Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
“I just think it helps.”
(Romans 3:8)
“It just seems right.”
(Proverbs 14:12)
“Parents/Friends.”
(Galatians 6:5)
“The majority.”
(Matthew 7:13-14)
“My conscience.”
(Acts 23:1)
Gary Henson

“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