tom dennis tribute

Memories of Tom

EDITOR’S NOTE: Brother Tom Dennis was an evangelist among the churches of Christ for many decades. In addition to his many good works, Tom served as the editor and publisher of The Gospel Message for a few years. Paul said of his fellow worker Epaphroditus, “Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and…

Remembering Charles Ross

Remembering Charles

Charles Ross was an evangelist sent from the Excelsior Springs Church of Christ. He loved the Lord’s people and was a friend to many. He met people from all walks of life and met them with ease and friendliness. He had no arrogance, nor did he set himself above others. He was easy to engage…

it takes preparation

It Takes Preparation!

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10). I was recently asked to present some thoughts before a congregation regarding my interaction with elders and elderships over the years. Toward the close of my lesson, a…

We create stumbling blocks when we give little-to-no thought to how our words and actions impact our fellow Christians.

Stumbling Blocks

Everybody likes to be encouraged. The feelings that come from being encouraged can often last a lifetime.  It is not uncommon for people who have lived a good long life to happily remember back to an encourager that they knew when they were a child.  Encouragement makes an impact.  It is also looked on very…

The purpose of the church is to glorify and worship God, strengthen Christians, uphold the truth, and preach the gospel to the lost.

The Purpose of the Church

One of the unfortunate consequences of a splintered and divided Christendom is the general disagreement about the purpose of the church. Some want church to be a Spirit-fueled rock concert. Others want church to be a group therapy session where hurts and sorrows are shared and feelings affirmed. Still others see the church as a…

Data vs The Work of God

I recently received a call from a research group asking questions about discipleship. I suspected the underlying purpose was for the sake of marketing. I decided to participate, just to see if I could insert something edifying into the conversation. The questions were involved and thorough. The phone conversation took quite some time. One reason…