General

“The Power of Pride.” So proclaimed the bumper stickers that popped up around the United States after the September 11 attacks and stuck around for years since. Adorned with an American flag, they appealed to the patriotic fervor that swept the nation. “We are the best,” they seemed to say. “Believe in ourselves, and we will come out on top.”

The average price for a gallon of gasoline was $1.19. The President of the United States was Bill Clinton. The twin towers of the World Trade Center stood above the New York City skyline. A new Internet search engine company founded by two college students celebrated its first birthday by moving the headquarters of the business, Google Inc., from the garage to an actual office building.

Many of us are richly blessed to have gone to Sunday school since childhood. We expect students to file out to their classes and teachers to take their places, Sunday after Sunday. Is it accomplishing what it should?
Recently, a dad took his young son to class for his first time. The dad ended up staying because of his son’s tears. He now comes back from Sunday school with a beaming face and a verse to show his dad. The dad felt very blessed to observe two teachers doing a good job of controlling and teaching a Bible story to God’s little people.

Parts 1 and 2

What is singing all about? Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 to be “filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Since ages past, God’s people have enjoyed singing as a way of expressing their worship and supplications to Him.

If you were to drive to New York City, you would need to cross the Hudson River to get there. The Hudson River separates islands that make up some of New York City from the mainland. Manhattan, for example, is isolated by natural “motes” on each side. The Hudson River separates it from New Jersey, while the Harlem River and East River separate it on the east side from the rest of the city boroughs. You can cross this barrier by passing through a tunnel or crossing over a bridge. Without these, you would need to pass through the waters to complete the journey.

The wearing of a plain suit coat for men has been a blessing to the Mennonite church for many years. It represents one effort to keep the world’s fashion out of the church and maintain a degree of uniformity. We consider this subject occasionally and understand what relevance this practice holds for us today.

The Christian Day school is a gift from our forefathers. It is a privilege worth defending. We are a generation in the reaping of a concept and sacrifice which we may not have had the forethought or conviction to begin.

We are also a generation in sowing. The Christian Day school of today is a blend of fruit and seed. If we are going to continue to enjoy it, we must continually evaluate what we are sowing, and sow according to truth.

I. What Is Idolatry?
The word idolatry often brings a mind picture of heathen people bowing down to images of wood and stone. We think of Asia or Africa with their strange gods, of stone, of fire, of weird creatures, and as a result can think that civilized Western society is free from idolatry. But let us look closer at what idolatry really is and what God’s Word teaches us about it.

“Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?” What an essential question! We live in a time when our churches are bombarded with all kinds of Christian rhetoric from many quarters. Church leaders, teachers, writers, and laymen often discuss and even debate numerous ideas of how the Christian church should function and what she should believe. In the midst of many voices, who are the wise men who are endued with knowledge? How may we conclusively determine who represents true wisdom from God and who is merely skillful in the art of rhetorical debate?

Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” This truth is often applied to human relationships. It certainly applies on the human level, but should we not consider this truth in light of our walk with God? Recently the question was raised if God has various groupings of children? How can Christians claim a relationship with God and not be able to walk together? Maybe we should analyze our walk with God. Not everybody is walking in agreement with God.