PHall | January 22, 2013
If you are the parent, teacher, boss or organization leader, isn’t its aggravating when you tell someone how you want and need something done, but they decide you didn’t really mean what you said so they change or ignore it? Plus, in everyday life, isn’t it frustrating when someone says you said something when you never did? I am responsible for [...]
PHall | December 23, 2012
Why local church autonomy? Implied within the command to elders to shepherd the flock among them is church autonomy (1 Pt 5.1-3). Add that to the silence of the scriptures and we learn God’s design that each church is autonomous, separated from other local congregations in government. This is a Biblical concept that is lost [...]
PHall | April 21, 2012
There is a recurring theme found within the history of the Southern Kingdom of Judah; that is, the temple became the personal bank account of the king. Time and again, when threatened by outside armies, the king robs the temple of its gold and silver. This is done to bribe the invading king, or to [...]
PHall | January 18, 2012
Let’s begin with two questions. First, do you believe that the need and desire to believe and worship is innate? Anthropological studies reveal that the vast majority of cultures have religions. In arguing for the existence of God, this is called the Anthropological Argument , implying that God Himself put it within our created self [...]
PHall | November 20, 2011
It is my assertion that baptism is the meaning of being born of water and Spirit. As for the meaning of “born of water and the Spirit,” admittedly, the word baptism is not found in the discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus. To remove baptism as a synonym for being born of water and Spirit does [...]
PHall | November 11, 2011
I. EXPOSITORY/EXEGETICAL – immediate context By expository and exegetical, it is simply mean that what we learn is from the immediate text itself. Are their clues, are their hints, are their “signs” pointing to understanding? First let’s look at the obviously parallel texts which are verses 3 and 5.
PHall | October 29, 2011
Let’s look at John 3. What does it mean to be born of water? In trying to convince people of truth, the approach we take must, to be successful, be directed by the people to whom we are talking. Paul approaches the Gentiles (Acts 17) differently than the Jews (Acts 13), but all along preaching [...]
PHall | October 22, 2011
Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night (Jn. 3:2; 19:39). That is a fact which John records but without recording the reason for Nicodemus choosing the night. Why this ruler comes at night has intrigued commentators and common people alike. Is Nicodemus afraid (Jn. 19:38-39)? Is Nicodemus observing the Passover during the day (Jn.2:23)? Does Nicodemus [...]
PHall | October 14, 2011
Sincerity in religion masks what the self wants. Every one of us has believed a lie. Most often it is because the lie is what we want to believe. This is true religiously or personally. “Do these pants make my….” Well, you know the rest of that story. Believing a lie can have disastrous results, [...]
PHall | May 12, 2011
Why the Churches of Christ Were Right After All 07Mar My great grandfather and great grandmother Campbell were members of the Braxton Church of Christ in Cannon County, Tennessee, and after my great grandfather died and my great grandmother moved her three boys to Texas, she raised them in the South Park Church of Christ [...]
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