Hiawatha church of Christ

Joshua was off to a great start in conquering the land of Canaan. Jericho and Ai were defeated. When the other kings heard what Joshua and his army had accomplished, they banded together. However, the inhabitants of Gibeon formed a different strategy. Instead of fighting against Joshua and his military, they sought to make a covenant with them under the guise of living a great distance away. The Gibeonites brought provisions that looked aged. “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. So Joshua made peace with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.” (Joshua 8:14-15). Because Joshua and his people did not enquire of the Lord, the Israelites were now under obligation to protect those they were originally to destroy. While we are not leading a military campaign as Joshua did, we still must find it essential to make enquires before the Lord when it comes to spiritual matters. Too often, men today wi...

  There are many who say they would believe in God if only He would provide a sign of His existence. This is nothing new. The religious elite of the day requested a sign from Jesus. Matthew records, “Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.” (Matthew 16:1) Jesus had already shown them many signs and wonders that directly pointed to His identity as the Son of Almighty God. The trouble was not a lack of a sign, but a refusal to believe in Him regardless of the evidence He provided. Jesus answered them saying, “…A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Matthew 16:4) In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus taught that the rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus back to his brothers so they would not end up in the same place of torment as he. He thought that if one returned from the dead, that his brothers woul...