Madisonville Church of Christ

Articles of Interest

Here is a collection of the writings of our preacher, Russell Kline. Please feel free to read these articles, to quote from them freely, and to use them in your own church bulletin, as long as you give credit to the source.

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Authority of the Bible

Are Feelings a Safe Guide?
Are Feelings a Safe Guide? by Russell M. Kline In I Peter 1:24 and 25, the Bible says: "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. More>>

Believing a Lie
Believing a Lie by Russell M. Kline In II Thessalonians 2:10-12, Paul wrote to the members of the church of Christ in Thessalonica about some people who would be lost in their sins, because they "believe a lie. More>>

Versions of the Bible

Are You Thinking About Buying a Bible?
Are You Thinking About Buying a Bible? by Russell M. Kline In 1992, when I began preaching for the Chandlersville Church of Christ, in Chandlersville, Ohio, I found that the congregation there was awash in modern versions of the Bible. More>>

Some Dangers of Modern Versions of the Bible
Some Dangers of Modern Versions of the Bible by Russell M. Kline For a very long time, the Madisonville Church of Christ has enforced a policy, which requires that only the King James, American Standard, and New King James versions of the Bible are to be used, when reading from the pulpit, preaching a sermon, or teaching a Bible class. More>>

Christian Living

Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes by Russell M. Kline "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have the glory of men. More>>

Commitment: the Crux of Discipleship
Commitment: the Crux of Discipleship by Russell M. Kline Do you remember the vows you spoke, at your wedding? Ususally, when I perform a marriage ceremony, the vows go something like this: "...for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live. More>>

Get Back to Work!
Get Back to Work! by Russell M. Kline Haggai was a prophet of God, who ministered to the Jews that were returning from exile in Babylonia and Persia. He came back to Canaan with Zerubbabel's expedition, and the events recorded in his book are believed to have taken place in 520 B. More>>

How's Your Vision?
How's Your Vision? by Russell M. Kline Many scientists argue that man is "visually oriented." It is thought that this is why sight is considered to be the most precious of the five senses. In many ancient cultures, eyes were believed to be conduits of great spiritual power, and often were used as symbols of such power. More>>

I Quit!
I Quit! by Russell M. Kline In Jeremiah 9:1-3, the prophet expressed profound disappointment with Israel, because of the people's general apathy toward the Word of God. In the second verse, he stated that he wished he was an inkeeper, so he would not have to deal with the aggravation of being a prophet of the Lord. More>>

Sins of the Tongue
Sins of the Tongue by Russell M. Kline It is very likely that this mongraph may "step on the toes" of nearly everyone who reads it, because it is a sad fact that the vast majority of people have either committed or been victimized by one or more of the sins of the tongue. More>>

Stephen Who Stood Up for Jesus
Stephen: Who Stood Up for Jesus by Russell M. Kline Anyone who lives a faithful Christian life long enough will one day be called upon to defend the faith he professes. Jesus told His disciples that they would be "blessed" to experience such persecution (Mat. More>>

Christian Youth

Children, Obey Your Parents
Children, Obey Your Parents by Russell M. Kline The commandment for children to obey their parents is one which carries with it an interesting promise. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. More>>

Denominational Doctrine

Don't Call Me Names
Don't Call Me Names! By Russell M. Kline In Matthew 20:20-28, Salome, the mother of James and John, approached Jesus with a request on their behalf. She asked the Lord if He might be willing to grant her sons to two higest ranking positions in His kingdom; on the right and left hand sides of His throne. More>>

Leadership

Great Leaders Follow the Lead of Jehovah
Great Leaders Follow the Lead of Jehovah by Russell M. Kline Zerubbabel was an important figure in post-exhilic Hebrew history. He was the son of Shealtiel and the grandson of Jehoiachin (Ezra 3:2; Hag. More>>

Prayer

Hannah: Whose Prayer Lives Forever
Hannah: Whose Prayer Lives Forever by Russell M. Kline A certain Jew in ancient times named Elkanah had two wives named Hannah and Peninnah (I Sam. 1:1,2). There is nothing remarkable about this fact, for it was quite common for a man living in the ancient Middle East to have more than one wife. More>>

Preaching and Teaching

Learning to Teach From the Master Teacher
Learning to Teach From the Master Teacher by Russell M. Kline In ancient times, it was the prophet Elihu who said, concerning the Lord, "Who teacheth like him?" (Job 36:22). Indeed, who could possibly know better how to penetrate and mold the human mind than He who created it? More>>

Fellowship

Light Vs. Darkness
Light Vs. Darkness by Russell M. Kline Perhaps the oldest metaphor for the contrast between good and evil is the contrast between light and darkness. From the moment that God divided the light from the darkness, in Genesis 1:4, light has been symbolic of all that is good, pure and righteous, while darkness has been symbolic of all that is evil, corrupt, and wicked. More>>

Among the Denominations
Among the Denominations by Russell M. Kline Many years ago, I was asked to write an article for what was then a new brotherhood publication called, The Paper Pulpit. Its editor, an old classmate of mine named Daniel Coe, Sr. More>>

Worship

Modesty in Worship
Modesty in Worship by Russell M. Kline Recently, I was invited to attend a series of preliminary hearings at the Circuit Court of Hopkins County. As one defendant after another came before the judge to enter his plea, I noticed that most of them were dressed slovenly, with an overall appearance that was unkepmt. More>>

Abortion

Murder in a Pill
Murder in a Pill by Russell M. Kline In the quarter-century since abortion was legalized in the United States, millions of innocent lives have been lost at the hands of doctors willing to act against all that they have been taught and murder babies in their mothers' wombs. More>>

Marriage and Family

Sailing the Seven Cs of Marriage
Sailing the Seven "C"s of Marriage by Russell M. Kline Names like Titanic, Andrea Dora, and Edmund Fitzgerald are reminders of just how perilous it can be to said the seven seas. But, ever since man first learned to make boats, he has been braving the dangers of sea travel for the profit and for the adventure it promises. More>>

Church Discipline

Shall We Dare to Discipline? (Part One)
Shall We Dare to Discipline? (Part One) by Russell M. Kline For a long time, in the late twentieth century, psychologists told the parents our nation's children that it is wrong to provide them with corrective discipline. More>>

Shall We Dare to Discipline? (Part Two)
Shall We Dare to Discipline? (Part Two) by Russell M. Kline In part one of this two-part study of church discipline, several commonly held misconceptions about church discipline were discussed. It is because of these and other misconceptions that so many congregations of the Lord's people do not discipline their erring brethren, and that church discipline, in general, is thought of in a negative way. More>>

Lord's Supper

Symbolism in the Lord's Supper
Symbolism in the Lord's Supper by Russell M. Kline Decades ago, Professor D.R. Dungan wrote his definitive work on the subject of Biblical Hermeneutics. On page 353 of an unnumbered and undated edition published by the Gospel Light Publishing Company, he wrote, "'This is my body,' 'This is my blood,' etc. More>>

End of the World

The Final Judgment of God
The Final Judgement of God by Russell M. Kline The book of Revelation depicts many scenes in which God dispenses some kind of judgment. There is the judgment of God against the nations, in Revelation 11:18. More>>

If you have any questions or comments about any of the articles you see here, please bring them to the attention of our preacher. His e-mail address is msop1989@yahoo.com.