Posts by Michael Riley
On Being Baptized Again
Throughout my ministry, there have been several times when I’ve been asked a question like this: “Pastor, I was saved and baptized early in life. After a period of not following the Lord faithfully, I’ve now been seeking to take my walk with Christ more seriously. Should I be baptized again?” I recently had the…
Read MoreGambling and My Neighbor
Certainly, not every branch of Christianity takes a dim view of gambling, but some have. I belong to a segment of Christendom that has historically opposed gambling. Here, I simply want to offer a brief case, from a Christian perspective, against gambling. My hope is that professing believers will give this argument a fair hearing.…
Read MoreWhy a Piano and Not a Praise Band?
Is there a reason that we use a piano instead of a praise band? You’ve asked a good and (in my estimation) important question. I should start by defending the proposition that music even matters. Some want to argue that for Christian singing, only the words matter, and that discussion about music simply isn’t important.…
Read MoreThe Necessity of Church Membership
Michael Riley A sound church must be committed to meaningful church membership. This is not a popular topic in our day, for at least a couple of (related) reasons. The first is the widespread individualism of our society. Many factors of life today have turned people inward: it is not unusual for people to barely…
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