Church of Christ Gore Boulevard

03/30/2026

I don't observe what the Jews call "Passover", and I don't celebrate what the world calls "easter".

Every Sunday I partake in what our local assembly and the NT calls the "Lord's Supper", which was initiated by Jesus on what the Jews call the first day of unleavened bread - a supper that Messiah and His twelve partook of just before His death, burial, and resurrection

As such, the "Supper" I partake of every Sunday is not a Jewish ritual, but is rather a memorial of my Lord's death on the Cross, in the very manner that He initiated it! It is a "supper" in remembrance of Him!

I suppose during Passover Jewish people recall how their ancestors hurriedly fled their bo***ge in Egypt, while on the first day of the week Christians recall that the Christ, Who with so great a sacrifice freed them from the bo***ge of their sins!

May I suggest an upgrade for all those that observe "easter" or Passover? Shalom! -MG

References: Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-22, 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

03/27/2026

03/08/2026

Many dismiss the WATER BAPTISM authorized by Jesus for ALL NATIONS - Matthew 28:18-20 !!

And whether that is because it is a "works-A-phobia" issue, or a man taught prejudice, it remains that many refuse to observe HOW God can use WATER for His purposes.
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God used WATER to heal Naaman.
God used WATER to save the Israelites from the Egyptian army.
God used WATER to heal the blind man - John 9.
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1 Peter 3:20 -."...eight souls were saved by water." KJV
..by water! What does Peter mean?

1 Peter 3:21 - The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ... KJV

Peter's points are as follows:

"like figure" = Grk. "antitupon" = antitype.

Every "antitype" (flood waters) must have a "type" (baptismal water).

--What water baptism is NOT: It is not the removal of physical filth.

--What baptismal water IS: It is the "ANSWER" of a GOOD conscience... it is the penitent sinner's response to God - the God Who saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ!

The “ANTIYPE” was the flood WATER that God used to SAVE "eight souls" from a sinful world.

What is the "TYPE"?? The water of baptism is the water that God uses to SAVE man from his sins.

Water baptism is a physical act that has a spiritual result.....when man decides to have a "clean conscience" toward God!

01/25/2026

A Lesson about HELL and HADES...

Some confusion is created by the King James translators on this topic of "HELL" and "HADES".
Please read on.
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HELL – γέεννα = Greek word (of Hebrew origin)
geenna – English transliteration
Pronounced - gheh'-en-nah
English word supplied by translators = “HELL”

HELL is the place of future punishment for the wicked - called “Gehenna”, “Gehenna of fire”, "furnace of fire", and “lake of fire”. This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the future destruction of the wicked.
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W..E. Vine: Expository Dictionary of NT Words

HELL presents the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom (the valley of Tophet) and a corresponding Aramaic word; it is found twelve times in the NT, eleven of which are in the Synoptists, in every instance as uttered by the Lord Himself.

He who says to his brother, Thou fool, will be in danger of "the hell of fire," Mat 5:22; it is better to pluck out (a metaphorical description of irrevocable law) an eye that causes its possessor to stumble, than that his "whole body be cast into hell,"Mat 5:29; similarly with the hand, Mat 5:30; in Mat 18:8,9, the admonitions are repeated, with an additional mention of the foot; here, too, the warning concerns the person himself (for which obviously the "body" stands in chapter 5); in ver. 8, "the eternal fire" is mentioned as the doom, the character of the region standing for the region itself, the two being combined in the phrase "the hell of fire," ver. 9.

To the passage in Matt. 18, that in Mar 9:43-47, is parallel; here to the word "hell" are applied the extended descriptions "the unquenchable fire" and "where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.

01/15/2026

It is a new year. Let's talk about God's SALVATION of man...
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The NT tells us that men are "CALLED by the Gospel" - 2 Thess. 2:14.
The Gospel is God's "POWER" to save man - Romans 1:16.
The Gospel is man's SOURCE of faith - Romans 10:17!

Paul teaches that the Gospel was given FOR OBEDIENCE TO the FAITH !!! Romans 1:5, 16:26.

"Simply believe” or “faith alone” is NOT found in the N.T., and are sad schemes created by man for the religiously LAZY who want to avoid all SELF RESPONSIBILITY of needing to repent, trust, commit, dedicate, devote, and render service TO GOD - on their own!!

These want salvation... ON the CHEAP!!

God's eternal PLAN (see Ephesians 1:3-11) to save man in this Age of the Gospel, is in the relationship called... "IN Christ"!
THIS relationship of being IN Christ was determined BEFORE the creation of the world! God selected the HOW man would be saved, not WHO individually would be saved. Being saved requires your participation = faith in Christ AND obedience to His words!

Faith in Christ, without your obedience, is nothing but observation - a "faith" that will not save your soul - cf. Hebrews 10:39

Here is what God grace has provided to man, through faith in Christ, as revealed by the Holy Spirit...

-BELIEVE God's word - Luke 8:15, John 1:12, 6:29, Romans 3:22
-REPENT of sinning - Acts 17:30, 11:18, 20:21, 26:20
-CONFESS His Son's name - Rom. 10:10, Acts 8:37, cf. 1Tim.6:12-13, Heb. 3:1
-Be water BAPTIZED - your own DEATH/BURIAL/RESURRECTION in the "likeness" of Christ's (Romans 6:3-6)..death to sin..burial in water - for remission of sins - Acts 2:38, 22:16..RAISED to walk in a new life, as a "new creature" 2Cor. 5:17!

Revelation 2:10 - Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.

God's grace is so wonderful - He made salvation so simple and understandable!

"Save yourself" with obedience to the Gospel TODAY! - Acts 2:40-41!!
cf. Romans 6:17-18.
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12/26/2025

Some say the "new heaven and new earth" are here already.

It seems to me that too many today don't want to give up on PHYSICAL things - comfortable with the possessions and matters of this world, and unwilling to change - even a change even for the better!

My God can do better than what man possesses now, and that which man lives in today.

My God and His Son offer a place with NO tears, sadness, hunger, famine, flood, war, pestilence, disease, and DEATH !!

I know better things are to come because that is what God and His Son have said!

HIS new heaven and new earth are YET to come.

The EVENTS describing Jesus' ONE and ONLY return are YET to take place.
You can read about these EVENTS...

-at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (some things for the SAVED to look forward to)
-and at 2 Thessalonian 1:7-10 (some things that the LOST will receive)
-when Jesus returns to judge all nations - Matthew 25: 31-46
-when Jesus delivers the saved=kingdom=church UP to the Father - 1 Corinthians 15:23-25 (and see also John 5:28-29)
-when "the END" of this world and time comes - 1 Corinthians 15:24.

I hope all readers here are READY to GO THERE !!!

Colossians 3:1 If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are ABOVE, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things that are ABOVE, not on the things that are upon the earth.
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12/10/2025

UNITY for the church !

Ephesians 4:3 ...giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.
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Herein Paul gives the platform of UNITY that the church is to have. Paul lists -7- items that the church must have for unity:

1.) ONE BODY - a metaphorical expression for the church. UNITY of organization. There is only one, Jesus built only one Matthew 16:18 - and died for/purchased Acts 20... only ONE.

2.) ONE SPIRIT - UNITY of revelation. It is the Holy Spirit, the 3rd Person of the Godhead, that revealed and confirmed God's Word.

3.) ONE HOPE - UNITY of desire - Romans 8:24-25.

4.) ONE LORD - UNITY of authority. The Christian has one source of AUTHORITY for all religious teaching and practice - Matthew 17:5, 28:18, Colossians 3:17.

5.) ONE FAITH - UNITY of belief, confidence, conviction, and obedience. Jude 3.

6.) ONE BAPTISM - UNITY of practice, as authorized by Jesus Christ Matthew 28:19, Acts 10:47-48, 19:1-5
- in WATER / for the remission of sins Acts 2:38, 22:16
- to be placed in that body of Christ - Acts 2:41,47, Romans 6:3, Galatians 3:27!.

7.) ONE GOD - Unity of WORSHIP !
..that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. - 1 Peter 4:11 ASV

Let us all endeavor to have the UNITY that Jesus wants His church to have! MG

11/02/2025

"BELIEVE" What ??

Acts 16:30 – [the jailor] brought them out and said,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.
32 And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately.
34 And he brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God. ASV

The jailor's QUESTION is... (vs. 30): ...What must I do to be saved?
The jailor is told to... (vs. 31) ...“believe” on the Lord Jesus (vs.31).

Our QUESTION: “Believe” WHAT ??
Vs. 32 - Paul & Silas "spoke the WORD of the Lord" to him & his house.
(cf. Romans 10:17)

QUESTION: What was the result of learning the “word of the Lord”?
Vs. 33 - Jailer & household were BAPTIZED immediately!

Vs. 34 - The jailor & household “REJOICED GREATLY”... “having BELIEVED in God”.

Conclusion:
For one to “BELIEVE”, one MUST know “the word of the Lord” AND OBEY the "instructions"…

1 Peter 1:2 Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue... ASV

10/10/2025

The PURPOSE of SPIRITUAL GIFTS (SGs) is clear and straightforward in the NT. Such events were used to REVEAL and/or CONFIRM God’s will.

Supernatural events (as may be described as signs, miracles, powers, &/or wonders) are first seen to confirm Jesus as one sent from God Himself.

John 3:2 the same [Nicodemas] came unto him by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him.

Peter confirms this same thought immediately after the Apostles received baptism of the Holy Spirit…

Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man APPROVED of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know…

These “works and wonders and signs” were undeniable confirmation that God was directly involved. Therefore what was taught was undeniable and unquestionable. It was God “bearing witness” through those that performed these “wonders”.

Hebrews 2:3-4 - … how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard;
4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

God affirmed this “great salvation” through the working of supernatural events AND by gifts of the HS !! This type of confirmation of the word is affirmed again in…

Acts 14:3 Long time therefore they [Paul & Barnabas] tarried there [Iconium] speaking boldly in the Lord, who bare witness unto the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

Looking in Acts 8, Philip confirms the word of God with supernatural events. The HS was at work at Samaria, (but was yet to be given to any there by the "laying on of the apostles hands").

Acts 8:5-6 - And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ. 6 And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did.

Succinctly put, the Word was revealed, the Word was confirmed, and the Word was believed!

Today, with SGs having served their purpose to reveal & confirm the Word of God (cf. 1Cor.13:8-10), and with His Word having been "delivered" once and for all time (cf. Acts 20:27, 1Pt.1:3, Jude 3), nothing is lost for SGs to cease.

The purpose was fulfilled, and the need/use of SGs is past!
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John 20:30-31 - Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.

09/09/2025

As was Paul's custom... Paul and the sabbath day.

Acts 13 as used above was during Paul's FIRST journey. Christianity was spreading (cf. Acts 8:1,4, 11:19ff), but apparently had not spread to Antioch in Pisidia... and there was no CHURCH there - YET!

So what did Paul do? He found those that SHOULD have known the OT scriptures (about the Messiah and His kingdom) and taught them!
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NOTICE now - that Paul - on his SECOND journey - DID NOT go into the synagogues in the cities where there were CHURCHES...
Paul WENT into the CHURCHES in those cities to teach and to "confirm" the saints!!

Look at:

Acts 15:36 - Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city wherein we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they fare.

Acts 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the CHURCHES. ...and...

Acts 16:5 So the CHURCHES were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

Point 1:

Acts 17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2 and Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ.

There was no CHURCH here in Thessalonica - YET!
This was the CUSTOM of Paul... to go into the synagogue where JEWS were [who should know the OT scriptures], and Paul would...
- OPEN the [OT] scriptures
- and ALLEGE that the resurrected Jesus he proclaimed to them was the Christ mentioned in the OT scriptures.!

Any attempt to claim that Paul was religiously "observing" ANY OT ordinance ignores the CONTEXT of Paul's custom, AND it ignores the teachings of Paul - see Ephesians 2:15, Colossians 2:14, Romans 7:4, & Galatians 3:17-29.
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Point 2:

Acts 18:
4 And [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks.
5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was constrained by the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
6 And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook out his raiment and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

Here at Acts 18/Corinth, when the Jews in the synagogue "blasphemed" - Paul LEFT the synagogue, and DID NOT RETURN!!

The SAME THING happened in Acts 19:8-9 /Ephesus.

Paul LEFT the synagogue and DID NOT RETURN - when the Jews were disobedient and spoke evil of "the Way"!!
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Paul went to the synagogues to TEACH the GOSPEL of CHRIST. When the Jews rejected the Gospel, Paul left them.!
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If there was a CHURCH in the city - Paul was THERE!!

Acts 20:6 - And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we tarried seven days.
7 And upon THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.