Category Archives: General

HARMONY OF THE RESURRECTION ACCOUNTS

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

HARMONY OF THE RESURRECTION ACCOUNTS JACK COTTRELL My effort to harmonize these accounts assumes that the people who are described as being at the tomb and encountering Jesus there did not all leave together from their homes or arrive together at the tomb. I suggest the following possible schedule of events. (Originally there were drawings with #1-8.) 1. After midnight, early hours of the morning, before dawn. Two or more groups of women begin to make their way toward the tomb to complete the burial, with one group including Mary Magdalene, who proceeds more quickly than the others and continues … Continue reading →

Why Do Some Call It the “Eucharist”? A Communion Meditation

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

WHY DO SOME CALL IT THE “EUCHARIST”? A COMMUNION MEDITATION BY JACK COTTRELL – APRIL 2018 As we are now preparing to take the emblems commemorating Christ’s death for our sins, I have a question: what do we usually call this part of our worship service? We commonly refer to it as the “communion” service. Where do we get that name? It comes from the King James Version of 1 Corinthians 10:16, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of … Continue reading →

THE BREAD AND THE CUP OF BLESSING

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

THE BREAD AND CUP OF BLESSING A COMMUNION MEDITATION – Jack Cottrell, February 2018 Imagine you are sharing a meal with some fellow Christians, and you say, “Brother Smith, will you ask the blessing on our food?” The prayer that follows often includes this: “Dear God, we pray that you will bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies.” “Ask the blessing”? “Bless this food”? Where do we get these ideas and this language? Maybe from our Bibles. The KJV of Matthew 26:26 says, “Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, … Continue reading →

WHAT KIND OF “ROCK” IS PETER?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

WHAT KIND OF “ROCK” IS PETER? Jack Cottrell – February 2018 QUESTION: Does Matthew 16:18 say that the Apostle Peter is the ROCK on which the church is built? Does this support the Roman Catholic teaching that Peter was the first Pope? ANSWER: The text in question is included here, in Matthew 16:15-18: “15 He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ 16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ 17 And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to … Continue reading →

UNITY OF TRUTH: NINE THESES

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

UNITY OF TRUTH: NINE THESES Jack Cottrell – January 2018 I am working on a project I call “the unity of truth.” It is mainly a response to the common idea that we have to choose between the unity of the body of Christ and how we understand the truth of God’s word. I have developed nine basic theses, which I am simply affirming here, along with a few Scripture references that help to establish each. I plan to give a brief explanation of the last six of these theses at the Florida Bible Conference on January 24, 2018 (Wednesday) … Continue reading →

“YAHWEH IS HIS NAME” — Exodus 15:3

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

“YAHWEH IS HIS NAME” – Exodus 15:3 A sermon by Jack Cottrell – CRA Bible Conference – Kissimmee FL – January 2018 INTRODUCTION. A. In most Old Testament translations, when you see God referred to as “the LORD” (with LORD all capitals), in the original Hebrew this is actually the divine name YAHWEH (which used to be pronounced “Jehovah”). What does “Yahweh” mean? (It does NOT mean “Lord.”) B. Where can we go to find the meaning of Yahweh? We find it in EXODUS 3:1-18. [READ] C. But then a puzzling statement appears in Exod. 6:2-3 – “God spoke further … Continue reading →

GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: WHY ARE THEY SO DIFFERENT?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: WHY ARE THEY SO DIFFERENT? QUESTION. It seems that in the Old Testament God tends to be more legalistic and harsh, while the New Testament is more about the coming of Christ and the gospel of God’s love and grace. How do we explain this difference between the two? I know that the same God is acting in both testaments, but why this difference? ANSWER. I will make three main points. ONE. One of the most important truths about God (one that is often missed) is that there are … Continue reading →

THE HOLY SPIRIT’S ROLE IN CHRIST’S SUFFERING

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

THE HOLY SPIRIT’S ROLE IN CHRIST’S SUFFERING A Communion Meditation by Jack Cottrell In my previous meditation I pointed out that Jesus the SON of God was not the only one suffering at the cross. God the FATHER was also suffering, but in a different way. Jesus as the Son of God was the one who was actually suffering the infinite wrath of God in our place, making our salvation possible. But it was God the Father who, with feelings of deepest agony, was responsible for pouring out that wrath upon his own Son (Rom. 8:32). But here we shall … Continue reading →

SUFFERING AT THE CROSS

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

SUFFERING AT THE CROSS — A Communion Meditation Jack Cottrell – Greendale First Church of Christ – October 2017 [Author’s note: I gave this meditation on the same Sunday when I preached a sermon dealing in part with the subject of the Trinity. In the sermon I was pointing out that it was necessary to reveal the fact that God is a Trinity of persons at the beginning of this New Covenant age, because that was the time when God was carrying out the mighty works of redemption (incarnation, atonement, resurrection, ascension, outpouring of the Holy Spirit). The necessity for … Continue reading →

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER 5 — THE PROPITIATION SENT BY LOVE

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 5 THE PROPITIATION SENT BY LOVE Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 Believe it or not, I was once mistaken for a god! In the 1970s I was on a mission trip with Brother Sam Gonzales (now deceased), visiting churches in the Yucatan Peninsula in eastern Mexico. Many of the Christians in the churches there were descendants of the Mayan Indians, who many centuries ago had developed impressive civilizations there. Brother Sam was introducing me to several of these Christians descended from Mayan culture: “Say hello to JACK,” he said. One woman’s … Continue reading →