By David Cox
[fam16] v1 ©2008 www.coxtracts.com
Jer 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen…
Coming to the end of the year, many people begin to think about Christmas. There are many traditions around Christmas, and it is important that we analyze all these traditions and customs in the light of the Bible so we do blindly follow ignorant people into pagan traditions.
Mary the Mother of Jesus
Should we worship or reverence her?
[C02] v1 ©2005 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely photocopy and reproduce this tract for free distribution
By David Cox [email protected]
“A graven image… is not profitable… is profitable for nothing? – Isaiah 44:9,10
Many times Catholics ask, “Why don’t Protestants worship Mary?” They tell us, “You have no respect for the mother of God.” Our answer is very simple, “we respect all women, especially godly Christian women, but we do not worship anybody that is not God himself”. We reserve this reverence and honor only for God.
This tract will investigate the matter of the relation and attitude of a true Christian towards Mary, the mother of Jesus’ humanity.
Revealing Modern Goals, evaluating our ideas about success
By David Cox
[ch31] v1 ©2006 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be freely printed as long as it is not altered.
ch31 3Bs of success: buildings, bodies, and bucks
In our modern world, the church has, unfortunately, become like the world instead of having a godly influence in the world to restrain sin in the world. The church of our day has lost its “saltiness.” The most disappointing part of this trend is to see what happens in the name of the Holy God of the heavens in modern churches. Money and fame has become the focus. Today the most important church employee is the church accountant! They are elevated to a “ministry” position and extremely well paid. We can do without a pianist, but not without a church accountant! The modern focus is in three areas, Bodies, Buildings, and Bucks. We can add boasting (fame and glory) here also. We are taught that a preacher is not important, and his ministry is insignificant before God and man if he does not have great success in these four areas. Foreign and strange is the idea of a humble man of God serving in a small backwater of America, where only faithfulness to God’s call is important. Continue reading
Recognizing a Good Pastor
By David Cox
[ch38] v1r ©2009 www.coxtractscom
You can reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes
ch38 Recognizing a good pastor
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:11
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. John 10:14
In John 9, Jesus healed a blind man, and after healing him, the Pharisees got mad at him, because they didn’t want anybody to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Obviously, the power and authority was different from what the Pharisees sought and used on the people, and because of this, they were bitter and angry with Jesus’s leadership style and towards his attitudes of service.
Abortion: Permitted by God, or is it sin?
By David Cox [email protected]
[fam08] v1 ©2007 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit use.
Many people present abortion as an absolute necessity in our present world. They present cases of women which go to clandestine clinics which are illegal and fly-by-the-night, where because abortion is illegal and these women “have” to go there to get their abortions, they die from the unclean state of these places. Cases of rape are presented as if this was the most common circumstance for an abortion.
Abortion is a procedure to take away the life of the baby within the mother, and remove its dead body from the mother. This is not necessary, but it is a way of dealing with a “perceived problem” (in view of the mother). In all of these cases, if this procedure is not done, in some months a human being will be born, and that child can be given up for adoption. The perceived “crisis” is never solved killing the innocent baby, or hiding the results of sinful sexual actions.
Common Law Marriages
By David Cox
[fam12] v1 ©2008
www.coxtracts.com
You can freely photocopy this tract for non-profit use.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Many in our day promote informal unions, which is a man and woman living together and having sex without the formal commitments of marriage, that is with the understanding that the relationship is not permanent. This is supposedly without the «strings» of commitment, but with the freedom of sex. Is this really a paradise situation or a great problem? What does God say about this situation? Continue reading
The Submission of the Woman
Seeking reason as to why
By David Cox
[fam07] v1 ©2006 www.coxtracts.com
For non-profit this tract can be freely reproduced
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Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 1Timothy 2:11-12
God has established an order between the woman and the man, and in this, the woman should be subject to her husband, “thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” Gen 3:16 Equally in the church, God has commanded “ Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience… also… if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” 1Cor 14:34-35. Neither man nor woman always likes what God tells them to do, but a movement of rebellion to this commandment has been extremely pushed to be a “racism between the sexes” when really it is just plain disobedience. Continue reading
Disciplining our Children
Biblical Principles on How to Discipline Them
By David Cox
[f05] v1 ©2006 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be freely reproduced for non-profit use.
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Hebrews 12:6
There is the problem, and we will begin with this parallel between parents and their children, and between God and us. Many people reject totally out of hand any form of corporal punishment as a form of child abuse. In the end analysis, if we accept as incorrect that anybody that is punished physical (worse mentally or psychologically) then what of God’s punishment? Many attack God with this by attacking punish as evil. In place of punishment they prefer distraction (time out, candy, games, or rewards) for evil behavior. But God as our Creator punishes us because of His profound love. Diversion is no substitute.
When we speak of discipline and punishment, we should always start at Hebrew 12:5-11, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth… that we might be partakers of his holiness.” (12:6, 10). The principle is “we discipline you because we love you”, and we ought to remind our children constantly of this principle, and especially when we have to discipline them. If it wasn’t for the Lord’s discipline, none of us would walk in His holiness . Discipline has the function of motivating the immature person to change.
This tract explains what the Bible says about a False Prophet, and identifies it for us.
How to recognize a bad minister
By David Cox
[ch19] v1 ©2006 www.coxtracts.com
This can be freely copied if unaltered.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Resolving without Divorce
By David Cox
[F04] v1 ©2005 www.coxtracts.com
also see my tract “Principles of a Biblical Marriage”
this tract can be freely copied and photocopied.
It is sad when two people marry and later divorce. But it is worse when there are children involved in these matters. Every Christian should purpose in his heart that divorce is not something that is inevitable. Divorce results when the people involved do not want to obey God. The divorce rate is very high among divorced people (they repeat their divorces over and over again because of the same problems they themselves bring to each new marriage). Wherever they go they will carry their problems with them, and divorce never really solves these problems but is a running away from them which never works. Divorce just complicates their lives.
Divorce is a failure of the marriage – We should clarify, that in these matters, it is popular to “assign guilt” to one party and innocence to the other, but after all, divorce is a failure by both because both have to make the marriage work, and both are responsible before God when it fails.