Christian Devotional Life

BLINDED TO THE POWER OF GOD

2012-01-24T12:55:00.000-05:00

Here is a sample of this coming Lord's Day sermon...

2 Corinthians 4...

Another method the "god of this world" uses to blind those that perish is to blind them to the real power of God. Paul tells us in the seventh verse that we have this treasure in an earthen vessel.

Think of that, the treasure of the gospel, the greatest treasure the world has ever known or EVER WILL know, and it is carried around in an earthen vessel. The earthen vessel of the human being---the gospel treasure in a crock of clay.

This treasure of the gospel in the earthen vessel is a reference to Gideon and his three hundred in their victory over the Midianites.(Judges 7)

Late one night the 300 on three sides above their enemy held a vase in one hand and a trumpet in the other. Inside the vase was a burning lamp.

The signal was given; 300 trumpets sounded in the dark of night, these clay vases were thrown down and broken, the mountain was ablaze with light and the soldiers of Gideon shouted, "The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon."

As an earthen vessel the fragile gospel preacher may break at any time, but the light of the world continues to light the way to victory.

Such a treasure is worthy of a greater demonstration of God's power. Think of it, I preach a message that tells you the plan of salvation. This is a message that tells how you can live forever.
If you want to live forever, come join us as we worship and serve our Great and Holy God.

May God bless...

The 10 Commandments in the N.T.

2012-01-05T13:39:00.003-05:00

1 Timothy 1:8-11 "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers-- and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me." (NIV)

If these false teachers of Pauls' day were teaching "the law" to the Christians in Ephesus, what Paul has written would certainly contradict what they had been teaching. Why does Paul, through The Holy Spirit, give us this long list of persons affected by the law?

Maybe the law teachers were so completely ignorant
of "the law" that they needed this rather elementary information.

It could have been some of these teachers were practicing some of the sins here mentioned. In this case they would be condemned by the very subject they were teaching.

Commentators see a similarity in Paul's prohibitions here, to those of the Ten Commandments. Note this table of comparison as given by Homer Kent:
The first table of the Decalogue is covered in general terms.

I Timothy 1:9, 10 Exodus 20:1-17
Lawless and disobedient 1. Thou shalt have no other
gods before me.
Ungodly and sinners 2. Thou shalt not make
unto thee any graven image

Unholy and profane 3. Thou shalt not take
the name of the Lord in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day.

By these three pairs of words the second table is covered more completely:

Father-smiters and 5. Honor thy father and thy mother.
mother-smiters
Murderers 6. Thou shalt not kill.
Fornicators, Sodomites 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Kidnappers 8. Thou shalt not steal,

Liars, perjurers 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.

Any other thing. 10. Thou shalt not covet.

The above information as to the proper use of "the law" is in perfect agreement to, and a part of, the Good News entrusted to Paul. The Gospel (or the Faith) would teach that sinners are to be brought under the judgment of God by the law. When mankind is shown to be guilty and condemned before God's righteous law, our prayer is they will hear with eagerness the Good News that "Christ died to save sinners".

Share "His Good News" today with someone who needs to hear it. God Bless until our next time...

BIBLE BAPTISM

2011-12-10T11:31:00.002-05:00

Our word "baptize" is translated from the original Greek word "baptizo", which means to immerse. All Greek Bible dictionaries define the word "baptizo" only as immerse, dip or plunge. "Baptizo" does not mean sprinkle or pour. If our Lord had wanted people to be sprinkled, he would have inspired the New Testament writers to use the Greek word "rhantizo". If our Lord wanted people to be poured He would have inspired New Testament writers to use the Greek word "katacheo". But he didn’t, so "baptizo" was used, which can only mean to immerse.
Let’s look in the Bible to see how people were baptized. In John 3:23 we read, "Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there." Why was John baptizing near Salim? "Because there was much water there." Scriptural baptism, which is immersion, according to the Bible requires much water.

In Mark 1:5 we read, "Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to Him, and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River." Why was John baptizing in the Jordan River? Could it be "because there was much water there" in a river?

In Mark 1:9-10, we continue to read, "And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove." When Jesus was baptized, he was baptized in the Jordan River. Why? Again, because there is much water in a river which is required for scriptural baptism, which is immersion. Also notice after Jesus was baptized, he came "up out of the water." So scriptural baptism not only requires much water, but it also requires "coming up out of the water." This cannot be said of sprinkling or pouring.

Next we turn to Acts 8:36-39. The evangelist, Philip, had been teaching the gospel or good news of Christ to an Ethiopian eunuch while they were riding along in a chariot. Then in verses 36-39 we read: "Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, See here is water, what hinders me from being baptized? And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing." Here we see the baptism God has authorized in the Bible requires the "coming to some water", "going down into the water," and after a person is immersed it requires "coming up out of the water." How much clearer could the Bible be on the mode of baptism? Also notice after the eunuch was baptized, "he went on his way rejoicing." Why? Because he was now saved and all of his sins had been taken away. This is certainly something for one to rejoice.

Romans 6:4 says, "Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death." Here we see that baptism is a burial, which is what is done when one is immersed. Sprinkling is not a burial; it is only sprinkling. Neither is pouring a burial. Both are unlawful substitutions made by man which will cause many people to be lost.

Colossians 2:12 says we are "buried with him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him." Here again God requires the one being baptized, to be buried and raised when he is baptized. When we bury a dead person in the cemetery, we do not lay him out on the grass and sprinkle a little dirt on him. No, that would be absurd, and it is just as absurd in trying to substitute sprinkling for baptism. Sprinkling for baptism is foreign to the scriptures. God did not authorize it. There is not one instance anywhere in the Bible where anyone was sprinkled for baptism.

But we then ask the question, from where then did sprinkling or pouring come? The first recorded case in all of early church history was that of Novatian in 251 AD, who lay sick on his bed and water was poured on him. Who made this first exception, man or God? Man did without the authorization of God. God has not approved of it. Sprinkling is just as vain as if it had never been done. This man made exception over the centuries became the man made accepted practice until at the Council of Ravenna in 1311 AD, man legalized sprinkling for baptism, but without God’s authority.

The person who insists on following this man made teaching of sprinkling or pouring has refused to obey God. Sprinkling is without God’s authority. There is no baptism in the absence of immersion. If you were sprinkled or poured, then you have not been scripturally baptized. You still have every sin that you have ever committed and are still lost. If you refuse to admit that your sprinkling is wrong, you will go to your grave refusing to do God's will. On the Day of Judgment you will be eternally condemned to the fires of Hell. Such a tragedy.

"THREE FORGOTTEN WORDS"

2011-11-25T20:56:00.002-05:00

From Titus 2:15 we read , "These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee." (KJV)
As An Evangelist of the New Testament kind, Titus was on the Island of Crete 'to set things in order'. (Titus 1:5) The New Testament evangelist has been given the authority, or responsibility, by The Word of God to get his job done. People are to respect and pay attention to what he says as he teaches and shares the doctrines of God.
Notice that what Titus was told to do is intensified with each additional word used in the text. "THESE THINGS SPEAK, AND EXHORT, AND REBUKE WITH ALL AUTHORITY."
The word 'SPEAK' is the general word. Exhort is a little stronger, involving not only teaching, but urging these truths on those who listen and hear.
The word 'REBUKE' is the most intensified, having to do with convincing people, from God's Word, of their faults and sins against God (with the idea of bringing shame), for the purpose of correction taking place in individual lives.
Therefore, in these three forgotten words it is The Holy Spirit who shows us that God means business, and it is the evangelist who is God's man to see to it that the congregation is obedient to that Word of Truth.
If the milder first two do not bring results, he is to let the people know this is a very serious matter and not to be taken lightly. GOD'S message, HIS Word, is to be heeded, honored and lived daily by those who profess to be God's followers. Timothy received similar instruction and direction from the Apostle Paul (1 Tim. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:15).

"SELF IMPRISONED"

2011-11-10T10:46:00.002-05:00

We live in a great country and are blessed by a lot of freedom, as citizens here or citizens of Heaven. But sometimes we can and do imprison ourselves. We can build prisons of bitterness, of worry, of perceptions about circumstances, of addiction, of jealousy or other sins. God can free us from our self-made prisons, and this is HIS desire. And these prisons in our own minds, which we inflict on ourselves, can be the most restricting of all. Let's look at some today.

First, is Bitterness: When we refuse to forgive someone, who is the one that is hurt the most? Who is the one most likely to lose sleep? Whose stomach churns furiously when that person is in sight? Who thinks of possibilities and ways of revenge? Who stews about it? It's the one who won't let it go. Bitterness is a poison a person drinks in order to hurt the other person.

Second, is worry: We can lose hours of sleep, elevate our blood pressure and distract ourselves from the good things for God we could be doing - all in worry about something we probably can't change anyway! Maybe you've seen the statistic that 90% of what we worry about never even takes place!

Then there is jealousy which can be a cruel prison as well. King Saul is a good example of that.
From 1 Samuel 18:7-12 we read,
"As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."
8 Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" 9 And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. 10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. 12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul." (NIV)

Saul became obsessed with getting rid of David, whom he "eyed" as an enemy. It imprisoned his mind, took over his life, consumed him. Worst of all, it removed him from God. The word "eyed" is key here. We often "eye" or perceive circumstances or events as unbearable, unchangeable. The answer to all these areas in life is to put your trust in, lean on and grow in The Lord. From Proverbs 3:5 we read, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight" (RSV) May God bless

"A GOOD EXAMPLE"

2011-10-25T17:03:00.000-04:00

Welcome back and I pray you had a great week as you served our Lord and worshiped HIM. Today I want to share with you on the subject of being a good example to others around us. We often do not think of ourselves in this way as much as we should, but we are being watched. As we look at the meaning of the word "example" from the Greek language, it may help to shed some light on our thoughts for today.

From Strong's Greek Dictionary, it is pronounced "hupodeigma, or hoop-od'-igue-mah" and has the following meaning, "an exhibit for imitation or warning, pattern."

This means two things as we look at the meaning here. Number one, as an exhibit for imitation. As I was sitting in the worship service at one of the local congregations as a visitor recently, I noticed a generous portion of the folks NOT singing or even going through the motions as praise was lifted to honor God. I know some people think they cannot carry a tune in a bucket if the lid was welded on, but that is not what is important. The important thing is the little ones, the non-Christians and the new Christians who are watching each of us and the kind of message we are sending them as we "worship" God, or worse, do not worship HIM as we should. Do they see it worth while to even be there or will they follow the example of those who show no enthusiasm for the reason we congregate? Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (NKJV). We are to be "little Christ's", Christians, to others around us, in the worship and outside the worship arena. Let us show some "enthusiasm" for Godly things. (By the way, the root word for enthusiasm in the Greek means "God In").

Secondly, the word means to be an example as a warning. I see this as two fold as well. First, to warn others of the wrath of God that will come on those who are disobedient to HIM, as His Word so clearly states; and second as a person who has "been there done that" and knows the result or consequences of going down certain roads in life. We are to be ones who warn of impending doom because we are, or should be, a bit wiser than those younger in The Faith, or those who are yet to make a decision for Christ.

An example; so many today look to Hollywood or some other ungodly example and are disappointed when they fail and become less than what was expected. If you are a child of God, it cannot be expressed deeply enough as to how important it is to be a good and sincere example for the kingdom of our Lord. Now, go and do the right thing. God bless until our next time..

But I Believe...!!!

2011-10-14T16:46:00.000-04:00

The world today is filled with people who have a "belief system" of one type or another, whether in THE ONE TRUE GOD or a god-myth of tradition or culture or convenience, or the so-called atheists among us who claim there is no "GOD". In trying to deal with many of these folks and persuade them of the ONE and ONLY GOD, we often hear at one point or other, "...But we believe...", and on they go with the reasoning for where it is they stand even if that stand is somewhat based on the Holy Scriptures known as The Bible.

"BUT WE BELIEVE..." should never be an excuse or a replacement for, "THE WORD OF GOD STATES..." but I fear it has become just that way. A question each of us must ask now and then is, "Am I following God and HIS WORD as it was originally written (after all, HE wrote it by way of His HOLY SPIRIT through inspired men), or am I more concerned with the sect or group with which I am associated, whether a denomination or other false teaching religion." I fear there is a large percentage in this country and around the world who, for whatever reason, have been absorbed into one religion or other without much thought or personal study into what is truly being taught and from where it originates. In other words, too many today are following blindly what the large group is teaching and not asking the proper questions to find the truth. Many big names seem to attract people. To question that man or religious group is certainly out of the area of possibility. After all he has been to school and knows so much more than the average person.

God's Word will never change!! God will never change!! No matter how many people vote to make certain religious items "The Way Things Are Today", we will be judged by what God has already said in His Word as it is written.

DO IT LIKE HE DONE IT!!!

2011-09-28T11:00:00.003-04:00

As I was doing some reading this past week I got some ideas for these devotions and I look forward to sharing many with you in the future. God bless as you read and hopefully share these with others who might need to be encouraged. So let's begin again.

According to a newspaper columnist, a major business concern received the following letter from one of its salesmen~ It was apparent that this particular salesmen was somewhat illiterate, but his letter read rather well.

Here is that letter:
"Dear Boss, I seen this outfit which ain't never bot a dime's wurth of nuthin from us and so I sole them a cuple hundred thosand dolars wurth of our guds. I am now on my way to Chacawgo."

Two days later a second letter arrived reading as follows: "I com here and sole them over haf a milyon dolars wurth." Both of these letters were posted on the company bulletin board with a note attached from the company's president.

Here is how it read:
"We ben spendin too much time tryin to spel insted of tryin to sel. I want evrybody should reed these letters from Gooch (salesmen's name) -he is on the rode doin a grate job for us. You should go out, all of you, and do like he done."

The lesson here might be more obvious to some than to others, but here it is. Sometimes in our lives we get so easily caught up trying to think of new ways or methods of reaching lost souls for Christ. We sit in meetings and come up with gimmicks that are sometimes so outlandish that we know no one could resist. Programs are launched and much effort is put into planning and devising ways to get 'THEIR' interest. We organize and reorganize; we establish institutions for the purpose of hopefully getting the work done that we know needs to be done, sometime, somewhere, by someone. Too often we fall in love with the mechanics of our invention rather than the product it was intended to produce. Often we forget our purpose, the very purpose which we accepted and to which we were called. Are we as the Church spending too much time greasing the machinery or only trying to enlarge our machine for the purpose of numbers alone? Our concern should still be, and always be, the same as Christ's concern; those outside of Christ who need to hear of this loving Saviour. A few 'Goochs' are worth more to the cause of Christ than all the organizations of human design.

Jesus made it very simple, "Go therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20).
The Apostle Paul wrote, "I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; to both the wise and the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel " (Romans 1: 14-15).

God bless until our next time.

2011-09-08T15:44:00.001-04:00

WHEN GOD FORGIVES #2

Hello once again and today we begin part two of "When God Forgives." One of the best descriptions of forgiveness I have ever heard goes something like this; "Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heal that crushes it." Think about that for a minute. That violet only releases the true essence of what makes the violet a violet. It is pure violet all the way through and nothing else. No matter how much fertilizer or manure has been thrown its way, it still becomes a beautiful violet. It was at one time only a seed with no life or beauty of its own. But when it was planted and cared for by the master gardener, it became that beautiful flower and without complaint.

As we continue with our study on forgiveness, for those who are in Christ there is a very important aspect we fail many times to truly appreciate and understand, or obey. That, of course, is that as we have been forgiven by God and Christ of all our sins, we are to forgive others of all their sins against us. The very first time this concept is mentioned in the New Testament is when Christ Himself teaches us to pray. In Matthew 6:12 Jesus says, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (NIV). That is in the past tense. Forgive us as we have already forgiven others. Another example comes from Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (NIV)

As Christians we have an obligation to forgive, not a choosing of whom or when or if. When we recognize what we have IN CHRIST, what He did to forgive us, and how unworthy we were (and are) to receive His salvation, do we not owe that to anyone and everyone no matter what they have done to hurt us? The Bible, God's Word, tells us that Christ died for ALL sins. Not just for the few simple ones we did, that are certainly not as bad as what THOSE PEOPLE have done. The Bible says He became ALL SIN FOR US. In II Corinthians 5:21 the Holy Spirit speaks through Paul and says, "God made him (Christ) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (NIV).

If there is any way for the Christian to live in any generation, it is to imitate Christ Himself and to be the righteousness of Christ. As He was even on the cross in all the agony and pain that He did not deserve, He asked God to forgive everyone around for what they had done. Can you imagine one of those people who crucified the Lord on that day being in heaven? I can, because that person will be just like you and me. Remember when Saul was blinded on the road to Damascus? Jesus appeared in Acts 9:4 where it says, "He (Saul) fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? “Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied (NIV). Paul had offended many people of “THE WAY” (Christianity), but Christ said later in that story that HE Himself would show Paul how much he should suffer.

When God's people are hurt, abused or offended, we need to look at it as Christ being persecuted, not ourselves, and then let God deal with them for His benefit and His glory. The point I want to make in all that has been said today is simple. No matter how much STUFF (manure, fertilizer) has been placed in your life by way of abuse or humiliation of any kind and from anyone, look at it as God allowing you to be fertilized so you can grow strong. Do not look at it as a negative or like "Why ME?" Those who have made it tough for you should only make you tougher and stronger as a child of God.

The Bible is clear when it tells us that if we fail to truly forgive each other, not just say it but show it, God Himself will not forgive us. Refusing to show forgiveness is a terrible thought and it will keep anyone from the glories of heaven. It is simply not worth holding on to bitterness and anger and unforgiveness toward another person and miss being with God and Christ forever. Take inventory of what Christ has for us and not how you have been offended. May God bless and continue to grow in Him.

WHEN GOD FORGIVES

2011-08-24T10:33:00.001-04:00

Today I want to do a bit of a study on something we may have touched on in a previous lesson but something I believe we need to hit head on and not only for our own sakes but also for the sake of others.

Again this is one of those subjects that is difficult at times to accomplish but is, according to God and His Word, a definite must if heaven is to be a reality for anyone of us. The subject is "Forgiveness."

The first thing we need to do is to define the word from the language of the Bible. In the Greek it means to "forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave,let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up"(Strong's Greek Dictionary). When I think of my sins against God, I am very thankful that this is what He does when I repent. He lays them aside, He remits them, He sends them away, He omits them completely, and treats me as though they never took place (Justified, made innocent).

He does not throw them up in my face and remind me of the awful things I did "way back when." When God forgives, He forgives absolutely. But understand this; there are conditions to His forgiving me and you. Two things, according to God's Word, must take place if you and I are to remain in a state of forgiveness by God. We will look at the first one this week and the second one in our next study. First of all, we need to repent of any sin or sins in our life.

That means that we must recognize where we have failed God and where we have been disobedient to Him and His will. Often in our lives we are too busy looking at the wrongs of others and not focusing on our own failures toward God and our own need to repent and get right with Him.

I recall the time just prior to Christ being crucified as the disciples were gathered in the upper room for the Passover. Jesus said that one of them would betray Him (Matthew 26:21). I noticed something in that story that too often goes unnoticed. The disciples were so concerned about who it was that would betray Christ that they each spoke up and said, "Is it I Lord?"

Nowhere is it even assumed that there were whispers like, "Surely it must be Peter, we know what he is like when the Lord is not around", or, "It must be Judas, He handles the money and we all know how that can turn out." The truth is they looked inside themselves and not out to anyone else. The question we should ask ourselves is this, "Have I sinned against my God? Am I even now doing something that would hinder another soul from knowing and accepting the Truth of God's Holy Word?"

If there is one thing that separates the Christian from the non-Christian it is the fact of forgiveness. This is why Christ came to earth and this is why Christ died that cruel death on the cross (Matthew 1:21). This is what each of us needs and this is what God and Christ offer.

Each of us must examine ourselves honestly by the standard of God's Holy Word and make repentance as needed. No person is "Good Enough" within themselves to gain salvation. Not one of us is without sin; all of us need the forgiveness that only God can give. You may be a 'good' person, moral, upstanding and loving to your fellow man.

But understand this; people do not go to heaven because they are good people in those ways. People go to heaven because they have accepted Christ on His terms. For the same reason, people do not go to an eternal hell because they were 'not-so-good' people. People go to hell because they rejected that same Christ
(Read Isaiah 64:6; Philippians 3:9).

I would encourage you to accept Christ on His terms and gain the forgiveness you need today to be right with Him. That only comes by repenting of sin, confessing Christ as the only begotten Son of God, and being buried by immersion into Christ for the forgiveness of your sins (Acts 2:38: 1 Peter 3:21).

Next week we will look at the second part of this subject that can be more difficult for some. Pray about that and I will see you in our next study.

May God Bless…

"I KNOW WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS, BUT WE BELIEVE..."

2011-08-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

Godly Goals

2011-07-21T16:11:00.003-04:00

Read Colossians 2...

Paul had goals in life for God's people for which he struggled and strived. Colossians 2 tells us those goals? (1) that the Colossians might be comforted; (2) that they might be knit together in love; (3) that they might be knit together unto all riches of understanding, that is, knit together so they could come to the full riches of understanding God's Word.

First, the verb comfort (Gr. parakaleo ) has the double meaning of "to comfort" as well as "to exhort, or urge". Our comfort in Christ today, as we consider what He has done for us, should be an exhortation or an urging to us to serve Him better. Scripture tells us that Tychicus was sent to the Ephesians and the Colossians to comfort their hearts and minds in Christ. Eph. 6:22; Col. 4:8.

Second, the Colossians were to be knit together in love. The word knit means "to cause to coalesce, to join together, to put together, to unite". We think of broken bones being knit back together until the pieces become one again. In this same way Christians should be knit together in love, to one another and to the Head, Jesus christ. (Col. 2:19). Without proper, biblical love being shown, a church is not a true church as Christ had in mind.

Third, the goal for which Christians are knit together is that "they may come unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding."
Our blessed associating and congregating together as Christians is a wonderful teacher in and of itself. Better than any words it reveals to us the riches of our faith and gives us assurance as we see the faithfulness of
others around us.
Keep The Faith by giving it away...

The New is better...

2011-07-07T15:02:00.002-04:00

Read Romans 8...

As Paul states here in our text, "The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death." In other words, it is only by the gospel of Christ (that is the preaching of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ) that man is freed from the condemnation of the old law. This Mosiac law was a law of sin, as it gave the definition and understanding of sin, and also because it became a means of bringing sin into a man's life, as it was used by Satan. When man sinned under the old law, the penalty of death was his only reward. However, it is a wonderful thing to know that all of that is lifted from man's heart because the Son, Jesus Christ, through His gospel has made man free by faith and obedience in the teachings of Christ and he is truly free indeed.
The law was the only other provision made by God for man's justification. lf man had kept the law he would surely have stood justified before God, but the law was weak; its weakness was not within itself but in the flesh of man. Man's spirit was often willing to obey the old law, but his flesh was too weak to carry out the demands of that law. Our Heavenly Father, however, did not leave us to the power of Satan through the law, because what the law could not do, the Law-giver could, and what He could do, He did by sending his Son. We know how it took place; the eternal word was made flesh, that is, He inhabited a body in which there was as much tendency to sin as in any other mortal creation. Christ not only came "in the likeness of sinful flesh," but He came to be offered "for sin." He came knowing no sin that He might be made to be sin for US that we through Him might stand justified before God. (2 Cor.5:21)
Also, in coming in this body of flesh and being tempted in all points like we are tempted, and yet not giving in to Satan's suggestions, He condemned the idea that because you and I are "in the flesh" we must of a necessity give in to sinful ways and thinking.
May God bless...

A Mind Of Thanks...

2011-06-17T13:34:00.003-04:00

Read Philippians chapter 1.

Those things in our lives that we commonly think about and how we feel are generally what is most important to us.
The apostle Paul gives us an example of what it means to be right-minded. In Philippians chapter one he shows us a mind of thanks.

Personal thanks; (1: 3-8 )
Paul seemed to have honestly liked people. He liked the Philippians. He was blessed when with them and missed them when absent. He was not thankful only for God’s blessings in some abstract way, but a genuine thanks for people as individuals. He appreciated the Philippians for their partnership with him in his work of the Gospel. His thankfulness for them led him to feel confident about their future and way of life.

Prayerful thanks; (1:9-11 )
Paul also prayed that their love might abound (overflow) more and more, leading them to better knowledge and more fruitfulness as they remained faithful to Christ and His Words.

Optomistic thanks; (1:2-26)
Optimistic thanks for past events. Even as he was confined by being arrested in Rome, Paul had won many to Christ, even from the Praetorian Guard who kept watch. At the same time other Christians had been made bolder. Even the few Christian preachers who were envious of Paul and tried to bring misery upon him, were still preaching the gospel, and Paul rejoiced and gave thanks in this.
(1: 12-18)

Paul also had optimistic thanks for future hopes. Whether Paul himself lived or died made no real difference to Paul. If he died, that was gain to him; to be with Christ. If he lived, his life would bring progress and joy to many Philippians who as yet did not know Christ. (1: 19-26)

Concerned thanks; (1: 27-30)
Paul was concerned that their manner of life be worthy of the gospel, and that they not be frightened in their Christian walk either by enemies or by any suffering that came their way.

If we have an attitude of thanks for what blessings we have, we will have little time to complain when things seem to be against us. God Bless!!!

Judgment Day Is Coming!!!

2011-05-31T12:42:00.000-04:00

There is a day coming in which we will all stand in judgment before the Lord. “And as it is appointed for men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Each individual has two appointments, which we will definitely keep: death and judgment. They cannot be cancelled or changed. When we draw our last breath our eternal destiny is sealed. We don’t know when we will die. We might drop dead of a heart attack or stroke in the next few minutes or be killed in a car accident in the next week.
Life is uncertain, but Judgment day is certain. There is no way to escape it. All of us will be there for this final appointment. We will not get out of this life alive.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done in the body, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:10-11). No one will be excluded from the Judgment. Every person, who has ever lived, that is now living, and who ever will live, will stand before the Lord and be judged.

We do not know when Judgment Day will come in spite of man’s predictions. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:10-11).

We must take very serious this Judgment. When God decides to end time, as His Word states, “the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written ‘As I live says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God’. So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10-12).

What will the judgment be like? “Then I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things written in the books…And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire…The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:11-12,15). Being cast into the lake of fire with the devil is not very good company to be with forever and ever. Is your name in the Book of Life? Are you sure? Your eternal destiny of either Heaven or Hell will be determined by whether your name is there or not.

Take life, and death, seriously.

Sentinel Found Standing

2011-05-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

In Ephesians 6:11-13 we read these words, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (NIV)

In 79 AD POMPEII was destroyed by the volcano Mt. Vesuvius in Italy. The ash and rocks from the volcano covered 65 acres.
History tells us that some 25,000 people were buried in the ruins that remained. Many of the residents were afterwards found in very different situations. There were some who were found in the streets, as if they had been attempting to make their escape and avoid destruction. Some were found in deep vaults below ground, as if they had gone there for security. There were others found in high, lofty chambers trying to avoid death itself.
But where did they find that Roman sentinel? They found him standing at the city gate, with his hand still holding tightly to his weapon, where he had been placed by his commanding officer; and there, while the lava stream rolled, he had stood at his post; and there, after a thousand years had passed away, he was still found standing. Dear Christian, we have been given a duty by The God of this universe. Let us never be found away from our post but always remaining faithful to His Word and the teachings of Christ. May the Captain of our salvation find us faithful in spite of the trials and problems this world may offer.

"RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE"

2011-05-05T16:08:00.000-04:00

As we look throughout the Holy Scriptures, the message of Christ was always one of love. Yet He never once taught religious tolerance, this has become a fabrication of man. When speaking to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, Jesus said, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men'" (Matthew 15:7-9 NIV). Does that sound like He is tolerant of their religious ideas? By no means. In speaking with them in another passage Jesus says, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God.......you belong to your father, the devil" (John 8:42-47). This does not look like Christ is indulging these folks.

If Jesus did not teach religious tolerance, where do we get the idea? It must be something man devised for the sake of himself and not God. The question we must ask, and answer, is "How important is doctrinal purity?" In a world where anything goes, are we allowing anything that comes down the pike to become the norm when it is pronounced as religious teaching or belief?

In Romans 16:17 the apostle Paul, as he was inspired of God's Holy Spirit, says, "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them" (NIV).

As "The Church" gathers each Lord's Day to honor God and the sacrifice of Christ, doctrinal purity is something that must be maintained. When anyone or any group begins to allow practices or teachings that are contrary to God's Word to enter their lives, problems are not far behind. God was, and is, very serious about the teachings He gave the apostles to give to us. Let us make sure we are doing and saying only those things that God has already approved of in THE WORD. Worship God this Lord's Day, not with your lips only, but from the heart as it is written.
You have probably seen billboards or signs that say "Go to the church of your choice." I want to encourage you to go to the Church/worship of God's choice.

The Sinner's Prayer

2011-04-11T13:12:00.003-04:00

We must ask ourselves one question here; is The Bible, as it is written, the only document by which we gain salvation as God determined? If you answered 'No', therein lies a grave problem. If, however, you said 'YES', then why are so many who agree accepting the man-made doctrine or theology of the sinner's prayer?
This modern apostasy and false teaching is preventing mankind from being saved as God has laid out in His Word.
No one in the Bible ever 'prayed only' for their initial salvation. There is not one example in New Testament scripture of this ever taking place. They did however believe on the testimony of The Apostle's as given by God's Holy Spirit, repent of their sin and rejection of God's terms of salvation, confess Jesus as THE ONLY begotten of The Father and were immersed in water, by faith, for the forgiveness of their sins and to receive the indwelling of The Holy Spirit. The sinners prayer is an innovation of man that thwarts God's plan of salvation. Man is not saved when man decides, but rather when God decides.
First, history tells us they replaced believers baptism by immersion with infant baptism by sprinkling. Second, they later replaced baptism altogether with the "sinners prayer" so that baptism is no longer even part of the plan of salvation. If you prayed the "sinners prayer" for your salvation, according to God's Holy Word, you are still lost in your sins, because it is not what God said to do.
The earliest notion of the sinners prayer is actually less than 500 years old. It was not formalized as a theology until around the time of Billy Graham. C.S. Lewis used the term "a great cataract of nonsense" to describe how people use a modern idea to construe Bible theology. One such example, perhaps the best example, is this conversion method called the Sinner's Prayer.
If you want a 'New Age' theology you have many from which to choose that save no one, but if you want that old time religion God initiated through His Son Jesus Christ, there is only one place to go; "study (The Word of God) to show yourself approved unto God...". Go back to the Word and see what God says and not man. Give up any and all practices of doctrine not found in His Word. After all, we will be judged by The Word and not by what we 'thought' was O.K.
God's Word is The Truth, can you handle The Truth?

"Know The Truth"

2011-03-24T10:29:00.000-04:00

Read John 8:31 &32.
It should be evident that Jesus is addressing His remarks to a group of Jews at the Feast of Tabernacles who had, in some way, revealed a superficial belief in Him. They wanted to believe in ‘A’ Messiah, but not ‘THE’ Messiah. They were willing to follow, fight or even die for a physical, earthly King, but they would hear nothing of a spiritual King who demanded sovereignty over their motives, thoughts and actions. They would gladly serve Him with their lips, but not with their entire being.
In verse 31 Jesus plainly states the requirements for genuine discipleship to The true Messiah. To abide in His Word is to make that Word our dwelling place and to live by The Word as the Bread of Life. His Word is the ONLY source of true life (John 6:63); and to abide in it is to keep it faithfully (I Cor. 15:58; Acts 2:42; Col. 1:23; II John 9). In John 13:35 Jesus tells how we are to express our witness and our discipleship to the world, by loving one another as He has loved us.
In verse 32 we find a great paradox. To really be absolutely free, every man must submit himself completely to Christ’s Word. According to the Greek language so much more than intellectual recognition is involved in “knowing” the truth as Jesus means it here. To “know the truth” is also to do it and to experience it (John 7:17; Psalm 1). There are those who are aware of the truth intellectually, but yet do not “know” The Truth because they refuse to live according to precepts of truth.
When Christ speaks of truth He speaks of all that is embodied in the Life He lived and the doctrines He taught; both in His Incarnation and by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. That which is truth is that which is real, genuine and authentic. The truth is not a philosophical abstraction which is reached by the reasoning of the human mind. It is not relative to time or change or feeling. Truth, all truth, originates in God and is divine and everlasting fact. The truth that Jesus Christ brings and desires for men to trust in, is the eternal truths of God. These are completely contrary from the things which are temporary (II Cor. 4:18-5:7; Jn. 6:27; Heb. 12:27; I Jn. 2:15-17; Psa. 102:25 -26). But the truth of God abides forever and is unchangeable. Know The Truth, Jesus Christ The Word, and it will set you free...God Bless.

"BY WHAT AUTHORITY?"

2011-03-11T13:59:00.003-05:00

One day during the life of Jesus Christ we find He was teaching in the temple. This was not unusual for The Lord. He was teaching the chief priests and elders, many powerful men with great authority. They confronted Christ with a question, that question being, "By what authority?" Matthew 21:23 reads, "Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?" (NIV).
In other words, these powerful men were asking, "Who, or what, gives you the right to do what it is that you are doing? Who gives you, Jesus, the authority you claim?"
We understand today that it was God. God gave him all the authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Whatever Jesus Christ spoke came from heaven. Whatever Jesus taught was what God wanted taught (John 12:49 & 50). Many in our world today claim to believe and love God but at the same time reject Jesus as The Christ, The Son of God. I am at a loss to understand how some can "claim" God to be Holy and Just and Righteous and True, yet at the same time disbelieve what He says about Christ to be anything but true. Is God a liar? Did He not speak truth when He spoke of His Son in Matthew 17:5 "While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (NIV). Then also Matthew 3:16 & 17 "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (NIV) No other person or prophet was ever given this declaration. John 3:16 even tells us that "He gave His ONLY begotten Son". He is NOT 'A SON OF GOD', HE IS THE ONLY, UNIQUE Savior.
All who claim to be followers of God need to be confronted with this same question; "by what authority?" By whose authority are we living our lives? Have we surrendered our hearts and lives to the authority of Jesus Christ because God claims Him to be 'the One'? Being a Christian, that is a person belonging to Christ, is not about being popular, but about being obedient to Jesus Christ our Lord. If Jesus has spoken on any given subject, then His words have THE final authority, not the popular words of any denomination or cult. My thoughts and my opinions, my desires and my feelings, my likes and my dislikes must surrender to his teaching and the teachings of His Father, God (Luke 6:46). Jesus taught the rules of faith, and the Christian lives by these rules (Galatians 2:20). God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). If God made Him Lord and Christ, who is anyone to deny God's Holy Truth? Man is the liar and false teacher. Let God be found to be true!!! Make Him Lord of your life. Obey His teachings. Always seek His authority for what you do and believe and follow. God bless...

Love and Forgiveness

2011-02-24T13:47:00.000-05:00

In Ephesians 4:32-5:2 we find a wonderful admonition from The Holy Spirit to the Ephesian Christians that has so much to do with love. As Paul begins he speaks of the negative prohibitions and then, as usual, he ends with love. If we, as God’s people, really have the desire to perfect our love, we will take these words to heart. Read these words: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God..”(Ephesians 4:31-5:2 NIV).

Too often in Christ’s Body there are harsh and bitter dealings we have with one another and we are told that these are to be replaced by kindness and forgiveness as we walk in love. Peter also admonishes newborn Christians,
“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,” (1 Peter 2:1,2 NIV).

John said, “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” (1 John 3:14,15 NIV).
There is no place for grudges, no place for malice, no place for ill will and no place for bitterness in our lives. We are to imitate God and the Lord Jesus Christ in our love and forgiveness. Many have claimed to forgive someone of something but have yet to prove it by showing love. It is easy to say “I love”, but to show it can be difficult. To say “I forgive” and walk away and DO nothing is contradictory to calling our self a Christian. If you love Me”, Jesus said, “keep My commandments..” Love and forgiveness go hand in hand. We prove the one by demonstrating the other. God bless...

Are we Saved By Faith Only?

2011-02-01T12:02:00.003-05:00

The doctrine is being taught that a person is saved the very moment he believes in Jesus Christ, that he is SAVED without any further acts of obedience. The book of James has a lot to say on this subject of faith and works. For example: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" James 2: 17.
Probably misunderstood as well is the doctrine of good works being that which saves. People confuse the good works of the gospel, which the Bible clearly defines as necessary, with the works of the law of Moses, or the meritorious works of men in an effort to earn salvation.
The Bible does not teach that people are saved by works of the Old Testament law of Moses, because we read in Romans Chapter 3, verse 20, that "by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight". From Colossians Chapter 2, verse 14, we learn that the law of Moses was nailed to the cross of Christ. We know that the only hope for salvation for lost humanity today is by way of the gospel of Christ. We do not believe that a person is saved by the works of the law, but through the works of faith and the labor of love in obedience to Christ.
While the Bible says: "By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified", it also says in James Chapter 2, verse 24: "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only." 'These works then must NOT be the works of the law, but are the works of faith revealed in the gospel of Christ. The law of Moses is dead and its works mean nothing today, but the works of the gospel are vital.
A person is saved by the blood of Christ, through the grace of God. He is not saved by faith alone, but through obedience to the commandments of Christ. Jesus The Christ became "the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" Hebrews 5:9. This does not mean that the obedient soul earns, merits, or deserves salvation, but that he qualifies for the mercy and the grace of the Lord, who according to his mercy saves us "by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost" Titus 3: 5.
The Bible makes it clear in that same passage that while we are being saved through the washing of regeneration (or baptism) and the renewing of the Holy Ghost that it is not by works done in righteousness which we have done ourselves. But if we do not submit ourselves to the righteousness of God in obedience to His Holy Word, we cannot be saved no matter how we may feel.
There are many Bible passages that show faith being necessary, that we are saved by faith, justified by faith, and so on. Every one of these passages is to be believed and accepted. But there is one similar thing about all these passages on faith, not one single passage ever says we are saved by faith only. There are no such passages to be found in the Bible.
Here is a great point to remember: Never in any age or dispensation in human history has God saved man by faith alone. God has always required faith right alongside obedience. No other formula for salvation has ever worked. None ever will. Jesus said: "'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" Mark 16:16. It is faith plus obedience, never one without the other. This is the only principle under which God has always worked in saving man. It is useless and in vain to expect him to make an exception to the rule now and save anyone by faith only and without obedience. After all, it was Jesus Christ who said, "If you love Me, keep My commandents."

"GOD'S GOOD PLEASURE"

2011-01-13T13:48:00.001-05:00

Read Colossians 1:20;
The teaching of Colossians 1:20 that God desires to reconcile all things to himself has been used as an argument that God will ultimately take everybody and everything to heaven. This false
teaching is called universalism, and completely contradicts so many other Scriptures concerning eternal punishment that it simply cannot be true. Mark 9:43-48; Matt. 25:46; Rev. 14: 11; 20:10, 15.

It seems that while it is 'God’s good pleasure' that all things be reconciled, many people simply will not cooperate with God on His terms. God has never forced anyone to accept Him or listen to His Word, although it is true that we cannot escape the consequences of refusing to accept and hear Him.
It is our own eviI works that have alienated us from God and made us enemies in our minds toward God. This alienation was one-sided, and existed only in our minds. John 3:16 teaches that God loved the world.
The world, however, because of its sins hated Him. Any time one person wrongs another, (a child his parent, a pupil his teacher, a worker his employer, a criminal society, a husband his wife, etc.) hostility and separation grow up within the one who has done the wrong. This seems so backward to our thinking; it seems that the one who has been wronged should be offended and walk away. But human nature works the other way. The one doing the wrong alienates self, even if the one who was wronged has forgiven him.
God himself was confronted with this very situation. In order to convince man's alienated heart that God truly loved him, God, the One wronged, made the supreme sacrifice. He gave up his own Son. If the sacrifice of God’s own son cannot bring our hearts and minds to love God, nothing can. (II Cor. 5: 19; Eph. 2:13-17). God has made peace between man and Himself by the blood of Christ's cross. (Eph. 3:16, 14).
We are then called to be like Christ and have the ministry of reconciliation with one another; Sacrificing self for others.

"LOVE OF THE BROTHERS"

2010-12-30T15:39:00.000-05:00

Read 1 John 5:1-3.
Divine love is not recognized in God’s children by our feelings but rather by our obedience. There are those who are children of God whose personalities clash with our own. It is absurd to think we will ever come to the place where we “feel good” toward them. Is this proof that we do not love them? Are feelings like these contrary to the love that we must have for our brothers in Christ? John does not say so.
We are commanded to love every one who is a legitimate child of God. When we remember what love is, then it is not as impossible as it might at first seem. It is from the example of Jesus that we learn the true nature of this love. He gave His life not only for His friends, but for His enemies. He prayed through clenched teeth for those who drove the spikes in His hands and feet. When other men would have kicked and cursed, He voluntarily laid down to be nailed on the cross for those who accused Him falsely, who spit in His face, and who laughed at His claim to be God’s Son. If we love as He loved we will also lay down our lives willingly for those who mistreat us.
We know we love our brothers when we keep God’s commandments. If the habit of our life is to respond with instant obedience to any command of His, we will love those we cannot like before considering “our feelings” toward them. If we love someone long enough and sincerely enough, we may even get to like them! Practice does make perfect. John does not say that the keeping of God’s commands is easy. Remember, it is a cross, not a cushion, to which we are called! The idea is that the commandments of God do not seem unreasonable to the ones who love Him.

"CHURCH OFFICES"

2010-12-16T13:13:00.004-05:00

In this devotion we will consider a portion of the offices in the Church given by God’s Holy Spirit.
1) The apostles were the special messengers, the eyewitnesses of Christ’s resurrection(Acts 1:21-22; Luke 6 :13). Men may still be called apostles, in the sense that anyone who is sent is an apostle of the one who sends him. But strictly speaking, the twelve apostles had no successors.
While the office of apostle was temporary, the teachings of the twelve apostles should always be that which directs the church. In one sense, we can say that the church still has apostles, that is, the same ones it had in the beginning.
2) The prophets held another temporary office. These were both forthtellers and fortellers of God and His Words (See Zechariah 13:1-3; I Corinthians 13:8).
3) Preachers such as Timothy, Philip, and others, were called Evangelists (2 Timothy 4:5 ; Acts 21:8). The word evangelist means a bringer of good news. Evangelists may be called ministers (I Timothy 4:6). This office,by its very nature, must be permanent in the church. Evangelists will be needed as long as any person on earth has not heard the good news.
3) The pastors and teachers are those who are elsewhere called elders (presbyters ) or bishops (overseers) (Acts 20:17; Titus 1:5-7). These men are the overseers and teachers of individual congregations, and there should be more than one pastor in each church (Acts 14 :23).
The absence of the article ‘the’ before teachers in the Greek text, plus the fact that it is connected with pastors by a different conjunction than is used to separate the other offices, seems to indicate that the pastors and teachers are the
same office viewed from two different aspects, that is, from the teaching and shepherding aspect.
The common notion that an evangelist is a traveling preacher who holds revivals, and a pastor is a located preacher, has no foundation in the Scripture. Any preacher or minister of the gospel may be called an evangelist, and the elders ought to be called pastors.
Pastors and teachers are also permanent officers in the church. Let’s call Bible things by proper Bible names.

"WISDOM"

2010-11-24T17:09:00.002-05:00

READ James 1:5-8...
"If any man lack knowledge, let him go to college." Wisdom, however, is an entirely different matter. Good teachers may give us the facts of life, whether of this earthly life or of the spiritual life, in such a way that we can recall these facts and repeat them when necessary. Having learned these facts, we may be able to make good grades in school, or to carry on an intelligent conversation. We may even be able to use the facts in such a way as to demonstrate our ability to recall them. But this is not wisdom.
Wisdom is more than just the use of knowledge. . it is the practical use of knowledge. Therefore, wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in such a way that it brings benefit to the kingdom of God, to our fellow man, and to our own way of life.
A good teacher may lead us in the direction of wisdom, but a good teacher cannot give us wisdom. Wisdom is not contained in a list of facts to be learned, but rather in a process, a way of living.
Therefore, we speak of those who have "common horse-sense" (although often it is not so common in the world today!)
To continue steadfastly in the way of the Lord, hanging on in spite of all trials and temptations, will take wisdom. We need the ability to keep the end result in mind when it is momentarily lost from sight. We need the ability to keep our life focused on Jesus when the devil has us surrounded with the filth of this life. We need the ability to bear up under spiritual growing pains. We need to be able to recaIl the temporary nature of the pleasures of this world, to see through the camouflage of things seen to the real nature of things not seen. We cannot walk in the way of Christ without motivation; and without wisdom, motivation soon fades.

"COUNT IT ALL JOY"

2010-11-10T14:27:00.001-05:00

In James 1:2-4 we read these words, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (NIV)

Often the ‘right use of trials’ is of more value than the removal of those trials. If God sees fit not to remove a particular trial, then we can only conclude that the right use of the trial must be of some value to our life. Therefore, if out of some trial in life we have only grief and sorrow, an occasion for sinning, or a stumbling and faltering; but see no profit and no blessing, then, we must have missed some opportunity.
The opportunity may have been growth through resistance of sin; or it may be, as with Christ, a preparation to have sympathy and compassion on others who have sufferings similar to what we are going through; or it may be, as with Paul, the Apostle, that we learn all the more to depend on God’s grace. To really know that God’s grace is sufficient, might give us such an understanding of the grace of God to help make us far more effective teachers and workers for the Lord.
Most of us know that intense pressure on common carbon eventually makes diamonds. Likewise, the trial in one area may produce strength and character of even more value.
While producing patience in you, God may be producing a diamond for this darkened world; and through the trial of your faith, He then forms one of the most valuable jewels in His kingdom! God’s ability to do the impossible, through the most unlikely subjects, is a continual and amazing demonstration of His grace in molding and making us to be what He desires. No wonder we are asked to look on trials as if it were nothing but joy!
God allows our faith to be tested with the expectation that we will be approved by Him when that test is completed. “Proving” here, in the text, has that meaning. It is this successful trial of our faith that results in a bulldog tenacity to hang on. “Patience” is the concept of hanging
on with a grip that will not let go. It is so much more than long suffering, and has no connection with a humble submission to any circumstance. Rather, it is the I shall- not-be- moved attitude.
So I encourage you, as you may be going through some difficult time right now, hold on tight and God will get you through. God Bless...

“WHEN IS IT FULL?”

2010-10-26T11:36:00.001-04:00

THERE WAS a philosophy professor who stood before his class with some items in front of him. When class began, without speaking a word he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2 inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full?
They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full.
They agreed it was. The students laughed.
The professor picked up a box of sand and began pouring it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life.”

"The rocks are the important things—your family, your spouse, your health, your children—anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed.”

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all of your energy and time on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Do things with your spouse.
"There will always be time to go to work, to clean the house, to have party or to fix the disposal.
"Take care of the rocks first—the things that really matter. Set your priorities, the rest is only sand."

"A LESSON THEY WOULDN’T FORGET"

2010-10-06T13:35:00.001-04:00

A YOUNG LADY named Sally relates an experience she had in class, involving her teacher, whom we will call Mr. Smith. She says that Mr. Smith was known for his elaborate and innovative object lessons. One particular day Sally walked into class and she knew they were in for another "fun" day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table was a stack of darts. Mr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s picture.

Sally’s girlfriend on her right, drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend on her left, drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of Mr. Smith, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts, with much laughter and hilarity. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, but was filled with disappointment when Mr. Smith, because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats.

As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Mr. Smith began removing the target from the wall. Underneath the target was a picture representing Jesus.

A complete hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus. Holes and jagged marks covered his face and his eyes were pierced out.

Mr. Smith said only these words, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40).

No other words were necessary. The tear-filled eyes of each student focused on the picture of Christ. The students remained in their seats after the bell rang, then slowly left the classroom, tears streaming down their faces.

May this story serve as a reminder that our attitude toward Jesus Christ is demonstrated by the way that we treat people around us.

ASK THE QUESTION...

2010-09-03T15:50:00.000-04:00

by Bob Brunk

A wife of a church member was coming to church regularly. One day she asked me, as the preacher there, if I would come to her home to talk to her about "joining our church." She told me that she had been immersed in a local lake years ago by an Assembly of God minister, so I knew her method of baptism was correct — immersion. Then I asked an absolutely essential follow-up question, "What happened when you were immersed, what was your baptism for?" I told her that as I understood it the Assembly of God was "faith only" in regard to the plan of salvation (removing baptism as an essential part of the whole plan and when you actually received Christ and salvation).That group normally uses the manufactured "sinner's prayer", and at that point you were saved. Baptism was something you did after you were saved for various reasons.

The lady told me that she believed that when she was baptized she had received Christ and salvation at that point. She pointed out that she had read her Bible, and that Acts 2:38 was very clear to her in regard to being saved. She said, "I do not care what he thought was happening when he baptized me, because I had read my Bible and I knew why I was doing it." Praise God for sinners who desire salvation so much that they will seek and heed God's authority.

A recent editorial in the "Christian Standard" dealt with people who want to transfer into one of our congregations. He wrote that our churches accept all those who have been immersed "in the name of Christ" and "on the profession of their faith." The editorialist then went on to write that this is in line with our Restoration principle that "We are not the only Christians, but we are Christians only." For many reasons this thinking has created many problems for many of our churches; many have thought that slogan means that it does not matter what you understood you were doing in obedience to God at baptism. Today a second question begs to be asked!

Horrors! Is that not legalistic judging, and therefore sin? I had a couple of elders tell me that to ask such a question would be unscriptural, unloving, and just plain wrong. Is it sin, or is it obedience to God and love for the person being asked? I believe with all my heart that it is the latter.

One day, during a Bible study, an elderly man, long an elder, obviously pained, asked, "Why have we let so many Baptists into our church?" The fact was that many had transferred into membership over the years, and some were in leadership roles. Many who held Baptist beliefs either knowingly, or by misunderstanding this very issue, have come in, and all because the follow-up question beyond method had not been asked. I could only answer that too many in our churches today are either wrong-headed on asking the question, some simply do not care, some were lied to, and a few might have been more interested in additions and all that that means.

I continued by saying that those who believe the authority of God must rule over the antics of humans should address this problem where it arises. They must seek (lovingly) correction. The problem is that too many are more concerned with statistics than with souls. There is a resistance to doing what God's obedient people always did — ask pertinent questions to make sure people have all the facts, the truth, so that the person's salvation can be assured and the health of the congregation preserved. The church must be protected from any false impressions and teachings that come with that toleration which glibly exclaims, "Close enough!"

About now someone is thinking, "Judge not lest ye be judged!" The abusive misuse of that scripture (Matthew 7:1f) is used to stop obedience to scripture in a misguided attempt to appear loving. If we made no judgments, friends, we would have to close down all of our evangelism and discipleship efforts. You see, teaching requires the teacher to ask questions, so that truth can be known. Questions force us to face facts. When the goal is the assuring of salvation and the health of the church, questions are love in action.

The Holy Spirit puts us in situations to ask such questions. In Acts 8:25ff, Philip, Spirit-led, goes to the Gaza road to help the Ethiopian eunuch. How does he start? He asks a question! Acts 8:30 "Do you understand what you are reading?" The eunuch replies, "Well, how could I unless someone guides me?" Thus, we learn that question asking is a work of the Holy Spirit within us-the obedient Christians.

The apostle Paul (Acts 19) encountered some sincere people wanting to be disciples of Christ. Their problem was that they had been mis-taught, or under-taught, about baptism. They were not (here is Paul judging) saved. He discovered this by asking questions. Read the passage, see the questions. Then Paul taught them the whole plan of salvation, and he immersed them in the name of Jesus the Christ, into that Christ, into their salvation, and they then received the presence of the Holy Spirit within their lives! I bet there are some Christians today who would run to their elders if Paul was their preacher, and demand that he be fired. Fired for asking the questions which led to some people being saved and Spirit filled!

Facing such a situation in your church may be scary. People fear upsetting people more than they fear hell. People desire to please people more than they desire to please God. The bottom line is that some Christians are trivializing, minimizing, and ignoring obedience to the clearly revealed word and will of God. The possibility of losing those who will not accept that word and will drives some Christians into panic, especially if they are already small. In that panic they will attack the faithful remnant trying to bring about obedience to God, salvation to sinners, and a healthy congregation.

Sad, sad situation. But did not Jesus give us the answer in John 17? If people had not sneered at Christ's plea for all His people to love and obey the unity of God's plan of salvation and the rest of the word of God, we would not have this problem today. We would not have the sin (yes, sin) of denominationalism, of evangelicalism, of universalism, all ignoring the authority of God and blurring God's word. One of the best ways to address this problem is for those who love God, love His authority, His church, and His truth to be willing to — Ask the Question! Someone transferring there? Want to serve their best interests and God's? Ask the question.

"TRUE WINNERS"

2010-08-26T12:38:00.000-04:00

A FEW YEARS ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.

All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will make it better."

Then all nine of them linked arms and walked across the finish line together. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for some time.

People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What truly matters in this life is helping others win too, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.--Selected

"SEPERATE YOURSELVES"

2010-08-12T12:11:00.000-04:00

2 COR. 6:17a says, "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” (NIV)
You cannot keep the fellowship of the world, participate in its pleasures, identify yourself with its interests, and still be the sons of God."
One reason Christ’s Church has so little influence on unbelieving relatives, friends and associates is that there has been so little marked difference between our practices on a daily basis, and those of the world." We too often look like the world rather than imitate Christ.
There is no middle ground, no gray area. The distinction is to be decisively apparent. In other words, by observing my daily life, a person ought to be able to see, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am a follower of Jesus Christ every moment. Nothing to hide if others come to visit.
"We have a representation to make, to the world, a representation of pure principles, holy ambitions, noble aspirations, that will distinguish us from all other people, making us a separate nation, a different, peculiar people." We should not blend in and go unnoticed for who it is that we represent.
"There are conditions to meet if we are to be blessed and honored by God. We are to separate from the world and the affections it offers, and refuse to touch those things that will separate our affections from God."
Our lives must be searched for any hidden corner where the world has put down its roots, any area in which we are out of harmony with the life that Jesus lived on this earth.
Some folks have worldly anchors that are holding them to this world, and keeping them from soaring with God’s people. Throw those anchors overboard and be separate from the ways and ideals of this world. How important is it for you to make it to heaven? Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.
For the true Christian this is not a time to relax our principles, better yet, God’s principles. It is not a time to enjoy what unbelievers enjoy. It is not a time to follow the fashions of this world, but follow modesty as God’s Word declares. It is not a time to let the world shape our recreational tastes, neither is it time to heap up treasures on this earth. This is a time to come apart and be separate. Which side will you be on?

CAN WE COMMAND LOVE?

2010-07-21T14:52:00.001-04:00

CAN WE COMMAND LOVE?

Welcome to another study from God’s Word.
WE often hear people in our world today say that love cannot be commanded. Is this a true statement? Can we command love? The answer is yes; The answer is No. It is simply a matter of what kind of love you are talking about.

In the New Testament we find two main words for love in the Greek language; 'agapao' and 'phileo' (both are verbs, or words requiring action). 'Agapao' becomes a noun in the well-known word, 'AGAPÉ'. On the other hand, we find no noun for phileo love (it is interesting that noun spin-offs of phileo are seen in words translated "friend" and "kiss").
Agapao (AGAPÉ) love involves the intellect and the will; it involves esteem and purpose; it involves choice. However, phileo love is the love of natural inclination; it is more instinctive; it is the love of emotion. It is spontaneous; it is involuntary; it just seems to happen due to personalities and interests.

Therefore, 'agapao' love (involving the intellect and the will) can be commanded, and it is commanded (as in the great commandment, loving our enemies, and elsewhere throughout the New Testament). But when it comes to phileo love, in its basic inherent meaning, it is not commanded (except indirectly). It is more of a natural and spontaneous response; it just happens.
We are to love (agapao) our enemies, but it is hard to be emotional, initially, about it (phileo). We can have high esteem (agapao) for them (in the sense of respecting God’s image in them and wishing them well, and praying for them as well) and, at the same time, not even 'like' (phileo) them (it would be hard to be emotional about it in the beginning).

Can love be commanded? Yes; and No. I believe that no matter which love ((AGAPÉ or Phileo) we have first for an individual, they should both lead to the other and ultimately to a deeper relationship with God and Christ.
God bless until our next time together.......

UNITY? YES, BUT ON TRUTH ONLY!!

2010-07-06T12:57:00.002-04:00

There is a book with the title “Union in Truth”. The restoration plea is about unity—but any unity MUST be based in TRUTH! So many, even within the churches of Christ and Christians Churches, have placed all their emphasis on unity and left out truth, or left out some portion of the truth! It has gotten so bad, that when a church of Christ places a strong emphasis on TRUTH they are considered as being divisive and legalistic! Believe me, I have heard all those labels as they have been thrown at me and others! Some would even argue that a church that stands solidly on the Biblical plan doesn’t want unity! I can speak for most, if not all, who love The Truth when I say that we love unity. We love the unity we have as churches of Christ when we have revival or evangelistic meetings! It is a great time of fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ!
Biblical unity, though, MUST ALWAYS be based on the truth of Scripture. Division does not happen when the truth is being taught and preached. Division comes when something is taught or practiced that goes against the Scriptures. So, in reality, it is not the truth that divides the church—it is false teaching!
I have always said, at least since I was taught well, that I am not non-denominational, I am anti-denominational. The very word “denomination” means to divide. When used in religious circles, denomination means: “a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices” (according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary). I thought the definition describes denominationalism well. But I also thought about how sad it is . . . “congregations are united in their adherence to ITS beliefs and practices”. In true Bilical worship a person does not adhere to OUR beliefs and practices—you simply follow the Bible and the Bible only! That is the plea of the church that Christ founded. Remember the old slogan: No creed but Christ; No book but the Bible!
You see, it is truth that unites! It is truth that brings true biblical fellowship! This is the type of unity that we are called to protect. (Ephesians 4).
When I consider things happening in the church of Christ, I have to wonder what happened to the plea to throw off all denominational names and creeds and be simply Christians. I know many who came out of denominationalism—they have NO desire to ever go back since they were convinced of The Truth. In fact, I would just love it if all those in our entire world would simply follow the Bible and the Bible only and be BIBLE only Christians!
In one way I can relate with what Pliny wrote in a letter to Trajan about the impact Christians had upon some of the places he visited. About 50 years after the death of Jesus, he wrote that Christians have “pervaded not merely the cities but the villages and country places, so that the temples were nearly deserted.” The Christians had been SO strong that the pagan temples were nearly closed!
Here is where I relate to Pliny: My desire and plea is that the churches of Christ can stand so solidly on the Bible that any denomination or church not following the God given, Bible plan would desert their teachings and simply become Christians! That is my prayer for our world! Unity, yes, only when based on truth!

THE CHURCH AND WHAT IT WANTS TO DO...REALLY!!!

2010-06-22T16:58:00.000-04:00

From this point on, when I say “THE CHURCH” in this devotional, I am speaking of the ONE TRUE Church for which Christ died. Not a denomination or any cult, but rather the one He calls “The Church of Christ” many times in His Word.
So let’s begin;
THE CHURCH is not made up of people who believe they are better than others, but rather it is made up of those who realize that they should be better than they are, and must continually strive to always do better. The Church is not made up of people who never make mistakes, but those who often only acknowledge their mistakes and then forsake them, never to return to doing the same thing. Never must we seek to justify them or continually make the same mistakes over and over again.

The Church is not trying to withdraw from everyone so much as it is trying to draw everyone into its fellowship and love; and to encourage them to walk in the light where God the Father and Christ the Son are found.

The Church is not trying to set up arbitrary rules to hinder anyone, but rather to show the rule and doctrine of Christ, which helps everyone. The Church is not trying to make you feel ugly, but rather it is trying to instill the beauty of holiness in your life. The Church is not trying to separate you from your money, but rather trying to keep your money from separating you from Christ. The Church is not trying to become the master of your life, but rather is trying to get you to master yourself as you let the Lord Jesus Christ be the master of your life.

I would encourage anyone reading this blog to give up all denominational ties or cult activities that take you from God’s Word or change The Holy Word of God even slightly. Jesus The Christ has spoken, that should be enough; that should be the last word.

His Church is the vehicle by which we make our way to heaven. Come on; get on board and let’s do things the way the Great Conductor has directed. God bless until our next time.

HELL!!! IS REAL!! PART 2

2010-06-12T12:27:00.002-04:00

Good day everyone. We continue our study on the subject of "HELL".

From Luke 16:19-20,23-26, we notice it says there was a certain rich man and a certain beggar named Lazarus. This is not a fictitious fairy tale. In Hell people will be in continual unceasing torment and pain in which all will be constantly pleading for mercy. With their unquenchable thirst they will beg for even one drop of water, but they will not receive it. How much relief and how long would one drop of water last on the tongue of those who are being eternally tormented in the burning fires of Hell? It would not last even one second. We must wake up and heed our Lord’s warning. Their desperate and hopeless state is permanent where they will remain eternally. They are condemned there forever. In Hell people are conscious and will see, feel, wail, and remember as they endure the continual intense pain and suffering.

The many who end up in eternal punishment will not be there alone. They will have company. Revelation 20:10 says, "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever". Not very good company to be in. Notice that the torment goes on "day and night forever and ever".

There are many people who scoff at the idea of eternal punishment, but they are only scoffing at what God says. The fire will burn forever and those who are lost will be there in the fire for eternity whether they want to believe it or not. In eternity their scoffing will quickly change to weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. We must take what our Lord says in the Bible seriously. Hell is real! There is no way for the horrors of Hell to be adequately described in human language. Many people do not realize the danger of eternally losing their souls. This is very serious!

Those lost in Hell will be those “whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (2 Peter 2:17). Those in Hell will attempt to find God, “Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me” (Proverbs 1:28). They will not be able to forget their rejection of God. There will be no atheists in Hell, because all those in Hell will believe that there really is a God, but it will be too late then.

“The Lord knows how to…reserve the unjust under punishment for the Day of Judgment” (2 Peter 2:9). Hell must be avoided at all costs. No one can begin to exaggerate how horrible Hell is going to be. Its misery and anguish is beyond description. It will never, never, never, ever end.

We are being warned, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31) and “Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11). We must make sure we don’t end up in Hell, and we must warn other people who will listen. We “must be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). Jesus has promised, “Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Anyone who ends up in Hell will only have himself to blame.

In Hell there will be billions of people crying out in indescribable pain and agony for which there will be no relief or hope that things will ever get better. There will be haunting memories of all the opportunities of salvation that they passed up. Eternity is forever and has no end. There will be no opportunity for second chances. Hell is eternal, final, and irrevocable.

We read in Revelation 14:11, "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night." But reading further we see in Revelation 20:15, "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire". It is imperative that our name be found in the Book of Life. Is your name in that book? Do you know for sure, or are you making a wishful assumption? It will be too late on the Day of Judgment to find out that your name is not there.

I would encourage you to hear the Words of Christ, "He that believes and is baptised shall be saved..." Pay attention to Christ today, for the day will come when it will be too late. May you bless God...!!!

Hell!!! IT IS REAL!!

2010-05-28T12:13:00.001-04:00

There is only one of two places in eternity that we can go: Heaven or Hell. Each one of us will be placed in one of these two places on Judgment Day to be there forever and ever. In speaking of eternity in Matthew 25:46, The Lord says, "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life". We notice that the duration of the lost in Hell is exactly the same as the duration of the saved in Heaven, "forever and ever". It is hard for our puny minds to grasp how long eternity will be, but after we have been there a billion years, eternity will have just begun.

According to a PEW survey, July 22, 2008, 41% of people do not believe in Hell, while just 59 percent think there is a hell. Hell is a real place. To say there is no Hell is to make God a liar. “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4). Satan does not want you to believe in Hell. Satan is accomplishing his purpose since there is very seldom any teaching on Hell today. It is not a “politically correct” subject. A person who does not believe Hell is real will most likely go there. Ignoring it, pretending it does not exist or scoffing at Hell will not do away with it.

We do not like to think about eternal punishment. But it evidently must be very important or God would not have told us about it. In our thoughts today I want us to begin to consider what the Lord says about eternal punishment of Hell. Jesus spoke as much about the eternal punishment of Hell as He did any other subject. He took our punishment on Himself and gave His life to keep us out of Hell. In His attempt to persuade us not to go there, He has given us many warnings in His Holy Word.

Christ, in describing how horrible Hell will be for the many who will end up going there, says in Matthew 13:42, "And will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth". This definitely will be a horrible and terrible place beyond description. Christ says in Mark 9:43-48 concerning those who are lost, that they will be "cast into Hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched: where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched".

Christ tells us if there is anything in our life that is going to cause us to be lost, we need to correct it today or to get rid of it now. Notice Christ says a person is cast or thrown into Hell. The worm is a flesh-eating maggot that does not die, but will continuously feed forever and ever on the lost in Hell. In Hell, one is burning over every square inch of his body and even all on the inside but is never consumed. The continuous fire and the worms will never accomplish the annihilation of any of the lost. The lost in Hell will prefer to cease their existence, to committ suicide, but they cannot. Their perpetual nightmare of torment will continue forever and ever. It will never cease. The lost “shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night” (Revelation 14:10-11). The occupants of Hell will never know relief or rest from their torment. Hell is such a horrible place. Hell is not a fictitious place, it is real.

There will be no reprieve or appeal to a higher court, because we will have been judged by the highest. The Lord is trying to get our attention and to give us fair warning even today. He is pleading with us not to go there because He has already paid our price and taken our punishment. But we make the choice. The choice is ours. We will bear the responsibility and the consequences.

One of the many warnings Christ gives us is the true account of the rich man and Lazarus. “There was a certain rich man” and “there was a certain beggar named Lazarus”. [The rich man was lost],“And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, son remember…and besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us” (Luke 16:19-20, 23-26).
I will end here and pick this up next time looking at this passage. God bless and stay faithful...

"BELIEVING IN GOD AND THE CHRIST"

2010-05-11T12:58:00.002-04:00

Jesus says in John 8:24, "For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." In order to do the will of the Father, we must believe in God and in Christ, otherwise we will die in our sins and be lost. If we don't believe in God and in Christ, we will certainly not do what They tell us we must do. If God is to be believed at all, He must be believed fully. Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." We must diligently seek to know all that God wants us to do and then gladly, OBEDIENTLY do it.

Do you believe in God and Christ with all your heart? Do you believe in Them to the point that you have all the confidence in the world in Them and you will do anything and everything They tell you to do? Not what we choose to do, but what God tells us to do. If we will not, then we are no different than those people that we read about in John 12:42-43, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." These people believed Jesus, but they were not saved, because they would not confess and obey Him and leave denominational thought.

Many people falsely believe that redemptive faith is merely a willing disposition to trust in Christ as their personal savior, independent of any further acts of obedience. This notion is completely alien from the truth found in the Bible. A belief that will not accept and do all God tells us to do is not enough. If this is the case, then we are no better than the devils in James 2:19, "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the devils believe and tremble!" The devils believe in God and they tremble, but this does not save them. So "faith only" does not save anyone, or otherwise the devils would also be saved. God's word says, "You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only" (James 2:24). Man's doctrine of "faith only" is foreign to the Bible.

Our belief is a work of God that God requires of us. John 6:29, "Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." Our belief must be an obedient belief in all the things that God tells us to do. When our faith in God and in Christ has caused us to do what they tell us only then can we be saved. We do not earn our salvation but we qualify for it only when we have done what God has told us we must do.

Satan is trying to tell people today they do not have to do anything to qualify for God's gift of eternal life. Satan is successful with many people. We cannot have selective obedience and be pleasing to God. Our obedience is how we show our love to God and Christ. Jesus says in John 14:21, "He that has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved of My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." If we love Christ we will abandon all we do religiously that is not found in the Bible and then do all things that Christ wants us to do.

Just before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He commanded His apostles in Matthew 28:19-20 to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." Our faith in Him must lead us to observe all things the Lord has commanded us to do in order to be pleasing to Him. We cannot select just certain commands of God to obey. We cannot ignore or rationalize away any of His commands we don’t like and expect to be saved. To believe in Him is to obey Him fully.

In speaking of Christ, Hebrews 5:9 says, "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." If Christ is to be the author of our eternal salvation, He must be obeyed with an obedient faith. Respect for Jesus as our Lord means doing all He says and for the reason He says. In Luke 6:46 Jesus says, "But why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say?" Jesus is not our Lord if we do not do what He says. Are you willing for Jesus to be your Lord?

"CHRISTIAN GNOSTICISM" Part #2

2010-05-03T14:44:00.003-04:00

Welcome back to our study. We will conclude this study here today.

Christianity asserts that there is only one source of Truth, and that is the Bible, the inspired, inerrant Word of the living God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12). It is God’s written revelation to mankind and is never superseded by man’s thoughts, ideas, writings, teachings, experiences or visions.

The Gnostics, on the other hand, use a variety of early heretical writings known as the Gnostic gospels, a collection of forgeries claiming to be “lost books of the Bible.” Thankfully, the early church fathers were nearly unanimous in recognizing these Gnostic scrolls as fraudulent forgeries that teach false doctrines about Jesus Christ, salvation, God, and every other crucial Christian truth. There are countless contradictions between the Gnostic “gospels” and the Bible as God's Word. Even when the so-called Christian Gnostics quote from the Bible, they rewrite verses and parts of verses to harmonize with their philosophy, a practice that is strictly forbidden and warned against by Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19).

The Person of Jesus Christ is another area where Christianity and Gnosticism drastically differ. The Gnostics believe that Jesus’ physical body was not real, but only “seemed” to be physical, and that His spirit descended upon Him at His baptism, but left Him just before His crucifixion. This view destroys not only the true humanity of Jesus, but also the atonement, for Jesus must not only have been truly God, but also the truly human man (and physically real), who actually suffered and died upon the cross in order to be the acceptable substitutionary sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 2:14-17). The Biblical, God-given view of Jesus affirms His complete humanity as well as His full deity.

Gnosticism is based on a mystical, intuitive, subjective, inward, emotional approach to truth which is not new at all. It is very old, going back in some form to the Garden of Eden, where Satan questioned God and the words He spoke and convinced Adam and Eve to reject those words and accept a lie. He does the same thing today as he “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He still calls God and the Bible into question and catches in his web those who are either naive and scripturally uninformed or who are seeking some personal revelation to make them feel special, unique, and superior to others. Let us follow the Apostle Paul who said to “test everything. Hold on to the good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and this we do by comparing everything to the Word of God, the only Truth. I would encourage everyone reading this devotional site to leave denominational thinking, philosophies, teachings and practices and accept only The Holy Word of God as it is written.

"CHRISTIAN GNOSTICISM"

2010-04-23T18:23:00.002-04:00

Good day everyone and welcome to another study from God's Holy Word. I was recently involved in a discussion where the topic of Gnosticism came up. I began to realize that this was not only something from our past but something that still exists in the mind of far too many in our world today. There is a combining of this area of thought with Bible Christianity and calling it normal and acceptable as another denomination with their own "faith". This should not be. Our study begins today with taking a look at the two and differentiating between them. It is actually termed "Christian Gnosticism".

In reality, there is no such thing as Christian Gnosticism, because true Bible Christianity and Gnosticism are mutually exclusive systems of belief. The principles of Gnosticism contradict completely what it means to be a Christian. Therefore, while some forms of Gnosticism may claim to be Christian, they are in fact non-Christian altogether.

Gnosticism was perhaps one of the most dangerous heresies that threatened the early church during the first three centuries. Influenced by such philosophers as Plato, Gnosticism is based on two false premises.

First, it espouses a dualism regarding spirit and matter. Gnostics assert that matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result of this false presupposition, Gnostics believe anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only.

Second, Gnostics claim to possess an elevated knowledge, a “higher truth” known only to a select, certain few. Gnosticism comes from the Greek word 'gnosis' which means “to know.” Gnostics claim to possess a higher knowledge, not from God's Holy Word, but acquired on some mystical higher plain of existence unknown to most. Gnostics see themselves as a privileged class elevated above everybody else by their higher, deeper knowledge of God.

To discredit the idea of any compatibility between Christianity and Gnosticism, we need only compare their teachings on the main doctrines of 'the faith'. On the matter of salvation, Gnosticism teaches that "salvation is gained through the acquisition of divine knowledge which frees one from the illusions of darkness."

Although they claim to follow Jesus Christ and His original teachings, Gnostics contradict Him at every turn. Jesus said nothing about salvation through knowledge, but by obedient faith in Him as Savior from sin. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Furthermore, the salvation Christ offers is free and available to everyone, not just a select few who have acquired a special revelation. (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21)

I will end here for today and pick this study up next time. God bless.......

We’re Saved By Jesus, Not Doctrine!!!???

2010-04-14T13:47:00.003-04:00

Welcome to our conclusion of our study on doctrine. Let's begin;

2Timothy 3:16, 17 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."

If a person studies the Word, and gets deep into doctrinal matters, He is only learning more about Jesus. I have heard it said that Church leaders that spend more time arguing about points of doctrine than winning people to Jesus are wrong to be doing so. And there may be a time when that is true. But deep study into the nature of Jesus, the Person of Jesus, the incarnation, Jesus the Word, Jesus our Savior, or any other aspect of the doctrine of Jesus, or His Bride, the Church, or the Father, or Holy Spirit, or a million other things, is not disconnected from Jesus. We do not know anything about Jesus that is not the doctrine of Jesus.

To try and separate Jesus from doctrine would be like trying to separate water from wetness. It cannot be done.

If we were to somehow, mystically, separate Jesus from doctrine, then Jesus becomes whatever we want Him to be. We could fill in the blanks ourselves creating Him in our own image. I've a hunch that that's what these fellas who say we're saved by Jesus, not doctrine, are wanting to do anyway. Preach a Jesus of their own design.

Gal 1:6-9, "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!"

Saved By Jesus, Not Docrine!!!!—Not Possible.

We’re Saved By Jesus, Not Doctrine!!!?? PART 3

2010-04-02T18:25:00.002-04:00

Lets take a small survey of Timothy.

How important is doctrine?
1 Timothy 1:3-5, "As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

Notice the goal of their instructing of doctrine has three results: Love from a pure heart, good conscience and a sincere faith.

1 Timothy 1:18,19, "This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith."

Fight the good fight, keeping faith, i.e., maintaining the doctrine and a good conscience.

1 Timothy 4:6, "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

By pointing out certain matters of doctrine, Timothy would be nourished on the words of faith and the sound doctrine.

1 Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

If living according to a set of doctrinal standards and defending them is not what Paul is advocating Timothy to do, then this verse makes no sense.

1 Timothy 6:13-16, "I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."

"Keep the commandment" equals abide in the doctrine that you know.

2 Timothy 1:12-14, "For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you."

The "standard of sound words" is doctrine. He was to guard that valued treasure.

2 Timothy 2:2, "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

Reproduce the sound doctrine in others that will reproduce it as well.

2 Timothy 2:15, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

Being a workman of God handling the truth of doctrine accurately.

I will close here and conclude this study next time. God bless as you remain faithful to His Word...

We’re Saved By Jesus, Not Doctrine!!! Part 2

2010-03-21T14:18:00.004-04:00

But what about this idea of being saved by Jesus, not doctrine. As mentioned before, doctrine has become an unwelcome visitor in many congregations. To quote Roger Chambers again, "Doctrine is an embarrassed intruder in many modern congregations. Barely tolerated, it cowers on the back pew; the territory around the pulpit has long since been claimed by commanding personality, practical mysticism, professional music, and pop psychology."

First, this is a false dichotomy. There is no choice of Jesus on the one hand or doctrine on the other. Those who make such claims are, once again, trying to wrestle the authority of Jesus away from Him. It may sound "spiritual"; "We're saved by Jesus!" But think about it. Which Jesus? Any Jesus? Does my belief in someone named Jesus save me? In Acts 16 the Philippian Jailer asked, "Sirs, What must I do to be saved?" In verse 31 the reply was, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.‟" But as any Bible School drop-out knows, that was not a complete answer. They had not yet taught him (indoctrinated) about who Jesus was. Imagine that this pagan jailer had said, "Alright, I will!" without any knowledge of who Jesus is or what He did. Talk about blind faith. Instead, the Scriptures tell us in verses 32 and 33, "And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household."

Without a proper knowledge (doctrine) of who Jesus is, then a person places his faith in anything. You may call it Jesus, but what's to keep us from calling it the boogey man, Fred Flintstone, or Elvis? Nothing, except the proper understanding of who the Person is. Many will push doctrine aside to promote their own agendas. Salvation is a relationship, but it is one built upon a series of propositions. If a person believes, repents, confesses, is baptized, lives faithfully under grace, then there is the hope of salvation. Jesus comes to us with a set of propositions, called doctrine, that we are to abide by. Many would try to sidestep that a little.

Rick Warren, in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, tries to do just that. He writes: p. 21, "The phrase "Accept Jesus" is not a Scriptural phrase. The Bible never asks us to "accept" Jesus. We are to Abide in, Obey, Submit, Honor, Love, Believe, et al. But it never tells us to "accept" Jesus. One day you will stand before God, and he will do an audit of your life, a final exam, before you enter eternity. The Bible says, "Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God.... Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God." Fortunately, God wants us to pass this test, so he has given us the questions in advance. From the Bible we can surmise that God will ask us two crucial questions: First, "What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?" God won't ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him? Jesus said, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Second, "What did you do with what I gave you?" What did you do with your life-all the gifts, talents, opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources God gave you? Did you spend them on yourself, or did you use them for the purposes God made you for?" Preparing you for these two questions is the goal of this book."

However, the Scriptures teach us that there is more than just whether or not we "accept" Jesus. In Matthew 7:21ff give clear warning that even doing many things in the name of Jesus, even good things, is not what saves us. Rick Warren is wrong, God's Word is correct. It is putting into practice the doctrine of Jesus Christ - Mat 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock." In our next time together, we will take a small survey of Timothy. God Bless until then...

We’re Saved By Jesus, Not Doctrine!!!??

2010-03-12T13:26:00.004-05:00

We’re Saved By Jesus, Not Doctrine!!!
By J. Scott Sheridan

PART 1

I first heard the issue stated back in 1985 at the Florida Christian Convention/National Missionary Convention by Roger Chambers:

"A round of applause awaits the convention speaker who will announce that we are saved by Jesus, not doctrine. Brotherhood scholars impressed by German theology are throwing up a wall between Jesus and doctrine. This one-eyed theology is catchy; it breathes rhetorical authority. By design it eases the force of doctrine, mitigates the raw authority of Scripture, accredits human testimony, and expands the range of union. But it won't work. Jesus does not descend in euphoric mystery; He comes clothed in the Apostles' Doctrine and dwells in our hearts by faith. The Bible does not elevate the Person of Christ over the doctrine of Christ." (Originally printed in the TNT Journal Spring 2009)

About two years later I was at a Men's Retreat in Lake Aurora, Florida, only to hear a prominent preacher from Kentucky announce to all in hearing distance that we are saved by Jesus, not doctrine. He went on to teach that baptism is OUR doctrine (meaning Church of Christ/Christian Church doctrine) and that we did not have the right to impose OUR doctrine upon those who may not hold to OUR doctrine. He went on to say that the Lordship of Jesus is what we could unite upon, because we will never completely agree upon doctrine. (Unfortunately this session was not recorded). The two issues are connected.

The issues are 1) Saved by Jesus, not doctrine, and 2) Uniting upon the Lordship of Jesus alone, even while we have glaring doctrinal disagreements. In either instance, doctrine is shooed away like an unwanted stray cat. The second issue is the premise behind most interdenominational programs, such as Promise Keepers. It is thought that as long as we can accept Jesus as Lord, everything else is irrelevant. That‟s not the case in reality, nor is it the case Scripturally.

Ephesians 4:1-6 states: "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all."

The command there is to diligently preserve the unity of the spirit. We do so by acknowledging the seven pillars upon which we must unite, namely, 1) One Body, 2) One Spirit, 3) One hope, 4) One Lord, 5) One Faith, 6) One baptism, and 7) One God. Please notice that the Lordship of Jesus is ONE of those things we must be able to unite upon, but there are six others. Observe that unlike the Kentucky preacher mentioned earlier, the Scriptures declare that baptism is one of those uniting pillars. The unity is there for those who believe these doctrines, and is to be maintained not discovered. But there is no unity with unbelievers.

E.g. Wm. Richardson in Christian Doctrine (Standard, 1983). in the preface, Editor Richardson explains (p.15) that he has allowed different views on doctrine in the book because of his Conviction that "(1) the Christian faith is not primarily an affirmation of doctrine, but rather a confession of Jesus as Lord, and (2) fellowship among Christians does not depend on their achieving the same level of understanding in doctrine." He does not say if fellowship is affected by doctrinal differences that have nothing to do with maturity of understanding, but which are made up of mature disagreement on doctrine.

The effort to unite upon just one of these pillars is a blatant attempt to wrestle away the sheer authority of Jesus from salvation, just so we can get along. Throughout Old Testament history, the temptation to "get along" was always there, but God was ALWAYS more concerned with the faithfulness of His people than He was with how they socialized.

The people wanted a king so they could be like the other nations. Balaam's wicked temptation to the people of Israel was to mingle with the locals. In Ezekiel they had actually brought in Egyptian religious art and writing into the Temple itself. In each of these examples God was greatly displeased and would have preferred faithful obedience.

I will end here for today and pick this up next time...

"A DOER OF GOD'S WILL OR MAN'S"

2010-02-09T15:01:00.005-05:00

Baptism is perhaps the most misunderstood and misinterpreted concept in the Bible. There are those who would have us believe that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Others will say that it is a good thing to do, and we really ought to, but it is strictly optional. Still others say that baptism is necessary, but only to join the local church.

Not only do 'Christians' disagree on whether baptism is a necessary part of salvation, there is also disagreement as to the form and who should receive it. Some say that infants can, should, or even must be baptized. Still others contend that one should be of the age of accountability. There is disagreement as to whether the form of baptism should be by immersion, sprinkling, or pouring.

All the disagreement noted above is purely on the part of mankind. The Scriptures are in full agreement on all these points. If one reads the New Testament he will find no place where more than one form of baptism is used and he will not find a multitude of opinions as to the necessity of baptism for salvation. So, let's see exactly what the Scriptures have to say about the subject of Baptism.

Is baptism necessary for salvation? Well, Jesus commanded it, and the apostles taught and practiced it. Jesus said, "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16) How much clearer must we have it said by the Lord Himself than this. He clearly says salvation is dependant upon our being obedient and submitting ourselves to baptism. In another place Jesus told His disciples, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19,20) Why would Jesus tell His disciples to baptize if it were not necessary? Don't you think that if the Lord had intended baptism to be optional that He would not have made such a strict command out of it here. And if it were not necessary at all, why would He even mention it here in what we call "The Great Commission."
We saw in the above passage that Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize. We see in the book of Acts that they did just that. We could call Acts the book of conversions, because only in this book do we see actual cases of people being converted to Christian. As a matter of fact, there are eight specific cases of people being converted in the book of Acts.

We believe, and teach, that salvation consists of five acts or actions on the part of the one being converted. These acts are, belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God; repentance of sin; confession of one's faith in Christ before man; baptism into Christ for the remission of sin; and faithful living till the end. In the eight occasions of conversions in the book of Acts, baptism is the only one that is specifically mentioned in each and every case. In our next time we will take a look at some instances and what is said concerning baptism. God bless until then...

"CONFESSION"

2010-01-06T13:25:00.001-05:00

The Greek word for confession as used in Mt. 10:32 is homologeo, which Vine defines literally as "to speak the same thing" (homos, "same," lego, "to speak"); and, "to declare openly by way of speaking out freely, such confession being the effect of deep conviction of facts." This definition will hold for all of the contexts discussed here in this devotion.

In these contexts, confession does not hold its modern religious connotation of confessing one's sins to a priest (or anyone else). Confession of sins is discussed in scripture (e.g., 1 John 1:9 and James 5:16). However, the confession that is under discussion here is referring to a person's willingness to state by word and deed, emphatically and publicly, that Jesus is the Son of God.

"If You Confess Jesus Christ as THE SON OF GOD. . ."

There are two common mistakes made regarding the biblical teachings on confession:
1.) Denying its importance...and 2.) Jumping to salvation by "confession only."

Neither of these extreme positions is correct.

In Matthew 10:32 Jesus said: "Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." This alone makes confession a condition of salvation.
The confession of Christ was not a trivial statement in the first century as it could be in many of our societies where we have freedom of religion, which amounts to freedom FROM Christ and all for which HE stands. There were consequences both before and after the death of Jesus for confessing him (Jn. 9:22; 12:42; Acts 22:19).

Confession as a condition of salvation is further taught in Rom. 10:9: "... that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved." However this text, as well as the Book of Romans, was written to those who are already baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, Christians. (Ro. 1:7)

We see from the examples given in the book of Acts that all converts had a willingness to confess Christ. In Acts 8:37 there is an explicit example of confession prior to baptism. However, confession is not a one-time act; it is a way of life (1 Jn 4:15): "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."

Our words, our deeds and everything that we are, and stand for, as Christians must be a confession of Christ. Therefore, the concept of salvation by "confession only" is as easily disputed as is salvation by "faith only" (James 2:26) without work or effort on our part. Just as faith cannot exist apart from the works that it motivates, so confession cannot exist in word only.

The confession of Christ also encompasses all that he taught. Speaking of those who once were faithful Christians, John states (2 Jn 1:7): "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist." Apparently these false teachers acknowledged some form of "Jesus Christ" but refused to teach that he came in the flesh. Doctrine is important (Mt. 4:4).

REPENTANCE

2009-11-27T14:51:00.001-05:00

There are certain requirements of God and His Holy Word if we are to enter His heaven after we leave this world. Jesus says in Luke 13:3, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." It is either repent or perish; the choice is ours with no middle ground. But Satan does not want us to repent. Acts 17:30, "Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent." All people everywhere, and that includes you and me, are commanded of God to repent. Repent of what? Repent of our sins. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves; and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Repent of not fully serving and following all that God says.

God is pleading with us to repent. He greatly desires that we turn to him. He tells us in 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." God wants us to repent so we can be saved. He is patiently waiting on us. But eventually our time will run out. The longer we put off true repentance, the harder our heart gets.

Repentance is not just being sorry. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."

If a person is only sorry he got caught, then this will not lead to repentance. Godly sorrow helps bring on repentance. Repentance is not sorrow for sin, but that person cannot repent without being sorry he has sinned. “Let the wicked forsake his way…let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him…for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). In repentance, a person must first understand he has sinned against God, feel sorrow for the sin, and then stop and turn away from that sin and move toward God.

Repentance, from God's Word, is a change of heart or a change of mind. We must make up our mind to stop living life our way and start living it God’s way. It is making up our mind that from this point in our lives we are going to serve God with all our might and do everything He says. Matthew 22:37, "Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." In other words, we must do it with all of our being.
Paul says, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:1-2). To show or prove our repentance we are to “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8). Why should we repent of sins? “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death is separation from God in eternity. Unless a person repents he cannot go to Heaven, but will eternally suffer the torments of Hell. We must give up our sin and “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sin shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).

Repentance is a change of heart, which results in a change of actions for the better. Without repentance we cannot receive forgiveness and be saved. Where we spend eternity, in Heaven or Hell, is determined by our repentance. All of Heaven is anxious for us to repent. Jesus says, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

Romans 2:4 says, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing the goodness of God leads you to repentance." God has been so good to us, and this should cause us to want to please Him in every way. God, because of His love for us, has done so much for us, and because of this we read in I John 4:19, "We love Him, because He first loved us." This should cause us to want to repent and do all the things that He has asked us to do, otherwise we do not love God. Jesus said in John 14:24, "He who does not love Me, does not keep my words." 1 John 2:4 says, "He who says 'I know Him', and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Do you know and love God and Christ? If you do, you will want to do everything that He says. In John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love Me keep My commandments." Are you willing to show your love to God by repenting?

"SLOPPY THEOLOGY" PART #3

2009-11-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

Good day and welcome to another devotional. We conclude our thoughts on Sloppy Terminology and will have a new study next time.

A couple of other terms we need to pay attention to are "Minister" and "board." First, are not all Christians ministers? As I read bulletins and newsletters, most Churches only have one minister. No wonder the Church is not growing like it did in the first century. We read in Acts that all Christians went about proclaiming the word of the Gospel; they were all ministers. Nowadays, we call the Evangelist "The Minister" and now it is his job to do all the proclaiming. You and I cannot "hire" someone else to do what God has sent each of us to accomplish. The Scriptures are also very clear about Church leadership, but because of the sloppiness that has crept in, we view leadership as a "board" instead of Elders and Evangelist working together as a team. A traditional board in the Christian Church / Church of Christ consists of Elders and deacons. Can anyone show me in the Scriptures where deacons have any kind of authority in the Church? Aren’t they servants? If so,
why are they meeting with Elders making binding decisions for the Church? In many boards, the Preacher has no voice except as an advisor. The Scriptures teach it is the job of the Evangelist to put the Church in order (Titus 1:5). If he has no voice, how is he to fulfill his ministry? Could it be that we have allowed our traditions to outvote the Word of God? Maybe we should pay a little more attention to Matthew 15:1-9, because we have grown sloppy!

Lastly, Church leaders often speak of "hiring" a preacher. Even worse, many Churches demonstrate the attitude that the Preacher works for them. I once had an elder in a larger Church in Ohio tell me that the Church is just like a business. It must make money so it can expand and venture out into new areas. The Evangelist was simply the CEO of the corporation.
I read many terms used in Scripture concerning the Church - Kingdom of God, Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, but I never read where it was a business. This Elder had his facts wrong.

But in many Churches, the Evangelist works for the people of the congregation. Congregations look for Preachers who will proclaim what they want to hear rather than the Word of God. He was hired to fill a perceived need. This reminds me of something Paul wrote to the young Evangelist, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths." (II Tim. 4:3-4). The Evangelist works for God. A Church does not "pay" the Evangelist, they simply make sure he is cared for properly. The Church gives their tithes and offerings to God, and from THAT the Evangelist is paid. There are way too many horror stories from Preachers who had a congregation that felt he worked for them instead of God.

Does sloppy terminology lead to sloppy theology or does sloppy theology lead to sloppy terminology? Whichever way it goes, the two are forever intertwined. Where there is one the other will inevitably be found. The Church is in trouble. Her people have grown sloppy. Too often we are no longer a "People of the Book." So what’s the answer? That’s simple: Get back to the Book. And for those that may have forgotten what Book I mean, I refer to the Bible, the only Book that matters. So after reading this, get your Bible, blow off the dust, and get right with The Word. If you do not believe me, then listen to Jesus, "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Mt. 12:36-37).

SLOPPY TERMINOLOGY PART #2

2009-10-29T16:07:00.002-04:00

Welcome back! I pray you are being blessed as these devotions come your way. I enjoy posting them and encourage you to leave a comment. God bless and let's begin...

How about the term "Church?" Is the Church a building? It is if you listen to people talk. For instance "Let’s meet at the church", or "How many people does your church hold?" And so it goes. Why is it that so often we are more concerned about the paint on the walls of a building than we are about lost souls? Could it be because we know that Christ died for the Church? And since the Church is a building we better make sure the air conditioning works properly. After all, Christ died for the Church so it better be taken care of or we will have to stand before God. Right? Does this sound as silly to you reading it as it does to me as I type it?

The term "Church" is used for the Greek word ekklesia. A proper translation would be "Assembly" or "Congregation." It literally means the "called out ones." We need to make sure we remember for whom Christ died. It was not for a building. It was for the Body of Believers. We have grown sloppy!

One of my pet-peeves is the term "Worship." Since when is Christianity to only worship for an hour on Sunday mornings? Evidently, many congregations, individuals, only worship one hour - It says so in their bulletins: "Sunday School: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Worship: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m." Some congregations, individuals, evidently worship for only a small part of that one hour. They have "Worship Leaders" that come out and all they do is sing and lead singing until the preaching starts. Is that all there is to worship? According to God's Holy Spirit, NO!! Paul, as he is inspired of The Holy Spirit, writes in Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (NASB) Are we only transformed for an hour on The Lord's Day, and not conformed to the world for that same hour? God forbid!!

True worship sounds like a lot more than just a few minutes on Sunday morning. It also includes much more than singing. We have grown sloppy!

SLOPPY TERMINOLOGY MEANS SLOPPY THEOLOGY

2009-10-15T17:18:00.003-04:00

Welcome to another devotional and I pray you are doing well as you continue to serve our Great God. Anyone who knows me for very long might hear my mouth say something different than what is in my brain. I once told my wife I had to "go shake a tower" when what I meant was that I had to "go take a shower."Sometimes my mouth seems to have a mind of it’s own. Those are "slips of the tongue" and once the laughter dies down, no harm is done. Too often in the Church we have "slips of the tongue" in our terminology that are either the result of bad traditions or we are simply not using the correct language. Either reason may lead others, or even ourselves, to believe things that simply are not Biblical. The Church has become extremely tolerant of sloppy terminology and sloppy theology. I hear it almost everywhere I go, everything I read, people I speak with, etc. I am not talking about major issues, necessarily. Although you can hear some out-and-out heresy in some of our pulpits, that is not what I am talking about. This article deals with some sloppy terminology that good-hearted people use from time to time. Nevertheless, just because we may not be discussing major heresies does not mean that it is not an important matter. The Church of Christ/Christian Church used to be known as "A People of the Book." Now the Church of Christ/Christian Church sometimes asks, "What book do you mean?" My proposition is that due to the use of sloppy terminology we have allowed a great deal of bad doctrine, a.k.a., sloppy theology, to make it’s way into the Church. Or it could be that due to weak teaching and weak preaching, a.k.a., sloppy theology, we have begun using sloppy terminology because the Church no longer knows what the correct terminology is? Either way, we’ve grown sloppy and careless. What follows are just a few examples of this sloppiness.

The term "Pastor" is back in style, it seems. Many preachers are claiming the title "Pastor" in many of The Lord's Churches. Why is that? The term "Pastor" is only used one time in the New Testament in Ephesians4:11, and that is a poor translation of the Greek word poimen, which gets translated everywhere else in the New Testament as "Shepherd." "Pastor" is a term reserved for the Elders in the Church. The preacher is supposed to be the Evangelist. Although there are several areas in which the offices of Elders and Evangelist overlap, nonetheless, they are two separate offices with their own distinctive qualifications and responsibilities. As an Evangelist, if someone were to call me "pastor" I would not jump down his or her throat. But as soon as the proper opportunity presented itself I would explain why they should not call me the"pastor", and I have done so many times and have yet to offend anyone.Usually they are grateful and proceed to tell me that no one has ever explained that to them. Why aren’t our Churches teaching these basic terms to her people? We have grown sloppy!

"RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE"

2009-08-04T10:53:00.001-04:00

Good day everyone and welcome to another devotion from God's Word. Today I would like to begin a look at the idea of religious tolerance. We hear it mentioned often enough in the news and media around us, but how are we to deal with it as it comes close to home in our communities and neighborhoods?

First of all we may need to define the word "religion" and then the word "tolerance" as defined from two different sources.

religion noun [C/U]
the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or any such system of belief and worship

religious adjective a religious holiday. He is deeply religious.

religiously adverb If you do something religiously, you do it regularly: I exercise religiously, I really do. (Cambridge Dictionary of American English)

(Religious) tolerance:

Among religious conservative, this means that one must accept all religious faiths as equally true.

Among others, it means to grant full religious freedom to persons of all religions, including those different from your own faith. From http://www.religioustolerance.org/gl_r.htm.

This is what we are being taught and what our children are learning and told from an early age to believe and accept. IS THIS CORRECT TEACHING? No, no, a thousand times NO!! Not that we should become like the Muslims and do all we can to annihilate, kill and wipe from the earth all who believe differently. Even Jesus The Christ did not go that far. He allowed people to believe what they chose in the face of TRUTH but knew there was ONLY ONE WAY, through HIM!! No one comes to The Father unless they go through Him. No one enters glory if they deny Him as the ONLY begotten of The Father.

We may have to live among different beliefs and religious practices, but we do not have to accept any of them as Truth. In accepting another religion as true or equal, we are really saying that what we believe in ourselves is not necessarily the right way. If all religions are equally true, they are all equally false. With this line of thinking there is no standard, no basis other than what any individual or group decides within their own life to be true. Jesus said in John 17:17, Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (NIV)

God's Word is THE standard and to tolerate or accept "other" religions not of God is to deny God, HIS Word and all HE has done to bring salvation through HIS Son Jesus The Christ.

"WHAT JESUS SAID" Part #6

2009-06-24T09:29:00.001-04:00

CONCLUSION
As you read this account someone might notice that the Lord did not mention the sins listed in the Old Testament. His comment on the conditions of the last days regarded some things that don't appear wrong at all. He mentioned such things as eating and drinking. He spoke of marrying and
giving in marriage. Then again how about what He said about buying, selling, planting, and building. What is wrong with any of those things? They are all necessary. What's wrong with marrying? There are a few people left today who actually go to the trouble of getting a license and having a marriage
ceremony. Now what's wrong with that? What's wrong with giving in marriage? Who gives this woman to be married to this man? I do! And he can have her. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with planting? If the farmers don't plant this year we all are in real trouble. What's wrong with that?
What is wrong with buying and selling? I would hate to think that if I went to the super market I would find the place pad locked and they could not sell and I could not buy. What is wrong with buying a house or a car or selling such things? Nothing? Then why did Jesus bring it up? There are at least two reasons. The first reason: Jesus went back to the days before the flood thousands of years ago to show us that the nature of people has not changed. They ate, drank, planted, bought, sold, married, were given in marriage, and then they committed the same sins that people do today. We are more polished. We have invented things for our life style that would have boggled the minds of the ancients, but we are no better, nothing has changed about our human nature. They ate, drank, married, gave in marriage, planted, built, bought, sold, and were on a collision course with destruction and so are we.
The second reason Jesus mentioned these things that are alright in themselves was to point out the fact that these ancients were just like us also, because to them all these good things was a way of life. They thought let the good times roll. They will never end. They go on forever. Nothing
can stop it. My house, my car, my family, my money, my sports team, my television programs, my movies, my job--this is the sum total of life. It goes on and on and on endlessly. And then one day surprise, surprise, the flood came in Noah's day and the fire fell on Sodom. The biggest sin of all
in both cases was greater than all their violence, perversion, and corruption. The greatest sin of all is that they, like us, lived with no preparation for eternity. There is one statement that Jesus made regarding Lot's wife that needs emphasis. He said it six times-twice in Matthew, once in Mark, twice
in Luke, and once in John. He repeated it more than any other statement that He made while on earth. Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it. Jesus concluded His message on His Second Coming with these words: "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." And they answered and said unto him, "Where, Lord? And he said unto them, "Where so ever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." Eagles seem to be a generic term for buzzards since the eagle does not eat dead meat. Wherever you find a dead body you will see the buzzards gather. Before a battle begins it is reported that the soldiers see buzzards roosting in the trees waiting for the feast to begin. The lesson of Jesus on the buzzards is clear. When ever this world becomes as morally rotten, putrefied, and stinking, as it was in the days of Noah, Lot, and Lot's wife, that condition will draw the Judgement of God.
In Revelation we read: "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great." Where so ever the carcass is. Just look up, and by the eye of faith you can see the buzzards making lazy circles over the rotting carcass of humanity. How long will God endure the stench, the foul odor, of a drug infested, sports crazed, sexually perverted, shacked up, violent, pleasure mad, world? It is in regards to days such as these that Jesus promised, "I come
again."
Get right with God if you are not. God Bless until our next time.

"WHAT JESUS SAID" Part #5

2009-06-15T14:32:00.002-04:00

And now for the third person that Jesus mentioned regarding His return, Lot's wife.

LOT'S WIFE AND THE DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN

The Lord said, "Remember Lot's wife." What can we remember about this woman? We remember her because she is lost for all eternity in spite of the fact that she was a member of the saved community. She no doubt was personally acquainted with Uncle Abraham, yet she was lost. Remember Lot's Wife!

Remember her in spite of the fact that she was married to a very pious Husband. Years later, as we read the New Testament, it is the Apostle Peter who would call him righteous Lot. Despite what many think today, she could not Ride To Heaven on the coat tails of her husband.

Remember Lot's wife! Remember her also because she entertained heavenly visitors in her home. Two angels have spent the night with her family and yet she was lost. We also have entertained a heavenly visitor. Many a person who has Received the Gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit have fallen away.

Remember Lot's Wife! Remember her, because she looked back from behind. She was leaving Sodom, but Sodom was still in her. Many a person has come into the Fellowship of the Church of Christ and still has the world in them. They Look back from behind. They fall behind in Bible reading, they fall behind in prayer, they fall behind in attendance on the Lord's Day and in the observance of The Lord's Supper weekly. Remember Lot's wife!

We will conclude this study next time. God bless as you continue to serve Him!!!

"WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT HIS RETURN". Part 4

2009-06-01T09:57:00.001-04:00

Good day everyone and we continue our study thoughts on "WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT HIS RETURN".

4. Another thing the people of Noah's day had in common with today is their lack of faith. In 2009 it seems that fewer and fewer people believe anything anymore when it comes to God's Word. I heard of a young lady one time that had some Christian principles and a man who did not believe anything was in the process of courting her. This man had a good job and would be a good catch, so the mother of the girl pressured her to marry him. The daughter said, "But Mama, he doesn't believe anything, why he doesn't even believe in hell." The mother said, "That's all right honey, you go ahead and marry him and he'll change his mind."
As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the days of the Son of man. People claim to have a belief in God but often times do not put much action behind that belief. We may talk the talk, but fail to walk the walk when it comes right down to it.
The second person the Lord mentioned was Lot.

THE DAYS OF LOT AND THE DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN

5. As it was in the days of Lot so shall it be in the days of the Son of man. What then was it like in the days of Lot? Both Jude and Peter give us some insight. First Jude says, "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and
going after strange flesh (homosexuality), are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Then Peter says, "Lot was vexed with the filthy life style of the wicked: For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds..." I saw an advertisement of a movie about thirty years ago that was called Sodom. The ad said Sodom was the city that gave its name to sin. This statement would not be politically correct today. But think about it. Suppose there was a city in Kentucky famous for whiskey and they called it Booze, Kentucky. Suppose there was a city in Indiana that was famous for being a wide-open town with legalized gambling and prostitution and they called it Corruption, Indiana. Suppose there was a city in Virginia that had more drunk drivers than any other place and they called it Drunk, Virginia.
And suppose there was a city in Ohio that was famous for murder and they called it Murder, Ohio. And suppose there was a city in Texas that was famous for Grand Larceny and they called it Grand Larceny, Texas. Whenever you read of the city of Sodom in the Bible everybody knows what made
them famous or infamous, whichever may be the case. And remember Jesus said, "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." This is the way it was in the days of Lot and the way it will be in the day that the Son of man will be revealed. The very moral fiber of people in both cases had been shredded and had disintegrated. Even though the soul of righteous Lot was vexed by the life style of the Sodomites he did not seem to be in any hurry to leave. Moses tells us while Lot lingered the angels took him, his wife and two daughters by the hand to lead them out of the city and said, "Escape for thy life." Perhaps he lingered because he was loath to leave that nice house he lived in, the new television, the new car, and all of the CDs in the bank. Think of that nice boat that was going to go up in flames, what a waste! The angels said,
"Escape for thy life!" Perhaps he was loath to leave so many in his family behind and no doubt they used his lingering for what they thought was hypocrisy. Look at that Ole fool. He says this place will burn down, but he doesn't believe it himself, he is still hanging around. Escape for thy life! Sometimes the Church seems to linger in evangelism when they should be crying out to the world, Escape for thy life! There needs to be a sense of urgency in the invitation as the terms of pardon are laid out, Escape for thy life! In most congregations the emphasis is on making the assembly "feel" comfortable and full of self-esteem instead of being troubled with their spiritual life. Escape for thy life! On this blog we will continue to sound forth the fire alarm, Escape for thy life! We remind you of the terms of pardon laid down by Peter on the day of Pentecost, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The message should come through loud and clear, Escape for thy life.

The day is coming soon when HE will return and call His bride away. Will you be ready in accordance with what the scriptures teach? God bless until our next time.

"WHAT JESUS SAID..." Part 3

2009-05-18T13:50:00.003-04:00

Good day everyone and welcome to another time of devotion and study. We continue with our thoughts on "WHAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SAID ABOUT HIS RETURN".

We begin today looking at the next two points.
2. Another characteristic of men in Noah's day was that the thoughts of men's hearts were evil continually. Has this changed or even gotten any better? I think not. It is the opinion of most advertisers that Americans today are, for the most part, a people who think evil continually. Look at the shows on television, the porn magazines that are specially made for the spiritually
and sexually depraved. Even those who would normally never get involved with these things are often indulging in them even once in a while. As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the days of the Son of man. In Genesis 6:5, scripture states, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (every...: or, the whole imagination: the Hebrew word signifies not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires) (continually: Hebrew; every day).

3. Another condition of Noah's day and the day of the Lord is all flesh had been corrupted. I saw in a national magazine several years ago that two unmarried college students were living together. The boy said he did the ironing and that the girl did the cooking. He said they may or
may not get married. However you don't have to read a magazine now and learn about two strangers who are shacked up. Most of you won't have to look very far to see the same situation in your own family or Church. Of course in their spiritual immaturity they snicker, they smile at us indulgently, and tell us that this is the twenty-first century and they are two consenting adults having a relationship and that makes it O.K. The acceptance of the Ten Commandments
has never been up for a vote of the majority. What's more, God's Holy Word is not up for a vote by the majority. Mankind has taken it upon himself to change God's Word and in some cases to completely take Christ out of the picture. How depraved and corrupted are we when we claim to believe in God, yet at the same time and in the same breath deny Jesus Christ and ALL HE said. We live in a time when all flesh has corrupted themselves. As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the days of the Son of man.

"WHAT JESUS SAID" PART 2

2009-05-07T08:58:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone and welcome back to another look at "What The Lord Said" in His Word concerning His return.

Now the Lord tells us next what the days will be like before He returns to judge the living and the dead. Those days that make us long to see His coming again. He instructs us by comparing those days with the days of three people; Noah, Lot, and Lot's wife. First, for our time today, the Lord spoke of the days of Noah.

THE DAYS OF NOAH AND THE DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN.

As it came to pass in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. What was it like in the days of Noah? Moses said, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." And then, "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence."

Peter says Noah was a preacher of righteousness and it is evident as we look at the scriptures that no one paid any attention to his warnings, much like today many times. These words give us some insight as to the spiritual conditions of the people in the days of Noah. What were they like? For one thing they were violent.

1. Violence is one of the characteristics of people just before Christ returns. Remember, these people did not have any atomic bombs. They had no gunpowder or any of our modern day methods of killing each other yet they were so violent, even in their thoughts, that God brought the flood on the world of the ungodly.
Evidently the laws we make regarding the sale of guns are a moot question. If we took all of the bombs and other weapons we have and threw them in the ocean, that would not stop wars between people, individuals, or family members. Men would still go to war and fight if they had to use sticks and rocks, or simply words and actions (or lack of actions). Is there any serious question in anyone's mind that we live in perilous times?

Martin Luther thought they had perilous times in 1522. He said in one sermon he preached in that year that the end must come soon because they had invented gunpowder and the printing press. Luther thought the world was so hi-tech that they had gone about as far as they could go. How much more is our potential for violence today? As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be in the days of the Son of man.

Until next time...

"WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT THE SECOND COMING"

2009-04-29T19:53:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone. I have been away for a while and should be able to continue now with more devotions for your thoughts and study. God Bless as you read and take God at His Word. Today's thought s are focused around what The Son of God Himself said about the time when He returns.

And he said unto the disciples, "The days would come, when ye shall
desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see
it."
Those days will come when we shall wish for the Lord's return. And they
shall say to you, "Lo here! Lo there! Follow not after them: for as the
lightning, when it lightens out of one part of the heaven, shines
unto the other part under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in His day."
When we see the lighting there is always a clap of thunder that
follows. Peter says, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief and the
heavens will pass away with a great noise." The great noise must be the
sound of celestial thunder that will attend the Lord's lightning fast
return. He further states that we are to look for and earnestly desire
the coming of the day of God...

So when things look bad in the world because of violence, drugs,
wars, the economy, and disease, it is only natural for the Christian to desire the
coming of the day of the Son of man. Our prayer should be at all times: "O
Lord, Let the melt down begin, let the sun be turned into darkness, let the
moon be turned into blood. Let the heavens be removed as a scroll when it is
rolled up and let the stars fall from heaven as a fig tree casteth her
unripe figs when she is shaken by a great wind. Let the Lord descend,
let the shout be heard, let the voice of the archangel be uttered, let the
trumpet sound, let the dead in Christ be raised up, let us who remain
be caught up, let us meet the Lord in the air in our resurrected,
glorified bodies, and let death be swallowed up in victory. O Lord, let'er rip."
This, many times is our prayer, this is our desire, and this is our wish, in Jesus name.
Amen.

However when Jesus told the Apostles of His return; He said, "But first
He must suffer many things and be rejected of this generation." He was
rejected then and He is rejected now.

As you consider the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, are you ready? If you believe not the things written in The Book considering this Jesus, heaven is not your home if you were to pass from this life. I want to urge you to listen to HIM as HE has spoken, and do His Will. I will pick this devotion up from this point next time. God Bless until we meet again.

"THE CHURCH CHARACTERIZED" #4

2008-12-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

Good day everyone and welcome back. We continue with our study on The Church as it is seen in The Holy Scriptures. I appreciate the comments that some are sending and hope this devotional site will continue to be of help and encouragement to many. So let's begin.

IV. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST USES THE WORD OF GOD AS THE ONLY RULE OF DISCIPLINE.

We have in our world today far too many religious organizations doing their own thing in the name of God or a god. There are even "good intentions" as these folks continue on in their endeavors. Humanitarian efforts are achieved as they may feed the hungry, clothe those in need of warmth, and even save some from disasters that come in life. These are no doubt good as they help people and encourage them to live on and even turn and help others along the way. There is a problem, however, in the end. The problem is we all die and after death we are going to be judged, whether we believe it or not. This judgment is not in accordance with any man-made laws or ideas. The judgment will be directly related to what God Himself has spoken to us in His Word. We cannot change it or revise it no matter how many votes we cast or count. Some groups have even gone so far as to accept certain parts of God's Word and discount the parts THEY deem not true or relevant. This does no one any good in the end. The Bible, God's written Word, was given to us as God wanted it. We have no business making any changes whatsoever to fit a group or religious organization.

The Bible says in 2 Tim. 3:16-17, "All Scriptures is inspired by God and profitable, for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." All THE Church needs is the Bible, but the church needs the entire Bible to direct her. If a church uses any other book than the Bible or uses any book as being equal to the Bible, that church is not the Church that Christ intended. Revelation 22:19 says, "and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (RSV) Let the Bible speak for itself and listen to no man or group who wants to change it.

V. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IMMERSES ONLY.

We now come to one of the most controversial subjects in religious conversations today. The subject is that of "baptism". Over the years and centuries the term baptism has gone through some definite changes. These changes have not been in accordance with the original language God placed in His Word. Every Bible study must begin and end by looking at the original language and the context within. The term baptism in the original Greek means only one thing, to immerse. Over the years man has accepted the change of this term to mean one of three things. It has been accepted as sprinkling or pouring or immersion. Again, this does no one any good in the end. God had, or has, a purpose for everything He placed in His Word and to change it for our convenience is not beneficial for our salvation. God has statutes or laws we must follow and not change because WE FEEL it is a different time and culture. Baptism means to immerse, dip, plunge or bury. Many references in scripture show this as being true.

The Bible says in Rom. 6:4, " . . . we are buried with Him through baptism. . . " The Bible says in Col. 2:12, "having been buried with Him in baptism, . . ." To bury an object is to cover up that object. Bible baptism is immersion in water, not sprinkling or pouring water upon the person. Read the book of Acts and see for yourself how God, through His Apostles' preaching, made this a most relevant part of His Church. It is at the point of Baptism, after a person truly repents and confesses Christ as God's Son, that sin is forgiven by God and God Himself, by way of His Holy Spirit, comes to live in us. (Acts 2:38) To deny what The Word says is to deny what God has spoken as being true.

May God bless as you read and study and may HE be praised. Until next time...Mark

"THE CHURCH CHARACTERIZED" #3

2008-11-24T12:14:00.002-05:00

Good day everyone and welcome back to part three of our study on "THE CHURCH". If you have read the previous two devotions on this site, you may be asking, "How can I know which church is His? How can I know I am in His church? How can I know which church is right?" The best answer to those, and other, questions, is found only in one place; THE HOLY WORD OF GOD!!

There are many characteristics of "THE CHURCH" that are found in the Bible that are simply there for the reading and understanding. I want to encourage you to take the time to read THE WORD and know what it says, then do what God has instructed for each of us. We have way too many man-made ideas about Godly things and not enough study of God and what He has already spoken. We will not change the mind of God no matter how many "good ideas" we can invent.

So let's look at some of the footprints of The Church that we see in God's Holy Word. You will find the church’s blueprint in the New Testament scriptures. There are many characteristics of The Church which Christ established, some are as follows:

I. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST WAS BEGUN BY CHRIST

Jesus said in Matt. 16:18, " . . . I will build My church . . ." Jesus and God either spoke The Truth, or They did not. It cannot be both ways. Christ, The Messiah of God, The One who was from the beginning, and who created all things, is the very One who created and established The Church. A church begun by man, at any time in history, is not the Church that Christ established on The Day of Pentecost. Whether that be in 606 A.D. formed after the Roman government, or any other denomination of any decade or century, if it is not His Church, governed by His Laws and Statutes, it should be abandoned so that others will not be deceived in the same way.

If following God is important at all, it should be done according to what He said in His Word, and not by what any man or group may devise in their own minds. Ultimately, it does no one any good to follow a religious group not established by Christ. The reason; we will all die one day and stand before Him and not those who have mislead so many. Obey God and Christ as you read and follow by Faith what He has already spoken in His Word because we will be judged according to what is written in that Word, not the practices or bylaws of any religious organization.

II. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST HAS NO EARTHLY HEADQUARTERS BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY HEAD OF THE CHURCH AND HE IS IN HEAVEN.

The Bible says in Eph. 1:22, "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,". When God put ALL things under Christ's subjection, that leaves nothing out. Man has no reason to design a new headquarters to The Church than what God has already established. If Jesus Christ is the Head, and He is, then it is only our responsibility to be in subjection to HIM and ALL HE has spoken in HIS WORD. Doing things HIS way will never get us into power struggles or competition. There is certainly enough of that in the world already.

III. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST WAS THE SCRIPTURAL NAME OF "CHRIST'S CHURCH" AS A COLLECTIVE BODY, AND "CHRISTIAN" AS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH.

In Matt. 16:18, Jesus said the church is His. Therefore, the church is called the "Church of Christ." The Bible says in Rom. 16:16, " . . . All the churches of Christ greet you." Each individual local body of Christ was identified as being a "Church of Christ". The members who make up the church are referred to as "Christians". The Bible says in Acts 11:26, "the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." The church and the individuals who make up the church are named after Christ as is taught in Eph. 3:14-15, "For this reason,, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name," If a person were to have asked in the first century, "to what denomination do you belong?," nobody would have known to what they would be referring. There was One Church, one Name on the church and only One who was recognized as The Leader, or Head, Christ Himself. Religious organizations with men's names attached are not biblical and certainly not what God and Christ had in mind in The New Testament.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you will leave a comment or question and keep on being faithful. Until next time, may God and The Lord Jesus Christ be praised.

"THE" CHURCH CHARACTERIZED #2

2008-10-16T18:14:00.001-04:00

Here we are once again and we continue our study on "The" Church as described in The N ew Testament. So let's begin;

As we begin today, let’s clearly define the question: "Is one church as good as another?" If "the church" in question means the church Jesus died for and built, then the question makes no sense because Jesus has only one church. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18," . . . I will build My church . . ." How many churches did Jesus say He would build? "One" is the Bible answer (You need only reading glasses to see that)! The Bible says in Ephesians 4:4, "There is one body . . . " The apostle Paul told what the body is in Ephesians 1:22-23, " . . . the Church, which is His body. . ." The body of Christ is His church. How many bodies does the Lord have? "One" is the Bible answer. Since the Lord has only "One" church, how can His church compare to another church He does not have? If the church in question means a denominational church comparing to another denominational church, then yes, they are just as good as each other because one is just as unacceptable to God as is the other one. One denominational church will do you just as much spiritual damage as another one will because they are both wrong! Every man made church is lost! If the question is asking whether or not where a person attends church makes any difference, the Bible answer is a definite "Yes!" Denominational churches are not as good as the Lord’s church! The only church, which is made up of saved people, is the Lord’s church. The people who advocate that one church is just as good as another need to compare their opinion with the Word of God (no special glasse required).

If one church is just as good as another, or in other words, if what a person believes really makes no difference, then that means falsehood is just as good as truth, disobedience is just as good as obedience, division is just as good as unity, and man’s way is just as good as God’s way. When one statement contradicts another, both cannot be right. For example, when one church teaches that salvation is obtained without baptism (immersion), and another church teaches that a person cannot be saved without baptism, both teachings cannot be right. One teaching cannot be just as good as the other. When one church teaches that once a person is saved he can never be lost again, and another church teaches that a person can lose his salvation after he has been saved, both teachings cannot be right. One teaching cannot be just as good as the other.

The words of Jesus come to mind as they always should, "You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit" (Matt. 15). It does make a difference how we worship and what we believe.

Those who believe and teach that what church an individual attends and is a part of really makes no difference are saying that God will accept a person who picks out a belief which best suits his own particular fancy. Some people are so accustomed to living in a land of choice that they feel a person can choose the church of his choice. Some people say, "You go to your church and I’ll go to mine!" I respond by saying, "You go to your church and I’ll go to His." I do not have a church and neither do you. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said the church he was going to build was His, not yours or mine or anyone else’s. He also stated that He was going to build His church, not churches. He only built one church. He only has one church. When it comes right down to it, there really is no choice.

I will close for today and pick this up again next time. God Bless as you continue to study HIS Word and DO what He states. Until next time.......

"THE" CHURCH CHARACTERIZED

2008-09-28T18:29:00.000-04:00

Welcome back everyone and today we begin a new study. As I have been going about my daily activities I have listened to people talk about many things that are of interest to their lives. One main topic seems to be that of life and death and so-called 'godly' things. Many believe they are in good standing with God simply because they have a "belief system" that, at the least, points towards God. There seems to be a problem here if we are to be followers of God and what HE has already spoken in HIS Word.

The average person you meet from day to day believes that which church you attend really does not make any difference. He expresses that belief by saying, "One church is just as good as another!" That is really a sad statement for someone to say when we truly consider the things of God and HIS Word.

But even more sad is the fact that many church members believe that which church you attend really does not make any difference. They openly express their belief by saying, "One church is just as good as another. We’re all headed for the same place, we are just getting there in different ways."

What people really mean by the statement, "One church is just as good as another," is that what you believe really makes no difference. The reason they say that what a person believes makes no difference is because they, themselves, do not know the difference (Maybe they do not want to know either).

Show me a Christian who knows the Bible and I will show you a Christian who will say unashamedly, undeniably, and uncompromisingly that there is a vast difference between Methodist baptism and Bible immersion; Baptist salvation and Bible salvation; Lutheran Lord’s Suppers and Bible Lord’s Suppers; the Pentecostal Holy Spirit and the Bible Holy Spirit; the Church of God altar and the Bible Altar; the Presbyterian Eldership and the Bible Eldership.

But, the reason the average Christian will not say this is because the average Christian does not know The Bible, God's Holy Word. And, when a Christian does not know The Bible, he will try to cover up his ignorance of the Scriptures by saying, "It’s a matter of interpretation! It’s all in how a person looks at it whether baptism is necessary for salvation; the Lord’s Supper must be taken every week; a person can speak in tongues; a person can be "saved" when kneeling and praying a man-made prayer at an altar."

I agree! The interpretation of the bible is a matter of how a person 'looks at the Bible'! For example, suppose there were three people who wore glasses. On the nose of the first person was a pair of yellow sunglasses. On the nose of the second person was a pair of blue sunglasses. On the nose of the third person was a pair of green sunglasses. Each person was privately and individually taken to see the same letter, "A." After each person had seen the same letter, "A," he was asked to tell what he had seen. The first person says he saw a yellow "A." The second person says he saw a blue "A." The third person says he saw a green "A." They all saw the same letter, "A," but gave three different interpretations. Suppose a fourth person who has no glasses on his nose sees the same letter, "A," and says the letter is white. Who is right? The one who saw the letter, "A," just as the letter is, would be right!

Likewise is the interpretation of the Word of God. Interpreting the Word of God is a matter of how you look at the Word. If you look at the Bible with Methodist glasses sitting on your nose, you will believe that pouring and sprinkling are just as good as immersion. If you look at the Bible with Baptist glasses sitting on your nose, you will believe that a person is saved before he is immersed by faith. If you look at the Bible with Lutheran glasses sitting on your nose, you will believe the Lord’s Supper can be observed just a few times a year. If you look at the Bible with Pentecostal glasses sitting on your nose, you will believe that some people can speak in tongues today. If you look at the bible with Church of God glasses sitting on you nose, you will believe that a person can be saved through prayer at a man made altar. If you look at the Bible with denominational glasses of any kind sitting on your nose, you will believe that what a person believes really does not make any difference, that The Word of God can be changed here and there to fit your ideas and your group's man-made setup, and that one church is just as good as another. No group will get anyone into heaven, only obedience to God and His Word as it is written.

I am going to close here for today and we will pick up these thoughts next week. Feel free to leave comments and questions as I encourage each one to do only what is right in God's eyes. God is true, and man needs only to obey and follow HIM.

"ACTIONS SPEAK" #4

2008-09-14T14:48:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone and I am back after a few weeks off. The Lord has blessed me with great health these days and I am back in the workforce once again. Many of you may know that I have been sick for a while and unable to do a whole lot, but with The Mighty Hand of God, I am doing great and feeling wonderful. A big thank you to everyone who has been in prayer for me. Now, we continue with our next devotion and this is number 4 in our series. God bless as you continue to serve Him.

III. GRATITUDE THROUGH SERVING (vss 28-29)

This kingdom is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Daniel prophesied this kingdom. "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever." (Dan. 2:44).
Jesus said, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Matt. 16:18).
This kingdom CANNOT BE SHAKEN.
No matter how much Satan may try, he will not overpower the church.
No matter how much the governments of the world may try, they will not overpower the church.
No matter how much some immature antagonistic Christians may try, they will not overpower the church.
No matter how much some Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, may try, they will not overpower the church.
No matter how much some evangelists may depart from preaching the truth of God’s Word and will instead conform to the teachings of man, they will not overpower the church.
Vs 28
(Deut. 10:12) "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?"
"With good will render service as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free" (Eph. 6:7).

(Vs 28) How are you, personally, showing gratitude? In other words, what on earth are you doing for heavens sake? What ministry are you involved in, when it comes to the work of the church. I have heard it said that in the average congregation, 20% give 80% of the money and the same 20% will do 80% of the work. But remember, it will be the same 20% that it will be said, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
REMEMBER, FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works," (Eph. 2:10).

Our Lord Jesus gave us an example of servitude – washing feet. Usually the first sign-up sheets to be filled are those where people are not doing menial tasks. Let’s face it, a person gets much more recognition for providing special music than for working with the 2 & 3 year olds during Vacation Bible School or helping during Spring Clean Up Day.

The defenses come up and will be stated, "But I’m too busy." Not too busy to show up for ball practice. Not too busy to do those things that you deem more important than the work of the LORD and HIS church. BEING UNDER SATAN’S YOKE!

"A writer for a great newspaper visited India. One day he met a missionary nurse who lived among the lepers and helped them. How tender and loving he was to the poor lepers. The reporter looked upon him with amazement. He said, ‘I wouldn’t wash the wounds of these lepers for a million dollars!’ ‘Neither would I,’ answered the missionary nurse, ‘but I gladly do it for Christ. I have no thought of any reward other then His smile of approval upon me!’"
Oh, how serving Christ has become an option in the modern church!

"Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works"
(Ja. 2:17-18).

(Vs 25-29)

Heb. 2:2 "For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?"

The TRUTH is, THERE IS NO ESCAPE!! Now go and do the right thing and serve God through serving others. God bless until our next time together. Mark

"ACTIONS SPEAK #3

2008-08-06T13:47:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our continuing series on "ACTIONS SPEAK". Today we begin part three and we should be able to conclude this series in our next time together. God bless as you read and study HIS Word. So let us begin;

II. JUDGMENT THROUGH SHAKING (He. 12:26-27)

The people of God had come into the wilderness and finally to Mt. Sinai. "The Lord also said to Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people" (Ex. 19:10-11). God also told Moses, "Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death" (Ex. 19:12). God and every Word HE spoke must be treated as holy without changing a single word.

There was a shaking at Sinai in giving the Mosaic Law of God. Shaking was also at Calvary in giving grace and the new covenant. "Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!" (Matt. 27:54).

EX. 19:16-19 "and the whole mountain quaked violently" (vs 18)
Quaked (in the Hebrew) imperfect tense = incomplete act
This is why our text says that, "Yet once more I will shake"
So God will execute JUDGMENT THROUGH SHAKING.
When will this happen? At the Second Coming of Christ? or, as some false teachers say, will follow Christ’s 1000-year reign on earth?

(2 Peter 3:8-13) So, according to verse 10, on "the day of the Lord" "the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat." But when is the "day of the Lord?" 1Cor. 1:4-8 So the day of the Lord Jesus Christ is at His revelation.

1Thess. 5:2 God will bring JUDGMENT THROUGH SHAKING.
What will be shaken and what will remain? (Heb. 12:27)
Remember, Peter said, "The heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat."
The scriptures speak of three heavens.
1. where the birds fly
2. where the sun, moon, and stars are
3. Where God is. Paul spoke of being "caught up to the third heaven" (2Cor. 12:2).

So when Peter speaks of the "heavens will be destroyed by burning," he is certainly speaking of the first heaven where the birds fly and probably also of the second heaven where the sun, moon, and stars are.
Those temporary things will be removed. The essential and eternal will remain. – God, righteousness, holiness, purity, grace, mercy, salvation, the church (the one established on the Day of Pentecost) "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it;" (Ps. 127:1), worship, God’s Word ("Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35).

What we seem to spend the majority of our time on will be destroyed. Many people spend time and effort in the things of the world AS IF these activities were going to save them. And all the while allowing their hobbies, their children’s sports and activities to take time from their faithfulness, worship and fellowship. (I try not to ask why Christians do not show up for worship or the various meetings because I am afraid of what I will hear. "I’m just too busy!" Being Under Satan’s Yoke!

I fantasize of the day when Christians will not be too busy to attend men’s meetings, deacon and trustee meetings, when all of the ladies are involved in the Ladies’ fellowship, when Christians attend the Sunday service and Wednesday evening Prayer Meeting. But I guess it will remain just a fantasy because many remain "BEING UNDER SATAN’S YOKE."

I will close our time together for today and we will take this up next time. God bless and stay faithful to HIM and HIS WORD, not the teaching of any man or group.

"ACTIONS SPEAK" #2

2008-07-25T08:30:00.001-04:00

Good day everyone and welcome to another edition of "THINK ON THESE THINGS". Today we begin part two of our series on "ACTIONS SPEAK". So let's continue;

I. REFUSED THROUGH TURNING AWAY (vs 25)

This verse speaks of the man, Moses, who gave the Law of God to the people of God, the children of Israel. It was Moses who lead God's people;
-from bondage in Egypt
-crossing of Red Sea
-who came to Mt. Sinai and camped in front of the mountain
-and here God called Moses and spoke to him from in front of the mountain. Moses relayed "all these words which the Lord had commanded him" (Ex. 19:7).
"And all the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do!’" (Ex. 19:8).
Were the people of God faithful to HIM or to their own words? It is plain to see in the text in their;
-making of golden calf
-dancing around the calf and saying, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!" (Ex. 32:8).
- 10 spies gave bad report. They had to wander in the wilderness for forty years.
Remember, they had said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do!" Actions speak LOUDER THAN WORDS!

(Vs 25) It is easy to see and understand that the children of Israel DID refuse Moses as he spoke the words of God. And the people certainly did not escape because, as a penalty, that generation all died in the wilderness and did not go to the Promise Land.
Punishment followed those who refused to listen. (Heb. 3:7-19)

Remember, verse 25 of our text says, "For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven."

This is speaking of Jesus as HE has warned from heaven. (Lk. 13:3)
"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me"
(Lk. 9:23).
-deny self Time – Talent - Tithes.
-take up cross DAILY and Die to sin.
-then turn and follow Me.

On the day that you were saved, you made the good confession: "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
1. What have you done about it since? Have you been,
-faithful in all things?
-witness to the lost?
-serving in HIS church as HIS church?
Remember, actions speak LOUDER THAN WORDS.
2. "I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God." Believing is not a statement as much as it is a lifestyle.
Do you still believe it? Follow through your words with action, this is Faith.
(Vs 25) Remember, "Actions Speak" LOUDER THAN WORDS.

We will end there for today and pick this up next time. May God bless...

ACTIONS SPEAK #1

2008-07-13T12:46:00.003-04:00

Good day everyone and welcome to another study from God and His Holy Word. I want to begin another topic today and encourage you to reach out and make a difference with the life you live and especially, in this devotion, with the words you speak. Our text is from the book of Hebrews chapter 12 and verses 25-29. They read as follows from the NIV;

"See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? (26) At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." {26 Haggai 2:6}(27) The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken-- that is, created things-- so that what cannot be shaken may remain. (28) Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, (29) for our "God is a consuming fire." {29 Deut. 4:24} (NIV).

Our ACTIONS SPEAK louder than words.
Actions speak louder than words when we say things like these;

When loving others we SAY "I love you." Is it not better and greater to put action into your love.

When we have concern for those in need, do we only say, "We’ll pray for you."

"If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give (action) them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?’" (James 2:15-16).

How about our friendship with others;
At family reunions or class reunions - "I have really missed you." "It’s so great seeing you." But little is ever done from that point.

Then comes being faithful to Christ and His church;
We might love to sing that grand old hymn, "Oh, how I love Jesus", but for some in the church, there is not enough evidence for them to be found guilty of being Christians. Attendance is only if something else does not come up, and if all in the church served as much as they, the church would soon close its doors for good.

You see, ACTIONS DO SPEAK LOUDER THAN SIMPLE WORDS.
I want to encourage you in this writing to show your faith by your works.
In our scripture text we will see three actions that speak LOUDER THAN WORDS. However, I am going to close today and allow you to look at the scripture text and study between now and our next time together. God bless and be faithful, because HE is coming back soon...

"THE TABERNACLE" #6

2008-07-04T13:43:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to our time of devotion and study of God's Holy Word. Today we will conclude our look at The Tabernacle and begin a new study next week. I do hope this study has been helpful as you continue to serve our Great God. I also want to say that I appreciate the comments I have received as it encourages me to continue on this site. So let's begin;

IX. THE HOLY OF HOLIES REPRESENTS HEAVEN

Behind the veil was a room called the holy of holies where was found the Ark of the Covenant. Whereas the outer court measured 20 cubits by 10 cubits, the holy of holies was square measuring 10 cubits by 10 cubits.
The priest entered only once a year on the Day of Atonement and only by the high priest with blood of the sacrifice offered on the Altar of Burnt Offerings. There the blood was applied to the mercy seat. Therefore the high priest received mercy for his own sins and for the sins of the nation of Israel.
THE HOLY OF HOLIES relates and was a type of heaven itself.
-Presence of God
-Entered by our High Priest for Atonement Hebrews 9:11-12
-Took blood (His own) and applied to every obedient soul
-Received mercy for those obeying the terms of pardon and remaining faithful

X. THE ARK OF THE COVENANT REPRESENTS CHRIST’S COMMANDS

This ark of acacia wood was to be a rectangular chest 2 ½ cubits long, 1 ½ cubits wide, and 1 ½ cubits high, overlaid with pure gold inside and out. According to God's instructions it had a rim of gold around its four sides, though the text does not state whether this was attached at the top or part way down. Four short feet kept it from resting directly on the ground. To each foot was fixed a gold ring through which poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold could be placed in order to transport the ark. Exodus 25:15 states that the poles were to remain permanently in the rings.

To the top of the ark a solid slab of pure gold was to be fixed. This is called the Mercy Seat.
The ark was to be the only furnishing in the most holy place. The stone tablets containing the Ten Commandment were placed inside the ark, along with a jar containing manna and Aaron’s rod was placed inside the ark as well.

Since the Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandment, this would be a foreshadow and type of CHRIST’S COMMANDS.

I once heard that the only thing that ever changes is the calendar. This is certainly true when it comes to the commands of God. A vast majority in our society, evidently, feel that Moses received from God "The Ten Suggestions."
"You shall have no other gods before Me" unless you want to.
"You shall not make for yourself an idol" unless it is your hobby, sports, or your significant other.
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" unless someone makes you mad.
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." I will worship on the Lord’s Day unless company comes, I want to go to a game, or just stay in bed.
"Honor your father and your mother," if they always agree with me and give me what I think I deserve.
"You shall not murder," which certainly does not pertain to trying to destroy someone with my mouth.
"You shall not commit adultery," simply does not apply in today’s society and not to me because we are in love.
"You shall not steal," but taking small things is all right.
"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor," but small lies God will certainly overlook.
"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor," but no one will know what I think in my mind about my neighbor’s possessions, and beside, he does not really need all that stuff anyway.

God meant what He said and certainly says what He means. It is our duty to listen to HIS WORD "AS WRITTEN" and do as He commands. It is for our good and benefit while here on this earth and for our benefit when we leave here for eternity. I would encourage each one reading this to know God's Truth and obey HIM as HE prescribes the plan for our salvation. Believe on HIM, confess HIS Son as the "ONLY" way, not allah or any other false god, repent of not living HIS precepts, be immersed into Christ by faith in HIS commands where God removes the sin from our souls (Colossians 2:12f), and rise to live and serve THE ONE TRUE GOD.

God bless until our next time.

"THE TABERNACLE" Part #5

2008-06-26T10:02:00.002-04:00

Welcome back to another time of devotion and study. We are in a continuing study on the Tabernacle as seen in The Old Testament and how it reflects the Church in The New Testament. I do hope each of you not only enjoys these but also learns something valuable from God's Holy Word. So let's begin;

VII. THE ALTAR OF INCENSE REPRESENTS OUR PRAYERS

The altar of incense was to be located in the holy place in front of the veil that is by the ark of the covenant (Ex. 30:6; 40:5, 26). Hebrews 9:3 states that it was located in the inner compartment of the tabernacle, the holy of holies; but such a location would have made the daily burning of incense impossible due to restrictions on entering the holy of holies (once a year by the high priest). I believe we have a translation problem in Heb. 9.

Made of acacia wood overlaid with "pure gold," this altar was 1 cubit square and 2 cubits high with four horns projecting from the corners and a rim of gold encircling it.
Every morning and evening the high priest was to offer incense – the only offering permitted on the "gold altar." Once a year he was to make "atonement" for the altar by applying blood to its horns.
(Revelation 5:8)

So our prayers are a sweet incense to God. In order to burn incense on this altar, coals were to be brought from the altar of burnt offerings. (Nadab and Abihu "offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them" (Lev. 10:1). "Strange fire" means that the fire offered was from another source, not authorized by God.

So we see that THE ALTAR OF INCENSE was impotent without THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERINGS. Our prayers are impotent without the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. God hears all prayers, but has promised to answer only the prayers of His people.

The blood shed on the altar of Calvary must be applied to your soul before your prayers are effective. This comes only by a proper relationship with God through HIS plan of salvation.

VIII. THE VEIL REPRESENTS CHRIST’S FLESH

The sanctuary proper was to be divided into two compartment, the "holy place" and the "most holy place," by a veil made from wool dyed "blue, purple, and scarlet," with linen perhaps used to highlight the cherubim design. The veil was suspended by means of gold hooks from four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold, set in silver pedestals. It was to be placed directly beneath the clasps by which the two halves of the tabernacle tapestry were joined.

The veil was that barrier that prevented anyone other than the high priest to come into what was thought of as the presence of God in the holy of holies.
THE VEIL relates to Christ’s flesh. (Hebrews 10:19-20)

When Jesus died on the cross, when His flesh was pierced, "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom" (Matt. 27:51). Thus, by His death on the cross, Jesus opened the way so that all who will be converted may approach God through our High Priest, Jesus.

I will conclude our study for today and we will look at the last part next time. God bless and stay faithful.

"THE TABERNACLE" Part #4

2008-06-16T13:18:00.003-04:00

Welcome back and we continue with our study of The Tabernacle as seen in The Old Testament.

V. THE CANDLESTICK REPRESENTS GOD’S WORD

A lamp stand made from one talent of "pure gold" was to be placed at the south side of the holy place, positioned in such a way that it would illuminate the area in front of it. According to the instructions it had a central shaft with three branches rising upwards and outwards from the two sides of the shaft, making six branches. The shaft rested on a base that is not described; some have suggested a tripod-type support.

At three places on each branch were cups made like almonds accompanied by a downward-turned floral capital. The central shaft also had such ornaments. The lamp-stand was to be supplied with "snuffers" or tongs for drawing up the wicks, and trays also of pure gold.
"Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path" (PS. 119:105).
"The unfolding of Thy words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple" (PS. 119:130).
When we look at God's Word and take it as written by HIS Holy Spirit, it will give light to every area of living.

VI. THE TABLE OF SHEW BREAD REPRESENTS THE LORD’S SUPPER

The instructions Moses received on the mountain called for a table of acacia wood overlaid with "pure gold", 2 cubits long, 1 cubit wide, and 1 ½ cubits high. Like the ark, it was decorated with a rim of gold, apparently running around the edge of the ends and sides.
"Pure gold" was to be used in making "plates" on which the bread was brought to the table. This was sometimes referred to as "bread of the presence" because of the presence of God. This table of show bread was to be located on the north side of the tabernacle opposite of the lamp stand.
THE TABLE OF SHEW BREAD was a "type" of the Lord’s Supper as used in the New Testament church. It was to be eaten by the priest. It was to be eaten weekly (contrary to the practice of the denominations).
It was also to be eaten in the presence of God. (Luke 22:17-18)

The Tabernacle was a temporary construction, but the Church is permanent and will last forever in Glory with God. I want to encourage each one reading this devotion to make double sure you are following the ways of God and not the dictates of man. Continue to be faithful and we will continue this study next week.

"THE TABERNACLE" (Part #3)

2008-06-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone and welcome back to our continuing study on "THE TABERNACLE". Today we begin part three and will look at two more areas that coincide, or are TYPES from the old testament. So let us begin;

III. THE OUTER COURT REPRESENTS THE WORLD

As specified in the instructions we find in God's word, a rectangular courtyard 100 cubits long on the north and south side and 50 cubits on the east and west surrounded the tabernacle. The courtyard was enclosed by hangings of fine white linen 5 cubits high, which were suspended by silver hooks from pillars of wood: twenty pillars on the north and south sides, ten on the east and west.
The eastern side of the courtyard was to be left without hangings for a space of 20 cubits. This entrance was covered by a screen made of the same materials as the screen at the tabernacle front, suspended from four pillars.
The courtyard of the tabernacle could be entered by all Israelites of both male and female when they brought their sacrifices and offerings to the entrance of the tent of meeting and when they gathered to hear a message that came from the mouth of God through His speaker. It had less sanctity than the tabernacle itself, from which the common person was barred. Nonetheless it still possessed a measure of sanctity; here "holy things" were to be eaten and Israelites in a state of ritual impurity were not allowed to approach.

IV. THE HOLY PLACE REPRESENTS THE CHURCH

Whereas all Israelites could enter the outer court, only the Levites, those who were priests, could enter THE HOLY PLACE. Remember, Christians are called "a royal priesthood" before God, and only priests are in THE HOLY PLACE, the church. Within THE HOLY PLACE, the church, is included the lamp stand, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense, all typical items of worship for the church.

Some in the denominational world would put the laver inside the church, because many feel that one is saved and then baptized. But the New Testament teaches just the opposite. God's Word states very clearly that we are saved at the point of baptism (burial) as sin is removed by God's working. All this is as the result of faith. We are then added to the church or body of Jesus Christ. (Colossians 2:12f)

I will end there for today and pick this up next time. God bless...

"THE TABERNACLE" PART 2

2008-05-31T13:45:00.000-04:00

Welcome back everyone. Today we continue with our thoughts on the "TABERNACLE" and begin with a look at what each piece of the furniture represents. First of all;

I. THE ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERINGS REPRESENTS JESUS, OUR SACRIFICE
This altar was to be made of acacia wood overlaid with bronze. According to the instructions it was square-shaped (5 cubits by 5 cubits, and 3 cubits high), with horns projecting from the four corners. Halfway up, it was circled by a projecting ledge; presumably a priest would stand on this ledge while offering a sacrifice. Implements of bronze were to be supplied for the altar: "shovels" to collect the ashes, "pots" to carry them away, "basins" from which the blood of sacrificial animals would be tossed against the altar, "forks" for arranging the flesh on the altar, and "fire pans" for removing coals of fire from the altar.The altar was to be placed in the courtyard outside the tabernacle entrance. The actual slaying of animals would be North of the altar and the animal parts would then be arranged on the altar. The ashes would later be dumped East of the altar.
The fire on the altar was never to go out, not even during the daily cleansing of the altar. Burnt offerings were to be sacrificed on this "bronze altar" each morning and evening. The sacrifices were innocent victims whose lives were given and whose blood was shed because of the sins of those offering the sacrifices. This ALTAR OF BURNT OFFERINGS was a "type" of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus Christ was the innocent victim who knew no sin and whose blood was shed because of the sins of others.
"Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth" (Is. 53:7). "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed" (Is. 53:4-5). II. THE LAVER REPRESENTS BIBLE BAPTISM (TRANSLATED IMMERSION).
Moses was instructed to put a laver in the outer court of the tabernacle, which contained water for washing. Aaron and his sons were to wash their hands and their feet from the laver before approaching the Altar of Burnt Offerings that they may not die.The laver was a type of our baptism or immersion, burial. Priests must wash before serving God. (a royal priesthood- 1Pet. 2:9))Prevented death (Physical – Spiritual in New Covenant)Notice the washing was done before sin was dealt with at the brazen altar. (not forgiveness, then baptism) Acts 22:16

If the priest did not wash as directed, his life was in danger. Washing always should take place before we sit at The father's Table. Washing in the New Testament always takes place before a person is cleansed of their sins. This is a referrence to Bible baptism or immersion into Christ and should never be taken lightly. God instituted baptism and man should never remove it from its rightful place.

We will end there for today and take up more next time. God bless until we meet again.

THE TABERNACLE

2008-05-21T13:51:00.005-04:00

Heb. 9:1-28

Hello everyone and welcome back to another study in The Word of God. Today we begin a new thought on a very important subject. The subject is that of the Tabernacle as we see it in the Old Testament and how it is seen typologically in The New Testament. This may take a few weeks to complete since there is so much material here. So let's begin and I pray this is an area of learning for you as you read on.

One thing that would be good for us to remember here is that the epistle to the Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians. The readers of this letter were very familiar with the Mosaic Law and the sacrificial system. The author of "Hebrews" seems to have been very knowledgeable in the Jewish faith. Although we cannot say dogmatically who wrote this very informative book of the New Testament, so much evidence certainly points to the apostle Paul.
In his commentary on Hebrews, Don Earl Boatman gives "internal evidence as to Paul’s authorship." Professor Boatman states the following:
1. Figures of speech are similar to those used in Paul's other letters.
2. Paul’s view of the law as expressed in his other letters is the same
view expressed in Hebrews.
3. The word "mediator" is used by Paul only.
4. Conditions in the life of Paul are true to those of the writer of the
Hebrew letter.
a. The writer was a prisoner in Italy. (13:19-24)
b. The writer was a friend of Timothy. (13:23) The writer asks for prayers of brethren that he might be set free. (13:18-19)
5, The word "covenant" is found only seven times in the New Testament outside of Paul’s writings. Paul uses it nine times in
other writings. It is used seventeen times in Hebrews.
6. No other writer invokes grace upon his readers.

After showing, in chapter seven, that Jesus, our High Priest, is superior to both the high priest of the Mosaic Law and superior to Melchizedek, and then, in chapter eight, continuing to give reasons why our High Priest is better that all who came before, the Hebrew writer moves to give specifics of the Old Testament system of worship by calling to the reader's attention THE TABERNACLE.
THE TABERNACLE was constructed by the Israelites as to the pattern Moses had seen on Mt. Sinai. After coming off the mountain, the Jewish leader requested certain items as contributions to be brought for the tabernacle’s construction. In fact, Moses finally had to constrain the people because they were giving more than what was sufficient.
The tabernacle was used for those forty years of wandering in the desert and then carried across the Jordan River into the Promised Land and found a resting place at Shiloh, which became the Jews place of worship and sacrifice until King David removed the tabernacle to the capital city of Jerusalem.
In this time of devotion, we will note the various parts of THE TABERNACLE and see how each item relates to the New Testament church.

I will end today at this point and we will pick this up again next week. God bless until we meet again.......

"TWO MOUNTAINS CONTRASTED" Part #2

2008-05-03T11:15:00.005-04:00

Welcome back and I do hope today finds each of you doing well as you continue to serve our Great God. Today we begin the second part of our look at the two mountains contrasted. So let us begin;

Now we see the TWO MOUNTAINS CONTRASTED.

A. Sinai was in the wilderness.
When you try to live according to the Mosaic Law, you will always be
in the wilderness.

B. Zion is a city. The city of God.
Gates of precious stones; streets of gold.
A wilderness and the beautiful city of heaven certainly do show the contrast of
the Old Law and Grace.

A. Sinai represents Law.
B. Zion represents Grace.

A. At Sinai, righteous men were made to face their imperfections.
B. At Zion, unrighteous men are able to be made perfect (complete) by the blood of Christ.

A. At Sinai, salvation by works.
B. At Zion, salvation by grace through an active faith. Eph. 2:8-10

A. At Sinai, people were prevented from coming into the presence of God.
B. At Zion, all men are invited into the presence of God through His Son. “NO ONE COMES UNTO THE FATHER BUT BY ME . . .” Jn. 14:6

A. At Sinai, there were only Jews.
B. At Zion, all are invited. “Whosoever will” “For God so loved the whole world.” “not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance”

A. At Sinai, the trumpet sound caused God’s people to tremble.
B. At the last trumpet announcing the Lord’s return, God’s people will rejoice. 1Thess. 4:16

A. At Sinai, the people were forbidden to look upon God. Jn. 1:18
B. At Zion, people will be able to look upon God on His throne.

A. AT Sinai, the people washed their garments to prepare for the coming of God. Ex. 19:10
B. At Zion, we must be washed in the waters of baptism (IMMERSION) to receive the coming of God in the form of the Holy Spirit. (ACTS 2:38)

A. At Sinai, the fire that accompanied the coming of the Lord did not destroy. (Ex. 19:18, The Burning bush).
B. At Zion, the fire that accompanies the coming of the Lord will destroy all who are unfaithful and who do not believe. (2Pet. 3:10-12)

So there we see the contrast of the two mountains mentioned in God's Word. I hope you learned something and continue to grow in Christ. God bless as you continue to be a blessing to others. Until our next time, may God bless.

2008-04-26T17:33:00.001-04:00

TWO MOUNTAINS CONTRASTED (Part #1)

Heb. 12:18

Good day to each of you and here we go again with another devotional thought. Even in a casual reading of the scriptures, we can hardly miss the significance of the many mountains mentioned in God’s Word. For example:
1. Mt. Ararat where Noah’s ark rested following its five month journey during the flood.
2. Mt. Carmel where the prophet, Elijah, challenged the prophets of Baal.
3. Mountains Ebal and Gerizim from which Moses announced blessings and cursings on the children of Israel.
4. Mt. Hermon, a 9,100’ mountain about 30 miles southwest of Damascus, possibly the location of the transfiguration.
5. Mt. Hor, Aaron’s burial place.
6. Mt. Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac on the altar; where David made sacrifice for his sin of illegally numbering the people, and where the temple was built.
7. Mt. Nebo from which Moses viewed the Promised Land.
8. Mount of Olives that overlooks Jerusalem from the east across the Kidron Valley and the Pool of Siloam. Also where Jesus would go with His disciples to pray.
9. Mt. Seir where Esau went to live. The area became known as
Edom, and the residents, the descendants of Esau, were
called Edomites.
10. Mt. Sinai where Moses received the law and the ten
commandments.
In our lesson text for this devotion, I want you to notice with me these TWO MOUNTAINS CONTRASTED.
I. MOUNT SINAI vss 18-21 (Exodus 19)

II. MOUNT ZION vss 22-24

These verses are describing salvation. The Hebrew Christians had come to:
1. Zion In the Bible, Zion was referred to as the place of God (Ps. 132:13-14; Rev. 14:1 & Phil 3:20).
2.“the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”. In the Scriptures, Zion and Jerusalem are used to refer to both the capital city of the Jews, but also of heaven. (Heb. 11:10)
3. myriads of angels = innumerable...“myriads of myriads” (Rev. 5:11).
4. the general assembly and church of the first-born. These are both describing the saved. In Col. 1:18, Jesus is called “the first-born from the dead.”... “the church of the first-born” = church of Christ. “All the churches of Christ greet you” (Rom. 16:16).
5. “to God, the judge of all”
6.“to the spirits of righteous men made perfect” only in heaven. This would refer to those departed saints whose spirits were made perfect by the blood of Christ when they were saved.
7. “to Jesus” vs 24 (1Pet. 1:1-2) Just as the blood of the Passover was sprinkled on the lentil and the doorposts in order that those who dwelt therein might be saved from judgment, so is the blood of Jesus Christ sprinkled on your soul when you obey His commands in becoming a Christian so that the Lord will pass over you in judgment. So the children of Israel had come to Mount Sinai, but the Hebrew Christians had come to Mount Zion.

Next week we will see the beginning of these two mountains as they contrast each other. God bless until our next time.

2008-04-19T11:43:00.002-04:00

LOVE

1 John. 5 :2

"There are ten strong things. Iron is strong, but fire melts it. Fire is strong, but water quenches it. Water is strong, but the clouds evaporate it. Clouds are strong, but wind drives them away. Man is strong, but fears cast him down. Fear is strong, but sleep overcomes. Sleep is strong, yet death is stronger. But loving kindness survives death."

Love is probably the strongest emotion that we, as humans, can express. We are born with the ability to love and to accept love. This is one of the areas that separate us from the animal kingdom. Because of being created with the ability to choose, we can either choose to love or not; we can either choose to accept love or reject love. It is up to each individual. To love and accept love is actually seen as good for your health. Through studies it has been shown that, on the average, happily married people live longer than either those who remain single or those who have unhappy marriages.
First of all in this lesson;

I. LOVE GOD; WHY?
Well, the basic reason above all is that He deserves it.
1. He created you
2. He has blessed you with all necessities to sustain life
3. He gave His only Son Jesus to die for your sins.
He demands it for our benefit and HIS glory.

Luke 10:27 tells us, "And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (NAS95)

Loving God also shows that we love God’s children properly.
1 John 5:2 tells us, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments." (NAS95)

II. LOVE PARENTS

Ephesians 6:1-3 reads, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH." (NAS95)

Notice that this is:
a.) a command
b.) a command with a promise
c.) an unconditional promise – Honor whether you agree with them, respect them, or even like them.
One way to love your parents is never embarrassing them by your actions.
Joshua said, "As for me and my house, WE will serve the Lord." (Deuteronomy 27:16)
'Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.' (NAS95)

III. LOVE OTHERS
Galatians 5:14 we are told, "For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (NAS95)

In what ways can I show love to others?
1.) Share Jesus and His church with those who are lost
2.) Serve without the expectation of payment
3.) Have the proper attitudes in life and worship

a. Jealousies and angers must be controlled
b. Competition among members should cease
c. Showing a Christian example for those inside The Church and outside of Christ

Romans 13:10 the Apostle Paul by God's Holy Spirit tells us, "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (NAS95) Now go and do the right thing.

I hope you all enjoy this devotion and remember to stay faithful to our GREAT GOD!! Until next time may God bless.

"A GOOD STEWARD"

2008-04-05T11:22:00.002-04:00

Good day everyone and I want to welcome you back to another devotion. Today we want to look at the topic of stewardship as mentioned in the Bible. First, let us define the word from two different perspectives. First from the worldly view;

"Stewardship is personal responsibility for taking care of another person's property or financial affairs. Historically, stewardship was the responsibility given household servants to bring food and drinks to a big castle dining hall. The term was then expanded to indicate a household employee's responsibility for managing household or domestic affairs. Stewardship later became the responsibility for taking care of passengers' domestic needs on a ship, train and airplane, or managing the service provided to diners in a restaurant. The term continues to be used in these specific ways, but it is also used in a more general way to refer to a responsibility to take care of something one does not own." "One employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)."

From a biblical perspective it is similar in many ways but with greater importance. One of the Greek words used is, "oikonomov, oikonomos, oy-kon-om'-os; which means a house-distributor (i.e. manager), or overseer, i.e. an employee in that capacity; by extension, a fiscal agent (treasurer); figuratively, a preacher (of the Gospel):--chamberlain, governor, steward."

From either definition it is the idea of one person taking care of the belongings of another. The idea from God's Word seems to show, first, Christ as a steward of the things of God. He was to do only the Will of God in His dealings while on earth, and He did. Then prior to His ascension into heaven He left His disciples with the same idea of being stewards of those things they, and we, are to do faithfully until His return. Peter was given what was called "THE KEYS" to the Kingdom, The Church, in Acts 2 and he was a good steward of those things given him and the rest of the Apostles as he preached on The Day Of Pentecost.

Those keys are the same keys we are to use as good stewards of God's kingdom and without changing any one of them to accommodate man. A good steward of the things of God means we are to deliver them as HE has stated and not how we might think best for our world or culture at the time. Looking at many congregations today, it seems that the ideas of "intelligent men"(?) have over-ridden the things of God's Word. Man, then, becomes not the steward, but the one who makes the rules and laws by which others will follow.

Paul, as he is inspired of God's Holy Spirit, tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:1, "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (2) Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." (RSV)

So, I want to encourage each of us not to treat God's Word as a smorgasbord and pick and choose what we want and do not want. Let's take it all as He has delivered it to us and "DIMINISH NOT A WORD" (Jeremiah 26:2).

"PRIDE"

2008-03-02T21:42:00.001-05:00

Good day to each of you and welcome back to another devotion. If you have been reading these writings online or as a printout, you may have noticed a bit of a theme. We come to the final of what are referred to as 'THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS'. What I hope you notice with today's is how all of these seem to have one main thread that holds them together, that being this last one, which is PRIDE! Whether anger, lust, gluttony, sloth, greed or envy, each of them has one thing in common, that being 'SELF'. They are all about 'ME' and how to gratify 'MY' needs or desires in 'MY' life. None of these are of any concern for my fellow man and what he or she truly needs to live as God designed. This is all centered around pride for self and and the satisfaction 'I' want for the moment or a lifetime.

Pride in the dictionary has at least the following meaning; "a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc." Pride is not considered negative until it crosses the line of arrogance, but for this study we will limit ourselves to the sin referred to in God's Word.

In Christianity, Pride (also referred to as Vanity or arrogance) is the "essentially competitive and excessive belief in one's own abilities that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God, or the worth which God sees in others"; for example:

"In his Pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God" (Psalm 10:4). Pride is many times the downfall or the reason for the sins of mankind. Any time we take our eyes off the Lord and HIS WILL as written in HIS WORD, we become the center of all our universe and God is no longer the reason we live. This is wrong on many levels. 1 John 2:16 states, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world" (RSV).

It is not God's Will for us to serve self and let others go by the wayside. We are to rather imitate Christ as the scriptures say, "It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:26-28 RSV). We either serve God and His Will or we serve self by our own standards.

God bless until our next time.......

"GREED"

2008-02-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

Welcome back and I pray you are continuing to be faithful in service to our Great God. Today we continue with a new study, this one is on "GREED". From a dictionary, a world view, the word has at least the following meaning;
"excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves" and "reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins) [syn: avarice].

What it is: Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual things of God. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness. Why do people do it? Quite possibly because we live in the most pampered, consumerist society since the Roman Empire. As a people, we are spoiled and we are teaching our children that it is O.K. to want more 'stuff' and all the while ignore the teachings of God in His Word.

In Luke 12:15 Jesus Himself speaks and said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Jesus uses a word in the Greek that is often translated as covetous. The two words are often interchangeable. Greed takes place when a person takes their spiritual eye off of the things of God and service to Him, and begin to look with the physical eye at what the world has to offer. Forgetting what price God and Christ paid to give us the salvation available, we begin to accept things of much less value. Greed is one of the original ten commandments and is still one of those areas Christ tells us to beware of in life on this side of the cross.
In Luke 12:22-23 Jesus says, (22) "And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. (23) For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment." (ASV)

The physical part of each of us is temporary, yet we put so much into preserving it with things the world has to offer. The spiritual part of us is forever and too often we fail to give it the attention it needs and deserves from God's design. Greed is looking at that physical part and avoiding the spiritual. When we stand before God's Throne to be judged, HE will not ask how much stuff we have accumulated, but rather how faithful we were to His Word and His Son.

God Bless until next time....

"SLOTH"

2008-02-17T12:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome back and today we look at the subject of 'SLOTH', or in simple English, 'Laziness'. I am sure each of us have had times in our lives when we were 'lazy', and no doubt with good reason. If you put in many hours at work or just had a difficult time in life that took a lot of your energy, you may have become a 'couch potato' for a short period of time. This is not what we are talking about in our time together today. Our thoughts today have to do with those who have the physical ability to do work but simply decline to get busy or involved. They would rather live off of the efforts of others than to do an honest day's work and sweat to earn their keep and their next meal.

Lazy in the dictionary has at least the following meaning, "averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion; indolent."

In the religious realms, sloth (Latin: acedia, accidia, pigritia) is one of the seven capital sins, often called the seven deadly sins; these sins are called the capital sins because they destroy charity in the man or woman's heart and therefore may lead to eternal spiritual death. Sloth is defined as spiritual and/or actual apathy or laziness, putting off what God asks you to do, or not doing it or anything else at all. Acedia is a Latin word, from Greek, akedia, literally meaning "absence of caring". Acedia can, and often does, lead to God's wrath in a person's life. We point many times to those folks who are lazy physically and refuse or decline to get to work in our world. There is, however, a greater form of sloth or laziness we may tend to overlook. True, it is a sin to be slothful physically, but when God's people become slothful with HIS Word, no one benefits, including God.

God designed HIS Church with a mission or vocation. We are not to be simply enjoying the feast of HIS Word on a regular basis and never leaving the dining room. We are to take the energy, knowledge and nutrition of that spiritual food and share it with those who are starving to eternal death. Are you slothful in your life? For your own sake, physically, and the benefit of other souls around you, spiritually, get busy doing what you already know is God's will. You will feel better for it and others will thank you in eternity.

God bless and stay faithful to His Word. See you next time...

"GLUTTONY"

2008-02-10T12:24:00.000-05:00

Good day to everyone and welcome to another word study from God's Word. Today we begin to look at the topic of GLUTTONY and how it affects our lives when we allow it to take place. From the dictionary it is defined in the following way;

"Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste." In some religious circles, it is considered one of the seven deadly sins—a misplaced desire of food or its withholding from the needy.

Early Church leaders (e.g., Thomas Aquinas) took a more expansive view of gluttony (Okholm 2000), arguing that it could also include an obsessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods. He went so far as to prepare a list of five ways to commit gluttony, including:
Praepropere - eating too soon
Laute - eating too expensively
Nimis - eating too much
Ardenter - eating too eagerly
Studiose - eating too daintily
Innocent XI has 'condemned the proposition which asserts, that it is not a sin to eat or to drink from the sole motive of satisfying the palate. However, it is not a fault to feel pleasure in eating: for it is, generally speaking, impossible to eat without experiencing the delight which food naturally produces.'

Gluttony is addressed by the Biblical teachings of moderation (Ecclesiastes 7:18) and self-control (Galatians 5:23; Titus 2:12). It is mentioned most of all in the book of Proverbs, e.g.,
“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” (Proverbs 23:20-21)
“He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.” (Proverbs 28:7)
“When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.” (Proverbs 23:2)
The view of gluttony as one of the Seven Deadly Sins is rooted in the physical destructiveness of excess consumption of food or drink. At the same time, gluttony can cause an individual to focus so intensely on physical desires that the life of the spirit is stunted or forgotten. As a case in point, Emperor Claudius of Rome was, according to Suetonius, a notorious glutton who would bathe in food and gulp down priceless pearls dissolved in vinegar.

If gluttony does nothing else, it takes away our ability and desire to be of service to our great God and to be of benefit to HIS Kingdom and His people. When we measure and compare Heaven with God to the pleasures of this world, we would have to agree there is really No Comparison. If gluttony is pulling you away from God, look for the help and support you need to be the person God desires. God bless until our next time.

"LUST"

2008-02-03T09:18:00.000-05:00

Good day everyone and today we begin an ugly study. Ugly because it is one of those things in our lives that can truly take us away from seeing the wonder and beauty of God to focusing on self and how to gratify the sinful flesh. The topic is that of 'LUST'. Unless you just crawled out from under a rock or came from another planet, you are probably bombarded with the temptation to lust. Whether from T.V. or radio or any other type of media, these ideas are constantly thrown our way. You cannot watch a program or an advertisement for nearly any product without some idea of lust coming your way.

From the language of The Holy Word of God, the Greek word for lust has the following meaning;

"epithumeo, (pronounced 'ep-ee-thoo-meh'-o'), epithymia (επιθυμια), to set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise):--covet, desire, would fain, lust (after).

Here, as in reference to murder (Mt. 5:21,22), Jesus legislates against the 'thought' which actually comes before the act itself. He helps us see the necessity of cutting off sin at its lowest root, in the mind. The essence of all vice begins with the intention of the heart. Those who indulge in unchaste imaginations, desires and intentions, according to Christ, are guilty before God. This is in no way license to go ahead and commit the sin if thought about in the mind. Notice what Jesus says in Matthew 5:27,28, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (RSV)

As a quote I recently read states, "The eye and the heart are the two brokers of sin." "Passions lodge only in him who sees.

David in the Old Testament had a problem with lust and carried it to the extreme. We know the story of how he obtained Bathsheba and how he went on to have her husband removed from the situation as David himself tried to cover his own sin. In Psalm 51, after Nathan reveals David's sin to him, David is truly remorseful for his sin and asks God to completely forgive him as only God can do. If lust is a sin you have a problem with in life, take the best step first and please do not try to cover it your way.

As Paul says in Philippians 4:8,9, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you." (ASV)

The best way to keep ourselves from sin and the root of it, is to think on the Holy Things Of God and all HIS Word teaches. So the next time this temptation comes your way, quote a passage, move your eyes away, do something you know is a teaching of The Lord. In other words, as Paul says, DO SOMETHING you know is right.

"ENVY"

2008-01-27T12:36:00.001-05:00

As we begin our thoughts for today, I want us to consider a subject that too often comes far too easy for so many. It is the idea or subject of "ENVY". From a layman's point of view, envy has, in part, the following meaning; "a feeling of want or desire of another's possession, situation in life or personality trait." In the Bible it is often seen in the lives of different people and with results that are far from God's design. We have probably all been there at one time or other and had an opportunity to experience the success or failure it brings, depending on how we may react to it at the time. If dealt with properly, it can lead us to a greater understanding of ourselves as well as the kind of relationships in life that God would have for us. As we look at it from a Biblical view, it is never seen as a good emotion, from all I can tell.

The Bible is clear when it speaks of envy. We read in the book of Proverbs, chapter 27:4, "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?" (KJV) Envy and jealousy seem to be very closely related in the scriptures. One often refers to the other many times in the same passage or story.

The dictionary describes it this way; "a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc." The question is, why do people do it? It is believed that those in the emotion of envy or jealousy have the idea in their mind that others are more fortunate, smarter, more attractive and even better than they.

When we experience envy or jealousy it is normally due to the fact that we are dissatisfied with the life we have or we simply fail to see just how blessed we truly are by God with what we have. We should not go through life wishing for what we do not have, but rather be happy and content with what we have been given. The Apostle Paul said it very well in Philippians 4:11, "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Then in Hebrews 13:5, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

I will leave you with these words, be content with the life with which God has blessed you and live pleasing HIM. Do not look to the things or the lives of others for happiness, but look to God and trust HIM! He will bless you with what it is He knows you can handle. The reason we sometimes do not have all 'we want' is because HE knows where we might go if we had it. Count your blessings and see what God has already done. God bless until our next time together.

snowme1955@gmail.com

"ANGER"

2008-01-20T15:25:00.001-05:00

Welcome back and today we begin a new study. This is a topic that many, if not all, of us deal with in life at one point or other. The subject today is that of ANGER!!

First of all, let's ask the question, 'what is anger?' Anger is a feeling or an emotion that tells a person that they are hurt and that they do not want to be hurt. The dictionary defines it this way; "a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism."
Anger is about something that has come our way that we do not want. When a person learns not to react to anger but rather look at it as a mirror, it then identifies what that person does want.

We do not often look at anger as a gift, but it is a God-given emotion. This "Gift of Anger" is the ability to be able to go after what we want instead of fighting with what we don’t want that has come our way. An anger problem is any anger-related behavior (whether verbal, physical, or emotional) that is hurtful to the one angered and/or someone else in the path of that reaction.
Anger also knows no gender
It makes no difference as to gender, males and females both have anger problems. Anger is a real feeling that tells you or me that we have been hurt. If we don’t know how to recognize when we are hurt, our energy grows unnoticed, and our emotions get ahead of our brain. If you or I get to a point where we act instead of think, we have mismanaged our anger.
When we have an anger problem, getting stuck in our anger can lead us to blaming and punishing others for our pain. Once we have reacted to anger, instead of thinking first, we have allowed our feelings to control us rather than us controlling the situation. This could lead to behaviors you or I never would have done if we were making rational choices.
You and I have no right to put our attitude on anyone. We probably know that, and you and I probably feel pretty bad about what we may have said or done in situations of uncontrolled anger.
The problem is not necessarily that we were wrong;
The problem is not even that we were angry;
The problem is that we allowed our anger to let us get out of control.

A short-tempered man is a fool. It's in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 7:9, "Be not quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools" (RSV). Proverbs 19:11,"Good sense makes a man slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense" (RSV). Proverbs 16:32, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city" (RSV).

Get over anger quickly. It's in the Bible, Ephesians 4:26-27,"Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, (27) and give no opportunity to the devil" (RSV).

Don't fight back when wronged. It's in the Bible, I Peter 3:9,"Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, for to this you have been called, that you may obtain a blessing" (RSV).

Anger produces strife. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 30:33, "For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife" (NIV).

So much more could be said about this particular subject but I will end it here and take up a new one for next time. Thank you all for your continued service to our Great God. God bless, Mark

snowme1955@gmail.com

A Short Exegesis of I Corinthians 13:8-14:40

2008-01-18T13:23:00.000-05:00

(PART #4)

Good day to each one and we conclude with this series today. I hope you have enjoyed it and I will try to have a new one for you next week. I do appreciate your prayers on my behalf. So let's continue today and may God bless as you continue to serve HIM.

Paul then says in verse 22: "So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers, but to those who believe." Who were the unbelievers? Primarily the Jews. Signs were always for unbelievers (Acts 8:6; 14:1-3; Heb. 2:1-4).In 70 A.D. God brought forth His judgments against Israel by using Rome to come and utterly destroy the city of Jerusalem. Israel had committed the ultimate national sin: They crucified the Son of God. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit as well as the gift of speaking in tongues were a call to repentance for the nation Israel. When Jerusalem fell there was no longer a need for this sign of judgement therefore it simply ceased to exist just as Paul said it would in I Cor. 13:8.
{22} "So then tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is for a sign, not to unbelievers but to those who believe."Signs were always for unbelievers. See Acts 8:6; 14:1-3; Heb 2:1-4. The desire for signs demonstrates a lack of faith, not a mature faith
{23} "Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? {24} But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; {25} the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. {26} What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. {27} If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; {28} but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God."
There are four rules of tongues speaking: (1) 3 at the most may speak (27), (2) They must take turns, not all speak at once (27), (3) Make sure it is translated (27), else shut up (28), and (4) women are not to do it (v. 34)
{29} "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. {30} But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. {31} For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; {32} and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; {33} for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. {34} The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says."By the way, this verse does not mean women may not speak at all in the assembly. We know they were to pray and prophecy (11:1-16). The prophecy that women did were always related to singing, not in a teaching position.
{35} "If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. {36} Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? {37} If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment."This teaching was not Paul's opinion, it was of God, therefore they had better get their act together.
{38} "But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. {39} Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. {40} But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner."

This concludes this study from God's Word and I pray it is taken in the manner in which it is delivered, in love. God bless as you continue to study and let God's Word be the guide of your life and HE will bless you. See you next time and remember, The Lord is coming back very soon. Mark

snowme1955@gmail.com

A Short Exegesis of I Corinthians 13:8-14:40

2008-01-06T13:10:00.000-05:00

(PART THREE)

Hi everyone and we continue today with part three of our series entitled;

A Short Exegesis of I Corinthians 13:8-14:40

{15} "What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also."

The point is, DO NOT PRAY IN TONGUES! It is unprofitable if no one knows what is being said. What they were doing (which many modern tongues claimants are claiming) is being used of God to talk to Himself. God gives them the utterance, they do not know what they're saying, and only God knows. God becomes the "Great Ventriloquist" speaking only to Himself.

{16} "Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? {17} For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified."
Once again, if the Church is not edified, it is useless.

{18} I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all; {19} however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue." Tongues were not the great gift they thought it was.

{20} "Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature." Grow up!

{21} "In the Law it is written, 'BY MEN OF STRANGE TONGUES AND BY THE LIPS OF STRANGERS I WILL SPEAK TO THIS PEOPLE, AND EVEN SO THEY WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME,' says the Lord."
For this part I am going to copy something I've already written. It is from my Article the Baptism of the Holy Spirit:

"So far in chapter 14 we've seen how tongues were supposed to be used and how the Corinthians abused this gift but we have yet to see a judgmental aspect to speaking in tongues. In verse 21 it reads: '"In the Law it is written, 'By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to me,' says the Lord." This is a quotation of Isaiah 28:11. As we turn back to Isaiah 28 lets' begin with verse 9:

"To whom would He teach knowledge? And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast? For He says "Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there. Indeed, He will speak to this people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to them "Here is rest, give rest to the weary," and, "Here is repose," but they would not listen. So the word of the Lord to them will be "Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here a little there," that they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive. Therefore hear the word of the Lord, O scoffers, who rule this people who are in Jerusalem, because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, for we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception."

The words in italics should not be translated. The words in Hebrew read "Sav lasav, sav lasav, kav lakav, Kav lakav, Ze'er sham, ze'er sham." These are sounds imitating the sounds a baby would make. The English equivalent would be "goo goo gah gah." God is telling Israel that because they would not listen to His commands, He would use people of stammering lips and a foreign tongue to proclaim His message of judgement. When the Baptism of the Holy Spirit took place, it was not in Hebrew that the terms of the new covenant were spoken, it was through about every other language except Hebrew (Acts 2:5-11). Just as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was a sign of judgement upon national Israel, speaking in tongues was a constant reminder that (1) the new covenant was for all, not only for the fleshly descendants of Abraham and (2) judgement is coming upon national Israel.

We will conclude our study thoughts for today and pick up here next week with the last section. May God bless as you continue to serve HIM.

snowme1955@gmail.com

2007-12-31T10:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome back everyone and we continue with part 2 of our series. This bible study is one many are confused on and I believe it is due to a lack of simple study of The Word of God. So I urge you, as Paul said many times, to study The Word as it is written and not take man's point of view.

"{13} But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The only things that they had that would continue on after the complete thing is faith, hope and love. Love is the greatest because it will never be replaced. When Jesus returns to restore all things hope and faith will be replaced. As Paul says in Rom 8:24 "For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?" So it is certain the complete thing is not the 2ND coming. But love will last throughout eternity.

(1 Cor 14) "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."
They had been prideful over unimportant things. Paul admonishes them to desire the better gifts. It seems the gift of tongues was pretty common and many of them had this gift, but Paul is about to begin letting them know that tongues did not make them all that special and they had nothing to boast about.
{2} "For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries."
This is not what tongues were for, this is how they were using the gift. In other words, they were speaking in tongues but no one was interpreting and it was a mystery. The only one who knew what was being said was God Himself. This was wrong as will be pointed out later.
{3} "But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. {4} One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. {5} Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying."
All gifts were to edify the Church. They were trying to use the gift of tongues selfishly, for their own glory.
{6} "But now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, what will I profit you unless I speak to you either by way of revelation or of knowledge or of prophecy or of teaching?"
Their gift of tongues was of no profit because no one was understanding, so Paul uses the analogies of vv. 7 & 8.
{7} "Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? {8} For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? {9} So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air."
If no one interprets tongues, no one knows what's being said, which is the same as speaking to the air. Once again, he is not telling them what to do, he is scolding them for what they were already doing.
{10} "There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning. {11} If then I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be to the one who speaks a barbarian, and the one who speaks will be a barbarian to me. {12} So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church."
The word "glossa" means "tongue" or "language." The word that has been translated as tongues throughout this passage is the same word translated as languages in v. 10. Tongues, his point is, were to be translated and for edification. THAT is what they should be seeking for. Not their own pride.
{13} 'Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. {14} For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful."
They were "showing off" their gift of tongues by using it to pray with. Again, he is not telling them what to do, he is scolding them for what they were already doing. If you would pray in a tongue, you may be using your spiritual gift but you don't know what you're saying, i.e., the spirit prays but the mind is unfruitful.

We will end today's lesson and pick up here next week. God bless until we meet again.

snowme1955@gmail.com

A Short Exegesis of I Corinthians 13:8-14:40

2007-12-23T17:04:00.000-05:00

Good day to everyone and I do hope this writing finds each of you doing well. I want to let you all know that I am really under the weather here and ask for your prayers on my behalf. I have not felt up to the challenge of much study or writing so I am once again going to take advantage of some others who have written some great articles that I believe we all need to see and learn so we can help others in return. This one is from my friend J. Scott Sheridan and I have broken it up into four sections due to space. I do not want to give you too much to try to devour in one setting. So read it, and read it again and know what God's Word says. I will have part two next week. I have had requests for this subject anyway, and this is a good place to start. So God bless and enjoy.

A Short Exegesis of I Corinthians 13:8-14:40
By J. Scott Sheridan

"Following is an exegesis of I Corinthians. 13:8-14:40 using the NASB translation. To understand the "tongues" discussion in chapter 14 you must start back in chapter 13, and also understand the situation at Corinth. Paul had been there and had bestowed many with spiritual gifts (by the way, the only way ANYONE obtained spiritual gifts was to have an apostle lay hands upon them, including tongues). The Church at Corinth became very arrogant and puffed up thinking their gifts made them better than other Christians, and it, caused factions (see chap 1) within the Church. Paul wrote this letter to scold them for everything they were doing wrong. Corinth is not the Church we want to look to for orthodoxy. My comments will be in bold.
The one thing the Corinthians were not doing was loving one another.
(1 Corinthians 13:8-13) "Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, will be done away."

Paul has emphasized love. Love is more important than the spiritual gifts, which he will now elaborate. Love never fails BUT prophecy and knowledge will be "done away" and tongues shall just "Cease." The KJV and NIV are both very inconsistent in this verse. The Greek word Paul uses that means "done away" has the connotation of "to be replaced." It is the same word he uses in verse 11 (did away). It means it will be replaced with something better, just as Paul "did away" with childish things and replaced them with adult things. Tongues however, would simply cease. The Greek word is “pauo" and means to stop, cease. Tongues would not be replaced, just stopped.

When he speaks of prophecy, he does not mean foretelling the future. A prophet was someone who spoke in God's behalf. Only occasionally did that mean future telling. Prophecy would be replaced. Knowledge would also be replaced. He does not mean everybody will be stupid, he is referring to directly revealed knowledge. These would be replaced when "the perfect comes" (v. 10).
{9} For we know in part and we prophesy in part; {10} but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. Knowledge and prophecy was incomplete. It was only given in specific places to individual Churches, which meant (1) no Church had a complete revelation and (2) the revelations given were not widely distributed, even with their best efforts. However, when this perfect comes that will replace the incomplete stuff. The word "perfect" is the Greek word "teleon" which more accurately means "complete." It is also neuter in gender, so it is not referring to a person. A better translation would be "when the complete thing comes, the partial shall be done away."

{11} When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.

Paul now uses an illustration to show that this process of replacing incomplete things is only natural
{12} For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

Mirrors in ancient times were not exactly the best at reflecting. They were usually a polished metal and the images were usually somewhat distorted. He says that now, i.e., the time he is writing, revelation was like looking in a mirror in a poor light. But when the complete thing comes it will be like looking at someone's face rather than a poor reflection. At the time of his writing, he only knew in parts, but when the complete thing comes it will be like having someone there to tell all there is."

This concludes part one. God bless until our next time. snowme1955@gmail.com

'WHY THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS NOT A DENOMINATION'.

2007-12-16T13:03:00.000-05:00

Welcome back everyone and I do hope this series of lessons has been and will continue to be of benefit to many. We conclude our series today and I will have something new for you next week. Thank you again for your prayers on my behalf and I pray for each of you as you continue to serve our Great God. So here we go with the conclusion of;

'WHY THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS NOT A DENOMINATION'.
"Around the turn of the 19Th century, there arose, simultaneously, in different places around the world,
under the direction of different men, an effort to unite all professed Christians by restoring this true and
only church of Christ, in doctrine, life, and practice. Those making up this movement identified
themselves with the church of Christ (nondenominational) by following the New Testament pattern
without human additions or subtractions, without denominational names, organizations, creeds, or
practices. The growth of those taking this position has been astounding."

"It is true that in the last half-century some who professed this position have been unfaithful to it, and have tried to form another denomination around the movement by crystallizing the name “Disciples of Christ” into a sectarian name, by making an organization known as the United Christian Missionary Society (and its successor) the governing body over Christian congregations, by formulating human rules for the
church and for the Christian ministry, and by subtracting from the ordinances of the church revealed in the
New Testament by denying the necessity of immersion for baptism. Those who desire to remain
Christians only, and abhor unscriptural denominationalism, endeavor to escape these errors which lead
back to the morass of human divisions."

"It is this undenominational position alone which will bring about Christian unity, for professed Christians can never be united on man-made schemes and plans on which all will not, and cannot, agree. But the church revealed in the New Testament is simple enough to be followed and to unite all professed
Christians. According to God’s Word (John 17:21) it will only be when this unity is attained that the
world can be won to Christ."

"We exhort those who have been clinging to and supporting denominational names, practices, disciplines, and organizations to forsake these human foibles, and adopt the name of Christian only, and practice the commands of the New Testament alone in obedience to the authority of Christ, instead of the authority of the creeds and organizations of men. Let those who claim to hold this position be zealous in advocating it, scripturally qualified to defend it, and spiritually consecrated to making it appealing."

May God bless until we meet again.

"WHY THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS NOT A DENOMINATION" (PART TWO)

2007-12-09T21:03:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone and I pray you are all doing well as we approach the holiday season. God has been good to each of us in so many ways and I pray you count your blessings and see what HE has done in your life. We continue today with part two of our devotional time together. May God bless as you read and know HIM just a little better and HIS desire for man from HIS Word. Here we go and I hope you learn something new.

"WHY THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS NOT A DENOMINATION" (PART TWO)

"None of these practices, which denominate or separate into peculiar groups of professed followers of Christ, are sanctioned by those desiring to restore the church of the New Testament. We have no
particular denominational name. We are known simply as Christians. See Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter
4:16, for the use of this God-given name by the apostles in the New Testament. The use of any other name
is sinful, because it divides or denominates. We are members of the church of Christ, which was
established by Christ through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit inspired apostles on the day of
Pentecost. Certainly this church was not a denomination, since to denominate means to divide, and the
church then was one body."

"WE HAVE NO RULE OF DISCIPLINE over us except the New Testament. We have no creed except
faith in Christ as God’s Son and our Savior, the Founder and Foundation of the one true church. It is true
that tracts, articles, and books have been written explaining this position of undenominational
Christianity, just as I am writing this tract, but these are not authorized disciplines, being made tests of
fellowship over any congregation. We have no ecclesiastical organization over any church or
congregation. Every local congregation is free under the authority of Christ and His Word. WE HAVE
NOT ADDED or subtracted any practice, teaching, or ordinance to that of the New Testament Church.
We desire to restore the church founded by Christ and His apostles, as recorded in the New Testament. To
do this we approach the New Testament historically, rather than theologically. That is, we do not impose
theological views or opinion upon passages from the Scriptures, but simply attempt to do what the
divinely inspired apostles did. Although man may differ over the meaning or interpretation of a passage of
Scripture, or a practice, it is easy to ascertain what the apostles actually did. The universal mind of
scholars is agreed on what these practices were. Thus we know that they preached Christ as God’s Son,
who died to effect men’s salvation, that He arose, and that He ascended into heaven. They commanded
people to believe this message and, believing, to repent, or change their way of life. They demanded of
those desiring entrance into the church a confession of faith, and they baptized these by immersion. Thus,
when individuals believed, repented, confessed, and were baptized, God added them to His Church. No
man or group of men voted people into His church, neither did they set down the requirements for
entrance into the church. These requirements were given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For church life
the apostles practiced prayer and the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians
11:17-34), which was a simple spiritual remembrance of Christ’s death by eating unleavened bread and
drinking of the fruit of the vine."

"They urged people to live according to the teachings of Christ and to support the work of the church. For these historical records read the book of Acts, especially Acts 2 and Acts 8. We endeavor to imitate these practices. Our motto in this respect is, “In essentials, unity; in non essentials, liberty; in all things, love.” Or, “No creed but Christ; no book but the Bible; no ordinances but those of the New Testament; no name but the name Christian.”

"One can readily see that there were no denominations in the New Testament. There was one true church of Christ, His body, made up of penitent believers who were baptized into Him (Ga. 3:21). Through the years divisions, sects, and denominations arose over human opinions, doctrinal corruptions, and the pride of men who built denominations around themselves."

This is the end of part two and I will finish this off next week. Digest this and "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth"
(2 Timothy 2:15). God bless until our next time together.

"Why the Churches of Christ Are Not A Denomination"

2007-12-02T15:11:00.000-05:00

Hello once again and welcome back to another devotional thought from God's Word. I want to begin sharing with you an article from one of my favorite professors from college. He was my Greek Professor at Kentucky Christian and I hold this man in high respect for his knowledge and love for The Lord. I am going to break it up into three parts due to its length. So get ready to grow one more time as you read and know God's Word just a little bit better. I urge each one who reads this to compare it only to God's Word and not to any man-made ideas or philosophies. God bless as you know HIM more.

"Why the Churches of Christ Are Not A Denomination"
By Donald A. Nash

"When just a lad in high school, I was in a class in which the teacher questioned all the students concerning their religious faith, whether they were Catholic or Protestant, and as to what denomination they belonged if Protestant. I had just heard a great gospel preacher discourse on the theme of this tract, so when she came to me, I said simply, “Christian,” in reply to her question.
“Yes, I know,” she said, “but are you Protestant or Catholic?” “Neither,” I replied. “But you have to be one or the other,” she exclaimed, becoming very aggravated. After she could not move me on this declaration, she attempted to discover to what denomination I belonged, and again I insisted that I belonged to none and was simply a Christian. This position astounded her, and I believe she simply credited it to my ignorance from the subsequent grades I received.

However, the incident was illuminative of the ignorance on the part of the majority of denominational
people in regard to the position of the churches of Christ. The cause for this ignorance stems in the lack of
understanding by the membership of the churches themselves who do not understand the
undenominational position of the Christian church. To the end of educating those who profess to be
Christians only, and to lead denominational people to the simple New Testament church, this tract is
written.
The historical position of the members of the Churches of Christ, or Christian churches, has been un- or
non-denominational. We are not inter-denominational as some sects, movements, and organizations claim
to be. There is a difference! Inter-denominational organizations condone sectarianism, simply being
cooperative agencies of various denominations. We, however, believe denominationalism and
sectarianism to be sinful. See 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 and 3:1-5, where Paul criticizes the divisions of the
church at Corinth. See also John 17, where Christ prays for the unity of His followers. Denominationalism destroys this unity and hence is sinful. See also the 4th chapter of Ephesians, where Paul exalts the unity of the church.

Now, a denomination is a group of professed followers of Christ which divides itself from other professed Christians by adopting procedures over and above those found in the Scriptures, thus dividing the church universal. This separation may come through any of the following ways:

1st: By taking a name other than a scriptural one. Thus, a Methodist, a Presbyterian, a Lutheran, or a
Baptist, by taking a human name, separates or denominates himself as different from the others.

2nd: By taking another rule of discipline above the New Testament. Thus, the Presbyterians, who
accept the Westminster Confession of Faith; the Episcopalians, who accept the Thirty-nine Articles of
Faith; or the Baptists, who accept the Philadelphia Confession of Faith, all separate themselves from each
other by denominating their groups through these disciplines and creeds.

3rd: By adding any doctrine to the practice of the New Testament church. Thus, the Methodists,
Presbyterians, and Lutherans, who add infant baptism and affusion to the accepted and acknowledged
practice of the immersion of the penitent believer in the New Testament church, separate themselves from
those who adhere strictly to the apostolic pattern.

4th: By establishing a governing organization over themselves which is over them only, and which
supercedes the simple autonomous authority of the local congregation under Christ. Thus, the
Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Lutherans, and every great evangelical group have councils, synods,
conferences, and officials ruling their particular denominations."

We will end our first part here at this point and allow you to read and digest and study the Word in regards to what has been mentioned today. This is in no way meant to offend but only to make HIS truth known in a world of so much confusion. God bless until our next time.

"JOY OF SALVATION"

2007-11-11T13:48:00.000-05:00

Praise The Lord and what a great week it has been. Wow, what a way to begin today's devotion!! Think back with me, if you will, to when you were around the age of 8 or 10 years old. Any other time in that neighborhood will suffice. It is around December 15th or so and you know what is coming very soon. You begin to see each day some new things showing up at your home that have pretty paper and bows attached with a tiny note card on each one. The excitement builds and you are wondering and hoping for what it is that you have mentioned for the last few months that you would like to have. "Did I get that one particular item I have been asking for and hinting about?" As a child it was a wonderful time to have all that excitement and the thrill of the moment as we opened the gifts and received the one thing we wanted. Maybe even as you think of those days you are reminded of a special time that brings back wonderful memories of family and friends sharing together.

If you are a child of God, I want to ask you to think of another wonderful time in your life. The day you were obedient to the Holy Word of God and were given the greatest gift ever; salvation and the forgiveness of sin. Do you remember that day as you heard the Word in its truth and as your conscience was pierced? Do you remember as you felt the tug of the Holy Spirit urging you to do what you knew was the right thing, the best thing? Remember that day and the excitement and the enthusiasm that was present. How long has it been since you had that joy? I want to encourage you to read God's love letter one more time and realize again what we have because if Christ.

In Psalms 51:12 and 13 we read these words;

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you."

I do hope you can pray this prayer of David and desire the things he mentions here that never get old or go out of style. The joy of having HIS salvation, and the blessing of others receiving it as a result is a wonderful thing. Regain the joy of knowing the blessing of the salvation you have each morning as you awake to live and serve The Lord. God bless until our next time.......

"GOD IS FAITHFUL"

2007-11-04T14:10:00.001-05:00

Good day to all and I do hope this writing finds everyone doing well. I want to let you all know that I say a prayer before I send out each of these devotions. My prayer is that each writing will be an encouragement or a help in some way to at least one person who reads them. If they have been in any way a lift to your life please encourage me in return and let me know. I thank you in advance and pray you keep "The Faith".

As we begin today, I want to ask you a question. When is the last time you read the book of Lamentations? For me it was some time ago until this last week. It is a very sad book. And it only seems to get more and more sad as it goes on. The devastation and disaster because of sin and disobedience to God is seen here as a reality that is very difficult to bear when understood. Mankind, you and me, are sinful creatures and our disobedience to God is always before us. We sin daily and need to recognize that. And how it must hurt HIM and how detrimental it is to our lives and the lives of others around us as well. We are an unfaithful people; but, hold on, there is good news.

Right in the middle of this book of Lamentations we find a glimmer of hope. In spite of "US", we find something wonderful, something beautiful. Look with me at chapter 3 and verses 22 and 23.

"The LORD'S loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."

When you woke up this morning, in spite of all the things you would have to face in your life and deal with, did this cross your mind? I hope so. No matter what your life has in store, no matter what may be in your yesterdays, GOD IS FAITHFUL!! HE may discipline, HE may chastise, HE may allow troubles to come our way and for our benefit, but in the end, if we are true to HIM, HE IS FAITHFUL!!

"Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see."

What a great song to have on our lips as we approach every new day that God blesses for us to serve HIM! May HE bless you as you continue to bless and serve HIM.

Until our next time....... snowme1955@gmail.com

"GOD IS FAITHFUL"

2007-11-04T14:07:00.000-05:00

"FACTS, FAITH AND FEELINGS"

2007-10-27T16:55:00.000-04:00

This devotion today is one I did while serving as minister at the Waldron Church of Christ in Waldron, Michigan. It never made it to the website or my blog so I rewrite it for that purpose. To that congregation of wonderful folks there at Waldron I say thank you for allowing me to share for the short period God allowed. I miss you all very much and love you in Christ. May God bless each one there as you continue to serve HIM!

Fact, faith and feelings; these three sometimes get confused in our world today when it comes to the things of God. Too often people do not find the facts and fix their faith accordingly, but will have a faith based on something other than the facts God presents in HIS Word. It is obvious that many religious organizations will base their beliefs on the feelings they can cause or arouse in people rather than giving the facts in God's Word as HE presents them. If a person has a feeling deep inside, too often that "feeling" becomes their basis of faith or belief that they are doing "IT" correctly. We all know however, that feelings are not always true. Allow me to give you a case in point from God's Holy Word.
In the Bible (Genesis 37) we read about Joseph and his coat of many colors. His father had showed a bit of partiality in giving him this special gift, which only served to make his neglected brothers even more jealous. We know the story of how these brothers sold Joseph into slavery because of their bitterness and jealousy towards him. Dipping his coat of many colors in the blood of a goat, they brought it to their father. The heart of poor Jacob was broken as he was overcome by grief. As far as he knew and was concerned, his favored son was dead. He believed that a wild animal had killed him and torn him to pieces. He actually "FELT" and acted as though his son had truly been killed. Many years later when word came that Joseph was actually alive and living down in Egypt, Jacob refused to believe it. He was so firmly convinced that his son was dead. The belief he had was not based on facts, but something completely untrue.
Experiences in religion within themselves prove nothing. A person's feelings are not a safe guide by which to gauge Godly things. A "THING" or idea can be taught so strongly that a few, or many millions for that matter, believe it so much and act on it as though it were true. This does not make it true by the standard set down by God in HIS Holy Word. Facts should produce the faith and the feelings should come as a result of doing the right thing by God and His standard. Romans 10:17 tells us, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Hearing what God's word says is, according to the Bible, what brings true faith.
God took the time to put His Words down in written form and we should never accept anything but His Truth as it is written. NO MAN has the right to change one word, one comma, one period, one dot over an "I" or one crossing of a "T". We will all be judged on HIS WORD, how it WAS written, and not on the changes made to suppress sin so we feel good in our religious activities. Find the FACTS in GOD"S Words, put your FAITH in HIS Word, and doing it HIS way will bring the greatest FEELINGS man can experience, the joy of knowing we have salvation according to His Word.

God bless until our next time.......

"INTIMACY IN OUR WORSHIP"

2007-10-21T08:21:00.000-04:00

As we begin today I want to let you all know that the following writing is to be my communion thoughts around The Lord's Table this coming Lord's day. Feel free to use it and pass on to others.
As we come together each Lord's Day to worship, it should not be a time to look for something in that service to make "ME" feel good. It is, according to scripture, a time to give and look to the needs of others and not ourselves. The Lord's Table is a time of intimacy to draw close and worship as God so well deserves. In the New testament the word for worship is a beautiful word when understood in its meaning. And I will get to that in a moment.
For those of you who are sports fans, if you were offered free tickets to your favorite team's next game, how excited would you be? As some of you think about the idea right now your mouth is watering already. Suppose those tickets were right down on the front row. Now you are more excited, right. You could reach out and give a "High Five" to your favorite player after he makes that winning point. Two players clash in a thunder of trying to reach that goal and you feel their sweat splash on you. You can go home and brag a bit, or a lot, about how intimate it was for you at that particular game. You could relive that moment and that day and share it with everyone who was willing to listen to you, even some who could care less. That is intimacy. You could not brag so much if you were in the nose bleed section with a pair of binoculars. But because you were close and intimate, you have something to talk about and something important to tell.
Worship, in the original Greek (Proskuneo), means to bow towards and kiss. To bow towards and kiss. When we worship here in this setting on any given Lord's Day, do we not want to worship in that truest sense? Do we not want to bow before the One who gave Himself for us and took on Himself the wrath of God that each one of us deserve? I know I do.
Jesus told us in His Word, as together He and His Disciples celebrated the Passover, "Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26). This is intimacy in our worship because He is here today is His Kingdom, The Church, as we worship. This is each one of us individually and all of us corporately sitting right there up front and sharing in something greater than any sporting event you could ever witness. As we partake each Lord's Day, let's do it with the attitude of bowing before God and Christ, and doing all we can to show our love to Him, and our togetherness as His family. He deserves our worship, and we need to remember Him and what He has done for us.
God bless until our next time........

"HOW ARE WE TO LIVE?"

2007-10-14T21:44:00.000-04:00

As each new week comes our way, we all have the blessed opportunity to start over, to live better, to begin afresh. Whether you had a weekend to relax and simply get away from the regular work schedule, or you left that worship service and the church family after being encouraged through praising God and hearing HIS Word, your life continues on. The question I put before you today is "How Are We To Live?" As we learn more through our life and experiences and understand people and see the needs around us, as Christians or not, are we not responsible to one another in some way? Or do we just do what "I" think is right in "my" own eyes?

Anyone with half a brain would say no to that. If that were the case, think of the chaos we would have to deal with each day. God has spoken on this matter and some of the most basic "laws" we have today have been given to prevent just such chaos from taking place. One of those basics is that when we become God's child we no longer live as we did before. We have a new way of life, thinking and purpose. Paul the apostle mentions this fact in many areas of his writings and we will mention three here.

"If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord" (Romans 14:8).

"And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5:15).

"BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

and do not give the devil an opportunity.

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;

and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma" (Ephesians 4:26-5:2).

When you became a child of God by HIS terms, Christ became Lord of your life. HE is the reason you live and do all it is you do and for HIS glory. So to answer the question "How Are We To Live?" the best answer is to live as God teaches in HIS Word. Paul told Timothy, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth"(2 Timothy 2:15).
God Bless until our next time.

"ARE WE GROWING NEW WOOD?"

2007-10-07T14:29:00.000-04:00

Christian growth; do we think of it as often as we should? Probably not, though we should. From the day we became a child of God, we were in a growing state that should never cease until our death. Too often, however, it seems to stop and become stagnant. When does growth stop? It would be well for us to say that it never stops as long as God gives us life, but too often growth does stop and decay sets in. But why?

When Longfellow was well along in his years, his head was as white as snow, but his cheeks were said to be as red as a rose. One of his long time admirers asked him how it was that he was able to stay so vigorous and still write so beautifully. Longfellow was said to point to a nearby apple tree that was in full bloom, and replied:

"That apple tree is very old, but I never saw prettier blossoms upon it than those it now bears. The tree grows a little new wood every year, and I suppose it is out of that new wood that those blossoms come. Like the apple tree, I try to grow a little new wood every year."

It seems to me that what Longfellow said about his continuing to grow should be the attitude of every child of God. It is only when we stop growing a little new wood that death and decay begins to set in (spiritually). "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Yet how different is that one who does not grow new wood so as to produce the necessary blossoms for new fruit. Hebrews 5 and 6 speak to us concerning this matter. "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God's Word...It is impossible to restore again to repentance... who have tasted the heavenly gift...if they commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God...and hold Him up to contempt" (Hebrews 5:12; 6:4,6). I know that what was just said refers to the individual child of God, but the same can be said of the congregation of the Lord's people. What happens when the congregation fails to "grow new wood?" As Revelation 3:1 tells us, "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead."

In Psalm 1:3 and 4, David graphically describes the difference between continued growth and failure to continue in growth. "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season...he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff (the dead stocks of grain) which the wind drives away." Are you ready to grow new wood for the cause of Christ and future generations? Our children and grandchildren need the best example of good fruit and we should not expect the world or anything but God's truth to get that job done. Grow some new wood and produce something good for the cause of Christ.

God bless until our next time together.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS?

2007-10-02T12:40:00.000-04:00

I remember as a young boy being dragged to church. At least that is how my young mind perceived it. Maybe some of you reading this can relate. If you are like me, you look back on it now and realize it was only the tough love of a parent or two that saw beyond my wants to what really was best for me and my siblings. Because someone cared enough to do the best thing, the right thing, I now have a passion for the only thing in all of eternity that really matters.

I have had jobs in my life that paid very well with the best of benefits. I have had relationships that have been too wonderful for words. I have seen a good bit of the world from my time spent in the U.S. Navy. I have experienced many things, some I will never forget and others I sure would like to. I have buried people I dearly loved. I have been there as some have taken their first breath on this planet and celebrated with the parents on that joyous occasion.

I have seen some folks leave this planet not ready to meet their maker and shed tears for their loss. I have also watched as some dear fellow saints have been faithful to the Word of God and departed this earth only to enter the joys of heaven.

I have disappointed many people in my life. And I have been disappointed by people as well. Though broken, discouraged, shattered, hurt, disappointed and sinful, oh yes, sinful; I thank my God that I am healed and alive and encouraged and put back together because of someones concern and love for those who fail.

Look at your life right now. Are you well off? Are you in need of physical things to make you happy? Do you have friends who care? Is your health good or are you ailing from something? Are you young or are you getting to the point of those young folks seeing the wrinkles come through? Maybe you have been hurt or are the one who has hurt others and those relationships are stressed.

I believe we as humans spend too much time looking over our shoulder at what happened, wishing I had done it differently, when we should be looking forward at what is yet possible. To bring it to a point, in all the things in our lives that take place, good or not so good, WHAT REALLY MATTERS? When it comes right down to the bottom line of life, what is it that counts in the END?

It is not whether or not your child wins that next sporting event. It is not how much or how little money you made last year or this year. It is not the price of gas for your vehicle or the type of vehicle you drive. What really matters is your relationship with the One we will all face at the end of our lives. "Were you obedient to His Word and His Son, Jesus Christ?"

Whatever is on your mind as you read this devotion today, let me encourage you, do not let it consume you to the point of missing out on "WHAT REALLY MATTERS!" Listen to God in His Word as He has already spoken and become His child and remain faithful to Him as life approaches its end.

God Bless.......

Objections To Biblical Baptism (2)

2007-09-24T13:23:00.000-04:00

There are several ways to baptize: There are at least three baptisms mentioned in the New Testament: John’s baptism, Holy Spirit baptism, and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Yet Ephesians 4:5 says there is only one baptism. That would indicate that two of these three baptisms are no longer valid. John’s baptism is mentioned in Acts 19. Paul met 12 men from Ephesus. He thought they were Christians and wanted to bestow on them the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, so he asked them,

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They had not even heard of the Holy Spirit. Paul asked, “Into what then were you baptized?” Notice he did not ask if they had been baptized. It was assumed by Paul that they had been. But they were ignorant of the Holy Spirit, which according to Acts 2:38, they should have already known about Him. And they said, “Into John's baptism.” Verses 4 & 5 tell us why John’s baptism is not valid: “Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

The baptism of the Holy Spirit, as far as Scripture is concerned, only happened twice. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was an event in which the Holy Spirit came on someone. Not into, but upon. In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit fell on the Apostles and ten years later He fell on the household of Cornelius. We know that this baptism was not a common event because when Peter went back to Jerusalem to tell the Church there about what happened, notice what he said, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.” (Acts 11:15). Notice “at the beginning” meaning the Day of Pentecost. This was not an everyday occurrence.

What’s left is baptism, in water, for the forgiveness of sin. In the book of Acts, there is not a single conversion account that does not include baptism. In Acts 8 all it says is that “Philip preached Jesus” to the Ethiopian Eunuch. But then the Eunuch said, “Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Verse 36). It’s obvious to anyone without preconceived notions (or professional help) that preaching Jesus includes being baptized (immersed) in water. Romans 6 teaches us that at baptism we are “buried” into Christ’s death. This is the “one baptism” Paul is referring to in Ephesians 4:5.

According to Acts 2:38, baptism does two things. It brings about forgiveness of sin. It also gives the one being baptized the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in the life of the believer. We see in the Old Testament that before the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies and stand before the presence of God’s Spirit that rested upon the ark of the covenant, he had to offer a sacrifice, be cleansed, and put on the priestly garments (Lev. 16). Sin had to be removed completely in order to stand before God.

In the New Covenant, Jesus is our sacrifice. When a believer is baptized, his sins are cleansed and washed away (“Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” Acts 22:16). At baptism we put on our garments (“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal. 3:27). And at baptism we receive the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Sin must be removed before we can be in the presence of God. Without baptism there cannot be an indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 16:16: “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.” The use of this verse to object to the Biblical doctrine of baptism goes like this: Since Jesus did not say “he who has disbelieved and not been baptized shall be condemned” it is obvious that belief is what saves and baptism is not needed. This is truly grasping at straws. Consider this: If Johnny applies and pays the registration fees he will attend Bible College; but if he does not apply he will have to stay at home. Does the failure to mention the registration fees make them any less a part of applying for college? No. But if you don’t apply, the fees are not needed. If a person believes and is baptized he shall be saved. But if he does not believe, failure to mention baptism does not mean it is not needed. This objection, as with most listed here, is a desperate attempt to try and get around the clear meaning of Scripture.

Water Regeneration: We who hold to the Biblical doctrine of Baptism have often been accused of being water regenerationists, i.e., that somehow the water makes us a new creature. Those usually making that accusation themselves believe in Calvin’s miraculous regeneration, which is like King Kong telling Godzilla he’s ugly. But the fact is, they are either mistaken or else deliberately misrepresenting the position. What if Abraham, when God called him out of Ur, had believed God but didn’t go? Would Abraham have been the great model of faith? No. What if Joshua had been given the plan to march around Jericho and he told God, “I believe it will work,” but didn’t carry out the plan? They probably would have been defeated.

What these men did was just as important as what they believed. Their obedience to God was as much a part of their faith as was their acknowledgment of God. Abraham was never righteous enough for God on his own. The Bible says “Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:3). God chose to view Abraham as being righteous.

Why? Because of his faith - His true obedient faith. Baptism is a part of our faith. Baptism without faith is a dunking. Faith without baptism is empty. The water does not regenerate. God makes us new. Romans 6:4, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” Christians have a new life because God has reckoned or declared us that way. He has chosen to
view the Christian as a new creation, without sin - because of our faith, which includes baptism.

Think about all that takes place at baptism: Salvation (Mk 16:16); New birth (John. 3:5); forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38); washing away of sin (Acts 22:16); burial into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3); clothed with Christ (Gal. 3:37); Spiritual circumcision (Col. 2:11), et al.
If baptism is the point in time that sins are forgiven, which the Scriptures teach is so; and if baptism is the place in which we enter into a covenant relationship with Jesus, then it would make sense that the devil would do whatever he could to get people and religious groups to belittle baptism’s importance. It would make sense that he would not care if people came close as long as they stayed away from the Biblical doctrine of baptism. If I had died before saying, “I do” at my wedding, I would not have been married – even if we were in the Church building and Here Comes the Bride was in the midst of playing. In another context Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’” Close doesn’t count. If you claim to have faith in God, do things the way HE says and trust Him for the result He promised.

Thank you all for the time we have to share in this devotion. Please feel free to send comments or questions. May God bless until our next time together.

Common Objections Raised Against the Biblical Doctrine of Baptism

2007-09-08T21:04:00.000-04:00

There are many people, mostly from the denominational realm, that object to the doctrine of the necessity of baptism for a person’s salvation. The doctrine is so clearly taught in Scripture that, as my old professor used to say, “You need professional help to miss it.” Of course, regrettably, there is a lot of that kind of "help" out there in the religious world. The rejection of the doctrine of baptism stems mainly from the teachings of John Calvin, not from Scripture. Calvin taught that God has absolute total control over the universe and predestined everything before creation ever took place. Every single thing that takes place He predestined to occur: all wars, all friendships, all stubbed toes, and every sin. He created man totally depraved. So much so that nothing he can do is good. Man cannot even want to do good on his own.

Now, please pay attention here. Since this is so (according to Calvin), if a man is to follow God, God must miraculously regenerate him and make him something new. Man, since he is so evil, cannot choose God on his own. Instead, God must, by an unconditional election, choose who is to be one of the saved and who is not. Nothing the man did played any role in God’s decision. Since nothing man did had anything to do with his salvation, then there is certainly nothing he can do to lose his salvation, hence Calvin’s doctrine of “eternal security,” aka, “once saved, always saved.” (For more detail on Calvinism, see my study entitled, “Theological Gardening: The Problem with TULIPs”, which we may present here in the near future.)

Another problem that some have in dealing with the Biblical view of baptism is that they do not understand the difference between Old and New Covenants. The people that lived during the life of Jesus and before all lived under a covenant that was replaced with the New Covenant of grace through faith in Jesus Christ. People of the Old Covenant looked ahead, by faith, to what Jesus would do on the cross. The sacrifices and ceremonies they performed were nothing but a “type” or “foreshadowing” of what Jesus would do in His sacrifice (Read Hebrews 10:1-18).

With these considerations in mind, let’s now deal with the objections that some have against the Biblical doctrine of baptism. The Thief on the Cross was never baptized: This is one of the most often heard objections. The thief lived under the Old Covenant. The terms of the New Covenant were not given until Peter preached his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:38). Jesus had the authority (and still does) to forgive anyone He desires. He did so during His life on earth: Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5-11; Luke 7:47. But when the Church was established the New Covenant was ushered in. It is the terms of the New Covenant we must meet in order to have salvation. The thief lived under the Old and prior to the New.

Next, you are saved by Faith Alone. This is an interesting objection. Technically it is correct. But what most people mean when they say it is that there is nothing we must "do" to attain salvation except acknowledge a belief in Jesus. The Biblical position is that faith involves belief, repentance, confession, baptism and living as a new person in Christ. It is much more than a simple acknowledgment of Jesus. The only place in the entire Bible where the words “faith” and “alone” ever appear together is in James 2:24, which says, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

James was trying to teach that faith involves more than simple acceptance of Who Jesus is. It involves our entire life and work. James even points out “the demons also believe, and shudder.” (James 2:19). The same Greek word for believe is used in both cases; are the demons saved, then, because they believe?

The concept of “faith alone” comes from Calvin. If a person believes in Jesus, then God must have chosen him to be one of the saved, or else the person could not believe.
The objection that goes hand in hand with this one is the next.

Baptism is a Work: By this, those who reject the Biblical doctrine of baptism make the accusation that if we teach that a person must DO something to have salvation, we are teaching salvation by works instead of salvation by grace. What they fail to see is that everything a person must do is a work of some sort. We must believe. That is a work. We must confess Christ as Lord. That is a work. We must repent. If you have ever truly repented you know that it is, or can be, a work. And yes, we must be baptized. That is a work. But none of these works allow us to earn our salvation. They are works in order to meet the conditions God has made for salvation. And besides, it’s not the person being baptized that is doing the work.

Look at Colossians 2:9-12, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
God is the One Who works in baptism as we trust HIM and follow through in our obedience to Him. An old illustration of this is to suppose a banker calls “Joe” and says there is a check on his desk for a million dollars from some rich person. If he gets to the bank before five, it’s his. Joe has never worked for this person nor has he ever met him. But all Joe has to do is meet the conditions: get there before five and endorse the check. Did Joe earn the check simply for going to pick it up? Of course not.

God has placed conditions that we must meet in order to obtain salvation. This, by no stretch of the imagination, means that a person earns it. We are saved by the grace of God, through faith.
Once again, this objection comes mainly as a result of the influence of Calvin. In Calvinism there is nothing to do to obtain salvation, for God must choose a person to be one of the saved BEFORE he can believe. Calvinism twists countless Scriptures to try and make it work. The Bible says that faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Calvinism says that faith comes because God forces you to have it. Jesus said, “Believe and be baptized (immersed) and you shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Calvinism says, “You are saved therefore you will believe and should be baptized.”

Next; Jesus spiritually baptizes: There are people who will object to “water” baptism but agree that baptism is necessary for salvation, but, here’s the catch: Jesus spiritually baptizes people the moment they believe, therefore it has nothing to do with water.

There are several ways of dealing with this objection. The simplest thing to do is to go to God's Word. Let's look in Acts chapter 10. Here we have the household of Cornelius being baptized by the Holy Spirit. This is truly what anyone would call being spiritually baptized. But notice what Peter says after witnessing this spiritual baptism:

“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.” (Acts 10:47, 48). Here is an example of spiritual baptism and Peter still ordered them to be baptized in water. Why? It is because they had not met the terms of the New Covenant yet.

I am going to end our time together for today and pick this up again in our next study for this devotion. I want to encourage anyone and everyone to look at what Jesus said and look beyond what any man or organization has set up. Jesus is coming back soon and we will all stand before HIM, Christ, and be accountable for how we were obedient to His Word. I want to thank my friend and Brother in Christ, Scott Sheridan for the bulk of this and the next writing. God bless until our next time together.

"MAN THINKING STILL"

2007-08-31T21:15:00.000-04:00

I pray these writings are of benefit to many as you read them. Let's begin. Question #1; What is it that separates man from God? What is it that keeps us from being in Christ? Only one thing; SIN!! Sin is, according to the Greek language, an offence or wrong of man against God and what He spoke. Sin, or rejection of God and Christ, is what separates us, and the removal of that sin will get us in the relationship we need and desire with Christ. Question #2; How is this sin removed or taken out of the way so we can honestly, biblically say we are in Christ? According to the Word as it is written, there is only one way that sin is removed, forgiven, taken out of the way by God for those initially outside of Christ. This is our topic of study for the lesson today.

According to the Holy Word of God, sin is removed, remitted or forgiven to the non-Christian when they are obedient in baptism or immersion by faith. In Colossians 2:12 the Holy Spirit speaks through Paul and says, "in whom ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead." (ASV)

All my life I have heard it said by some that baptism is a work. As I read this verse in Colossians, I see that it truly is, but it is a work of God and not man. When man is obedient and submissive to the teaching of Christ and God here, God does the most important operation for the one outside of Christ. HE removes or forgives that one thing that separates man from God; sin.
Let's notice something together in the scriptures that many do not see. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 the apostle Paul says, "For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Think about that. God made, "declared" in the Greek, that Christ was ALL sin. HE became every horrible sin we can think of and even the ones we cannot. This is why God turned away from Christ as He was on the cross. Then, as we all know, He was taken from the cross and His body was buried. Then three days later He was resurrected to a new life. Most of us believe and trust that this took place.

The third question I ask is this; After Christ rose from the grave, where was the sin that was placed on HIM as He hung on that cross? It was no longer on Him. God had removed it. This is the picture Paul paints in Romans 6 for us to see so clearly. When we are obedient to Christ and are buried with Him by faith in baptism (immersion), God removes it from us. That is His promise by our faith in Him. By faith we are buried and trust Him to remove or forgive our sin or rejection of Him, and by that same faith we are resurrected trusting Him in that operation to give new life as we are faithful to His Word for our lives. We need a clear conscience toward God in our obedience. 1 Peter 3:21 says, " The like figure where unto even baptism (immersion) 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:

Many believe and trust something that is nowhere found in the Holy Word of God. Many believe that all a person needs to do to be saved is to pray a prayer and 'ask Jesus into their heart." This is not founded in scripture. Jesus, however, stated very clearly that for a person to be "saved from sin", he must be a trusting believer and one who dies to sin and self, and then are immersed (buried) into Christ to put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). Sin is forgiven in the mind of God, not in the mind of man when man feels something special. As we are obedient to God's Word, by our faith in HIM, He does what no man made teaching could ever do, HE FORGIVES AND REMOVES THE SIN THAT SEPARATES US FROM HIM.

For those who have a problem with baptism or immersion for the proper and bible reason, I believe they do not have a problem with baptism at all. I see that it actually goes back to their belief in what Christ said to do in the first place. It is a faith or trust issue. Jesus said, "He that believes and, then, is baptised..." Believe first that what God and Christ have already stated in Their Word and simply do by faith what is written. God is so much wiser than man and his thinking. Man's standards will never replace the standards set down by God. I want to encourage you to listen to God, read His Word and do not listen to any teaching of man that contrary to what God has already spoken.

Believe on His Word completely, trust what He said to be absolutely true and right, repent of the sin of rejection of His teachings and commands, confess Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, die to those sins by repenting, and be buried with Christ in baptism trusting God to wash those sins away, and then rise with Christ to live a life of serving, growing and producing fruit for His kingdom.

God Bless until our next time together. Mark