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People of The Living God |
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March 2018
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
When Will We Learn?
Alfred King
The recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, sparked afresh the great debate of what can be done to stop these copy-cat disasters that plague our nation. Many keep harping on the issue of gun control, while opponents state that this violates the Constitution and the citizens’ ability to protect themselves. More and more, the professionals are claiming that the issue is a mental disorder and the person needs psychological evaluation. Such rhetoric as this fundamentally removes the responsibility from the criminal and places the blame on some nebulous or ethereal quirk of nature. If we refuse to address or even consider the root problems which are affecting our nation, we will continue to face these tragic atrocities. The breakdown of the family is certainly involved in the great increase of mass killings and crimes which are ever increasing in our land, yet few are willing to state the obvious. The breakdown of the family is the natural result of a secular society which rejects God and His word. God’s design is the best for mankind, and His commandments are for the safety and security of society. Yet man desires to be free from God and His law and, as long as this is the determined will of the masses, we will continue to face these types of tragedies, for we will reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7). Our government and our lawmakers have steadily shoved God out of America and the results are obvious. Yet the blind remain blind and the deaf remain deaf, for they refuse to address the real issue - that issue is the rejection of Jesus Christ.
The liberal media, as well as Hollywood, have become increasingly anti-Christ and, while they talk of tolerance, yet they are most intolerant toward Christians and those who believe in living according to scripture. In a recent broadcast on ABC of “The View”, co-host Joy Behar attacked Vice President Pence’s Christianity. Vice President Pence made the statement that he talks to God and God speaks to him. Joy Behar commented, “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness.” This certainly reveals the total lack of respect for Christians, and more importantly for our Lord Jesus Christ. God does speak and leads those who have ears to hear. In man’s effort to do away with God, he has opened himself up to the influence of evil. Man’s heart is naturally evil from his youth. But God very mercifully gave man a conscience. At a very young age, children know that certain things are wrong although never told by their parents or other adults. I don’t remember ever being told as a child not to throw rocks at the girls in our neighborhood, but I knew it was wrong when my brother and I did just that. How did I know that? I was given a conscience by a merciful God (and my dad made sure we knew it was wrong, also). However, if I begin to violate my conscience, I give myself over to commit more evil that the conscience warns me against. Scripture clearly tells us that some have seared their conscience as with a hot iron (I Tim. 4:2). How does this happen? It’s just like branding cattle with a branding iron. The place where the cow was branded is calloused and there is no longer any feeling in that area. The same is true with the conscience. The more one rejects the warning of his conscience, the more calloused to its warnings he becomes, so that eventually he can kill innocent children with no remorse.
Those who continually reject the guidance of their conscience open a door to evil spirit activity. Evil spirits can and will begin to take control of them. (Much of what is called “Mental Illness” is nothing more than evil spirits working in a person’s life. That is not to say that there are not some who do have a physical mental disorder, but too often evil spirits are allowed to continue to torment individuals because they are not identified for what they are.) There are many ways in which evil spirits gain entrance into one’s life, but one way that is very common is through anger. Uncontrolled anger breaks down a natural, God-given barrier and opens a door for evil spirit influence, which can eventually lead to evil spirit possession. The present trend of mass shootings, school shootings, driving vehicles into crowds of people, along with all other atrocities will continue as long as mankind rejects God and His word. God created man, and He knows what laws are best to govern His created beings. If man obeys, he is blessed by God, and if he disobeys, the curses of disobedience will follow him all his days. God’s word is one of the best gifts given to man for his well-being and it was given because God so loved us.
Our hearts and prayers go out to those in Parkland, Florida, who lost their precious children at the hand of a young man void of conscience.
ARMINIANISM OR CALVINISM
(Part One)
Warren Berry
“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle field of that war.” (From the Gettysburg Address spoken by Abraham Lincoln, November 19,1863)
America is still today engaged in a great war. It is not a war met on the battlefield with swords and cannons but in the halls of Congress, in the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court, with the executive branch also exerting much of its power. This battle is between Republicans and Democrats. It is between men and women who many times are more interested in their own party affiliation than the interest of their constituents. Their personal agendas hold precedent over the good and the freedoms of America’s citizens. Their ease, comforts, prestige and securities hold sway over those who have placed them in office to defend and protect the rights of the American people. While many, and maybe most, of those in Congress are there for their own personal gain and power, there are a few who truly desire to protect the Constitution and are concerned for America and America’s populace. And those few are found on both sides of the political aisle. They each see things from their personal perspective and labor to bring about those things which they believe are best for the nation. While there may be strong opposition between these Congressmen and women, they are sincere in their opinions and labor accordingly.
This is a situation that exists in the political world of America today and probably has always been to some degree. However, this same principle operates within Christianity today also.
A few years ago, while attending a conference in Atlanta, Georgia, I heard Keith Daniels give an excellent message in which he presented the opposing views of Calvinism and Arminianism. He spoke for an hour and a half and when he was through, no one knew to which school of theology he belonged. The title for his sermon was “The War with the Most Casualties: Comparison of Calvinism and Arminianism – War of the Saints.” It was sad to me at the time, and it has become increasingly more concerting as the years have passed since. It has caused me to notice in reading and studying scripture, verses that seem to support one side or the other and as I have heard and read views from both sides, I realize that even within each group there are several different schools of thought, so that more Conservative Calvinists refute the extreme Calvinists and refer to them as “Hyper-Calvinists,” while many Arminians resist the extreme Arminians and label them, “Legalists.” Then there are those who fall somewhere in between “Conservative Calvinism” and “Hyper-Calvinism” and also some who find themselves in the middle of “Authentic Arminianism” and “Legalistic Arminianism”. However, the more I read God’s word, the more I find myself somewhere between Arminianism and Calvinism. Both have certain truths and both have some error. However, in writing this article, my intention is not to cause contention or increase the already strong division (and even hatred in some cases) but to present just a few thoughts that I have concerning this problem which divides God’s people. Nevertheless, division is scriptural in that Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-35, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” As Christians we are to resist evil and are called upon to refute false teachers and their false doctrines. We are warned about false prophets which come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves, for they are hirelings and don’t care for the sheep. Yet there are genuine, born again believers who love God and diligently serve Him in both of the before mentioned camps. I, personally, know some very dedicated Christians who live and teach holiness and righteousness and who seek God but who hold to one of the two schools of theology which we are discussing.
So that the readers may know this author’s background, I was born again in a more Arminian leaning church and continued there with a very strong emphasis placed upon obedience, separation from the world and living holy and righteously. I would say it leaned toward legalism. However, in my late twenties, I had come to a crisis in my life and was at the point of making a life-changing decision. I knew I must first seek the Lord very seriously before committing myself, for the repercussions from that decision could be fatal to my spiritual growth and could have eternal consequences. After seeking the Lord for several months, the Lord began, very mercifully, to do a work in my heart that truly changed my understanding of God and His ways. Legalism was very clearly exposed in me, which would have brought me to a place of utter hopelessness except that God, at the same time and in His great mercy, revealed to me two great things, His love for me personally and His wonderful grace which opened to me like the garden of Eden to one who had walked for years in a barren desert, void of much life. I say, “barren of much life” because there were times when I would seem to get a drink of fresh water, but overall I trudged through a jungle of duties, trying to please God through good works. Looking back, I easily see that I was attempting to earn my way to heaven.
The revelation of God’s love for me overwhelmed me, and to this day I still don’t understand God’s great love. How can God love a sinner such as I? And yet His grace was so unveiled before me that it changed my whole perspective of Christianity. My Christian walk became a wonderful walk, and this experience still affects my life today. I thought I understood God’s grace, for I had studied it in Bible school and on my own. I read various definitions and could define it if asked to do so. But it wasn’t until God laid before me His wonderful, marvelous grace that I could truly say I understood what all those definitions truly meant. God’s grace cannot be comprehended by human intelligence, for it is a divine attribute understood only by a revelation from God.
This is not to say that Arminians don’t understand God’s grace, for some do. However, it seems to me that Calvinists, overall, have a greater grasp on what God’s grace truly is. (I refer not to Hyper-Calvinists but very conservative Calvinists who believe in living holy lives before God.) From what I have observed, they have caught a glimpse of grace very few Armenians have discovered. It’s not that Arminians don’t understand grace to some degree, but Calvinists have a greater grasp on its reality than most Arminians. Without the reality of God’s grace, Christians live a life void of much joy and quite often struggle with condemnation. This was the story of my life. Realizing God’s love for me and His wonderful grace set me free from condemnation, and what a freedom that was.
Now that you know a little of my background, we can proceed with the topic at hand. I have a book written by David D. Corner entitled, The Believer’s Conditional Security which contains over 600 pages in which he refutes Calvinism. I have read the book twice, and for me he never really deals with the heart of Calvinism or the issue that, to me, must be addressed in order to expose any errors of Reformed theology. (Reformed theology is Calvinism.) Mr. Corner quoted verse after verse which, to him, refutes Calvinism. However, one cannot just quote scripture alone, for the opposing theology has their own interpretation to these verses which differ from the Arminian. There must be something that goes deeper than pitting scripture against scripture. For while one has a portion of scripture that supports their convictions, the other has other verses that support their position. So, in the end the question is: “Who is right and what do the scriptures actually teach?”
I have friends who have been Calvinists and have switched camps, and they will tell you how they came to change and they know they are now in the right camp. At the same time, I have friends who were Arminian and now they have found the knowledge of the truth in Calvinism and know they have entered the strait gate and are on the narrow path that leads to life. So? What happened to these folks that caused them to switch their doctrinal positions and now stand in opposition to what they once believed? It is my conviction that they each saw some very serious problems or errors in their former beliefs to which they found answers in the other school of theology. From my observation, both schools of thought have error and both are leaving the church void of some very important elements that are essential for God’s church to be what He desires it to be in the world. The church is to be the light and salt of the earth, but to be honest, the church has very little effect upon the world today. In the days of the Apostles, thousands were added to the church daily, healings and miracles were common and the world was turned upside down (Acts 17:6).
Someone once told me that their church in a certain metropolitan city had turned the city upside down, but it was spiritual and we just didn’t see it. That was a cop out, for the church had not the effect upon the city as claimed or as it should have had. If we, as the church in the 21st century, will be honest with ourselves we must confess, to our shame, that the world has turned the church upside down rather than the world being changed by the power of the Gospel. I must, at least to some degree, agree with Keith Daniels that the war between these two opposing views has brought about many spiritual casualties and done great damage to genuine Christianity. Sadly, it has divided God’s people, weakened her message, dimmed the glorious light of the Gospel and, like the Civil war, pitted brother against brother and father against son and son against father. I have sat in the midst of “Christian brothers” arguing and fighting over doctrines until faces turned red and they reached such a place of anger that they would begin to say things such as, “Paul didn’t know what he was talking about” or “the book of James should not have been allowed in the canon of scripture”. I have seen some twist scripture that any ten-year old child could see was nothing more than the wresting of God’s word. I do understand very well the problems we are up against, for each camp believes they are following God’s word and believe doctrine is important and cannot be compromised. This puts us in a very difficult position when it comes to dealing with the problems with which we are confronted. No honest Christian wants to dilute the Gospel or water down God’s truths. Every serious Christian is concerned about truth and will fight, and even die for that which they believe to be truth. This is good, for it is scriptural. On top of this, each of these opposing camps have had over 500 years to perfect their doctrinal positions, making them well established and rooted, and to pull them up or change them is a work only God can do. But then, that’s the best place to start, for He is the One who can open blind eyes and reveal His truth to the inner man. Maybe I’m idealistic in even thinking that anyone would consider that their position might not be thoroughly correct and that it might be void of any error, however, I am certain there must be others who are concerned about the division existent among 21st century Christians.
In this series of articles, I would like to search for truth. We will deal with each of the five points of Calvinism and compare and critique the five articles of Arminianism and pray that God will open to us His truth. As I have said before, I believe that truth lies somewhere between these two doctrinal positions.
A Brief History
It has been just over 600 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses upon the church door in Wittenberg. This deed sparked what is now termed “The Protestant Reformation”. His 95 Theses set forth two main truths. One was that the Bible was the sole word of God and that all doctrines and teachings must be founded upon scripture. The second point addressed the issue of salvation and forgiveness of sin. He presented that forgiveness of sin came through faith alone without accompanying works. He was specifically addressing the Catholic Church’s ungodly deed of selling indulgences to forgive man’s sins. The Great Reformation’s battle cry was, Sola Scriptura. The many creeds and traditions which existed within the Catholic Church had become so burdensome and heavy that true Christians were grieved by the great departure from the faith, and many were martyred as they spoke out against such religious tyranny.
John Calvin (1509-1564), a French theologian and pastor and one greatly involved in the Reformation, was the principal figure in forming the theology, which today is called “Calvinism”. Calvin’s theology, termed “Reformed Theology” became the accepted doctrine of the Reformation. However, a few years later, another theologian named Jacobus Arminius began to question the accepted teachings, specifically Calvin’s teaching on the book of Romans, regarding grace. This teaching came in slowly at first but over time, Arminius’ teachings began to gain acceptance by many within the Reformation.
Only one year after the death of Jacobus Arminius, on the 14th of January 1610, forty-six ministers met in The Hague to discuss all disputed doctrines. They had written their grievances of Calvinism in what became known as “The Remonstrance.” The Remonstrants (those who held to Arminius’ theology) had five main articles which summed up their interpretation and teaching of scripture. In 1618 and 1619 the articles of the Remonstrance were reviewed by the Dutch National Synod, held in Dordrecht, and is referred to as “The Synod of Dort.” The Synod rejected the Remonstrance with five “heads” which countered each of the five points of Arminius’ teachings. These five “heads” became known as “The Five Points of Calvinism”.
While there were some Christians who held to the Arminian teachings, it was another century before Arminianism became embraced by major denominations and congregations. John Wesley became the greatest supporter and promoter of the Arminian theology and through him and his brother Charles Wesley Arminianism became a true rival of Calvinism.
It has been said by some that the Reformation did more to divide God’s people than unite them. That was because doctrine became paramount, creating more of an intellectual Christianity than experiential and spiritual. It is the conviction of this author that true Gospel Christianity is both intellectual and experiential. Jesus came and brought a Gospel that is to be understood and experienced, and that experience is to be a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. It is not some dry intellectual knowledge which only produces a dead, guilt-ridden, egotistical, Pharisaic religion. Nor is it the emotional, sentimental, tear-jerking, pew-jumping, noisy, cacophony of jabbering, racket-creating parishioners who want to appear as “spiritual” but care little for Godliness. True Christianity calls for men to live holy and righteous lives in a dark and sinful world. Christians are called to follow Jesus Christ and to labor to become more like Him each day. It is the conviction of this writer that there are some in both theological schools of Arminianism and Calvinism who are striving to enter the strait gate and walk the narrow road that leads to life. Yet, I am also convinced that neither absolute Calvinism nor absolute Arminianism contains the whole truth relative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the following pages, we hope to study and re-evaluate each of the five disputed points. Who am I to venture out onto the battlefield where so many battles have been fought? I am an insignificant member of the body of Jesus Christ, who desires truth and who would love to see the body of Christ united and this battle to end. Let those who merely want knowledge and those who only want an exciting experience, continue to fight if they desire, but let us who love Jesus Christ and His people cease our wrangling. This is not another call to ecumenicalism with no regard for truth but rather a call to search the scriptures with an open mind, while in prayer that God will bring His people together in unity. This was Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and this is my prayer.
(to be continued)
THE VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT OF GOD
Harry R. Miller
Almost every Christian accepts the fact that without the grace of God and the special acts of Providence, none of the elect could possibly be saved. And if the grace of God had been conserved and dispensed only to the elect, there would be many questions in the minds of multitudes of created beings in the day of judgment, and even the very honor of God would be brought into question. One of the two main reasons for the great “white throne” judgment is the public vindication of the character of God. It will be shown that the character of His government is completely impartial, and both animate and inanimate nature will testify to His acts of mercy and justice: “And the books were opened…the dead (the impious “called” folks and the unyielding “sinner”) were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their WORKS (Rev. 20:12).
No other argument gives any greater proof of the truth of the doctrine of free moral agency than do the Scriptural facts concerning the final judgment. All of God’s dealings with His creatures have always been of so just and merciful a nature that it would be disrespectful to Him if every entity and created being were not informed of the supreme effort He has made to secure their salvation. The evidence presented before the heavenly court in that day will show that the grace of God was actually extended to Judas, even as it was to Peter, or to John. When the supernatural gifts were given to the twelve disciples, Judas was empowered with the authority to heal the sick and raise the dead just as the other eleven were. Judas was just as much a “called” man as Peter was. He was even vested with the honor of “carrying the bag.” The fellow was treated with such consideration and respect that none of the other eleven even suspected his duplicity: his secret devotion to greed and thievery.
“Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:22,23). The people who will put up this argument will be in deadly earnest: they will be making their last and final plea before the bar of justice. All sham and make-believe will be cast aside, and the “impious” will frantically present their most desperate arguments before God in an attempt to justify themselves.
The very indignation of heaven will rise in God’s defense at the insolent impiety of certain of these “gifted” and “called,” as they make this, their final stand in rebellious contempt for the Lord of mercy: “I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth” (Matt. 25:24,25). Justice cries, “Cast ye the UNPROFITABLE SERVANT INTO outer darkness” (verse 30).
The manager of any enterprise has a perfect right to expect PROFIT from his investment and labors; is it unreasonable that “The Husbandman” of creation should also expect a fair return? “Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth” (James 5:7). It certainly would not be right for the grace of God to be poured out in vain. “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:5,6). The obligation to “abide” in Christ rests WITH the “branch” and not with the “vine.” It is written in the Book, “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples in deed” (John 8:31); “If we walk in the light…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth” (I John 1:7); we shall know “if we follow on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3); “We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end” (Heb. 3:14).
Human nature and the human will are the factors which will actually determine what sort of a harvest the heavenly Husbandman shall have: “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower…This is he which received seed by the wayside…he that received the seed into stony places…He that received seed into the good ground” (Matt. 13:18-23). God’s blessed Word, by grace, was poured into every heart; but only the “good ground” received it. The paralleled account found in the book of Luke throws a little more light upon the nature of the recipients of the Word: “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and BRING NO FRUIT TO PERFECTION” (the “seed” germinated, and for a little season, life was manifest: it “sprang up”). “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, KEEP IT (WORKS), and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:14,15).
We now have another description for these who are the impious “called”: they are known as those who “bring no fruit to perfection.” They are like the man who “put his hand to the plow” and then “looked back.” Jesus said such a fellow was not worthy of the kingdom. Many people accept Christ as a Saviour; but soon they discover that if they desire to keep Him as their Saviour they must also recognize Him as their Lord, and they refuse to have Him reign over them. Since they cannot deny their first experience, and they refuse to “bear fruit,” they are brought to a place of decision: deny Christ in open rebellion or else become a hypocrite by merely making believe that they serve Him. The multitudes prefer to become hypocrites rather than surrender to the will of God. Such people inevitably fall asleep in the hazy atmosphere of “churchanity,” and before many days their “lamps” have gone out.
What is the essential difference between a WISE man and a FOOLISH man? The Lord Jesus gave us the answer: “Every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and DOETH THEM NOT, shall be likened unto a foolish man” (Matt. 7:24-26). The “wise” hear what the will of God is, and they DO it; the “foolish” hear what the will of God is, and they do something else instead. Here we have still another definition of these “CALLED” who “bring no fruit to perfection” – they are also “FOOLISH VIRGINS.”
When the great King finally tells the “foolish” virgins that He does not know them, they will for the first time become fully aware of the depths of deceit within their own hearts. Then they will clearly understand how their self-devoted hearts have deliberately seared their consciences and blinded their reason to even the rudimentary requirements of Providence: “IF any man love God, the same is known of Him” (I Cor. 8:3). God will not KNOW the foolish virgins because they failed to practice that first and great commandment: “If a man love Me, he will KEEP MY WORDS” (John 14:23). “He that hath My commandments and KEEPETH them, he it is that loveth Me” (John 14:21).
Those who are “called” but “bring no fruit to perfection,” and are also “foolish,” are easily recognized by their antipathy toward THE COMMANDS OF CHRIST – they flatly refuse to KEEP His commands. “He that saith, I know Him (the lip testimony of the foolish virgins), and keepeth not His commandments, IS A LIAR” (I John 2:4). A most descriptive name for these “impious,” “called,” “non-fruit producing,” “unloving,” “foolish” commandment breakers. All of this kind “shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8).
As the books are opened on the day of judgment, many will be startled to discover that their names were once recorded there, but because of their rebellion and impiety, they were removed (blotted out) from the sacred pages. This act, alone, is positive proof of the justice and equity of the Creator: it will be indisputable evidence in that day that He was “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
The vindication of the righteousness and equity of the government of God could not possibly be revealed if He had at any time been “a respecter of persons,” or if He had ever discriminated against any of His creatures, or if at any time He had without just reason used some manner of overbearing power or influence to unduly force some to follow Him, and thus do violence to the laws of free moral being. If the Creator had even once lowered a standard or disregarded a principle for a certain portion of the human race and not offered the same considerations to the others, then in the judgment it would be impossible for Him to be vindicated in the face of such evidence. But let us examine the unchanging record: Moses called Him “the faithful God” (Deut. 7:9); James spoke of “The Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17); and God Himself hath said, “I am the Lord, I CHANGE NOT” (Mal. 3:6).
“Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). It is understandable, then, that God cannot make a mistake; neither does He change His mind; and in all of His acts He will always be governed by principle. From the very beginning of time the Lord has REWARDED obedience. And by the same token, He has always PUNISHED disobedience. This is the basic law of retribution, founded in the very nature of all living beings: Violate any law, whether it be physical or spiritual, and the law-breaker will suffer loss; on the other hand, those who obey the laws of spiritual or physical being become beneficiaries of the goodness bestowed upon the obedient.
“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil” (I John 3:7,8).
PRESENT VICTORY
Curtis Dickinson
Jesus was optimistic, in spite of knowing the calamities coming upon the world and the persecution of the church. His attitude of victory is not too readily seen in the church today.
We usually think of victory as the day of His coming, when the redeemed are raised from death and clothed in immortality. Of course, that is the final victory and blessed hope, and is never far from mind. But if that is our only concept of victory, then daily burdens and hardships become marks of defeat and life in the world is faced with pessimism.
This is quite different from the example of Jesus. His confrontation with Satan in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry was the first of a lifetime of victories. His refusal to compromise with the Jews, His choice to be their enemy instead of their king, His alignment with the humble rather than the influential people of power, and His daily submission to a lowly servant-life – every step was victory in His determination to fulfill the purpose of God.
He spoke often of the great resurrection at the last day, but the resurrection is not an isolated event. Rather, it is the end product of one’s daily victory in the world. Christ’s purpose in entering the stream of human life was to gain a victory over sin in His own life, that He might give that life on the cross to meet the penalty of sin for us, that we, too, might have victory over sin and death.
Christ was victorious every time He overcame the temptation to sin. He made the promise, “He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my father in his throne” (Rev. 3:21).
We are victorious when we are confronted by the world, the flesh and the devil, and refuse to surrender, but remain faithful to Christ. A victory is won every time one obeys a commandment of the Lord, no matter what price he pays.
Jesus demonstrated no concern for victory that would be measured by numbers on His side. Right off, He said that comparatively few would choose the narrow way. He promised no financial victory. He accumulated no material wealth, and left none to posterity. He was not aligned with the victorious political movement and did not rely on the military defeat of the nation’s enemies. In fact, He knowingly predicted the nation’s destruction which came 40 years later.
His victory was personal. No one could resist sin for Him; it was His own war, but it had far-reaching results.
All true victories must be won by individuals. The greatest nation in the world is weak and worthless as long as its people are losing their individual battles with sin and Satan. The United States has the greatest potential of all nations, possessing superb resources, natural and human. We have never been invaded nor have we suffered destruction from outside sources. Yet, we now are suffering a breakdown in law, in economy, in the family, in education, in production. Why? Because of the failure of individuals. The breakdown is nothing less than the personal defeat of individuals. It will only be reversed when we have restored individual integrity, character, and the will to win a victory over sin in each life.
There is a religious philosophy loose which measures victory by the size of one’s church, by the recognition it gets from the world, and by the social clout it is able to wield. Some are tempted to join this philosophy to be on the winning side. But, we are to remember that “that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). One may be a part of a great organization or denomination and yet fail to win the victory in his own life. “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own life?”
The kingdom comes not by observation, nor by marching armies, nor by mammoth conventions, nor performance of super-preachers. Neither does it come by announcements from the White House, nor decisions of the Supreme Court nor legislation from Capitol Hill.
Christians who look for victory according to worldly standards will always feel the stigma of defeat. Paul reminds us, “that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called: but God chose the foolish things of the world that He might put to shame them that are wise, and God chose the weak things of the world, that He might put to shame them that are strong; and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised did God choose” (I Cor. 1:26-28). Jesus did not win the great victory over sin and death as a superstar, as a general, as a president, but as a suffering servant.
Historically, the Christian has never looked for victory through collective power or worldly endeavor, but he has looked to God and realized victory by his own transformation even while being overwhelmed by persecution and oppressed by his enemies. It is just in such times of trial that the battle is most critical and victory over sin most decisive.
Victory does not depend upon the number who join the winning side. It is the broad way, crowded with the multitudes, that leads to destruction. Victory does not depend upon a great revival that turns the world to Christ. Jesus indicated that He never expected anything like this to happen.
Victory is won in two ways. First, it is won when we deny ourselves and place our full faith in Jesus Christ and the victory which He won over death and the grave. Second, it is won moment by moment and day by day as we overcome the world and its sins in order to fulfill the ultimate purpose of God to have us in His image. Christ, through His death and resurrection, through His word, and in His Spirit, gives victory over sin and death in the midst of a hostile world; not a victory that removes world conditions, but a victory within and in spite of these conditions.
The final step of victory will be in that great day when we will stand, resurrected to immortality, in a new and eternal creation where God “is all in all” (I Cor. 15:28).
While the actual victory over death and the grave can be gained only through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no promise of such victory to any but those who are willing daily to win the victory over sin. It is a deadly mistake to think that one can leap from his confession of faith to the ultimate and final triumph of eternal immortality without having gone through the intermediate steps of temptation, obedience, and growth.
“Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
A PECULIAR ROAD
Wesley Owen
A real walk with God is quite different from a stroll by Him once or twice a week.
Many people who call themselves Christians are not satisfied with the narrow road that leads to heaven and seek a different road. Some complain that the way is too hard, and some even claim that it is too easy, although they have not actually tried it, to see.
The Bible tells us plainly that there is only one way. Jesus said, “I am the door” (John 10:9). “He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (vs. 1).
There is but one way to find this road and that is by seeking the Lord with all of your heart and repenting of your evil ways.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matt. 7:7,8).
“Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).
“Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
At first the road may seem easy, but as the Christian climbs higher the way becomes harder and narrower; yet it is most glorious to walk this way. The Christian who presses on into the deeper things of God can surely realize, as Peter did, that it is “Joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8).
This “road” is not actually a visible road, but signifies a real walk with God.
The closer a person walks with God, the more things he sees in his nature that must be overcome. He realizes his weaknesses and makes a greater effort to subdue the old “natural man.”
Paul said, “I die daily” (I Cor. 14:31).
The Christian who walks continually under the covering of the blood of Christ will be able to overcome the ways of the natural man. There is great power in the blood of Jesus.
God has given us “power over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt. 28:18). “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). We are “children of God and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).
If a man seeks earnestly enough, the Lord will deliver him from the bondage and weaknesses of the “natural man” which cannot be overcome by his own power. “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 7:24,25).
The Christian goes through a fire on this road; a fire that is different from any other fire. This is the fire that will burn up the dross; the fire which will finally consume the natural man if he is completely on the altar. This unusual fire will draw the yielded Christian closer to the Lord, but he must go through it – not around it.
The three Hebrew children went through the fire; Daniel went through the lion’s den; and there are many other examples. The Lord brought them through, victorious, and He will bring us through, also.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it” (I Cor. 10:13).
The way of the Lord is not easy to the natural man, but it is glorious to the soul and spirit.
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). The victory is ours if we will take hold of the power of the kingdom.
But even as John the Baptist, we “must decrease.” As the “natural man” decreases, Christ will increase in our lives, and we will eventually be able to say “Not I, but Christ.”
As the natural man is put down we realize that we are NOT mighty and powerful, as pride would have us believe; but we are as mere worms of the dust. Yet the Lord loves us.
If we could but realize these things and consider what has been done for us, surely we would never murmur at the hardships and trials along the way. “For we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
What matter is it if we have “much tribulation” for a few years here on earth? What matter if the way be narrow and hard? We cannot afford to take any other way or to travel that broad road with the multitudes – “For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
LIVING THE ATONEMENT
A. E. Reinschmidt
“If two of you shall agree” (Matt. 18:19).
AGREEMENT. For two to AGREE in Christ, is the same as having true fellowship one with another. It means two or more persons who, because of perfect loyalty and confidence in one another, spiritually enjoy one another with never a thought of distrust in their hearts. Whether you call it agreement – or fellowship, the two are one: not merely with, but in each other. In such, the prayer is answered which Jesus prayed the night before Calvary: “As thou, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” (John 17:21-23).
About seven weeks later, when “about an hundred and twenty” of His disciples were united, “with one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1), this, also, was an answer – much larger – to that same prayer. This was the first cluster of the fruit of the atonement which Jesus made through the blood of His cross. Because of their oneness, the Spirit of Pentecost came upon, and through them; and thousands of “the world” believed, in one day, that God had sent His Son into the world to save sinners (Acts 2:36-41). Because agreement or oneness between believing hearts and souls in some way provides a way for God the Holy Ghost to come, the great problem in Revival is always the problem of securing some believers who can really unite; “The problem of Agreement,” really.
The problematical proposition of Jesus, “If two of you shall agree on earth,” is a strong hint that it is no small problem to secure even two who can unite in one. It is noteworthy that even the Lord Himself never beheld even two of His own apostles in such relationship until after His death and resurrection when He was “assembled together with them” (Acts 1:4); after which they went up into an upper room and there “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:13-14), until “the day of Pentecost was fully come” (Acts 2:1).
Even the apostles could not exemplify the atonement in their lives until Jesus' work of atonement was complete (John 17:4) and the Holy Ghost sent down. No more can we be in agreement or fellowship one with another apart from actually living in the SPIRIT of the atonement. For the whole purpose of God in making an atonement for the sins of the world through the blood of the Lamb was to reconcile men to Himself and to each other (John 1:29; Rom. 5:10-21). Thus, for two to “agree” in the Christian sense of the word, means that they have been reconciled – to God and one another – through the cross of Christ, and are practicing the atonement in their lives and in all their relationships with one another. In short, they treat one another as God has treated all men in the atonement which He made through Christ. They obey this word; “And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). That word about forgiveness, reminds us that –
THE PROBLEM OF AGREEMENT, SO PAINFULLY OBVIOUS everywhere among Christians, is a problem of FORGIVENESS. Matt. 18, in the middle of which chapter this word “agree” is mentioned, deals almost entirely with the question of reconciliation and forgiveness. First, there is the lost sheep and its returning to the fold (verses 10-14). There is the “brother” who needs to be reconciled, by every means possible. The offended one must visit the offender, alone. Failing in this, he must go to him again, with two or three witnesses. Should this mission fail, the matter must be told to the church or congregation, whose decision shall be final and binding; “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (verses 15-17). (Please note that there is no intention of “binding the devil,” here!) When Jesus told His apostles what might happen “if two of you shall agree” (verse 18), “Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? till seven times?” But before there can be one accord between two, there must be complete forgiveness. So Jesus said, “I say not unto thee, until seven times; but until seventy times seven:” or UNLIMITED FORGIVENESS (vs. 21-22).
Millions of blocks of unforgiveness prevent agreement and oneness between us today, and make revival impossible wherever this situation exists. And where is there a place in our land where it doesn't exist and prevail? Salvation and revival cannot come through the atonement until a few of us shall begin to practice the meaning of the atonement (Mercy and Forgiveness) among ourselves, and fellowship the salvation of the Lord with one another.
The problem of agreement, then, is mainly the problem of finding two here, and two there, of those who have been bought by the precious blood of Christ – who will “receive one another,” and covenant together to practice the love, and mercy, and forgiveness of God between themselves. They should agree to agree and to avoid everything that might cause disagreement. They should agree that they will never BLAME, ACCUSE, or CRITICIZE one another. They should agree that each may humbly and kindly point out to the other any fault that might make it hard for them to get along together.
The great problem of agreement is not in our holding different views about this or that matter. Rather, it is in the way we treat those whose views differ from our own. Often we claim the right to believe as we will, but we do not grant to others the same right. This is a moral error, and not a mental one so much. We know of some Christians who will not stand on the same platform nor meet in the same room for prayer with those whose views are different from their own. This is spiritual wickedness under a cloak of orthodoxy. It is a question not of wrong views, so much as it is of wrong hearts – that makes agreement so scarce that it is often impossible to find two persons in a whole congregation who enjoy spiritual fellowship (I John 1:1-7). “The World” isn't believing in the atonement – that the Father “sent the Son into the world to be the Saviour of the world” (John 4:14), because we who profess to believe the doctrine of the atonement, manifest so little of the SPIRIT OF THE ATONEMENT among ourselves. We are not exemplifying the Spirit of agreement, either with God or with one another.
For two believers to practice the atonement which Jesus made through His cross, there must be a FORM AND A SPIRIT of agreement. The form is the covenant and promises which they make with one another: what they agree to do. The Spirit of Agreement is the Holy Spirit, who will see to it that the contracting parties shall keep their covenant in mercy, peace, love and faith. The Holy Spirit is easily grieved and the agreement broken unless it is guarded with all diligence.
The least criticism, or blame, or fault-finding, or accusation of one by the other instantly grieves away the Spirit, and there is no blessing and no prayer possible in a mere form of agreement. When this happens, the Spirit of agreement must be wooed back by a renewal of submission, forgiveness, and faith in one another. The Holy Spirit in those who make the agreement will not allow the least bit of deceit, or disloyalty, or judging of one by the other. Better never to start, unless we fully purpose to live Christ – not self – between us. When two are made ONE as the Father and the Son are one (John 17:21-23), neither one can let the other down and still have any “peace with God,” because he is violating the principle and Spirit of the atonement and putting himself without the pale of mercy and forgiveness. But to those who endeavor to be always kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving to others, God is especially gracious and merciful. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7). The forgiving shall always be forgiven (Mark 11:25,26). There is nothing that calls for such unlimited patience and forgiveness, as when two persons “walk in love” and live in Christian agreement with one another, and there is nothing that brings such CONDEMNATION as when one, who has come to know the oneness of the Father and the Son with another person, shall mistreat him or her, and thus violate the Spirit of the atonement. Every time one offends the other, or is offended by the other, the trouble must be put right at once, by a deeper submission and self-humbling “under the mighty hand of God” (I Peter 5:6). This will always bring back the Spirit of forgiveness and renew the fellowship.
When we think of the great inducements offered to get two or three persons to agree or be one, it seems strange that it should be such a problem to find a few that will! “Anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them” is one of the inducements to agree. Another is “There am I in the midst of them.” The ONENESS of even two or three becomes a vestibule of heaven through which the Lord appears “in the midst of them” that agree.
“THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE”
Armando Montes
These words found in John 17:21 are part of the prayer that our Lord Jesus prayed for His disciples and the believer. Today, it is idealistic to look for UNITY among God’s people. Just a look at the Christian world shows that Christianity is divided into thousands of sects and groups. Today, we don’t find a people “of one heart and of one soul” (Acts 4:32). This condition doesn’t exist in the Church of Jesus Christ. Unity is part of our testimony to the world. Unity is dependent on our love to God and to one another. We don’t have the unity of the faith because we don’t have enough love in our hearts.
Many people believe that we will be ONE when we get into heaven. It is true that in the world to come we will live as a big family in complete harmony and peace. Nevertheless, the Scriptures teach that before our Lord Jesus will return to judge the world in righteousness His people will be one. He’s coming to receive unto Himself a glorious and holy people clothed with the righteousness of God and bound together in the love of Christ.
In the Book of Acts it is recorded that “the multitude of them that believed were of ONE heart and ONE soul.” The unity of the Spirit was tasted and lived in by the early Church. The love of God overflowed in the hearts of the early disciples. They enjoyed the glories of heaven for some time. This condition didn’t last very long because contention and strife came into the souls of the believers. The unity of the Spirit disappeared and was replaced with dissension. Brother Peter in Acts 3:21 spoke of the “restitution of ALL THINGS, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” These things belong to the people of God because they were purchased with the precious Blood of the Lamb of God. Is the unity of the Spirit part of this restitution?
The only true Church is made of those who have been washed in the blood of Christ. They belong to Him and their lives should be completely surrendered to the will of God. Through His Spirit the Lord God has called His people to work and “dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1). We have been chosen to show to the world that God’s way is a way of peace and joy.
The Scriptures teach over and over that we are a “together” people. The word “fellow” in conjunction with other words (fellowservant, fellowlabourer, etc.) is used many times in the New Testament. According to Thayer, the Greek word translated “fellow” in these cases means “association, community, fellowship, participation, together, several persons or things united or ALL IN ONE.”
Friends, have you ever heard a symphony? Have you enjoyed the consonance of sounds put together to produce a harmonious composition? Well, the prefix SYM found in SYM-phony is the English equivalent of the Greek word translated “fellow” in our King James Version. In the same way that a composer combines sounds and puts them together, the Lord is working in the hearts of His people to knit them together in the love of Christ. The end product will be displayed openly in these last days, and it will be a perfect group of people who will have reached “the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Each member of the divine family will give a melodious sound to produce a symphony that will bring glory to the Master of all arts.
According to the Scriptures, we belong to the family of God and are members of “the household of faith.” We “have received the Spirit of adoption” (Rom. 8:15) and “now are we the sons of God” (I John 3:2). Every man or woman whose sins have been washed away with the precious Blood of our Lord Jesus has entered into a wonderful relationship with God Almighty. As children of God we are Brothers and Sisters (Matt. 12:46-50; Matt. 28:10; Col. 1:2; Rom. 16:1). This relationship in the Spirit is greater than our ties with our fleshly brothers and sisters. As members of God’s family we also are:
1. Fellowheirs (Eph. 3:6; Heb. 11:9)
2. Fellowservants (Col. 1:7; 4:7)
3. Fellowcitizens of “the city of God” (Eph. 2:19)
4. Fellowsoldiers (Phil. 2:25; Philemon 2)
5. Fellowlabourers or fellowworkers (I Thess. 3:2; Phil. 4:3; Col. 4:11)
The Word of God is very plain concerning our relationship and duties one to another. The expression “one another” or “one to another” is used in the New Testament time after time. It is a reciprocal pronoun and means “ALL SIDES WORKING TOGETHER.”
Here is a list of the positive commands that the Lord has given to the members of His Body, His Church:
1. Love one another (John 13:34; 1 John 4:11)
2. Forgive one another (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13)
3. Salute (greet) one another (Rom. 16:16)
4. Forbear one another (Col. 3:13)
5. Submit one to another (Eph. 5:21)
6. Have the same care one for another (I Cor. 12:25)
7. Confess one’s faults one to another (James 5:16)
8. Pray one for another (James 5:16)
9. Use hospitality one to another (I Peter 4:9)
10. Serve one another (Gal. 5:13)
11. Edify one another (I Thess. 5:11)
12. Prefer one another (Rom. 12:10)
13. Admonish one another (Rom. 15:14)
14. Be kind one to another (Eph. 4:32)
15. Bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2)
16. Comfort one another (I Thess. 5:11)
17. Exhort one another (Heb. 3:13).
In the eyes of heaven we all are ONE. “There is ONE body…one Lord, ONE faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:4,5). Heaven rejoices when God’s sheep live in unity and peace. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together IN UNITY…for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Psalm 133:3). Dwelling together in love and oneness has such power before heaven that when this condition is met the Lord commands His manifold blessings to overtake His people.
Unity depends on love. Unity is the logical consequence when AGAPE, true love, rules the hearts of the believers. Love is not just a sentimental feeling. True love demands a selfless action on our part. Love meets a need, reaches out and does something on behalf of the loved ones. True love is a compelling force that looks after the welfare of the beings loved. “For God SO loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). The Father loved us in SUCH A WAY, to such a degree, with such intensity that He gave the very best of heaven, our Mighty Lord Jesus Christ! Praise His Holy Name! Jesus, our King of Glory, was the only one who could pay the demands of the law of God. Here we have something that was for the benefit of everyone. It was a selfless act of our Heavenly Father. Love was manifested through sacrifice and service.
Since the beginning of His creation the Lord God has been working with mankind to create His divine family. This family will be a group of people unconditionally given over to Him and to one another. Heaven has done everything that is needed to have the unity of the faith among God’s people. When our Lord Jesus finished His work on the Cross, every provision was made to reach the state of perfect unity. Everything has been made available for mankind to know God, to fellowship with Him and His people; to become sons of God; “to dwell together” in unity in the family of God.
Israel of old was called by the Lord to be separated from the heathen nations and live in harmony as one big family. The Scriptures tell us that they failed God. The time came when “the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy” (II Chron. 36:16). It is true that some of the Israelites served God, but as a nation they missed “the heavenly calling.” The Apostolic Church enjoyed the blessing of the unity of the Spirit. As long as they walked in complete obedience to the Word of God and His Spirit, they were “of one accord, of one mind.” The epistles show that division and strife entered into the early church. They lost the oneness of the Spirit, and as the body of Christ they also failed God.
We surely thank the Lord for His longsuffering and patience in working with mankind. God’s plan will come to fruition in this end time. Today, there is a mighty movement of the Spirit of God to bring about His unity in the lives of His children. The Lord is purifying “the sons of Levi” and setting things in order. God is stirring His people up. It is time to answer the call of the Spirit of God and lay aside so many petty things that have separated God’s people for centuries and consequently have robbed them of the fullness of His glory and the continual leading of the Spirit of truth.
The oneness of God’s people is on the agenda of our Heavenly Father. It is time to cooperate with the Spirit of God in order to see the unity of the Spirit restored to the Body of Christ. Let US apply ourselves as never before to follow the Lord and His Word. Let US strive to improve our relationship one with another. Let US seek to edify one another. To edify means “to build a house, erect a building.” Since every man is building a house (Matt. 7:24-27) and Christians are likened to a building (Eph. 2:19-22), we can help one another in the erection of that house by prayer, instruction, exhortation, comfort, etc. To edify one another also means “to build up one another; to strengthen, to build up one another in God.” If we do this, we will cooperate with the Spirit of God to finish the building of the Church of Jesus Christ. This will be THE CHURCH that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against” (Matt. 16:18).
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (I John 3:18).
LAW AND GRACE
W.A. Bond
Some say you can’t mix law and grace. The truth is that you can’t SEPARATE law and grace without tearing the Bible all apart. Grace is not a New Testament novelty. Grace began when sin began, and as Paul said, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Grace is found where sin is found – all through the Bible. And since sin is the transgression of the law, this puts law and grace together. Grace does not abolish the law; if there were no law, there would be no need for grace.
Lest there be some who might misunderstand what is being said, let us go on to realize that, though law and grace always go together, they are not the same, and neither can be made to substitute for the other. (This is why it must always be law AND grace.) Some legalists would substitute law for grace as the basis for our Salvation. This is confusion. We are saved only on the basis of the unmerited favor of God, conditioned only on our acceptance of this grace, in an act of submission to Him as Lord and Saviour.
On the other hand, there are some who teach Salvation by grace alone, but go to the extreme of substituting grace for law! They think that grace, apart from the law, can guide our daily lives. This, too, is confusion. Law and grace go together, but each in its own place.
GOD ALWAYS SAVES BY GRACE.
GOD ALWAYS GOVERNS BY LAW.
IN LOVING SERVICE
John Sanderson
How many times have you asked someone what he does and received an awkward answer like, “Oh, I’m only a dishwasher,” or, “Well, I just clean the floors”? This kind of response sounds as if the person is saying, “I am nobody. I don’t do anything worth talking about.”
When you become a Christian, you hear quite a bit about all the many wonderful ways you can minister. You read in the Bible that God gives to His people the gifts of miracles, prophecy, wisdom, etc. (I Cor. 12:8-10). You begin to wonder if God missed you along the way. Does this mean that you cannot serve God as well as others because you do not peach to people? Of course not! Many Christians believe that if he/she does not have a public ministry gift, the work of the Lord is hindered. Well, nothing could be so far from the truth as this.
A very close Christian friend of mine has a good singing voice. He sings with such ease that I sometimes find myself becoming jealous of his talent. I am positive you will not find jealousy listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit. I used to think that if I had a talent like this, then, I could become a better member of the body of Christ. This, of course, is only a lie. Every Christian has a part in the work of the Lord.
Did you know that you are a valuable asset to the Lord regardless of your skills? There is not one of you that the Lord cannot use if you will fully yield yourself to Him. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind” (Matt. 22:37). Now, after you give God all of this, what does that leave for yourself? Usually, you will end up doing what you least expect to do. God knows the best place to put you in the field of work that would glorify Him.
What is your biggest asset as a Christian? Jesus! Your most important skill is how well you know Him. Without the Lord, we have nothing. “for apart from Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Everyone knows that each part of the human body works together for the good of the whole body regardless of the size of that part. Listen to what the apostle Paul said to the Corinthians: “And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body: is it therefore not of the body?” (I Cor. 12:15)
“The ear is made up of three principle parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. In the inner ear is an organ called the semicircular canals the organ of our sense of balance.
Without the semicircular canals, simple tasks like walking would be extremely difficult, if not impossible. And the canals also provide a sense of position, or orientation. Without this, you would even have difficulty knowing whether you were standing up, sitting down, lying on your back, or lying on your side” (Young Students Encyclopedia, pg. 943).
Paul goes on to say, “Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary” (I Cor. 12:22). Whenever you feel as though your part of the work is insignificant, I suggest you try to remember this verse. In fact, write this scripture on a piece of paper and put it somewhere that will be very noticeable when you are working. I also recommend you read this whole chapter for a better understanding of the body working together.
In the days of the Early Church, there arose a problem of the widows being neglected in the daily ministrations. The apostles appointed seven men to wait on tables. One of these men was Stephen (Acts 6:1-7). “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people” (Verse 8). I thought he was chosen to wait on tables. That is right! I believe God blessed Stephen tremendously because Stephen was willing to work behind the scenes in a “mediocre” job so that the apostles would be free to minister to the people. Originally, a “deacon” meant, in the Greek language, “An attendant i.e. a waiter (at tables or in other menial duties)” (Strong’s Concordance).
Now, I am not saying everyone should wait on tables. What I am saying is that you can be happy in whatever you are doing as long as it is unto the Lord, not man. After all, who are you trying to please – God or man (Gal. 1:10)?
We all need a vision for our lives, but it is a tragic mistake to grab up our dreams (or even God’s will for us) and run ahead with them – without the timing of God. When God raises people up, it is only when He sees they are ready and not before. We must remember to allow God to shape our character His way.
I think that while we are working behind the scenes, God is teaching us obedience and faithfulness. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). Many of the great men of the Bible were servants of others in humble circumstances. If you are in a seemingly insignificant job, just remember – Peter was a fisherman!
PASSOVER 2018
The time of the yearly Passover is drawing near, and People of the Living God will be observing this feast beginning at sundown on April 29th. We observe the Passover by having a meal in the evening along with the communion as Jesus ordained on His last evening with His disciples. People of the Living God do not hold the belief that Passover observance is a salvation issue. However, we do believe it is a time to give glory, honor and praise to Jesus Christ for offering Himself as the “Lamb which taketh away the sin of the world” and, thereby, freeing those who will come to Him in faith, from eternal death brought about by sin. It is a time to be thankful and to acknowledge the wonderful gift of salvation and that eternal life given us through the blood of Jesus Christ. People of the Living God observe the feast of Passover, which includes the feast of Unleavened bread, for one week. We keep the first and the seventh day as a Sabbath. Therefore, we will not be involved in our daily labors on April 30th or on May 6th. On those days we will have fellowship together and gather for times of worship and praise. May God bless all those who observe this feast, and may we keep it unto the Lord.