|
People of The Living God |
|
August 2018
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
COMFORTABLE CHRISTIANS
Paul Woods
“Woe to them that are at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). In other words, “Woe to the 'comfortable' Christians!” Amos recognized this problem in his time with the Children of Israel, and he was crying out against this very sin.
Today, growing numbers of Christians are choosing a life of comfort or taking the easy way out. As a result, their lives become shallow and the lost go unevangelized.
Hosea gave us a guideline to remedy this situation. He declared, “break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hosea 10:12).
I want to zero in on the phrase “time to seek the Lord.” If you would look around today you would see why so many Christians choose the more comfortable way. Our churches are full of prayerless Christians. No wonder there are so many empty altars. It's easier to schedule recreational activities than to come together in church for urgent intercessory prayer and Bible study. The Apostle Paul called it lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. The fallow ground Hosea was talking about here is the fallow ground of your heart. Our hearts need to be broken up and made soft again before the seeking of the Lord will come to pass. In the natural, fallow ground is ground which has once been tilled, but has gotten hard and now lies waste. So it is with our hearts. The Lord said we could find Him when we seek Him with our whole heart. David said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17). There is some sacrificing to be done. It's not the easy road.
Today, worldliness is running rampant. Surveys show that the average Christian family watches TV six hours a day (the non-Christian watches seven hours). The internet with tablets and smart phones have taken any spare time we might have left. At this rate, the world is going to evangelize the Church with sex, violence, and materialism instead of the Church evangelizing the world. Excesses are being tolerated in almost every area of our lives – over-eating, over-dressing, extra-marital sex, and premarital sex among the youth. When do you hear sermons crying out against these sins? The Apostle Paul said to do away with earthly things; have nothing to do with impurity…but now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten sins of anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy communication out of our mouths (my paraphrase) (Col. 3:5-8).
How can we know if we need to break up our fallow ground and if we're living at ease in Zion (comfortable where we are in our spiritual lives, not wanting to make a change)? Do you want to be called an Ephesian Christian, devoid of your first love? If not, let's begin by breaking up the fallow ground of our hearts, looking deep inside and really seeing where we are.
Following are some of the symptoms of those who are at ease in Zion. Will you prayerfully consider each one? Are you hungry for the righteousness of God to rain upon you today? God will only fill those hearts that are willing to take the time to really seek Him and then stay in tune to Him.
Take the spiritual “checklist” today and begin to move out of the comfort zone.
*Do you make a small matter of sins that once seemed intolerable to you, and do you grow bolder with sin than when you were in your more watchful state?
*Do you like a course of religion that requires little labor and leave out the cost of bearing the cross?
*Do you like to read worldly books more than the Bible?
*Do you care more about what man sees rather than what God sees?
*Do you care more about forwarding the interests of some party than about those matters which concern the great cause of Christ?
*Do you make light of preparing for the Lord's day?
*Do you thirst after some worldly enjoyment and let the world grow sweeter to you while death and eternity become distasteful subjects?
If you answered any of these questions in the affirmative, you could be in a declining state.
Will you move out of your comfort zone and pray for souls to be saved and help take the Word of God to a dying world?
HAVE YOU BEEN BORN AGAIN?
Randall Walton
We have received several publications recently with the same message concerning Jesus’ declaration to Nicodemus in John 3, in which He states, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The authors of these articles tell us that what Jesus means is that man will be “born” into the kingdom of God by a resurrection from the dead at the beginning of the one thousand year reign of Jesus on the earth, better known as the millennium! That is when they say we will be “born again.”
We could easily pass over this teaching if it were not for the grossness of error contained in it; it has far-reaching consequences for all believers, and we therefore feel obligated to speak out against this fable.
Referring back to John 3, we observe the Jewish ruler stating to Jesus that “we know thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” Is it consistent with reason and logic that Jesus would answer that statement with a completely irrelevant and disassociated retort, that “Unless you are resurrected from the dead, you can’t enter the wonderful world tomorrow”? Let us not accuse our Lord of doing such inane things as this. There is no concrete or tangible benefit to be gained from such a statement as that, in this context. What good would such knowledge be to poor Nicodemus? He could do nothing whatever to hasten this resurrection, and even if he could, so what? The resurrection of the dead will not be a human induced event, but a purely supernatural one.
We can only conclude that Jesus’ answer to that Pharisee was a positive, affirmative reply which had a then-present application; otherwise, He failed to minister life to that “unborn-again” churchman.
From Nicodemus’ confession that Jesus was a teacher sent from God, Jesus immediately dealt with the man’s immediate need: he was dead (in trespasses and sins, Eph. 2:1,5) and there was but one remedy, without which he could neither see nor enter the kingdom of God. He must receive life from above, he must be reborn, resurrected from the dead, and with this transaction completed he could both see and enter the kingdom. “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, Verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, AND NOW IS, when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:24,25). “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Col. 1:13).
Being born again and being resurrected are speaking of the same circumstance, both of which are spiritual in nature and are present, actual, positive experiences enjoyed by every true believer today.
Much has been made over the use of the words “begotten” and “born”. We are told that at the present time we are merely begotten, that is, we are in a state of gestation or embryo, and we won’t be born until the millennium begins! It is too bad that the New Testament scribes omitted this great teaching in their writings. Anyone who cares to take the time to consult Strong’s Concordance will find that the words begotten and born are used rather loosely, and both may be found to mean, “procreate, produce, conceive, bear, beget, be born, bring forth, be delivered of.”
The essence of meaning is that a radical change has taken place within a person: “he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new” (II Cor. 5:17).
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God” (I Peter 1:22,23).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope” (I Peter 1:3). It is interesting that the terms “born again” in verse 23 and “begotten us again,” verse 3, are from the same Greek words!
Also, in I John 5:18 we have the same Greek word translated differently: “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.” Same word, same verse, same meaning: a transformation, a change, a regeneration, a resurrection from death, a new birth, a conversion! And this transformation is brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit.
This is born out in Jesus’ exhortation to Nicodemus where He said, “the wind bloweth where it listeth (pleases), and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit” (verse 8). When a person is born again (or born from above, margin), he knows the Holy Spirit is creating a new life (thou hearest the sound thereof), but he has no control over the Spirit; he cannot tell from where it came, nor where it is going, but one thing he knows for sure, the Holy Spirit has come into his heart! The old life (a state of death) is over, and he has begun a new life as a babe. He is now a son of God (not a fetus) (I John 3:2), and the Spirit of God witnesses to that fact (Rom. 8:16).
It may well be that those who teach that being born again is a future reality, have not been born again; we cannot testify about their relationship with the Creator, but this we do know, there are many thousands of people on the earth now who have been BORN AGAIN of water and the Spirit, and they live and reign with Jesus Christ at the present time, for they have partaken of the first resurrection. They are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, and they sit together with Him in heavenly places (Rom. 8:37; Eph. 2:6). They are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus (Rom. 8:17), and they have peace that passeth all understanding (Phil. 4:7).
These do not look for an earthly kingdom of God, for they realize that their citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), and they anticipate that day when this “corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (I Cor. 15:50-54); and they expect to “be with the Lord” forever in the Father’s house (I Thess. 4:17; John 14:1-3).
If you do not have this blessed assurance today, if you do not know that you have been born from above and that your name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20), you can know by turning to Jesus who pleads: “I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him” (Rev. 3:20).
THINGS NOT SEEN
Curtis Dickinson
Contemporary Christianity is working toward its own defeat.
Not that Christians are renouncing Christ, rejecting the Bible and purposely taking the wrong road. Rather, it is because attention is given to the temporal instead of the eternal. “The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Cor. 4:18).
The world delights in the temporal. It has things – all sorts of attractive and exciting things, ego-gratifying things – daily dangled before our eyes, and says, “This is the good life. Enjoy!”
Many believers made this their goal, for they see nothing immoral about it. Money, possessions, fame, worldly achievement, recognition and material things give them a sense of success and fulfillment. They are encouraged by a great company traveling the same road, for the road is broad. But it leads to destruction, for it is temporal.
While God may sometimes give the saint great prosperity, and while He gives everyone sufficient cause for praise and thanksgiving, the gaining of the world's things is never to be the focus of a Christian's purpose and efforts.
Man and his world are temporal. “The world passes away and the lusts thereof” (I John 2:17). Jesus said that temporal treasures rust, are corrupted in time or lost by theft. Only that which is done for God and suits His purpose will survive.
The ultimate purpose of God is the basis of His sending His Son to die on the cross and rise again: that man “should not perish but have eternal life.” Man that perishes in the day of judgment is a complete failure, no matter how he lived, whether he was rich or poor, moral or immoral, loved or hated, praised or despised, happy or sad. Whatever success he claimed will be of no benefit in that final day if he is among those who perish in the fire of the final death (II Peter 3:7; Rev. 20:14,15).
Jesus never instructed His disciples to strive for financial and social success. Rather, He said, “Work not for the food which perishes, but for the food which abides unto eternal life” (John 6:27). He asked, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mark 8:36) Even a lifetime of worldly success will be as nothing compared to eternity. But to have that success then lose life for eternity! What failure could be worse?
To look to the eternal does not lead to neglect of earthly duties. The socialists have long accused Christians of a “pie in the sky” attitude. They ridicule Christ's teaching of present sacrifices for eternal rewards. They see the Gospel as a promise of better living conditions, a change in political structure and redistribution of the wealth. They call it “liberation theology” in order to give it a religious status and rally the masses to revolution, as has taken place in South Africa and Central America. Such temporal goals sound heroic and basic to Christian commitment, but in the long run they are destructive. The real benefits, temporal and eternal, come from Christians who, with their eyes on eternal things, work to impart character, morals and spiritual goals, which result in responsible labor, compassion and charity to those in need.
The more we see time running out, the more some tend to cling to “the things seen,” and give them permanent value. But Peter wrote, “Seeing these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy living and godliness” (II Peter 3:11). According to Peter, “The elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (II Peter 3:10).
The house for which we labored so long and which gives us a feeling of security – erased! The car, the camper, the clothes in the closet – all the things we can lay our hands on and say, “Mine,” however essential they seem to be to daily living and future security, are to “be dissolved.”
How, then, did they ever get such a hold on us to enslave us, to dominate our lives and rob us of the spiritual and eternal values?
When we look “at things which are not seen” we are able to “walk by faith, not by sight.” We do not see God, but we speak to Him with faith that He hears. The power of the enemy we can see everywhere, but we have faith that the unseen power of Christ is greater, so we walk by His rule and resist the enemy.
In spite of Satan's lie, “Thou shalt not surely die,” man is still mortal and temporal: his days are numbered. Immortality belongs to Deity alone and to whomever Christ gives it at His coming (I Tim. 6:16; John 5:21). At that time He will bring all time to an end, and with it an end to all things temporal.
Then that which is done for Him and committed to Him will be ours for eternity. For this reason, Christians are victorious under all circumstances and at all times.
“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear brother in Christ,
I read your pamphlet you send eagerly. I don’t always agree. I study God’s word for myself and pray always for Spiritual guidance. To the law and testimony if it agrees not, don’t believe, never mind the traditions of men. So much for above, my question to you deals with the return of Jesus.
I think you and 7th day Adventists teach Jesus will not come down to this earth or touch it when He returns. If above is so, please show me biblically why. To be brief, I think He will come to this earth, live and reign with us for 1000 years. Zechariah 12 to 14 say He will put His foot on Mt. of Olives. It shall be a great plain and His people (Israel) will flee to and dwell there.
Very briefly, also, Revelation 5:10 says we will be kings and priests (some of the saved) and we shall reign on the earth. Here it does not say when. In Revelation 20:4 He speaks again of thrones some sat on and they lived and reigned with Christ (how long?) 1000 years.
So, here it seems plain when Jesus comes He puts His foot on earth (Mt. of Olives) and then we live and reign with the King of kings for 1000 years on the earth.
Please, show me where I’m wrong if I am by the word, not beliefs of men.
Sincerely, O.F.D.
Dear Brother O.F.D.
We very much appreciate your letter and your appreciation for the “Testimony of Truth” monthly publication. We also love to hear from readers who search the scriptures themselves, as the Bereans of old, to see if what they have been taught is true. Too many people just take the preacher’s word and don’t search the scriptures themselves. But let me state clearly that we do not hold to the same eschatology of the Seventh Day Adventist.
I have decided to answer your question in the “Testimony of Truth” because the teaching of a 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth is a very common teaching among Protestants and Evangelicals. One of the great problems in approaching this topic is that this common teaching of Jesus reigning on the earth for 1000 years has been taught so profusely that we come to the scriptures with preconceived ideas and it becomes very difficult for us to open our minds to anything different. It is much like picking a jury for one accused of a crime when most everyone has already heard about the case on the news. The juror must not have preconceived opinions as to the guilt or innocence of the accused. We all are affected by what we have been taught or have heard even when we come honestly searching the scriptures. I can say that I have personally been affected in this manner and to lay aside all previous ideas is most difficult. But let us try to do just that as we approach this topic.
God Has Always Been King
It is important that we start from the beginning so we understand what the kingdom of God is, Who is the King, the realm of His kingdom and who are the citizens thereof. God has always been in control even though it appears that Satan gained control of this earth with the fall of Adam. When God created the universe, He created man and placed him in the Garden, and God gave Adam authority over the earth. Adam demonstrated that authority when he named all the animals. Adam was created “very good,” in the very image of God. Satan deceived Eve and, consequently, Adam fell into disobedience or sin. As a result of his sin, Satan usurped Adam’s authority. But let us not think that God, in any way, lost His authority or power over the earth; He did not. He only allowed this in order to bring about His divine plan. This is very clearly seen in the case of Job, when Satan came before God and accused God of protecting Job. Satan did not have the power to come against Job unless God allowed it. Satan could only do what God allowed. However, God did allow Satan to afflict Job, and this shows Who was truly King; it was God.
The Apostle Paul informs us in Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” This death was not merely physical death but, more importantly, it was spiritual. Man was cut off from the source of spiritual life. Spiritual life comes only from God. Man became a servant or slave to sin. Sin became man’s dictator and controlled him. By being a slave of sin, we fell under the authority of Satan, for all who are disobedient are servants to the god of this world. These points are commonly accepted by most Christians who do any study of God’s word, so I assume you agree with these primary points.
From the time of Adam until Jesus came, men offered sacrifices for their sins, sacrifices of animals that pointed to the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. When Jesus came, He began His public ministry declaring, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye and believe the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). Notice what Jesus was proclaiming: God’s kingdom was present or immediate. But you may say, “The scripture states, “it is at hand” and that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s come or present.” True. So let’s add some more scripture to verify that exact timing of when the kingdom of God would come.
Consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:28, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” Notice carefully that Jesus says the “the kingdom of God is come unto you. This is present tense not future. Jesus demonstrated the kingdom through the many signs and miracles He performed. He cast out devils, showing His authority over the powers of Satan. He healed the sick, thereby showing His authority over the plagues and infirmities caused by sin, and He forgave sinners, demonstrating the power He possessed over every adversary that existed in Satan’s kingdom. For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8). Jesus came to set up His kingdom upon the earth at that time, not in some future 1000 year period of time.
The great problem with most of the Bible teachers today is that they begin their approach to the study of God’s kingdom in the books that are written in signs and symbols rather than beginning in the plain words of Jesus and the Apostles. It is there that they come up with false teachings. If I were to begin teaching an automotive class and I started with the very complex computer controlled electronics existent in today’s modern automobile before the students had any understanding of engine basics and didn’t even understand the definition of terms used, I would be fighting a losing battle in teaching these students. Yet, preachers and Bible teachers do just this; they don’t lay the foundation first upon plain statements, rather they jump presumptuously into the books of Daniel, Revelation and other books of the prophets and attempt to understand the things written there. We must be grounded upon Jesus’ words first and then go on into the more obscure portions of scripture.
God Desires to Reign in Men’s Hearts
This world is going to pass away, for God is using it as a workshop for His divine purpose. Man is the focal point of God’s working. God so loved the world (mankind) that He gave His only begotten Son. God sent His Son to save man from the dictatorship of sin. Jesus came not only to make atonement for man’s sin but also to empower him to walk above sin, righteously and holy before Him. Man, in himself, does not have the power to free himself from the power of sin. He must have help. That help is in Jesus Christ. When a person is saved, born again from above, he is a new creature. Scripture says in II Cor. 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” What does this mean? It means that when one is born again he is taken from the prison house of sin, cleansed, forgiven, and brought into the family of God. Colossians 1:13 reads, “Who (Jesus) hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” When a man is born again, he moves out from under Satan’s control and comes under the authority of Jesus Christ, Who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. A born again believer is presently in the Kingdom of God.
From the above scriptures and thoughts, how can one believe that the kingdom of God is future? It is most clear that Jesus came to set up His kingdom when He came and preached it. Jesus is not desiring to be King of this world, for He always has been. Satan never had full control; God did. It is my personal conviction that Satan has deceived many today by postponing the kingdom to a future time in order to keep the church from possessing all that God has provided in Christ Jesus. The church in America today would not be in the condition it is if we had understood and believed that the kingdom is a present kingdom. For you see, the Kingdom of God is a heart condition. God wants to be King of our lives. He wants us to freely step down from the throne that self and ego sits upon in our hearts. We want things our way. We want to go our own way. But our ways are not God’s ways, so we must surrender our lives, our desires, our ambitions to God and, in doing so, we experience the kingdom of God in our hearts. God told Samuel that man looks on the outward appearance but God looks at the heart (I Sam. 16:7). While God is King and always has been, He never set up His throne upon the earth. This is what the Jews expected the Messiah to do, but Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Yet men tell us it is or it’s going to be. This was never God’s purpose. His throne is in the heavens. Psalm 103:19: “The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” Pslm 115:3: “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” Heb. 8:1: “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” Not only is He in heaven, He also tells us that this is where we will be. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (II Cor. 5:1). We are destined for heaven not a 1000 years on this earth. This earth is defiled and unfit for our glorious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He sits in the heavens and He is preparing a place for us there. Praise God!
What About Revelation Twenty?
We cannot just dismiss those scriptures that seem to imply there will be a time in which Jesus will come back and reign on the earth. Revelation 20 is the most prominent scripture that is used to support the Millennial doctrine. What is most amazing to me is that this is the only place a thousand years is spoken of in reference to the kingdom of God and yet upon this one portion of scripture the doctrine of the Millennium rests. If this one portion were removed from scripture, the whole doctrine falls. And to add to this doctrine’s lack of scriptural support, the doctrine is based upon a book which is most obviously a book of signs and symbols. Those revelations seen by John represented something other than what they appeared to be in the visions he received. For instance, let’s go to Revelation twenty.
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Rev. 20:1-3) First of all, Satan is a spirit as is God. He cannot be bound by a physical chain. This is obviously symbolic. For our benefit, the “dragon” and “that old serpent” are revealed to us, as the “Devil and Satan.” So, was this an actually dragon and serpent? No. The Devil and Satan were symbolized by these two creatures. Then what about the other things mentioned here. Is it a literal chain? Is there a physical bottomless pit? Is there a literal key which has bound Satan? Does the one thousand years actually mean one thousand literal years or do these symbolize something more spiritual? Can you beyond a shadow of a doubt tell me that this is a literal one thousand years when most of this portion of scripture is symbolic? Can we justify taking one statement (the 1000 years) of this revelation and separate it from the rest, which we must acknowledge is symbolic, and say that the thousand years is not symbolic? If one can, he has wrested the scriptures.
It is true that those who teach the Millennium doctrine do use other scriptures to support their ideas; however, most of those they use are also symbolic. You mentioned those in Zechariah 12-14. These too, are very symbolical. Is Jesus literally going to come and place His feet on the Mount of Olives? Could it not have to do with the fact that Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, which was on the Mount of Olives, where He fought His greatest battle and won the world’s greatest victory? Could the judgments set forth in Zechariah not have had something to do with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD? I don’t claim to know what all the prophecies of scripture mean, nor do I understand all the book of Revelation, but I can understand simple statements that our Lord made, and my doctrine and convictions of the coming of Jesus Christ and His kingdom are very clear to me. Revelation twenty is speaking of the time when Jesus came. He demonstrated His kingship by living a holy life amidst fallen men. He showed His power by healing all manner of sicknesses and diseases. He demonstrated His lordship in this world when He walked on the water, calmed the seas and the storms, and when He raised the dead. He exercised His authority over Satan and all evil spirits when He casted them out of those possessed. The death that passed upon all men through Adam, Jesus destroyed by His resurrection from the grave. He demonstrated His authority and kingship over death. Jesus came to give life and destroy the power of death. Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8). He came to bind Satan; He “spoiled his (Satan’s) house” and bound “the strong man” (Matt. 12:29). Consider Col. 2:15, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
There are many other scriptures which support the teaching that Christ’s kingdom is a present kingdom. It’s difficult to explain every point, but there is an explanation. For instance: Revelation 20:3 states that he (the devil) shall deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled. When the Gospel was taken to the Gentiles, the Gentile nations were held captive by deception and false gods. The gospel (through Jesus Christ there is freedom from Satan’s prison) set the Gentiles free. They no longer are held in captivity to sin. They are free and are no longer deceived, because salvation is for the Gentiles also and not Israel only.
I believe scripture teaches that we are presently kings and priests unto God. How? First, Jesus has given us power over the devil, the world, sin, and even our own carnal natures. Of course, that power is through the indwelling Holy Spirit which is given to every born again believer. Second, we are priests in that we are called to share the gospel with others, pray for others, and bear one another’s burdens. We are privileged to bring, not only our own needs before the throne of grace but also the needs of others.
I am confident this reply to your letter and questions will not answer all your questions, but I pray it will give you some things to seriously consider. To me, it is most important that we study the very plain and simple things first and then build upon those. If our interpretation of symbolic and dark speech does not agree with the plain statements of scripture, then our interpretation must be incorrect. May God bless you as you continue to study His wonderful word.
The Editor
LETTER FROM JIMMY
Jimmy Windham
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord.
As I sit here today at a table on the Rock in my Dorm f-6, I'm surrounded by men watching one of the four T.V.s on the Rock with the sound coming through their radio headsets, and other men playing cards or dominos. I’m thinking about this message that Bro. Alfred King and the true saints of the True and Living God gave me their approval to address to you the chosen body of Christ reading the messages in this magazine. This magazine is only one weapon God is using to alert His chosen body, but it’s one of the weapons Satan’s hordes hate. The time is short for us, His Body, to prepare ourselves for the battle ahead, but though the laborers are truly few, we know the harvest is indeed ripe. God isn’t using the religions of Satan's reign of darkness in this last hour, for most have been lured to sleep by the compromising message from the harlot church. Most believe at any moment now they'll all leave this earth for a banquet in the sky while the lost and maimed are tortured by the man of sin. They are asleep, sons of God, and God isn't speaking to them, for now He has called many but few are chosen to fight in this last battle, a battle that will remove Satan from the throne of the earth where he sits as lord and king, a throne the first Adam lost by his disobedience. This throne God's born again sons will rule under the King of kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ is worthy of. All God's born of the Spirit sons and daughters are stirring themselves, for we’re all of one body, one church, and one faith. We know it’s our time to be used of God to reveal the true nature and life of Christ to the harvest of the earth. I’m only a voice being used of God to plant or water the seeds of other men God called forth in those shackles and chains here in this dark dangerous world of the forgotten prisoners, but my voice has rang out but few have listened.
My pastor and friend, Bro. Alfred King, has at times felt led by the Lord to print some of my articles written here in SCDC, and I want to humbly thank you for the gracious kind words you gave to me. Most especially I wish to thank all the inmates across our nation in prisons, for we all share a common bond of iron and steel. But we also know what it means to be set free from the chains our common enemy, Satan, who once worked in us and brought us to this prison. Our High Priest Jesus Christ certainly has felt our pain and sufferings, for He also suffered harshly at the hands of His oppressors. But bear in mind that our sufferings have been the key to the chains that had us bound, for our sufferings has pointed us to the cross where He, our Redeemer bled and died to set us free from eternal death and given us eternal life if indeed we have repented and allowed His Spirit to enter in as our Lord and Savior.
The main reason I have written again today is because in 2012 I felt led to begin to write an autobiography of my life. I felt led to entitle my book, “A Prisoner of Jesus Christ”, for I truly became His prisoner and bond slave. I don’t regret one minute of being here in prison, for it’s here that I died to my old self. It’s here that God revealed Himself and His word to me, and without Him I wouldn’t have been used of God to declare the gospel here and see a few souls here saved. One soul is worth all this time I’ve fought Satan down in these trenches behind enemy lines. One such inmate named Clarence listened to me as I told of our lovely Savior. He repented, turned to God and is out now and preaching in churches and prisons. He came back to visit me several times until SCDC made rules to stop him. Another inmate was the co-defendant of a notorious serial killer named Pee Wee Gaskins. His name was Walter Nealy. I won Walter to the Lord in ’87 and, when it was his appointed time to die, I held him in my arms as he confessed again of his belief in our Savior. He died that evening still trusting and confessing his faith in Christ. My story has many fights, drug deals, and shoot outs before I turned my life over to Christ in the county jail when a true Godly Christian named Dr. Thad Davis came every day and prayed for me and with me. Dr. Davis has been true to his words to me that day when he said, “Jesus told me to stand by you, for He loves you.” So, today 34 years later I can say as Paul said, “I have fought a good fight (I’m crying) I’ve kept the faith.” So, God brought Godly men and women into my life to help me survive here in this place of severe battles. One such man is Bro. Alfred King, who the Lord told me that he is my pastor, for I look up to him because of his wisdom. He truly deserves my respect as all of you, my faithful friends who God has put in my life. I wish to thank you all today, the Veits, David Harmon, Sister Becky Volz, the People of the Living God in Tenn., the Hubbards in WA, for without y’all I wouldn’t have been able at times, to fight on. I also thank God for my children who still love me and forgave me. I want to also thank my 94 year old mother, Mrs. Leila Stroud and her husband Shorty for sticking by me and my dear sister Carolyn Davis and her husband Eddy in Utah. Thank y’all – I love y’all.
So, Bro. Alfred said I had permission to ask for y’alls help who read the TOT to get my book published. They’re setting up a foundation to receive donations to get my story told. My story can be used by God to help troubled youth, inmates in prisons and jails, and anyone y’all give a copy to. If you feel led to donate a free love gift for this project it will be sent to the church in Tenn. But, please don’t stop your regular giving to support the TOT. Everyone who has read a copy of my transcript has given praise to God for saving me and using me in prison these 34 years and has said my story needs to be told, so will you please help me for this?
Thank you all and God bless you!
I remain
“A Prisoner of Jesus Christ”
Jimmy Windham SCDC #127054
Lee Correctional Facility,
Bishopville, SC 29010
P.S. If you want to help my book to be published please send a check or money order to:
People of the Living God
366 Cove Creek Road
McMinnville, TN 37110
And state it’s for the inmate Windham’s book project.
- Note from the editor: The funds needed to get this project started appears to be about $3000. After it is edited, a book cover designed and printed and to get it advertised can easily go up from there. People of the Living God is working in conjunction with Bill Britton Ministries through Bill Britton’s daughter, Becky Britton Volz to get this book published. Quite a bit of the work has already been done to prepare it for a publisher. Any funds received for this project will be used exclusively for the book and if enough funds are not received, the donations will be returned to the sender. For the benefit of our readers, we are including the synopsis and part of one chapter of the book in this issue of the Testimony of Truth so our readers can get an idea of its contents. Please, pray for Brother Jimmy and also for his book that it will be used by our Lord for His glory.
Synopsis
This is the true story of a young boy who grew up with a deep desire for love and acceptance. Instead he was harshly abused and mistreated by his alcoholic preacher father and older brother. He grew into a violent man whose life consisted of fights and scrapes with law enforcement. He learned to run when things got really tough.
Often he sought the will of God for his life, rising from being a victim to an overcomer several times; however, drugs and alcohol always pulled him back down. He had a beautiful wife and children that he loved dearly, but when things got tough, he’d walk away into the ready arms of alcohol and other women. This would be his undoing.
Finally, one day in 1985, a shootout left a man dead and him in the county jail on a murder charge. Thinking his life was over, he attempted to end his life, but two ministers of God felt led to pray with him, thus preventing his death. Finally, in an honest attempt to be set free from his guilt and pain, he cried out to God, and God saved him and set him free. He found that God was not finished with him and discovered his life had just begun.
This story is a must read for evangelical use or prison ministry, for it points those who are going astray, including those already in jails or prisons, to the cross of Calvary and to a loving, forgiving Savior who will set them free, too.
Jimmy Windham has been in a maximum-security prison in the South Carolina prison system for over 30 years. Though his life and testimony has won many men to Christ; he still requests prayers for the strength of Christ in his everyday life.
The following is taken from Jimmy Windham’s book entitled, A Prisoner of Jesus Christ (pages 90 & 91)
In March of ’86, I was in a social worker’s class called, “How to Improve Your Life.” I had already been to two of the required four classes and, unlike most of those social worker’s classes that are boring, I was enjoying this one because the gentleman giving it, Mr. Bruton, was a Vietnam vet and told us a lot of his war stories.
So, that night of April 1,1986, as we were lounging around in our building, in the D block which is the lock-up building, a few violent inmates captured the C/O, took his keys, and locked him in a cell. *It’s amazing how quickly a riot spreads, because that night S.C.D.C. would experience the most expensive and biggest riot they had before or since.
When those two inmates got out of their cells they went around and opened all the cell doors, so now there were 150 violent troublemakers out of their cells burning and trashing the D building.
Once they got outside, their violence began to spread to the other dorms. When the C/Os on duty saw what was beginning to take place, most of them ran for Operations to get out of the prison. Mr. Bruton came running to my cell, so we locked him in with us. His office was in our building, and at one point he asked me to go see if his briefcase was still in his office. But when I went upstairs to look for it his office was on fire. The whole yard was full of inmates running around destroying state property. So I started back downstairs when I ran into two inmates from the D-Block who asked me had I seen Mr. Bruton. I said, “Yeah, I saw him about an hour ago running for Operations.” So, they left. They were hunting him to take him as a hostage.
But I liked this decent man and I wasn’t going to let that happen. The building was filling up with smoke so we decided to dress him in prison clothes and get him out of there. He put them on and I and two more of my friends there ran with him to Operations. Then we went to see if anybody needed our help.
We went to another building, and we recognized a C/O from having worked in our building, but he was dressed in prison blues. We asked him why he hadn’t left already, and he said he had been too scared to go in the yard. The yard probably had 500-600 inmates in it near Operations because the canteen was near there, and they had broken into it, so we told him to follow us and we walked him out. After the riot, we never saw him again because it scared him so badly that he quit.
On top of the Operations building there were C/Os in riot gear with rifles, but they weren’t allowed to come in because they didn’t know where or who their officers were. They only knew there were still officers unaccounted for. The thing is, God was in control of even that riot, because not one officer or inmate got hurt and that doesn’t happen ever in a full-scale riot. The prison itself was being destroyed, but no human life was taken.
In every building all the doors and windows were shattered. All the offices with their computers and furniture were set ablaze and destroyed. The library was the biggest and best SCDC had ever put together, and it was set on fire.
This library even had little guinea pigs and hamsters so an inmate could hold and pet an animal, but the smoke and fire killed all the animals.
Then around 11 or 12 that night the warden or governor began telling all inmates to go to the rec. field because the riot squad was coming in and would forcibly put down any resistance. Everybody knew what that meant, they were coming to crack heads if you were still in the prison and not on the rec. field. So, I saw all the inmates begin to slowly make their way to the rec. field, but the violent inmates who started the riot were among us, also.
*The recent riot at Lee Correctional Institution was more violent than the one mentioned by Brother Jimmy in this chapter, for there were 7 men killed and 17 injured. Part of this latter riot is included in the last chapter of the book.
ARMINIANISM OR CALVINISM
(Part 6)
Warren Berry
We now come to the fifth article of Arminianism and the fifth point of Calvinism. Most Arminians believe that one can lose his salvation if it is not maintained. However, there are quite a few groups who do not believe once a person is saved, they can lose their salvation, consequently there is some division on this issue among Arminians.
The fifth article of Arminianism states, “That those who are incorporated into Christ by true faith, and have thereby become partakers of his life-giving Spirit, as a result have full power to strive against Satan, sin, the world, and their own flesh, and to win the victory; it being well understood that it is ever through the assisting grace of the Holy Spirit; and that Jesus Christ assists them through His Spirit in all temptations, extends to them His hand, and if only they are ready for the conflict, desire His help, and are not inactive, keeps them from falling, so that they, by no deceit or power of Satan, can be misled nor plucked out of Christ’s hands, according to the Word of Christ, John 10:28: ‘Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.’ But whether they are capable, through negligence, of forsaking again the first beginning of their life in Christ, of again returning to this present evil world, of turning away from the holy doctrine which was delivered them, of losing a good conscience, of neglecting grace, that must be more particularly determined out of the Holy Scripture, before we ourselves can teach it with the full confidence of our mind.”
It is so important to understand that whether one holds to this article of the Remonstrance or the Reformist’s view, it is imperative that one truly be born again. So many people respond to an altar call, go to the altar and pray insincerely a sinner’s prayer and leave thinking they have been saved. This idea can prove to be a fatal mistake, for salvation comes only when one believes and repents of his sins. No matter which view one holds, Arminian or Reformed, unless one is truly born again (born by the Holy Spirit sent down from God) he will not obtain eternal life, for his views or opinions cannot save him. One’s hope of eternal life rests in true conversion and not some emotional feeling or experience. When one is born again he is a new creation or a new creature. He is changed inside, his heart is changed. This is the promise of the New Covenant: God will take away the stony heart and give the believer a heart of flesh, which is pliable in the hands of the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:29; Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8-13). The things a genuinely saved soul once loved he now has a dislike for and the things he once hated he now loves. He will love God’s word, for it is food to his soul. The importance of the born again experience cannot be overstated nor over emphasized, for it is the beginning of a walk with God, and without a true experience or encounter with God, everything else is of no value whatsoever.
Now, let’s consider point five of Calvinism, The Perseverance of the Saints. “They whom God hath accepted in His beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will but upon the immutability of the decree of election flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.
Nevertheless, they may through temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins and for a time, continue therein, whereby they incur God’s displeasure and grieve His Holy Spirit, come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.”
Let me again repeat the importance of a genuine born again experience with God. Both of these articles require this change of heart in order to be saved and no matter what “good works” one may seem to produce, they are futile unless one is born again. To this point, both camps agree. They separate though on whether one can lose their salvation and on whether free will is involved in persevering to the end. The Calvinist’s view is that they will persevere because God has chosen them and He will work in them to persevere, while Arminians hold to the belief that one can lose his salvation because of the choices he makes. Having “free will” provides the believer with the choice to remain faithful to God by obedience to His word, or he can fall away or lose his salvation because of the choices he makes.
Some of the blessings promised to the believer by God that Calvinists hold to are: 1) Once a person is born from above, he becomes a son of God and, once he is a son, he can never lose that sonship. He may, like the prodigal son, depart for a season but “the hound of heaven” will chase him down and bring him back to Himself. Any falling away or back-sliding is not permanent, for God, in His sovereignty will not allow him to be eternally lost, for he is a son. 2) God will so work in the believer’s heart that God will make him persevere and overcome. If you want to get technical, you could say God forces him to persevere, although Calvinists don’t like the word “force”. Yet, in the Calvinists’ article stated above, they admit that some do fall away. However, they have a disclaimer. While those who fall away lose some of their rewards, receive certain judgments, are “deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts, have their hearts hardened and their consciences wounded, they do not lose their salvation.
This last part of the Calvinist’s teaching seems to me to be so contrary to the very foundation upon which Calvinism rests, that being the sovereignty of God. If God is sovereign as Reformed theology defines sovereign, then why should any of His chosen fall away to any degree at all? If they do not have free will and God is sovereignly causing them to persevere, why do they fall away? This is contradictory, to say the least, and it refutes their own definition of God’s sovereignty. We will discuss God’s sovereignty in a later article.
Once again, we come back to the character of God and the nature of His kingdom. God is creating a people over whom He reigns and who are endeavoring to be transformed and conformed (Rom. 12:2) to the image of the Son, Jesus Christ. “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7). According to their own statement, some do backslide and lose certain blessings and receive some type of judgment from God. However, the apostle John clearly teaches that we are only cleansed by the blood of Christ as we walk in the light, in the truth, and are obedient to God’s laws and commands. If we do not walk in the light we have been given, the blood of Christ does not cleanse. If the blood does not cleanse the back-slider and he is allowed into heaven, God’s holy kingdom and pure heaven will be defiled, for this back-slider is not covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is certain that there are no perfectly holy and righteous people in themselves, but the blood of Christ cleanses those who “endure to the end,” thereby sanctifying them and making them righteous through the efficacy of the blood. But according to John, only those who are walking in the light are cleansed and made ready to enter heaven’s gates.
“But doesn’t the apostle John also say that those who are born again cannot sin? Does John then contradict himself?” I John 3:9 reads, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” If we think that John is saying that born again believers “cannot” sin, his statement would obviously be false for two reasons. 1) Scripture clearly states that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). 2) We all know that we have sinned and do sin periodically. By sin I mean, we disobey some command of God. It may be intentional or it may be ignorantly, but it’s sin nevertheless. What, then, does John mean when he states that those born of God cannot sin? He is saying they do not practice sin. This is more clearly stated in some other translations of scripture. A few examples are: NIV “he cannot go on sinning”, AMP “he cannot practice sinning”, TEV “he cannot continue in sin”, etc. John is not stating that a believer cannot possibly sin but that he cannot continue or practice sin and remain a child of God. To read anything else into this verse distorts all of scripture.
But you may ask: “What about being a son? Once a son, always a son?” Let’s use an analogy in an attempt to portray this point. If you were a judge and your son had committed a crime for which the law stated death was its penalty. Your own son came before you and it was proven without any doubt that he was guilty: would you sentence him to death? If you are a just judge, you would. While he is your son, he committed crimes worthy of death and therefore, justice demands he die. If you allow him to live, you have polluted the justice system and compromised the district over which you preside. God cannot and will not compromise His justice for any man, even a son. This is most evident when God the Father offered up His most beloved Son for Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world. God’s justice demanded He (Jesus) pay the price, and the Father did not draw back or restrain the just penalty even though Jesus was His Son, and even though He (the Son) was Himself God. Even God (the Son) could not and would not hold back the judgment of divine justice. Think about this the next time you feel you can sin and God will overlook it. God never overlooks sin. He pardons sin, but He never overlooks sin. God doesn’t look the other way as Eli did with his two sons. He doesn’t sweep it under the proverbial carpet. If any man is to be forgiven, his sins must be placed upon God’s only begotten Son, for the Son took those sins and paid the penalty justice demanded. This is the only way anyone can be or will be saved. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid (Rom. 6:1-2).
We serve a holy God and a just God. Let us not think that we can continue in sin and still be found innocent in the day of judgment. This false teaching has led, and is leading, multitudes down the broad path that leads to destruction. Will we, as preachers and teachers, deceive ourselves and our congregations? Will we give them a false security? Remember that shepherds are accountable for what they teach the sheep under their care and will receive the greater condemnation if we teach falsehoods (James 3:1) It seems sad to me that even the Remonstrants could not solidly state that there is a possibility that one could lose his salvation. Listen, one cannot fall away from something he never attained. I cannot fall out of an airplane unless I am in the airplane. I cannot fall out of a tree unless I am in the tree. One cannot fall from grace unless he is first in grace. One cannot fall from salvation unless he is saved. Yet, it is claimed that if one truly falls away, he was never really saved. With that kind of logic, we must conclude that one can fall out of an airplane without being in it and one can fall out of a tree without first being in the tree. Why did the Resmonstrants not see this? Why do so many Arminians today not see this simple truth?
“What about the prodigal son? Did not the “hound of heaven” search for him and bring him back?” Yes, God did. It is my personal conviction that once a person has been truly saved, God will do everything He can “legally” to bring the lost sheep back to the fold, and when He does there will be rejoicing in heaven more than over the ninety and nine sheep which went not astray. Yet, God will not force him nor will He violate the man’s free will. God is so gracious to His people, and I believe that the idea of eternal security (once saved, always saved) is brought about in our thinking and our theology because we have experienced those times when we, possibly like the prodigal son, were brought back again to the “Lover” of our souls and we know we did not deserve His time, His energy, His mercy, His grace or His love, yet He not only sought us, but picked us up and carried us back to His fold and then rejoiced over us. Such love is incomprehensible and unfathomable and, because we have experienced it ourselves, we then must think that God does the same to others. All this does not prove that God brings all those fallen away back, for they have free will and God will not violate that power of choice. God is looking for those who will serve Him because they love Him and, while the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5), it is also something that is developed over time and many will not allow the purging fire required to produce this glorious fruit. Each saved soul must freely and willingly surrender his life to God, and that surrender is a choice I must make and you must make. God will not make it for you. However, He will help us, encourage us, patiently work with us and continually cover us with His blood and will one day present us to the Father as Jesus’ bride, adorned with beautiful robes of righteousness. Hasten that day, Oh, God!
Additional Note
A book written by R.C. Sproul entitled, The Truth of the Cross, has some very interesting truths of the work of Jesus Christ in His death upon the cross. However, in chapter six, our brother Sproul attempts to smooth over the idea of Total Depravity. The reason I am including this in this article at this time is because of the use of the word “totally” in the fifth point of Calvinism. From above: “They whom God hath accepted in His beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved. (emphasis mine) The use of the word in this fifth article means, total, fully, completely or even utterly. In plain English, a saved person will never be totally, or fully, or completely, or utterly lost. Now let’s quote from Sproul’s book, The Truth of the Cross. (All emphases are mine) “The Protestant Reformers of the 16th century affirmed that the sinful pollution and corruption of fallen man is complete, rendering us totally corrupt. There is a lot of misunderstanding of just what the Reformers meant by that affirmation. The term that is often used for the human predicament in classical reformed theology is ‘Total Depravity’. People have a tendency to wince when we use that term because there is a very widespread confusion between the concept of Total Depravity and the concept of Utter depravity. Utter depravity would mean that man is as corrupt as he could possibly be. I don’t think there is a human being in this world who is utterly corrupt, but that’s only by the grace of God and by the restraining power of His common grace. As many sins as we have committed individually, we could have done worse…. Total depravity then does not mean that men are as bad as they conceivably could be.”
Sproul seems to be skirting one of the foundation stones of Calvinism. He is diluting total depravity by distinguishing it from “utter” depravity. But do not these two words mean exactly the same? If we consider the word “total” as used in the fifth article of Calvinism, and distinguish it from utterly as Sproul does, we then come to a different conclusion than what the Reformers intended. Their intention, in the fifth article, was that it is totally impossible for a saved soul to be cut off and finally lost. But if totally doesn’t mean the same as utterly, just as “Total Depravity” doesn’t mean “Utter Depravation” then a soul which could not be totally cut off might be utterly cut off. Does this make any sense? It doesn’t to me either.
Totally and utterly mean the same, and a soul which does not walk in obedience to God’s laws, whether once saved or not will not enter the glories of heaven. There is coming a time in the latter days when there will be a Great Falling Away, and it will be made up of those who are deceived into thinking they can compromise and amalgamate the world with their Christianity. Jesus said, you cannot serve God and mammon (riches). Millions are following the Faith and Prosperity (false) gospel and many of those following that path have been born again and are presently in the process of falling away from the truth that is in Jesus Christ. We, as Christians and preachers and teachers of the true Gospel, MUST preach truth and turn away, rebuke and war against this false idea that there is no falling away, that one cannot lose of his salvation and the idea that “once saved, all roads lead to” heaven. They don’t!
(to be continued)