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People of The Living God |
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January 2019
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
“HE THAT SHALL ENDURE UNTO THE END”
Armando Montes
“But he that shall endure unto the end the same shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13). These words are part of the answer our Lord Jesus gave to His disciples when he was asked about the sign of His coming and of the end of the world. They are relevant today and are applicable to God’s people in these last days. Endurance is a commodity much needed in the believer’s life if he is to make it through the terrors of God’s judgments.
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience (endurance), I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth”
(Rev. 3:10). A wonderful promise is found in this Scripture. “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen” (II Cor. 1:20). The Lord is going to try the foundation of every one everywhere in this last time. The house of everybody is going to be shaken to its foundation. Great judgments are coming upon the whole world because of sin. “The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word…because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant” (Isa. 24:3,5). Heaven has also decreed that a separation of the wheat and the tares must take place before the coming of the Lord. In this parable in Matt. 13:24-30, we find that both, wheat and tares, are growing together. In the interpretation of the parable, Jesus said that the harvest is the end of the world and the angels are the reapers. They are busy gathering together the children of the wicked one (tares) in bundles to be burned. The children of the kingdom (wheat) are gathered together in His barn.
The Book also speaks of the falling away before Jesus’ return. Brother Paul wrote about the latter day apostasy (apostasia is the Greek word for falling away) in II Thess. 2:3, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a (the according to the Greek text) falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” A falling away is a defection, a forsaking, a desertion, a departure. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Tim. 4:1). An apostasy from the faith is a true sign of the latter days.
In Luke 18:8, the Lord Jesus asked a very pertinent question for today, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” It seems that there is too little of “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). The love of many has grown cold because of iniquity (Matt. 24:12). But God has always had some witnesses of His grace in every generation. In the midst of a general apostasy, a remnant shall rise up and shall put on the strength and beautiful garments of the Lord to finish His work in righteousness. God’s eternal purpose shall come to fruition. The Holy Spirit is rekindling the fire in the hearts of His people. By faith, there is victory ahead. Jesus is coming to receive unto Himself “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish: (Eph. 5:27).
Now, let us come back to this endurance. The Greek term is hupomonee and means ‘an abiding under.’ In Matthew 25, the unprepared five foolish virgins were told to buy oil for their lamps. Endurance is an important element in the final preparation for these days. In Rev. 3:18, the Laodicean church was counseled “to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.” Gold speaks of divinity, the divine nature that we are to put on, to be clothed with. We are to “follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness” (I Tim. 6:11). This ‘endurance’ is the result of the work of the Spirit in the heart of the believer. It cannot be manufactured by human efforts. It is produced as we persevere, remain under the mighty hand of God, obeying His Word and following the leading of the Spirit. This ‘abiding under’ will guide us to trust Him, knowing that His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts higher than ours (Isa. 55:9). God will give the ability and stamina to withstand hardship and adversity. “But we glory in tribulation also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience” (Rom. 5:3,4). This thlipsis translated ‘tribulation, affliction’ is a powerful tool in God’s hand to accomplish his will.
“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as sons, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” (Heb. 12:7). Chastening, discipline, goes along with sonship. Divine correction, divine discipline applied at the right time should help us to curb our fleshy appetites. “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Prov. 3:11,12). A disciple is a learner. Godly character is created, forged in the furnace of affliction. Jesus is our example. He was subject to His earthly parents. But above all, He was in complete submission to the Father.
In II Peter 1: 5-11, the apostle Peter mentions eight virtues of Christian character. He commands us to add to each one of these things. There is growth, development in adding. These things should be in and should abound in our lives to be fruitful in the kingdom of God. Patience is a godly virtue. Brother Peter’s words agree with Jesus’ teaching, Luke 8:15: “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.” The “good ground” hearers are those who keep bearing fruit in spite of the opposition of enemies within and without. They have set their eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith. In due time they will reap, if they don’t faint. They are acquainted with the Lord’s discipline. They have tasted of the rod of correction of their Master. They take it because it is part of His love.
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:1). Christian walk is likened to a race. We are commanded to get rid of every weight, every stronghold in our natures, every sin that hinders us to run. As we follow the leading of the Lord and the signs of His Word that we find along the road, the Divine Potter molds in us enduring character to keep running to reach the goal. Our common adversary, the enemy of our soul, sets obstacles in our path to hinder the race. God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We get weary of this life-long race. And let us be honest, there are times when some discouragement may creep in and we might think to “throw in the towel.” These are the times when the Holy Spirit picks us up and bears us in His mighty hands. Then, again, He is there “to help our infirmities” (weaknesses).
As you read this, a new year is dawning in the history of mankind. The year 2018 recorded a time of earthquakes, tornados, floods, wildfires, increasing gun violence, escalating drug addiction, sexual perversion…and you name it. This is just “the beginning of sorrows.” Only God’s longsuffering and mercy are holding back the winds of judgment coming upon the whole world. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).
In the face of so much evil sweeping over the land, where is the Church of Jesus Christ? Where is the army of the Lord to defeat the powers of hell? Satan has succeeded in robbing the Church of the authority and power invested in us at Pentecost. Without the moving and presence of the Holy Spirit we have absolutely nothing. His power has to be restored to move and stir up the hearts of a sinful world and a lukewarm and apathetic Church. There is so much worldliness in the body of Christ; so much lightness, frivolity and entertainment. God is raising some people that will be completely surrendered to Christ. A remnant, a body of sanctified disciples, will shun the love of this world. This group of believers, men and women, will have renounced the world and its influences.
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people” (Dan. 12:1). Greatly beloved Daniel was given heavenly visions about the end time. Michael led his angels in the war of heaven to complete victory over the dragon and his angels (Rev. 12:7-10). The same Michael will be with the people of God to fight and overcome every enemy and bring the whole creation in subjection to the Lamb. This is the time when all enemies will be made the footstool of our Almighty Lord Jesus Christ. Lord God, hasten that day!
I personally do not make any new year’s resolutions. But some people do. Let us be encouraged that God is in control in spite of what we hear or see. Sin and evil abound. His grace and love abound much more. The apostle John was given a vision of the overcomers. They overcame the beast, his image, his mark and his number (Rev. 15:2-4). They had harps and sang the victory song of Moses. They overcame because they fought the good fight of faith as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
The present Church of Jesus Christ lacks many things, godly sorrow for sin, self-denial and total devotion and commitment to Christ. We need to move away from our comfort zone and get closer to God. Let us make this a yearning and burden of our soul. I am reminded of Brother Randall Walton’s song:
“All I want is a closer walk with Thee,
Thine alone and from all myself set free,
Cleanse my heart, fill my soul,
May Thy Spirit have control.
All I want is a closer walk with Thee.”
INFILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Alfred King
How many believers over the past 2000 years have echoed John’s sentiments, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The yearnings within the heart of every sincere believer is to find a deeper walk with God, that state of intimacy and benevolent affection so intense that it motivates and controls every action, causes one’s thoughts to constantly be on heavenly things and penetrates into his heart, creating an affection beyond what is humanly thought possible. There’s a longing in one’s soul for something more, something greater and more satisfying than what has been found in this world’s pursuits or even in religion. It seems that once one comes to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and has experienced that wonderful salvation, his heart is changed and there is a realization that there is more to life than the mundane things with which so many are content.
When a soul finds Christ and is cleansed from every sin, there is a sense of cleanness, a purity and even a holiness previously unknown. It is such a wonderful and powerful work of the Holy Spirit, brought about by the precious blood of Christ that leaves the believer longing for an even deeper walk with God than that found in salvation. When God created Adam and placed him in His garden, Adam was made in the image of God, with the capacity to have communion with God. Genesis records that God walked in the Garden in the cool of the day. While we might not completely understand much about this interaction, yet the record is true and man had opportunity to commune with God. Man was created with this glorious ability to fellowship and converse with God. How different it was after the fall when men could no longer venture into God’s presence. How grievous and devastating was the sin that separated man from His Creator. Adam forsook his very source of life. He took the words of the serpent above the words of his Creator and in that one moment committed the sin that threw all mankind into an irretrievable pit and destined them to eternal destruction and death. Oh, the consequences of this one seemingly insignificant transgression, one minor infraction, one moment of allowing one’s mind to stray from God and entertain the voice of the deceiver. It is into this fallen state that we all are born in the world.
When Moses had ascended Mount Sinai to hear God’s commands for the children of Israel, he was told to place boundaries about the mountain and command the people not to break through those boundaries, for those who did would die. What a contrast between Adam’s day, when he could commune with God, and this in which man could not even come near to God lest he die. So serious was this warning. So terrible and awesome was God’s presence when He came down upon the mount and it burned with fire and smoke, that the children of Israel were fearful and no longer wanted to hear directly from God, rather wanted God to speak to Moses and then he would tell the people what God commanded. The angels must have looked on with shock and amazement, and certainly a sadness at the hopelessness of fallen man.
But God so loved His creation that He determined to redeem them, to rescue and reconcile them to Himself. Man was created with the potential and ability to commune with God, and God set Himself to bring man back to that state from which he fell. God has determined to bring “many sons unto glory.” God designed the plan of salvation, not only so man can gain heaven, but to give him the opportunity, privilege and honor to return and find that place of communion with God which Adam lost, not some day in heaven but in this life. That deep communion is found through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, today, desires to have fellowship with His people.
When Jesus told His disciples that it was expedient (essential, necessary) that He go away, He was expressing the importance of the coming and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to lead, guide, teach and reveal truth, to empower the believer, to comfort, strengthen, show things that are to come, and to reveal Christ to every believer. The importance and necessity of the Holy Spirit cannot be over-emphasized. If the Holy Spirit is to do all that is stated in the scriptures, His work is most important and our yielding to Him, critical and essential. As necessary as the scriptures are to believers, they alone cannot accomplish the task. The task requires the scriptures be revealed through the instruction and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees and Sadducees had the scriptures, but they rejected Jesus and His words. The Bible is the textbook and the Holy Spirit is the Teacher; to think that we can come to the truth with only one of these two is to be deceived. It takes both. So many today think that only the Bible is necessary, while other hold the idea that we need only to be led by the Spirit. I had a man tell me once that he didn’t need the Bible anymore because he was being led by the Holy Spirit. This man went off the deep end and destroyed his life along with quite a few others who followed him. If one is led by the Holy Spirit, he will be led through scripture, for scripture is the foundation.
The Apostles And The Holy Spirit
Those twelve disciples who followed Jesus and sat under His teaching for over three years, hearing His words, beholding the very expressions and attributes of God, watching Him heal multitudes, calming storms, weeping over the lost; while, at the same time, alarmed at His righteous indignation as He overturned the tables of the money changers and loosed the animals causing disaster in the temple. These disciples had been taught to pray by the Lord Himself and had seen Him many times spend the night in prayer, and even had recorded Jesus in such agony that He sweat as it were, great drops of blood. These disciples, whom Jesus named “Apostles” were called to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all nations. Yet, before they were to go, they were instructed to wait before going until they were filled with the Holy Spirit. All that these men had learned, experienced, and observed was not sufficient for the work ahead; they needed something more. “And, being assembled together with them, (Jesus) commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence” (Acts 1:4-5). Baptism is an emersion. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is also an emersion; it is an emersion into the Holy Spirit. This baptism transformed those disciples like nothing else could do. After they had been instructed by the Savior Himself, they needed this baptism to endue them with the power to minister effectively. “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49)
So many today (especially among Pentecostals and Charismatics) want the power of the Holy Spirit so they can do great things and be seen of men. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is not designed to bring glory to men or to make them special or spiritual in the eyes of men. The Holy Spirit is sent first of all to “reprove the world of sin” (John 16:8), and that reproving must begin in one’s own heart. The man who will be trustworthy to receive the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit must lay himself down on the altar as a living sacrifice. The Holy Spirit will help the individual do this, but He will not do it for him. The Holy Spirit will help one to take up his cross and follow Jesus, but He will not carry the cross for him. That which is important here is that when the Holy Spirit is come, He will show the believer what exists within his heart and encourage and strengthen him to place everything on the altar and allow it to be consumed. This purging of the flesh, the carnal nature, prepares him to receive the greater power of God to meet the needs of others and proclaim the Gospel with anointing, conviction and power.
This is not to say that one has to be perfect before he can receive the gifts of the Spirit, for even the Apostles were not perfect. Paul clearly stated that he had not yet attained but that he pressed on toward it. Surely, Paul had gained a place in heaven, so he is not referring to his heavenly position but rather to the place to which he desired to obtain in this life. While the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit are so needful in today’s world and among God’s people, there is also a danger which accompanies them. It is for this reason that the vessel whom the Holy Spirit fills is prepared for this power to operate in his life. It is also why the Holy Spirit labors to reveal the hidden things of the heart. Gifts and manifestation of the Spirit can, and do, puff up some men with pride. One’s own plans and ambitions must be laid aside, for when the Spirit leads, the vessel must arise and follow regardless of other things going on around him. Philip was in Samaria holding a revival and many people were hearing the Gospel and believing the message Philip was preaching. Evil spirits were cast out of those possessed and many were healed of certain ailments. So great was the move of the Holy Spirit that the apostles, Peter and John, went down to lay hands on the people so they might receive the Holy Spirit.
It was right in the middle of this great move of the Spirit of God that an angel appeared unto Philip and instructed him to go out into the desert. Philip could have refused these instructions. He could have thought to himself that God is moving here and using me so I need to stay here so more souls can be reached. Carnal reasoning must be laid aside and perfect obedience to the voice of God must be paramount. God had other things for Philip to do which were more important in the eyes of God than remaining in Samaria. It was in that desert that Philip met an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading from the book of Isaiah, but he did not understand what he was reading. Philip was used by the Holy Spirit to open this man’s understanding, showing Christ as the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Later when some Christians went into Africa, they found Christians already there. No doubt Christianity had spread through this Ethiopian eunuch. God’s ways are always best and who can or should question His wisdom?
The World, Then And Now
When Jesus came and the Apostles were sent out to preach the Gospel throughout the known world, the days were evil. There were many false teachers, false messiahs, and false religions. Sin not only existed among the more depraved and base men and women, but it ran rampant among those who claimed to be God-fearing, those who were “God’s chosen people.” It was in those evil days that God sent His Son and brought in the New Covenant, established upon better promises. It was time for the covenant made with national Israel to come to a close. They had rejected God by killing and imprisoning His prophets, His wise men, and His scribes until there was no remedy. Last of all, He sent His Son, whom they hung upon a tree. The New Covenant necessitated a mighty move of the Holy Spirit. God was raising up men and women whom He could use to turn the tide of evil and bring men back to God. The world had rejected God’s divine will at that time and that rejection continues even to this day. In fact, today, darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people (Isa. 60:2). Even in the USA, where Christian principles were the groundwork of its constitution and where Christianity was respected by most men and women, today God’s name is blasphemed, Christians are mocked and ridiculed, Hollywood sends its sleazy slut into our theaters and into our homes with no shame. They cannot even blush over their own disgraces. Our schools are filled with atheist and non-believers, who teach (indoctrinate) the students while our children are becoming more and more the victims of anti-God philosophy. One wonders: Was it this bad when Jesus came? Are we close to the way it was in Noah’s day or the day of Sodom and Gomorrah? How long before the “iniquities of the Amorites” is full?
We live in a day when Christians must return to God with their whole hearts. There is a great need today for God’s people to be filled with the Holy Spirit and endued with power from on high. Jesus’ sacrifice not only procured our salvation but it also made available to every believer the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the infilling of the Holy Spirit as well. Many have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, but I feel very few today have been filled with the Spirit as it was on the day of Pentecost. Let the church arise to her place in God, her inheritance provided by our loving Savior. Let us not be satisfied with the status quo but rather let us go on to perfection and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Let Christ increase and let us decrease.
THE REMEDY FOR WORLDLINESS
Dennis Davis
The noun worldliness and the adjective worldly define the very thing that represents rebellion toward God. It is a condition that is enmity with God – He hates it (James 4:4; Rom. 8:4,9)! This is the state of being concerned with material values or ordinary life rather than with spiritual existence – it is being connected to or devoted to the affairs, interests, pleasures and personal gains of this world.Those fitting this description might be as ingrained in the world’s sin as Satanists or perhaps lightly involved as lukewarm Christians – none being acceptable to God.
Diametrically opposed to the above state of existence is the life of an OVERCOMER. The honor, being worthy to be called an overcomer by the Lord, carries with it (as does being a member of the Kingdom of God) the greatest promise of rewards to be bestowed on believers in Jesus (Matt. 11:11; Rev. 2 and 3).
The remedy for worldliness is right in front of Christians but is rarely noted or given credit for its power. However, for this remedy to be effective it must first be preceded by the born-again experience and entrance of the Holy Ghost. Next, the remedy must be allowed to sink deep down in the ears – a wonderful medicine!
Here it is: the great commands (or sayings) of Jesus found mainly in the four gospels!!! This is God speaking directly to us. The more that is taken of this remedy, the more a person will become like our model Jesus – nothing could be healthier!
Let’s take a look at a few examples just to get the cure started (How to be like Jesus and overcome the world).
Loving Kindness And Unselfishness (Luke 10:30,35)
What a wonderful story of the way Jesus would behave when presented with a desperate situation that could be ignored. Here is a man laying by the side of the road half beaten to death. A priest bypasses the situation (maybe he was in a hurry to get the bingo money in the bank). Then the church deacon also passes by without helping (maybe the special music program had him in a rush, or he had to see his wife about the church bake sale). Then the Christ-like Samaritan stopped everything he was planning, to bind the man’s wounds, got him to an urgent care facility, paid what was required at the time and (if in modern times) would have given his credit card number to pay any additional expenses – all this for a complete stranger!
Forgiveness (Matt. 5:39; 5:44; 18:22)
The well-known verse about turning the other cheek when struck by evil is a memorable lesson on forgiveness. Not only is the offending person to be forgiven – but 490 times! In addition, you are to do good to them and pray for them. What a Christ-like reaction!
Pride (Luke 14:10,11)
The Bible has much to say about humility and the pride of life (you want to be somebody), but this one simple statement by Jesus says it all: “Sit down in the lowest room.” When with a group of people and looking for a seat try taking the worst seat!
Being Trustworthy (Matt. 25:21,23) Patient (Luke 21:19)
Do your best to be faithful and patient in small things and the large will come naturally.
Controlling The Tongue (Matt. 12:36; 15:18; 5:22)
The control of the tongue has more to do with being like Jesus than just about anything else. Even every idle (not needed) word a person speaks will need to be accounted for. We need to speak meaningful and well-timed words. A seemingly innocent comment that a person is a fool might land the speaker in hell fire (Read it for yourself, Matt. 5:22)! The tongue is a most serious subject and God hates a lying tongue.
Peace (Matt. 6:34)
Why should we worry about tomorrow or any other day when we are not our own anyway (we belong to Jesus)? Jesus is in charge, so turn your worries over to him. After all, God is speaking directly to us through the commands of Jesus recorded in the Gospels.
A Witness For Jesus (Matt. 5:40,42)
By going the extra mile, paying more than required, and giving to those that ask, we represent our Lord Jesus.
Money (Matt. 19:24; 6:19)
Possibly the worst outcome from having a great deal of money as a life long goal is that the Kingdom of God may not be available. You may gain what you think is important but, in doing so, lose your soul. The best advice is to make faith your treasure!
Lust (Matt. 5:28,30; Mark 9:43,45)
The lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh have been dealt with in very stern words by Jesus. People all through history have been seriously hurt by their lust, including kings, presidents, preachers, priests, and millions upon millions of ordinary folks.
Conclusion
Without having the Holy Spirit in us, the commands of Jesus would just roll off like water off a duck’s back. The Holy Ghost equips us to understand and to walk in the commands of Jesus – it is the only sure way. Therefore, put a noose around the commands and with the power of the Spirit, hold them to your heart – BE AN OVERCOMER!
KNOW TRUTH
Harry R. Miller
Truth is not made by man; it is the creation of God. It is discovered only by those who seek for it diligently.
There is great value in the knowledge of the truth of God. Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Truth is the one thing which can liberate man from the bondage of this world…therefore man should love truth intensely, and the pursuit of it should be his highest aim. But, strange to say, many people have no love or desire for truth and light. Even many who profess to seek it, run from the truth when they see it. The paradox is that they fear truth while professing to love it.
“Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil,” Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3:19). Truth is rejected by the multitudes because it will conflict with the worldly man’s deeds and greeds.
Few men love truth more than they do material gain, and fewer still will permit their love of it to curtail their social or political positions. Secretly, many will assent to truth, but in practice they will dismiss it, and openly they will disavow it.
A faithful and true witness will seek truth, and when he finds it he will fearlessly declare it; but he who refuses truth will become a slave to his own delusions, and shall finally lose his soul.
GOD IS LOVE AND GOD IS HOLY
Alfred King
The marvels of the world around us, the wonders that astound us and compass us about on every side, and the depths of the mysteries of the universe, those mysteries which reach infinitely beyond what man’s most powerful telescopes can view and those minute secrecies which go beyond what the human eye beholds in a common leaf, the human eye, or the composition of an average cell, depths of which microscopes can discern only a portion, all declare the glory of God, the Creator of all these things, and much, much more. All these most profound and blaring testimonies of the power, wisdom, and knowledge are an exposition and exhibition of the One who created them all. It’s truly baffling that there are those who would even consider that all these things occurred by chance, an absolute impossible chance. O, that men’s hearts would be opened to acknowledge and honor that One who has shown Himself in His creation and, “that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us” (Acts 17:27).
With all the wonders of God’s creation, He did not limit the revelation of Himself merely to His creation. Since the beginning of the world God has shown Himself in many various ways. He walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam. He conversed with Adam. Even after Cain had slain his brother Abel, God spoke to Cain, giving him instruction that he might not suffer the eternal judgment he had brought upon himself. God revealed in that very first murder His desire to forgive, His desire to save, to spare this sinner. When sin became so great that God’s heart was grieved and judgment must fall upon man, we find that Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord (Gen. 6:8). God disclosed Himself to Abram, called him and made of him a great nation. Throughout the Old Testament, God faithfully and graciously labored with men to create within them a love and desire to know God and become devoted to Him.
However, the greatest exposition and unveiling of God, who He is and what He is, was in sending His only begotten Son. Jesus said, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). This is not to say that Jesus and the Father are the same person; the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews clarifies this when he wrote concerning Jesus, “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person” (Heb. 1:3a). In Christ Jesus we have a more clear revelation of God, the Father. It is His likeness to which we are called. This is a most marvelous call, a privilege which the angels desire to look into and one that is worthy of any price or sacrifice. May God’s people see, comprehend, and strive to enter.
God Is Love
I John 4:8,16 informs us that “God is love.” How grateful that the great Creator God is not a god of vengeance, hate, and cruelty. Rather, in God resides infinite love, pure, untainted, impeccable, perfect, immaculate, pristine love, a love that can only be called “divine.” There is no greater love than that love which rests in God. This love embodied in God cannot be improved upon or added to nor in any way be diminished. It cannot be defined in human words or fully comprehended with human intelligence or even experience, for it goes far beyond even our fondest affection and our most endearing and satisfying relationships. Believers will spend eternity delving into oceans of divine love which are innate in God. This very God of love created all that we know and see in our world today, and when He had completed His labors on the sixth day, scripture informs that He was pleased, for it was “very good.” Even Adam and Eve were created good. Being a God of love, He loved His creation and He loved Adam and Eve. God loved every being He ever created. This includes Lucifer. Lucifer was perfect in the day he was created (Ezek. 28:13, 15). Lucifer had a very high place in heaven before he became lifted up in pride and desired to set himself above God. At that time, Lucifer became an enemy of God and God cast him out of heaven. Did this event alter God’s divine plan or change in any way that part of His nature which scripture calls “love”? Not at all.
God loved Adam and desired that time of fellowship with him in the garden “in the cool of the day.” Nevertheless, there was a day when Adam hid himself from the presence of God. Why? Because he, like Lucifer, had disobeyed God’s order and allowed sin to enter. He had partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sin broke that fellowship which Adam had with God, yet this did not annul God’s love. This created a great problem for man because God is holy and holiness has no communion with sin.
God Is Holy
God, who has revealed Himself as Love, has also declared His holiness. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:15-16). The same adjectives which describe God’s love also describe His holiness. God is infinitely holy, righteous, pure, untainted, impeccable, perfect, immaculate, pristine, a holiness that can only be called “divine.” It is this incorruptible holiness that forbids His fellowship with man, because man is not holy. Man, by listening to the voice of the serpent, had brought upon himself unholiness and irreparable destruction. Man could not lift himself out of the pit into which he had fallen nor change the dilemma in which he found himself. Did God suddenly hate Adam? Did He hate all men because of sin? How then does God’s love and His holiness remain in communion? How then can God’s love and holiness both be satisfied regarding man? Scripture tells us that “God so loved the world, that He gave.” If we interpret this scripture correctly, then we realize that God loves sinners. Yet we find a serious problem when it comes to God’s holiness. How can God’s holiness be satisfied when dealing with sinners?
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever” (Rom 11:33-36). “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” to satisfy justice and exalt holiness. The efficacy of the blood of Jesus Christ, that propitiation that makes a believer holy in order that he may once again have fellowship with God, is God’s love in action. It is a love beyond human potential. “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17)
It is not that a believer is holy in himself for his righteous deeds, but it is through the righteousness of Christ which is imputed to the believer. As we walk in the light God has given us, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. Those sins are not placed into our account but rather are nailed to the cross of Christ.
Love And Holiness
God is love and God is holiness. These two are inseparable. Everything God does are expressions of these two qualities. It’s not that there are no other qualities of God’s divine nature, but these are two that are extremely critical in man’s salvation. It is upon love that all God’s commandments rest. God has seen fit to shed abroad His love in the hearts of those who will follow Him, and this is produced by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). God has made a way through which man can be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Josh. 24:15). God loves all those whom He has created and made the way for every man to be reconciled to God. Let us not miss this great opportunity to be changed into His likeness and gain that eternal life which Jesus died to procure for us.
IT’S YOUR DECISION – MAKE IT GOOD
Donald Pugh
Many times the question has been asked, “Why do we as children of God have to face and endure so many trials and problems?” Surely a legitimate question. Many people will question the love and mercy of the Being we know and revere as our heavenly Father, the Creator and Author of our salvation. In the light of these questionable attitudes, I believe that it would be wise to consider that life, as we now understand it, is in actuality not what God created. Remember that when God looked upon His creation, He looked and saw that it was good. Good, not from the perspective that we as humans view “good,” but far above anything we could conceive. Isa. 55:9: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” What God had created was the intended atmosphere for human kind. We now live in a world of conditions and situations created by man. Today we see a world of problems, turmoil, hate, war, famine, moral degeneracy, lovelessness, and a nationwide attitude of “do unto others before they do unto you.” Is it even remotely conceivable that God had this in mind for his children? NEVER!!! God could not create such a monstrous and hellishly ungodly system. Today’s system and way of life bears the indelible stamp of MAN.
“And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). Notice, not merely good but very good. Yes, even man and woman were created good. In fact, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them” (v. 27). Because they were created in His image, they were given dominion over every living thing and were appointed to dress and keep the Garden of Eden (ch. 2:15). To further grasp the extent of their great privilege, let us look at the word Eden. According to the Hebrew and Chaldee dictionary, found in Strong’s Concordance, the word Eden means: pleasure, delicate, delight, to be soft or pleasant, to live voluptuously (full of delight or pleasure to the senses). This, then, was the dwelling place of Adam and Eve – their home, created by God. Think of it. To actually live day and night in an atmosphere of peace and complete harmony. As we read the Scriptures we see that their close relationship with God was maintained for a time, but then they were both, each one individually, faced with a choice. By the very nature of beings created in the image of God, man and woman were endowed with the ability to make up their own minds. They were free moral agents, free to do as they willed. They were not mere automatons, entities to be programmed by a Being greater than they.
But before we review their choice and determine its results let us go back even farther to another being created by God, full of beauty and glory and wisdom and, also, a being able to choose to follow his own will. This being was a heavenly being. He was a most glorious and beautiful being and was given a position of highest honor. In fact, he was even anointed by God himself. In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 28, we read this: “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering…the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so…Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.”
As we make further research we find that this passage of Scripture is referring to none other than Satan. He, too, was created as a free moral agent. He chose to do as he did; he yielded to his own will. The beauty and brightness of his being clouded his reasoning, and he followed the will of his heart in direct opposition to the will of God. He transgressed against God and he could no longer retain his position. The perfect law of God forbids sin in the Most Holy places of God. Sin cannot be tolerated in an intimate relationship with God. The penalty must be paid. So we read, “And there was war in heaven.”
There is a popular, but quite erroneous, doctrine afloat in many of the sectarian circles of man-made religion today that proclaims that God has already determined your fate and mine in eternity – a bastard doctrine which puts the blame of your eternal destiny on God. The purpose of this article is not to focus upon the doctrine of predestination, but this writer deems it necessary to establish the position that we, as creations of God, do in fact determine how we will stand before the judgment seat of God. We know that God has seen from the beginning to the end. We also know that many are called but few are chosen. Would God make mockery of those not chosen? Who will be the chosen few? And why will those few be the chosen?
There are several ideas afloat about the names written in the “Book of Life.” Some believe every man’s name is there and is blotted out when they refuse God’s gift of salvation. Others believe that God has predetermined who will be saved and only those names are in the book. Some think that God knew the names placed there through foreknowledge. (This is strange since we read that some will be blotted out.) Still others believe that one’s name is placed there when he is saved and can be blotted out if he does not continue to live according to God’s laws. (This seems most logical.) It is obvious that a person, although once saved, can return as a sow to her wallowing in the mire or as a dog to his vomit. God has written our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life, but those names were put there because of one very important underlying factor – one overlooked by the believers in predestination. The names God has written in this book were not based on special favor. They are not there on merit, for there is none good. The names that remain in that book are those who made the choice to believe, repent, and live according to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
God has placed upon you and me the responsibility of our final eternal destination. We, everyone, have been given a cross to bear, and a cross is always synonymous with a death. It is the responsibility of every believer to take up his or her own cross DAILY. It is our own carnal natures and wills that must be nailed on our cross and crucified to the death. Sin must become extinct in our lives. Rom. 13:14: “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ (upon whom lies the command?) and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Rom. 12:21: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Certainly these verses give credence to the idea that the ability to choose lies within our beings. Whether or not we are faithful to the carrying of our cross is contingent upon the degree of our commitment to the plan of God. All too often we allow sin, which is anything apart from the will and nature and likeness of God, to exist in our lives. Surely it grieves our heavenly Father to see us walk, of our own volition, in a way so often beset with problems, discouragement, and misery, when we could, by choice of obedience to the Word of God, claim His promises and walk in a state equal to our legal standing with God. God has promised us righteousness, peace, and joy. Where do we lose it so many times? Remember that we have the covering of the blood of Jesus Christ, and there is wonderful and mighty power in that blood. Study it and examine it for yourselves.
The time is long overdue for God’s “called” to become “chosen.” We cannot go on in the present state of affairs. Present-day Christianity will not stand. It is built upon sand. Anytime man puts his stamp of approval upon something that he has devised, you can mark it as not acceptable to God. You can either choose to be comfortable in a successful well-known church, or you can deny the flesh and “come out of her my people.” God will not choose a “churchy” people. He wants people who, because of their love to Him, will “seek first the kingdom of God and his Righteousness.” Have you returned to your first love?
There is but one way: the way of Jesus Christ. John 14:6 states: “Jesus saith unto him, I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” There is no such thing as an easy way through. “For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29). His way is a way which burns and purifies until all that is left is pure and precious. “I will make a man more precious than fine gold” (Isa. 13:12).
However, there is one decisive factor upon which the whole father-son relationship is contingent. One upon which you and I (and only we) will make the decision – this is the subjugation of our own will to the sovereign will of God. Our will and the will of God can never amalgamate (Isa. 55:8,9). Even God, being the Mighty Potentate that He is, will not directly force a person against his own will to serve Him. To be sure, He will bring a person to certain crossroads in his life when a decision must be made but He, God, will not make the decision. The closeness of our walk with God will play a large part in determining whether or not we make the correct choice. We serve God out of love, because He first loved us, not for reward or for fear of burning in hell. No other motive than that of love will stand. I Cor. 3:13: “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”
Friends, if you are comfortable with your life and get along with the world church system, then from the depths of my heart I say to you to please compare more closely your life pattern with the pattern that Jesus set forth when He declared, “I am THE WAY.” We desperately need to seek for the restitution of all things; to return to the standard which was set by no man nor group of men, but BY GOD. If God is stirring your heart then don’t wait for Him to have to do something drastic to cause you to yield to Him. Seek guidance to know how to yield and surrender today “while it is yet today.” God is searching for those who will willingly and in love become a burned-out husk to be filled by His Spirit. But, you and only you hold the key to allow Him to bring forth the “glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). Yes, you and I will stand before the judgment throne of God. We will stand in one of two ways. Either, we will stand defenseless and on our own, dead in our own ways, or we will stand blameless before God, a new creature in Christ Jesus our Lord. Your final reward rests entirely upon you.
The way has been made (I Cor. 10:13), and God has enabled us to walk in a victorious way. Remember, YOU make the decisions.
THE TEMPLE OF THE KINGDOM
Dennis Davis
God has always planned to have a people for His own possession and, knowing He would have to deal with a stiff-necked, lukewarm population, created the world into a testing ground to select (choose) only those that are worthy. Besides Satan acting as a roadblock, God Himself has provided a snare or strong delusion to trip up those that have no love of the truth and do not pay much attention to Him or His creation (II Thess. 2:8,12).
The New Testament contains more written about the Kingdom of God and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit/Ghost than any other subject. Yet, the present reality and truth of these are neither given much attention, rather some false but attractive fables about a delayed future 1,000-year physical kingdom which provides for certain people to rule over others.
The truth, even in the time of Apostle Paul, seemed to be elusive. In I Cor. 6:19, he states with incredulous emphasis: “What? Don’t you know your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost and you are not your own?”
The real truth, to this day, is that our Father has never wanted his people to have an earthly king (Hosea 13:10,11 and John 6:15). He desires to give us a kingdom with Himself as King, ruling within the hearts of His people, in our bodies as temples of His Kingdom, manifest through the Holy Ghost. The kingdom of God and the functioning Holy Ghost in us are one and the same. They are inseparable!
If found worthy, individuals make up the real Church as citizens of the Kingdom of God now, and will be delivered up to the Father at the end by Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:24).
There is a special mystery scripture that was hidden from the ages and generations, which is at the heart of the Kingdom of God teaching, and is now available if you are a lover and seeker of the truth of God. Here it is as a priceless pearl: “Christ in you the Hope of Glory” (Col. 1:27).
So, let us follow scriptural logic to see how this flows: You are the temple of the Holy Ghost and His operation in your heart is in reality the Kingdom of God! Jesus was talking to His disciples (John 14:17) and said that He, as the Spirit of Truth, was with them then, but would be in them as His Spirit – the Holy Ghost. In Luke 17:20,21, we find the statement that the Kingdom of God is in you and not visible to the eye.
A direct connection between the Kingdom of God and the Holy Ghost is taught in Rom. 14:17: “The Kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
Do you not now see how the Kingdom of God and the Holy Ghost are inseparable? To solidify the above, we are told to first seek the Kingdom of God or Kingdom status (Matt. 6:33). This means to pursue the Kingdom life by allowing the Holy Spirit to direct you in every area of your life. We all know the first step toward this goal is to be born again of the Spirit: to believe Jesus is the Son of the Living God, and by repentance. This step requires a call or drawing from God, but is not the same as being filled with the Spirit/baptized in the Holy Ghost. The baptism and infilling follow being born again and brings the individual into a deeper and more personal relationship to God through the Holy Ghost residing within. It is in this way that the kingdom of God exists today, it exists and is experienced within the heart through the Holy Spirit.
These all-important experiences could happen simultaneously, but more likely will be in sequence, “you shall” in Acts 2:38. Time will vary with different individuals. Let’s illustrate the point by employing the example found in Acts 8:14,17, an account which sounds very much like today, with widespread Bible ignorance. It was told to the apostles that some had been baptized believing in Jesus (born again), but had not yet received the Holy Ghost baptism. Also, in Acts 19:2, even to other new believers the question was asked if they had received the Holy Ghost, since they believed. Just as many would answer today: “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost!”
Then, what has hindered this God-designed blessing that the Kingdom of God could reside in believing and truth-seeking individuals? Nothing! But, for those that do not love and seek the truth, the Kingdom will be denied. A strong delusion (intensified in these last days) caused by God Himself, sent from Jesus to John in Rev. 20:6 that results in the biggest lie since Adam and Eve. God did not lie, but made it possible/probable that those not loving the truth would form an extremely strong lie as a snare on the earth.
Here is the scripture that contains the potential for an almost unquenchable lie because it is signified (a sign distinct from the form in which it is expressed). It needs to be interpreted from the plain words of God: “They will be priests of God and Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Correctly interpreted with previous Bible statements it would read: Those born again (from the first death which exists because of Adam’s fall) will be a royal priesthood for a long time – from the first to second coming of Jesus.
But, in place of the truth, a convoluted, manufactured and perverted lie has evolved, claiming that the Kingdom of God has been delayed and will be on the earth with Jesus as a King sitting on a throne in a temple in Jerusalem for one thousand years. Two separate trips will be required for Jesus because of a “secret rapture,” so He will need to go up and down like a yo-yo! A Christian falling for these lies belongs to a Jewish/Christian messianic religion!
Following the millennium lie has and will have catastrophic results. It could result in missing the real Kingdom of God and the interconnected blessings of being led by the Spirit and finding the real power of God’s kingdom to be an overcomer. Or, maybe worse yet, belief in the beast of Revelation and taking his mark, or worshiping his image. Those snared by this lie will want to go see this beast, believing him to be Jesus because of the irresistible signs and wonders. The Bible strictly warns believers of this beast and says, “Do not go!” (Matt. 24:23,26)
In the end, “Temples of the Kingdom” that are worthy and not weeded out (Matt. 13:30 & 25:33) will be delivered up to the Father – His goal (I Cor. 15:24 & Luke 19:21)!
For now, let us continue to taste the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come, knowing that the scepter of the Kingdom is righteousness.
THE GREAT PICNIC
Randall Walton
“The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (I Cor. 10:7b). Sound familiar? It's a fairly good, but brief, description of a modern day picnic, a custom or tradition which has been a part of man's culture for many millennia. By any sense of reckoning or reason, such a pastime or means of recreation is most innocent and worthwhile, and can be instrumental in bringing friends, neighbors and relatives together for some real down-to-earth fellowship. Nothing wrong with that! Memory recalls some great times in renewal of friendships, sharing of experiences, “catching up” with the latest of new in-laws, babies, marriages, etc., amid the clanging sounds of a game of horse-shoes, or the excitement of a softball game, or croquet, or whatever.
However, there is not the slightest notion from any of us that the above described event was what Paul was referring to. You see, the prologue to the text statement reads thus: “Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them: as it is written.” Now, what has idolatry to do with a picnic?
Most people who read these lines already know that Paul was admonishing the church of Corinth to avoid following the steps of ancient Israel and making the same fatal mistakes they had made. This reference to idolatry was made in regard to the appalling debacle of Aaron's golden calf and the worshipping thereof by the people of Israel! The picnic was incidental, and if disconnected from the worship service, was in itself harmless. So, what's the point?
The point is that in that case, the feast and fun were in direct relationship to the festivities honoring the golden statue about which they had brazenly declared: “these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” (Ex. 32:4).
When Aaron saw how affected they were with this absurdity, he proceeded to build an altar before it and to set aside the next day as a holiday so the people could really worship in earnest. He offered as a proclamation the weak excuse that, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord”!!
The people wasted little time in responding to the invitation, for “They rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings.” Can you fathom such stupidity!
But, wait, it's not over, for they then “sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (vs. 6).
We aren't told what they ate and drank, but they certainly didn't rise up to play horseshoes or croquet. Verse 18 tells us that when Moses and Joshua descended from Sinai, they heard “the noise of them that sing,” and verse 19 states that they were dancing! Add to this, “when Moses saw that the people were naked” (some versions say “running wild”). Whether they were running wild or naked doesn't matter so much as the fact that they were giving themselves to a non-god, worshiping and honoring creation rather than the creator – idolatry!
Idolatry! What a strange word. Too many of us find this word foreign to our vocabulary and, more importantly, to our way of thinking. After all, who among us would be so silly as to render homage or obeisance to an icon or an image? We consider ourselves too intelligent to venerate or bow down to such inanimate objects as golden calves, statuettes, or other such gods/goddesses. Therefore, since we are immune to this ancient disease, we can easily chuck it aside and go on to something more pleasant and relevant, like picnics.
Frankly, this is how we deal with most of our problems and spiritual hindrances.
Paul said that “these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, UPON WHOM THE ENDS OF THE WORLD ARE COME” (I Cor. 10:11). That speaks of the present generation – relevancy of the highest order!
Idolatry – What Is It?
While we are not opposed to consulting Webster's dictionary, we have a bias toward the Scriptures as being the best source for definitions of terminology used therein. This being the case, we refer to Eph. 5:5. “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” We should have warned that seat belts should be fastened before reading the above statement! Who among us would dare classify whoremongers, unclean people and covetous persons together? We would all agree that the first two kinds of people should be omitted from the roster, but the third one is questionable. But notice carefully how Paul defines a covetous man – “who is an idolater.” Lest we overlook this fact, Paul reiterates in his letter to the Colossians: “covetousness, which is idolatry” (chap. 3, verse 5).
Now that we know that covetousness is idolatry (and vice versa), we only need to find out how covetousness works in order to understand the importance of Paul's message to us. For lack of a better source, we will resort to Strong's Concordance where we find the following: “avarice, fraudulency, extortion,” which are used in the Scriptures as: covetous practices, greediness. Greed, of course, is having a desire for more of something than a person needs or deserves, and it's very plain to see that attitudes and motives are the prevailing factors in this issue.
The Great Picnic
This explains why the Israelites “sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” God had supplied all their needs, watched over them day and night, conquered their enemies, and caused His glory to rest upon them. But they desired and demanded MORE, more than they needed or deserved. The golden calf was but a symbol, something tangible that could be seen with the eye, thus negating all need for faith in the unseen. In their greed for more of the visible, they willingly bowed down and reverenced the unholy idol, then reveled and rejoiced in their ungodly communion (they ate and drank) with the object of their covetousness. Their singing and dancing were further evidence that the living God had been replaced in their hearts by the god of mirth and abandonment. Stephen said it all when he stated that “in their hearts turned back again into Egypt” (Acts 7:39).
But the picnic continues to this very day, and on an ever-increasing scale. The methods and mores are different, but the results are similar. We quote Stephen once again: “And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands” (7:41).
Idolatry (covetousness, greed) is too much in evidence among God's people today. Paul affirmed that “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” (II Cor. 4:18).
Isn't it a little incongruous that modern Christianity no longer holds to Paul's sense of values? Mr. Christian measures success by the same standard which is used by the world, and the things which are seen (job, position, wealth, possessions, reputation, etc.) have become the idols which he honors and rejoices in. At least two hours of each week are devoted (?) to his religious cause, while the remainder of his time is directed to “the works of his own hands.” Is it any wonder that the Church is in an apostate state?
Where is your heart today – in the secret place of the Most High, or has it turned again into Egypt? Only you can answer this question (and you should)!
IS THE FIRE GETTING TOO HOT?
Beverly Layman
As a new Christian, have you ever run up against a situation where you were knocked back on your heels by the circumstance? As you stand there in confusion, thinking “Why me, Lord??” or “This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be!” the thing just seems to get worse? You pray and worry and try to figure out what went wrong; you are just learning what it means to be a Christian. When you think you are on the right track, you cannot understand why God isn’t taking care of all the problems in your life. After all, you accepted Jesus as your Savior! You even promised to live for Him and, in exchange, God would take care of you and protect you. So what gives with the problems, headaches, sicknesses and trials??
“I Beg Your Pardon…God never promised us a rose garden” without a few thorns. We are to follow in Christ’s steps (I Peter 3:21). Hebrews 2:9-10 says the Captain of our salvation (that is Jesus) was made perfect through suffering. He tasted death for every man. I Peter 4:1-2 tells us to arm ourselves, or prepare ourselves, with the same mind as Christ. He was aware of the suffering He would have to endure but was willing to do so for us. We must be willing to do the same for Him.
When we “suffer in the flesh” (v.1), the old man (or self) dies a little more. We must learn to live the rest of our lives no longer “in the flesh” – doing our own will. We must take up our cross (with self nailed to it) and live “to the will of God” (v.2).
Sometimes the only way we can be shaken loose from our stubborn self-will is through trials. “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:10-11). So we can even rejoice in trials, as we know God is working in us to produce righteousness (Phil. 1:6; Heb. 12:5-7).
In Matthew 25:3-4, the oil of the wise virgins was made from the crushing of olives. This is a pure oil, not polluted by tears of self-pity because of life’s hard knocks. It is used to give the pure, clean light of Jesus to the world. But, we sometimes have to go through the crushing down of the “old man” to produce the Christ-like nature God desires in us (Matt. 5:48 – “be perfect”). When our own selfish desires and carnal ways rise up, they must be crushed under foot…more than once it seems. God allows us to do what we desire at times. He shows us, through the mess we make, how necessary it is to die out to that desire…to turn away and deny Self the expression it wants. All this takes effort on our part. We are told to “labor therefore to enter into that rest” (Heb. 4:11). It sounds as though we must do something before we rest. It takes a conscious effort to deny our own inclinations and desires and do what God desires of us. There is help though! “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;” if you are truly obedient to Him (I Cor. 10:13).
We are warned of the fiery trial that is to try us (I Peter 4:12-13); but there is a wonderful reward for it. We can acquire more of Christ’s nature through the refining process of the fire (Zech. 13:8-9). To obtain a pure and shiny gold, it must first be broken and heated over a very hot fire to burn off the dross or impurities. We have impurities in our nature that are so deep-seated that only a fiery trial can burn them out – leaving an empty, clean vessel. Then the metal is cooled a bit and beaten or molded into the desired rough shape. We are shaped and beaten or molded by the Words of Jesus. There is sanding down of the rough spots (or the remnants of the “old man”) followed by polishing frequently to make it shine. We must submit to these processes that the presence of Jesus within us will shine forth to the world.
We are told to present our bodies a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2) to God. This is the only acceptable offering we can give to the KING OF KINGS for the great love He has shown us through His Son, Jesus. This sounds like a lot to be giving. But God will not be satisfied with anything less than a complete surrender and dedication to doing only that which our Lord and Master requires of us.
Now, all this sounds rough and like an impossible task. We are told to be perfect even as our Father is in Heaven. That’s a tall order – especially for a new Christian. Many times we are ready to give up. We just don’t see any way we can handle things or cope. But, “we” don’t do it alone! We can’t handle life by ourselves. Only with God’s help and strength can man even begin to follow in the steps of Christ.
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II Cor. 4:7). We are breakable, earthen vessels; but, when trials are overcome in our lives through God’s help and strength, the power of God is made manifest and His Name glorified. We are not strong enough to cope by ourselves; but God gives us of His strength and His power, through Jesus in our lives, to be overcomers. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (II Cor. 4:8-10).
We must pray and drink daily from the Word of God and arm ourselves with the special armour He has provided (Eph. 6:10-18). We must obey the teachings of Jesus Christ and realize that the true rest comes from love and faith in Him, obedience, honesty, and true surrender of our whole life to His Will and Way. This gives peace, joy and rest, even in the midst of trouble.
We have many guidelines in God’s Word to help us handle each trial or situation we encounter. Matt., Mark, Luke, John, Col. 3, I Peter 2:19-23, 4:7-10, Eph. 4:22-32, Phil. 4:4-8 & 11 & 13, and I Thess. 5:8-22 are just a few of the many scriptures from which we can receive help and encouragement.
God’s Word must truly be a lamp unto our feet, showing us how to avoid the pitfalls along life’s path.
Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” Do you love God? Then hang in there – He loves you so much!
A NEW YEAR
The Editor
With another year passing and the problems in our world continuing to increase, it is a time for serious prayer for our nation, our world, and the followers of Jesus Christ. We find ourselves living in turbulent times and yet we realize that we are one year closer to our Lord’s return. Jesus forewarned us of these days, for all these things we see occurring around us are signs that many in the world are coming to hate Christians and their God. Jesus told us this would happen, and the Apostle Paul said, “In the last days, perilous times shall come.”. Those perilous times are quickly coming upon us. Therefore, Christians must become more diligent in their walk with God. It is not a day to be lax or complacent, but rather a time to seek God and draw closer to Him. The church of Jesus Christ must be clothed with the robes of righteousness, be endued with the power of the Holy Spirit, and suited in the whole armor of God. The wranglings of unessential doctrines must be set aside and Christians must allow God’s love and grace to work in our hearts. One of the Christian church’s problems today is that we fight among ourselves. Jesus said, “a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” This is true in His church as well. God is endeavoring to bring His people into oneness and unity. It is there He commands the blessing, even life for evermore.
As we begin a new year, let us all set aside our petty differences and join together in the love of Jesus Christ and a love for one another. It is upon our love for God and our neighbor that all the law hangs. I am not encouraging compromising or laying aside truth. What I am desiring is that those doctrines be set aside, which are not essential to one’s salvation or those which are petty and are designed more to cause division than to bring any profit to the church. We have other enemies to fight rather than each other. There are foundational doctrines which must not and cannot be forsaken for any cause. However, there are others which have no eternal consequences. Let us be merciful and patient with others just as God is with us. He gives us time to learn and corrects us with patience and love. So let us deal with one another in the same way.
As evil continues to grow in our world and politicians and world leaders attempt to solve all the problems they have created, let the church be in unity, in prayer, and continue to draw closer to God and allow His love to flow through us to one another and to a dying world. May God bless His church in a special way this coming year and bring forth that glorious church that will bring honor to God.