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People of The Living God |
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March 2019
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
The State of the Union
Alfred King
The conflict among our nation’s leaders is becoming more and more concerning as each party and President Trump dig in their heels in stubborn opposition against any consideration of compromise. The division and strife has escalated considerably over the past two years and has reached a point where hatred radiated from many in Congress as the President gave the State of the Union address. Whether one agrees with the President’s policies or not, there must be a respect for the office and support the elected official in those areas where we agree. However, this was not the case on February 5th when President Trump spoke of unemployment being at such a low level, the booming economy, stocks soaring, etc., issues that are positive for both parties and for the country. However, when these positive issues were pointed out by the President, hatred reigned and many congress persons could not bring themselves to give credit where credit was due. Instead, cold abhorrence permeated the atmosphere. The only time many of these congress persons could applaud or give any agreement with the President was when he spoke of their personal success, only then they stood, applauded, and some even gave “high-fives” one to another. If one is honest concerning this disgusting behavior, he recognizes that they were actually giving praise to themselves and certainly not to the President. It was their own accomplishments that they felt to applaud.
As I watched this disgraceful display of haughtiness, I couldn’t help but feel such sadness and concern for our nation. While this outlandish exhibition was seen by most for what it truly was, (so much so that many of the same party attempted to distance themselves from the radical display of arrogance) the very fact that people like this can be found elected into Congress is troubling to say the least. These are some very obvious signs that God’s judgment is coming to America. When anyone can claim that a wall is immoral and, out of the other side of their mouths, claim that abortion is moral, we have lost all sense of morality. And when our elected officials in Congress can promote and support such dastardly positions as those recently promoted, such as late term abortion, America has serious problems. “The Testimony of Truth” is not a political paper and we do not desire to promote a political agenda nor support any political party, yet we desire to expose those things which are signs of the times in which we live. Former President Obama was disliked (and maybe hated) by many of the opposite party, yet there was not the radical demonstrations that are being exhibited toward the present administration. It was Abraham Lincoln who made the statement, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
The present condition in our nation is not surprising considering the decay of our Christian standards and morality. Even in our modern day churches, fornication, lust, greed, covetousness, and most other works of the flesh are common. Not only do they exist in our churches, they are not preached against. Many accept sin as unavoidable and grace covers them all anyway, so why worry and disturb the peace. If this is existent in the church, what is it outside the church? God blesses a nation that honors Him and removes His blessings when that nation turns from Him. This is seen many times in God’s dealings with Israel. Israel was His chosen people, whom He called, delivered from Egypt, kept them through the wilderness, drove out their enemies before them, and gave them the land of Canaan. Yet when they turned from His commandments and served other gods, He removed His blessings and sent their enemies against them. Whether it be Israel or the United States of America, God remains the same and the blessings He has bestowed upon this nation for over 200 years will cease and judgment will fall.
Socialism has been the downfall of many nations over the past century, yet man thinks he can outsmart history. Socialism cannot work because of man’s carnal and greedy heart. The very depravity of man’s heart is such that those who make the decisions will always serve themselves at the expense of the common people. The recent debacle in Venezuela is a prime example of the failed policies of Socialism. Nicolas Maduro has become astronomically rich while his people are having their food rationed. While Venezuela possesses one of the world’s richest oil reserves, the people starve. That is Socialism’s end product. Socialism produces dictators. The dictatorial spirit is clearly seen in those who are promoting the socialist agenda in this nation. They are ready to force their agenda upon the citizens of the United States.
Christians always suffer most when socialism takes root. While some socialist nations claim to allow freedom of religion and have churches in the landscape, they are government run institutions controlled by hard-core socialists. True Christians always go underground and, if caught, are imprisoned, tortured, and many are martyred. Socialism has never allowed true Christianity to flourish. The state of our union is not very pretty. Our warning today is that we, as Christians, remember God’s word, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (II Chro. 7:14) God is calling His people out of Babylon (the world’s systems) and He is desiring that we draw closer to Him. There is a battle coming for God’s people and we must gird ourselves with the whole armor of God. This is a spiritual battle and only those who know their God, are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might will stand in the days ahead. May God draw us each closer to Himself.
ALTERNATIVE TO FEAR
Curtis Dickinson
The entire Christian community today stands in a position somewhat like that of the Apostle Peter when he tried to walk on water to Jesus but found himself sinking when he realized the power of the fierce winds and waves surrounding him.
In the milieu of violence and evil, while concentrating on the burning issues of the day and working on “church growth,” “unity,” and a hundred other popular efforts, many of us have lost sight of Christ and His purpose, and the power by which He accomplishes it.
We are living in the vortex of a crisis the magnitude of which is almost unimaginable. It is not just that millions are starving, millions are enslaved, millions are being mutilated or killed and millions more displaced, dispossessed, and thrown into refugee camps like animals. It is not just that the financial structure of the world is crumbling and the status of nations is being reversed but the moral order of mankind has been challenged and is being dismantled piece by piece, law by law, and razed to the foundation.
None of this takes God by surprise. He fully expected it (Psalm 2). Neither are Christians to be surprised. Nor are we to be afraid. In the midst of such crisis we are commanded, like Peter, “Come to me” – walking on water, or on the ashes of a burning civilization, or in the midst of fire and brimstone as it falls on 21st century Sodom.
Like Peter, many Christians have been terrorized by the storms raging around us, and have been affected by the world’s fears. Rather than boldly calling the world to repentance, they try to fit into it, gain its approval, and soon share in all its frustrations.
Western Christians are wallowing in worry – worry over economic failure, war, and a million other possibilities. Such worry belies the faith. Why should Christians worry over the breakdown of what Malcolm Muggeridge called a “world-wide soap opera”?
Christ Himself experienced the same thing. He described the destruction of His nation (Matt. 24) then told the disciples to have no fear because in Him the world would be overcome (John 16).
Paul wrote that Christ died that we might be delivered “out of this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4); therefore, we should not be so attached to it that its breakdown impoverishes us. It is in the crisis of change, disaster and disillusionment that the message of eternal truth stands out in bold relief. How can we prove our faith better than to stand fast with joyful peace in the midst of the storm? How better to show our faith in the world to come than to face without fear or worry the collapse of the present one? We already have been told that “The world and all its lust is passing away” (I John 2:17). Let it pass. It means judgment and final eradication of the evil and violence that brings misery to man. “He that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (I John 2:17).
Modern Christians often feel so intimidated by the world that they think they must use the world’s own methods to uphold the kingdom of Heaven. Like the church at Laodicea they measure success by temporal strength. The church has become a vast network of organizations trying to change society while the majority of its members enjoy all the comforts of that society and resist any change. But change is what repentance is all about. The life of totality in the image of God comes only after death – death of the old man, the old life and even of the old system.
What is needed is recognition of the real purpose of God in transforming lives into His image. This means repentance. It means renouncing former ambitions. It calls for a new set of priorities – priorities quite opposite those of modern humanistic society.
It requires confronting the immorality and the false doctrine of humanism with the truth of God. Above all, it requires that we demonstrate our faith in the life Christ promises by abandoning the idiot hopes of happiness by worldly success and striving for the truth and purpose of God.
All of this may sound as impossible as it was for Peter to walk on water. But as long as he looked to Jesus with faith in Him, he was able to do it. It was when he lost sight of Jesus and filled his mind with fear of the wind and the waves that he began to sink.
Life – life that is real, abundant life – is in Christ. “I am…the life.” Of course, it is to be lived in the world, but with a certain careful detachment from the world, because we are not made for this perishing world but for the eternal kingdom of God which is “not of this world.” The fears and frustrations that go with the temporal world are reduced in ratio to our love for and devotion to the kingdom of Christ.
To concentrate on the dissolution of the world-system is to sink into weakness and defeat. The church builds on the truth and power of a risen, living Christ whose kingdom transcends this world. The Christian hope of resurrection from the dead to a life of immortality in a “new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness” is probably the greatest impossibility we could think of. But “with God all things are possible.” What He calls on us to do is simply to fix our eyes on Him and walk by faith trusting Him to fulfill His promise.
“THE LAW OF THE LORD”
Harold Scullin
Perhaps no other subject in the scriptures has been misunderstood, misinterpreted, hated, rejected, despised, and rejoiced in, more than the law of the Lord. Why do so many who profess Jesus Christ try to evade and circumvent these divine documents of truth and light? The few followers of Christ who accept these statutes as standards to live by and who endeavor to walk according to these precepts, find great joy, blessing and peace in obeying the Word of God.
To those who say the law brings us into bondage need to read the words of Jesus, “If a man love me, he will keep my words” (John 14:23). “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me” (John 14:21). Would God, who “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son” (John 3:16) seek to ensnare those He was endeavoring to save? Would He ask us to love Him and obey His word and use this as a deception to bring us into bondage? Such reasoning implies that the Great and Mighty Lord God is a tyrant. Such reasoning is a lie! Such reasoning also implies a spirit of rebellion and a desire for one’s own way. God is not a tyrant. He has provided the means by which sinful man can be redeemed and walk in His marvelous presence. The Great God has made man a free moral agent. Each individual has the power of choice. Those who contend the law genders bondage do so by their own choice. No one is forced or compelled by the powers of heaven to serve God. People obey the word of God because they love Him. People do not obey the word of God because they do not love Him. It is just that simple. Obeying the law of the Lord does not bring us into bondage any more than obeying the laws of our country will bring us into bondage. Those who obey and abide by the laws of our nation, find they have greater latitude of expression and action than those who break the law. Would God devise a law that would do less? Those who obey the laws of the Kingdom of God, through love and devotion to the Lord, find a realm in which expression, doing, communicating, and the ability to make choices, transcends everything that is earthly. “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:25). God devised His law with the purpose in mind that, through obedience to His laws and commandments, His servants would be delivered from “this bondage of corruption” – “this carnal mind” which is “enmity against God.” Obedience to the Word of God will convert (change) us to the ways of the Lord.
In the following accounts we have excellent examples of the power and force of love in the hearts of God’s servants who were completely devoted to Him.
Satan accused the Lord of being partial to Job. He contended this was why Job served God. “Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face” (Job 1:9-11). These diabolical insinuations reveal the true character and nature of this archenemy of the Lord, His work, and His people. Suspicion, deceit, lies, compromise, greed, selfishness, are among the many tactics he uses against the children of God. To maintain and uphold his kingdom, he employs the power of force and lies. Love, sympathy, compassion, and truthfulness are unknown to him.
The Lord granted Satan the authority to try Job to the utmost. He could touch the members of his family, his servants, his animals, his property, but he was to spare Job’s life. In each trial – no matter how difficult and perplexing, Job remained true and faithful in his love to God. “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22; 2:10). Job was not only tried and tormented by the loss of his children, servants, and animals, but his three friends accused him of sinning and of being punished by God. To this Job replied, “let come on me what will…though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:13,15).
Like Moses, “He endured, as seeing him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27). And as Peter said, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8). Such a testimony as these men gave is acquired only through a life of submission and obedience to the word of God. Job served God because he loved Him. His love for God was greater than possessions, family, or anything else – even his own life.
The Lord Jesus, the author of the law of God, said “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37). “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matt. 19:29; Luke 18:29,30). The cost is the same; the reward is the same in all ages and to all people. All is required.
Job’s trial involved more than his physical and material losses: the major issue in his test was the demonstration of his integrity in the law of the Lord – the Word of God. His wife’s barbed question – “Dost thou still retain thy integrity? Curse God and die” (Job 2:9) must have cut and wounded him deeply. Job loved his family. Job made intercession, offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all, in event they had sinned before God. His love and devotion to his family and to God was being tried as by fire. He had counted the cost; now it was demanded that he pay the cost. ALL. Job’s stand was upon the word of God, certainly not upon his own self and ability, not upon the members of his family: not so – Job needed something that would sustain and uphold him. He turned to the eternal word of the Living God. “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:10,11,12). This was Job’s choice, not from compulsion but from a heart of love to a God of love. Job gave concrete, visible evidence of his love to God. His obedience to the standards of righteousness vindicated the name of the Lord and His word. His stand was also a testimony to principalities and powers, to angels, and to men, that the power and force of love to God transcends everything that is earthly or fleshly.
Other servants of God, when confronted by adverse circumstances and conditions, gave the same testimony as Job.
Abraham “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Rom. 4:20). The Scriptures speak of the “faith of our father Abraham” (Rom. 4:12). When the impossible was presented to him, “he staggered not at the promise of God.” This promise of a son was of such magnitude that human reason could be staggered, but not Abraham. God gave testimony of the faith of Abraham. “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Gen. 26:5). Is it any wonder that he was called “the father of all them that believe” (Rom. 4:11)? This should be the testimony of all who believe.
Joseph, another servant of the Lord, demonstrated by his steadfastness to the word of God and the power of God’s love in his life. “He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him” (Psalm 105:17-19). Falsely accused, adverse circumstances, a worldly environment, and “tried by the word of the Lord,” this man lived above all that was contradictory and contrary to human reason. He did not and would not compromise the word of God.
In each instance in the lives of these servants of God, the real issue was – would these servants of God compromise their testimony in time of great stress and testing? These men of God lived by the word of God, they walked by the word of God, they stood on the word of God, and they fought by the word of God, because they loved God. Their love was not based upon human emotions and sentimentality, but upon their evaluation of the word of God. “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).
These same battles and struggles with the flesh, the carnal nature, and human reasoning go on today in the heart of every individual that knows Jesus Christ. “Jesus Christ” is “the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). His word is the same. The rewards are the same. Human nature is the same. Each individual will evaluate the word of God and, by his own choice, he will be “a vessel unto honor,” or “a vessel unto dishonor” (II Tim. 2:20,21).
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).
“If a man love me, he will keep my words” (John 14:23).
What is your response?
AGGRESSIVE CONFESSION
Curtis Dickinson
The popular concept of Christian faith is that of a religion that is tranquil, satisfying, and congenial, something that lulls to rest our anxieties and gives to all a mantle of neutrality.
This concept is the absolute antithesis of true Christianity. The Christian faith is a religion of conflict and self-denial; of bloody crucifixion and ugly persecution; of godly saints in prison and their leaders with their heads on the chopping block. Christ was the center of controversy, sometimes being the object of vicious criticism and sometimes even being thrown out of the community in shame and disgrace. After only three and one half years of ministry the world considered Him to be worthy of death, the shameful death of crucifixion. Jesus said, “Everyone therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32,33). This expression came upon the heels of Christ’s warning that they would be persecuted as He was and that they should not be afraid of those who would kill them. Obviously, Jesus was not simply referring to making the good confession in front of the membership of the church as one is received into its fellowship. Jesus was talking about aggressive confession in the face of a hostile world, not merely to other Christians but to those who are antagonistic to Christ. Not something confined to the saints assembled on Sunday morning, but a confession of your faith and of your Christian ethics at the Monday morning conference table, at the business meeting, at the sales counter.
A prominent politician made a public statement that he had his own faith between himself and God, and that’s where it would stay. He certainly would not try to impose it upon anyone else. This line of thought has seeped into the church so that its members feel no compulsion to take a stand for their faith in the office or in the marketplace or among their friends in society. The best way to prove you are a good Christian is to keep quiet about it!!
We do not live in two societies; that is, the regular work-a-day world and the Christian community as two separate entities. Rather, we live as Christians in a worldly society. We are in the world as witnesses to its sin, to its doom, and to the demands of God. And there’s where confessing our faith in Christ will get us into deep trouble. Obviously, it is much easier to accommodate to society than to disturb it.
We must not think that we will be respected and honored for our stand as we now honor Stephen, Paul, Peter and the rest of them. At the time they were making their confession they were looked upon as fools, unpatriotic, and as enemies of the community. Only a handful of people mourned the untimely death of John the Baptist. Most citizens probably thought that he got what he deserved. The same is true of Peter and Paul and other Christians of the first century. For confessing Christ in the face of the popularity of neutrality and humanism of our present society, one need not expect glory and honor from those about him.
It may not seem practical to always confess Christ and to bring His commandments to bear upon every situation. However, we do not live by pragmatism, but by faith, so we confess Christ in all circumstances and know this is right, because it is what He said to do.
The good confession is not merely a confession that you believe in Jesus; it is a confession that you are His disciple, that you will follow Him against the current of the world and that His teaching and judgment are true.
It is not easy to apply the confession that “Christ is Lord” to our pluralistic society. The general cop-out is to say that He is “my personal Lord” which sounds like saying that He is my “pet Lord.” One then can bow to the state, to the school, to the club, to one’s peers or whatever, and still confess that Jesus is his Lord. But what Christ claims is that He is Lord over all and His law applies to the state, the school, the club and all society. Either they operate by His commandments or they are in rebellion against Him and opposed to those who confess Him as Lord.
The antichrists have tremendous power and influence in our day. They control the media and have the largest lobby in government. One of their best devices is to convince everyone that he should keep his religion to himself, especially if he is a Christian. But how can one be a Christian engineer or a Christian salesman or a Christian teacher and not be a witness to his faith as it applies to that particular profession? It is right there, where you earn your bread, where you rub shoulders with atheists, where you meet with them mind-to-mind, where your expertise in your own field is examined – it is right there in the midst of the pagan world where you are to be salt and light, a witness to your faith in Christ. And if one will not confess Christ there, then he has denied Him.
TREES
Harry R. Miller
“He shall be like a tree” (Psalm 1:3). There are numbers of places in Scripture where man is likened unto a tree. Some of these “trees” are good; some are bad; some bring forth “good fruit” while others bring forth “bad fruit.” Some are pictured as living trees and others as trees which are dead. Such a tree is spoken of in Jude 12: “trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, TWICE dead.
The phrase “twice dead” is most significant. In a physical tree such a thing would be impossible, but with man such things occur quite frequently. All men are, by nature, “children of wrath” and are “dead in trespasses and sins.” But through the work of Christ men are converted: “risen with Christ.” By the Word and Spirit of Christ men are made alive and conditioned to bear fruit unto righteousness. Such is a good tree. It has foliage and fruit: an honor to the Creator, a blessing to the earth.
Everywhere throughout the Word of God men of faith are admonished to PROGRESS, to advance in knowledge and godly stature, to GROW and develop in the things of God. Jesus plainly taught the absolute necessity of growth: “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit HE TAKETH AWAY…If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered” (John 15:2,6). To become unfruitful is to wither; and if this condition is not remedied, in time the tree will die. It is then said to be “TWICE DEAD.”
This “twice dead” state is a far worse condition than the first: “For if, AFTER they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” (II Peter 2:20,21).
“Brethren, GIVE DILIGENCE to MAKE your CALLING AND ELECTION SURE: for IF ye do these things, ye shall never FALL” (II Peter 1:10).
THE CHARACTER OF A TRUE SON
Bill Britton
While many are seeking for gifts, visions, prophecies, and the power to do great exploits, God is looking for the few who have been molded by the Spirit into men and women of Godly character, people of integrity and responsibility.
To put a valuable possession into a fragile and unreliable vessel could be a costly and damaging experience. In the natural, we have more intelligence than to carry a beautiful diamond ring in a dirty and torn paper sack. In the house of God there are vessels of honor, and vessels of dishonor, as Paul said in II Tim. 2:20-21. You can be sure that when the Holy Spirit desires to impart the precious gifts of God to us humans, He will seek for a vessel that has the character and stability to properly represent Him to the world.
There are certain abilities worked into the lives of the sons of God that enable them to testify of the life of Jesus. We will look at some of these, in order to be able to have the ability to be like Jesus! He was the example of Sonship character, and godly living. Here is a list of some abilities we will need in order to enter true sonship…
The Ability To Be Abused Without Bitterness
It is so true that many of God's people suffer humiliating abuse from the world. Many wives and children suffer abuse from unsaved husbands or fathers. Sometimes it is the parents who suffer at the hands of their children. The worst part of this is not just the abuse they suffer, but the bitterness that sometimes gets into their hearts as a result.
Look at young David, who had dedicated himself to the service of Saul, and risked his life for the sake of Israel. Yet, because of Saul's jealousy, David was falsely accused, misunderstood, his life threatened, and his reputation ruined. He had every natural reason to be bitter towards Saul and the rest of Israel who had turned against him. It was not as though he had done something wrong and was being punished. He was absolutely innocent of any wrongdoing. But he would not let bitterness take over his life. He had been anointed of God, and the anointing kept him sweet in his spirit. When the opportunity arose to kill Saul, thus ending his abuse, he would not touch the man God had once anointed. He knew his calling in God, and he had confidence that God could and would fulfill His word. So, he put Saul in God's hands.
Not enough could be said about how Jesus responded to the abuse He suffered at the trial and Calvary. “When he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to Him that judgeth righteously” (I Peter 2:23). He who was the Creator and Saviour of mankind, loving and caring for all men, was abused and treated as if He were some kind of low criminal guilty of unthinkable crimes. Yet, He loved and blessed His enemies to the very end. Stephen followed His example in Acts 7:60. This is true sonship.
The Ability To Be Poor Without Complaining
It is no sin to be poor; it is not even unusual. It's not necessarily evidence of lack of faith, as some declare. Of course, it could be a sign of laziness or mismanagement of finances. But that is not always true. Sometimes, real people of faith are poor through no fault of their own. The secret is to know how to be poor and still walk in victory. It is a learning process. In Phil. 4:11-12, the apostle says: “I have LEARNED, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I am INSTRUCTED both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Think about this great apostle of faith being instructed in how to suffer need! And it was no reflection on the quality of his faith.
The ability to be poor and still have the victory has its secret in not complaining: just praising God in all circumstances, and being content with His supply. That doesn't mean you can't work harder to change the conditions, but just don't complain or accuse God of neglecting you.
The ability to be in need without fear means having a trust in God's love and care for you, and a confidence in His ability to provide. Many testimonies have been given of families sitting down to a meal without any food on the table. But they would say grace, and in some way or another, God would give them something to eat.
God loves to see the needs of His people met. He loves for His people to have enough to be able to bless others. There is an abounding supply for those who have learned how to open the windows of Heaven and to reap a bountiful harvest. God has instructed us in how to do this, for He wants to pour out upon us an abundance of good things.
The problem with many believers is that they can be very spiritual when they are in a poverty situation and have to pray earnestly each day for God to meet their every need. But when they begin to have a plentiful supply, they seem to forget their need for God, and are taken up with the “things” they are beginning to accumulate.
Years ago, I had a deacon in my church come to me with a problem. He said: “Bro. Bill, when I was saved I was making $50 a week at the paper mill, and it gave me great joy to put in my $5 tithe each week. But I started getting promotions until I am now making $150 a week, and I find it very difficult to put in $15 for the preacher. That's a lot of money.” I was hard put to understand how he found it was difficult to live on $135 a week, when he made it fine on $45 before God began to bless him on the job. (This was back in the '40s, when money went ten times as far as it does now.) Then I began to see it as he saw it. His job and salary were in a blessed realm, while his mind and thinking was still in the poverty age. The extra money he was getting only stirred up greed and desire for more of the natural things he had not previously been able to afford. He just couldn't handle the blessing of God.
God was able to make Abraham a rich man, because He knew Abraham would use his riches wisely. King Ahab, on the other hand, had been blessed with all the riches a man could ask for, yet could not be satisfied. He killed Naboth and stole his vineyard because of the greed of his wicked heart. As a result, the judgment of God came upon him and his wicked wife.
There are some today who have an anointing for receiving and giving. One is dangerous without the other. These people know that God is blessing them so they can bless others. They are a great strength to the kingdom of God, and a tremendous help in supporting a local church, or sending forth the printed message. God, send us more with this anointing!
The Ability To Love Without Demanding Response
When Jesus told us to love our enemies, He asked a very hard thing of us. He said that the people of the world, even those full of hate, could love those who would love them in return. Everyone loves someone or something, even if it is just an old hound dog. Because no matter how mean or rotten a sinner a man might be, that old hound dog will love him.
But when I seek to find a good example of this commandment of the Lord, I find it very difficult to find someone who loves everyone in spite of the harsh way they are sometimes treated. This drives me to Jesus. For in Him we find the pattern of God's love. No matter what they did to Jesus, He loved them just the same. Even to the extent of giving the ultimate gift. We sometimes make a desperate effort to love some very unlovely person, because we feel obligated to. But if we have an opportunity to bless someone with a special gift or blessing, we try to avoid the unlovely one. We search for someone who will respond by showing love for us in return. God is searching for those who are willing to love, His way.
We find that if we try real hard, it is not too difficult to give a gift to one who does not, and will not, love us in return, provided the gift is not a real sacrifice for us. If it is something we can spare, or can replace, we will give it because we want to be a giver. But if it is something that has sentimental value, or is a sacrifice that hurts, we want to give it to someone who at least will appreciate it and love us for what we have done. But Jesus showed us that He could give up His life for those who hated Him and mocked Him as He did it. He is the King of givers!
Does your love begin to cool for someone when you find out they have been talking about you behind your back? Do you find you no longer really care for someone when they have taken a gift or loan from you, and then never responded or shown any appreciation? Do you try to avoid being around the one who refused to help you when you were in real need? If so, then ask God to give you the love of Jesus. The cost of such love will be too great for the natural man to bear, but the Christ within will rejoice. That joy and love will overflow from your vessel, and many lives will be blessed and edified with the reality of a living Christ.
The Ability To Be Ignored Without Self-Pity
A tract written many years ago entitled: “DYING TO SELF” has the statement in it: “When you are forgotten, ignored, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting and hurt with the insult or oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer with Christ, THAT IS DYING TO SELF!”
The self-pity part of us is definitely the human nature. The Christ in us never feels sorry for himself, for he knows that we are kings and priests, and we are destined to receive all the fullness of God. Our sufferings of today, as real as they seem now, are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.
Even great prophets fall prey at times to this sneaky little enemy. Elijah was one of the greatest of the prophets. But after the great victory at Mount Carmel, he found Jezebel was out to destroy him, and he began to feel sorry for himself. God was merciful and tender with His prophet, but He let Elijah know for sure that his complaints were unwarranted and full of his own weak human insight.
Have there been times when you did your best for God, for the church, or for someone else, and no one seemed to notice or care? Deep down in your heart you knew that you should just commit it to God, and seek no recognition. But still you felt that others should recognize how hard you worked, how dedicated you were, or how much you cared. But even God seemed at times to ignore you. Then this fellow came knocking on the door of your consciousness suggesting a pity-party. How easy it is to give in at such a time.
Self-pity is a destroyer of strength and vitality. It is not the only reason a person is tired all the time, or without strength. But anyone who cannot find energy to overcome, or to do his daily work, should carefully examine his heart to see if there is any self-pity at work. Now this spirit has a capable lawyer called “Self-defense” pleading his case. So it is not easy to get someone to admit to feeling sorry for themselves, or even to admit it to themselves. But honesty with yourself is the only way to overcome it.
The best of saints in the Bible went through periods of self-pity: David, Abraham, Moses, and others. But look at Jesus. He cannot be compared or measured by others. He set the pattern for all of us. We are to be conformed to His image. Our victory lies in being like Jesus in all things.
The Ability To Be Content To Live Within The Supply God Gives
It is a learning process, especially in this world of greed in which we live. Young people, who were not yet born when their parents were living in a near poverty situation without the luxuries of life, now see these parents with a nice home, two cars, lovely furniture, etc. So they decide they should have all these things to start their marriage. Therefore, they get a loan for a down payment on a home with payments far too high for them, get another loan and make a down payment on a new car, buy a house full of furniture on credit, and call it “faith.” When the winds of adversity blow upon this house of cards and the whole thing collapses in bankruptcy, they accuse God of forsaking them, and their faith crumbles. In addition to losing their spiritual life and their material possessions, they leave a terrible testimony for the true message of faith and kingdom life.
Many have been the ministries that have gone down the drain because of failure to live in God's supply. A radio, television, or writing ministry would be blessed of God with a good flow of support. They would then sit down and calculate the anticipated future growth, plus more growth because of their larger, future ministry, and double all that as an act of “faith.” They would then go head over heels in debt in order to make a down payment on expensive equipment or a huge building. When the natural results of financial distress began to set in, they would start making tearful pleas for more money from their supporters. The life they once had and were imparting is now replaced by schemes on how to raise money in order to avoid collapse. Now, I realize that there are those who have launched out in faith for great exploits because they heard the voice of God to do so. These are not the ones you see going “down the drain.” When you see a ministry failing because of lack of finances, you know he has not heard from God and has not been content to live within the supply that God gives.
The Ability To Walk In Holiness In The Very Midst Of A Dark And Corrupt World With Its Temptations And Pressures
Many have thought about how nice it would be to be transported to a beautiful place where there was no sin and no devil, and how easy it would be to live holy in such circumstances. Yes, I'm sure it would be easier, but not nearly as great a testimony as those who live a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost right here on this wicked earth.
God will have a people who will give glory to His name by manifesting His glory and shine with His light here in this world of darkness. It was a dark day when Jesus arrived on earth. Pagan Rome ruled the world with its power and cruelty. Greece influenced everyone with its philosophy, idolatry, and sexual vices. Even religious Israel, the only nation with the one true and living God, was in the throes of despair and religious corruption. The priests, scribes, and Pharisees, the closest thing on earth to official men of God, had brought God's people into horrible religious bondage. It was an hour when men walked in the hypocrisy of carnal minds.
Yet, when Jesus arrived, He shined with a purity and holiness that blinded men's eyes. He walked among the harlots and thieves and publicans, yet no one could lay a sin to His charge. He forgave sinners, blessed gentiles, and rebuked the religious phonies in the Temple. He showed us it could be done. He was a perfect example of light in a dark world.
Many have complained about their neighborhoods, the sinners around them, and cried loudly about how much better Christians they could be if their circumstances were different. Others, meanwhile, in the same circumstances would start a neighborhood home Bible study, and end up winning many souls to the Lord. The story is told of two shoe salesmen who were sent to a very backward area of the mountains to sell shoes. In a few weeks, the Home Office received two telegrams from these two salesmen. One said: “Please transfer me out of here. There is absolutely no opportunity to sell shoes here, because no one here even wears shoes. They hardly know what shoes are, and there are not enough people who wear shoes to support a salesman.” The other telegram said: “Please send me more shoes, lots more. I've sold my entire supply. No one here has any shoes, so everyone is a prospect.” It was not their circumstances, but the way they viewed the circumstances, that determined success or failure.
Therefore, the darker it is around you, the greater your light will shine. The more wickedness, the greater opportunity for you to become a saint. But you must not yield to the world around you, or compromise with its enticing ways. You must learn to walk in holiness in the midst of corruption.
The Ability To Recognize The Faults Of Others Without Criticism
One who can see the needs in others, without judging them in a critical manner, is in position to have a great ministry of deliverance. If you have such a love for your brethren that you desire to see them overcome in the weak areas of their lives, and still not criticize them for their failures, you will be the one they will call for when they really want deliverance. See how tenderly Jesus defends and deals with the woman caught in adultery. He did not condemn her. She was already convicted in her own heart as she sat there before such holiness and purity. Jesus did not condone her adultery nor approve of her past life, but He forgave her and started her out on a new path of deliverance and overcoming. No one wants sin in the church. But we want to get rid of it by casting out the sin, not the sinner.
Another sonship ability is to be able to recognize your own shortcomings without despair or excuses. None of us are perfect, but don't give up on yourself, God is not through with you. And don't excuse your faults by saying: “I'm not any worse than anyone else.” That is probably true, but it does not bring deliverance, nor even make you realize your need for improvement. No one knows your innermost thoughts and feelings as you know them. Sometimes you may think that you are worse than anyone in the church, because you are not aware of their deep problems. That may or may not be true, but it is not the point. The point is that we must all recognize that we are children of His grace and love, and that He will perfect us in due season. Just don't give up on yourself.
The Ability To Honor Commitments And Honest Obligations
God desires, and will have, a people with true Christian character. There are too many Christians who are not dependable. If they say they will do a certain thing, you cannot know for sure if it will be done. If they borrow money from you, you don't know if they will pay it back. Or if it gets overdue, and they are pressed for payment, they may show much resentment for having to pay it, as if you were cheating them out of their money, instead of being grateful for a friend who loaned them the money when they were in need.
To be a good Christian brother, you must be ready to help a brother in need. If he needs tools, a lawnmower, or dishes, be generous with what you have.
But my exhortation here is not for the loaner, but rather to the borrower. Learn the ability to fulfill obligations without resentment. If you have made a promise, keep it. For your own sake, keep any vow you have made to the Lord, even if it is to your own hurt. There is a good rule of thumb: “If you drop it, pick it up. If you break it, repair it. If you lose it, replace it. If you borrow it, return it. If you buy it, pay for it. If you promise, keep your promise.” God will bless you for learning to walk in the character of a son.
The Ability To Stay Humble In The Face Of Public Acclaim
Not many of us get enough public acclaim to make us proud and exalted. But, then, for some it doesn't take much. You may say: “Brother Joe, that was a good word you brought tonight,” or “Sister Sue, you sang beautifully, and that song really stirred my heart,” and then find out they get so proud, they are impossible to live with.
Sometimes God will produce some notable miracle, as He did for Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14. The people then begin to exalt the ministry to a dangerous level, as they did with Paul and Barnabas. It is difficult for the natural man to stay humble in such a situation. And, unlike Paul and Barnabas who ran among the people announcing that it was Jesus, not them, who did the miracle, some ministers will begin to encourage a reputation for themselves as a great healing or deliverance ministry. Peter, at the house of Cornelius in Acts 10, is another good example of humility. He would not let them put him on a pedestal, or receive any glory himself.
Years ago I was ministering in Ohio. The word was flowing with anointing and revelation. I, too, was being blessed with what I heard coming out of my mouth. One night, after a heavy anointing and what I felt was a good message, the compliments came rolling in. “Oh, Brother Bill, that was the best message I ever heard,” someone said to me. Well, I went home feeling nine feet tall and ready to take on Goliath. The next night I came back to the pulpit ready to bless this people with another masterpiece. And I fell flat on my face. My failure was complete. There was no anointing, and I could not get the message to make sense. It was a miserable evening. At the close of the message, I hit the altar crying out to God. “What happened Lord? Why did you allow this to happen to me?” The answer came back quickly and clearly – “Because I love you.” “What do you mean, Lord, you love me? What does that have to do with my miserable failure tonight?” “Son, last night I blessed you, and you let it make you proud, as though you had done something great in your own power. That spirit will destroy you, and I love you too much to see you destroyed. Let tonight be remembered.”
Believe me, that miserable night was long remembered. Anyone who came around after that with glowing praise or acclaim got a quick handshake and a hurried departure. I had learned my lesson the hard way. Some never seem to learn. I could name several nationally known ministries who have had to be removed from the scene because of this very sin – pride. There are others who have tremendous miracle ministries who receive much praise from the people, but they don't receive it unto themselves. They simply pass the praise on to the Lord Jesus and remember that they are nothing without Him. So, don't feel badly at a minister if you hear the people giving him much acclaim, and he is not rebuking them. He is just being kind. He may be a very humble man in his heart. Only God can judge the condition of a servant's heart. And it is not our place to judge another man's servant. God is the only one who truly knows what is in our hearts, and He will judge His servants. And to His servants I say . . . learn to stay humble in the face of public acclaim. Then God may let it come to you.
The Ability To Face Persecution And False Accusations Without Self Defense Or Hating Your Enemies
All of us will, at some time or another, receive persecutions, or be falsely accused. In Matthew 5, Jesus said this should be a time of great rejoicing. But if you allow this to be a door through which the devil can enter with a load of hate or resentment, then you had better pray for overcoming power in this area. Because hate, however it gets to you, can destroy your soul, as well as bring diseases to your body. In other words, if you love yourself and your own welfare, then learn to love others, even your enemies.
David did not hate Saul. He was no coward and did not fear Saul. He went right down into Saul's camp and took the king's spear and cruse of water. He respected Saul because God had once anointed him king. And he felt sorry for Saul because he knew Saul's destiny was one of judgment. But he did not hate him. He refused to let hate poison his system. He would not have been a good king himself, and a man after God's own heart, if he had let a spirit of hate take over in his heart.
There is no one like Jesus to show us how to love those who persecute us and mistreat us. If you want the overcoming power of real love, then get close to Jesus. Let Him take over in your heart and fill your life with His presence. The substance and essence of this message is . . . if you want the character of a true son of God, then seek God for THE ABILITY TO BE LIKE THE LORD JESUS! That is true sonship!
ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME
Dennis Davis
No one has seen God the Father, and relatively few have seen Jesus, yet we are told to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27).
We know He should be loved for His wondrous works, creating the universe or designing baby ducks that hatch out of an egg and almost immediately start swimming and eating bugs. We also know our God is the one and only awesome, infinitely powerful, and mighty God. We know to fear, reverence, trust, and obey Him – but for all His attributes, are we able to love Him with all that is within us? Or out of obligation do we feel that just paying some attention to Him is sufficient?
If asked, do you love God? Most would answer, “Yes”. If asked if you would sacrifice your physical life for Him, you might answer – it would depend. And finally, if asked whether you love God more than anyone or anything on earth, you likely would hesitate, because you don’t know for certain, or maybe you do know the answer is no.
What Then Is The Solution To Bringing Our Love For Him Up To His Expectations?
The solution begins with the Old Testament. God’s requirement is nearly the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New, only missing an important component – mind (Deut. 6:5). The inclusion of mind in the New Testament is significant as we will see shortly.
The plethora of Old Testament laws, in large part, provide a “mechanical” meeting of the love commandment. The laws told people how to meet with and contact God by feasts and offerings and instructed them how to treat others under numerous conditions – of course none of this actually created love for God.
However, some of the Old Testament people, such as King David, were given aid by the Holy Spirit (not filled with but anointed by). King David then, did possess the required love God was looking for (“a man after mine own heart” Acts 13:22).
Later, God said He would put His laws in people’s minds (Heb. 8:10). Placing the law in people’s minds was brought to fruition through the Blood of Jesus and the subsequent gift of the infilling of the Holy Ghost.
The tearing of the temple veil (Matt. 27:51) was a physical sign of a spiritual truth, a revelation to man that God the Father provided access by His Son and through the Holy Ghost to the love and glory of our Father! God is love (I John 4:16), and now people are allowed to make contact with God’s agape, selfless, unrestricted, supernatural, divine and extreme love. The two-way connection: our bodies as the “temple of the Holy Ghost” (I Cor. 6:19) to the Father is the source of “all that is within me love for God.”
Apostle Paul explains how the mind is the “trigger” that opens the way for a supernatural connection to God, through which connection God’s love is produced in one’s heart. This required love is produced by the Holy Ghost through His access to the Father. One’s mind must be set upon things above and therefore is the trigger. (I Cor. 14:32).
Since God is a spirit He must be worshipped in the spirit (the Holy Ghost) (John 4:23,24). Paul is saying that he is under control as to when he worships God in the Holy Ghost. He says he worships in tongues* more than others (I Cor. 14:18) and thanks God for this. Paul knew of this mystery of drawing from God’s infinite supply of love. At least one time while getting into God’s love and glory he was transported to Heaven (II Cor. 12:2,4).
Therefore, the more often a believer worships in the Holy Ghost, the closer the true love becomes to being “all in.” You reap what you sow. The time and sacrifice will pay off, but if you quench the Spirit or let others quench it for you – just realize there will be no reward! Please utilize this precious gift from Jesus and God the Father.
The other great news of this interconnection of love between man’s spirit through the Holy Spirit to the Spirit of the Father is that a growing love for others is produced – fulfilling the complimentary part of the commandment, that is: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
We can have a selfless concern for the welfare and wellbeing of others – not rejoicing in their calamities as if we were in competition with them.
Ask someone who has experienced this special love by worshipping the Father in tongues*. You will be told of an unspeakable love, joy, peace and glory.
When God requires something, the compliance always brings more blessings than expected. For example, an additional gift of God happens when love is appropriated: prayers for the sick are answered! Faith works by love (Gal. 5:6), and obtaining God’s love along with faith by the Word of God brings healing. Please don’t say, “if it be your will to heal the sick”, God has said it is His will (James 5:14,15)! Be bold, expectant, and excited for results.
Furthermore, expect a crown of life (James 1:12).
*Tongues, here, is not the gift of tongues – it is the individual’s language to God after receiving the baptism in the Holy Ghost. It is not a message to the church but a personal and intimate communication with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
SHIBBOLETHS
Harry R. Miller
Many professing Christians today are guilty of the same sins that blackened the characters of the ancient Israelites – though, of course, our present civilization demands a little more finesse in the sinning! In olden times they stoned to death the people they didn’t like, or else they crucified them. Our generation loves to prolong a transgressor’s agony; they let him live, but they defame him. First, he is excommunicated, then he is marked, ostracized, and hounded in an attempt to drive him insane. One is apt to wonder if the ancients didn’t actually possess more mercy than the pious character-murderers of our own day.
In the days of “the judges” of Israel, a quarrel arose between the Gileadites and their brethren, the Ephraimites, which resulted in the murder of thousands of men. All of these men died because of the way they met a certain “test” which had been devised to determine their fate. The crucial decision of life or death for each man hinged upon his pronunciation of one single word: Shibboleth. “And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimite; and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, say now Shibboleth; and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand” (Judges 12:5,6).
Life and death have many times hung upon a mere technicality among religious men. Sectarianism, that ruthless cleaver of this present hour, makes sharp distinctions between brethren over matters of doctrinal opinion. The devil has convinced many well-meaning souls that there can be no peace or harmony – no real fellowship – among Christian people unless they see eye to eye on all doctrinal issues.
The Saviour stated that His church was built upon the rock: “Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.” If this fact were to be accepted as the only “Shibboleth,” or test of faith, the Christian church would be the greatest power on earth. But an ungodly spirit has fostered war among believers, and “brother has put brother to death,” and many a home has been divided, all because of differences of doctrinal opinion.
It is the will of the Most High that His Word be searched and honored among believers – none shall dare to shrink form “the whole counsel of God.” The Saviour Himself declared that He did not come to send “peace” on earth, “but a sword,” and His “sword” is the Word of God. It is the design of the Creator that His Word be an instrument of division and death to the stubborn and rebellious; but God never intended that His sword be used as a slaughtering instrument among brethren.
Carnality among professing saints has reduced the effectiveness of the “sword” against their enemies – they have “watered down” the word to a system of insipid non-controversial beliefs; or they have perfected the sectarian system which completely eliminates the purging force of the Word against both friend and foe outside the wall of sectism.
Sectism, the curse of this present hour, has reached its flood stage: hourly divisions are being multiplied – over the matter of doctrinal perception. The bewildered saint, whose heart cries out for Christian fellowship, finds himself torn between “natural affection” and faithfulness to the Word of God. The devil of sectism is a murderous spirit, most grievous to those who are faithful to the Lord, but it has become the badge of respectability for the religious hypocrite.
The “sect of the Pharisees” of apostolic times consisted of an organized group of selfish religious snobs. These tithe-paying egotists loved to parade their piety in public places, yet under cover they could rob “widows and orphans.” Faithfulness to the faith (a sectarian creed) is a “natural” for the hypocrite: his defense of the sect is counted for righteousness in the eyes of his sectarian brethren. No matter what his other sins may be, as long as he defends the creed of his fellows, he belongs; the more ardent his defense, the higher his rating of being “sound in the faith”!
But, in the sight of God, the religious hypocrite is the most despicable of creatures, for his mock piety can deceive so many unwary and trustful souls. The hypocrite’s piety is not always a complete farce – often he defends a genuine scriptural foundation (that is – if it does not clash with his creed). When the “hypo’s” doctrinal beliefs are actually founded upon truth, his “more-holy-than-thou” air reaches its zenith. One outstanding truth is sufficient to float any Pharisee’s boat, but let him get hold of two or three foundational truths, and he swells in pride to the limits of smug sanctity. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). To “hold” truth and use it as a device to exalt self, at the expense of other men, is a great evil; and those who use truth as a pump to inflate their ego indulge in an exercise that results in “gross darkness” of heart. Nothing is so detrimental to Christian growth and the development of saintly character as the exercising of religious pride.
Sectarianism, the glory of the Pharisee and the hypocrite, is founded upon the false premise that Christianity is a static religion. They assume that if men would become properly informed concerning the correct beliefs, they would have true Christianity. This is gross error. The devils have a correct belief in God, and they are so firm in their belief that “they fear and tremble,” but a devil shall never have peace with God. “Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge…and have not charity, I am nothing” (I Cor. 13:2).
True saintliness is not contained in concepts of religious truth. Godliness and true holiness are not contained within the walls of religious learning. When a man has the correct understanding of certain doctrines, he may be eligible for fellowship in some certain denomination, but such knowledge will never make him a member of the body of Christ.
Christianity is not belief, nor a system of beliefs; it is a personal relationship with the God of heaven. There are certain conditions that the Saviour demands the believer to meet before he is able to acquire this heavenly relationship; and there are other conditions that heaven requires the believer to comply with if he is to retain this divine association.
“If we walk in the light…we have fellowship” (I John 1:7). Here we have the condition of continued relationship with the Lord concisely stated. Progress is a Christian obligation: when the believer become satisfied to sit in the light, his spiritual life soon dehydrates, and he becomes a mummified sectarian. Such people will gloat in what little truth they have, and live under the impression that such knowledge is proof that they are at one with God.
We live in a day and age when Christianity is used as a sign of respectability. Many people “join” a sect in order to have fellowship, just as some join a lodge. The social instinct in man requires that he have a certain amount of social contact. The modern church, for a reasonable price, offers a very “respectable” and highly acceptable type of fraternal association – without becoming too intimate. Such a brand of religion is a disgrace to the God to whom it is supposed to be devoted; but the most despicable specimen of religious fraud is the sanctimonious hypocrite who tolerantly lets us know that his faith is THE ONLY true and orthodox belief.
True Christianity is not static; it is as fluid as the sap that flows through the branches of the trees. Christ came to give us life, and that “more abundantly.” Development, growth, and progress in things spiritual are the natural results of contact with God. One of the basic demands of our faith is that we follow Jesus. “Whosoever doth not…come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). “He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:38).
Jesus taught that He was “the vine,” and we, as “the branches,” are obligated to bear fruit, and fruit is borne by abiding in Him (John 15:1-7). All who are worthy of the calling of Christ become “partakers of the divine nature” through a process which involves time and patience. As the Father prunes “the vine” by chastening, burning, and the “washing by the Word,” so the very nature of the believer is changed into His glory.
The process of becoming a saint demands complete obedience to the Spirit of Christ – He is the light. The written Word is not the light – it only points to the Light. The written Word is only “the letter,” and we are told “the letter killeth.” The sectarian believes in the letter of the Word; but such belief is unprofitable if he does not find the Light, and walk in Him.
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples in deed” (John 8:31). “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). “Continue” and “follow” are words that indicate that the Lord requires the believer to put forth effort and apply himself in full cooperation with the progressive movement in the development of saintly character.
Those who profess Christianity and are satisfied with a mere profession are the most stupid of people. To know the “pass word,” and be able to quote book, chapter, and verse, might impress many starry-eyed admirers; but if one’s religious knowledge does not include a constant personal relationship with God, then such a faith is in vain, and a knowledge of all the Shibboleths in the world will not save in the evil day.
PASSOVER 2019
People of the Living God will be celebrating the feast of Passover this year beginning on Friday, April 19th at sundown. The Passover Sabbath will be Saturday, April 20th and will last for seven days. People of the Living God observe the first and seventh day as Sabbaths, days in which we will not work but will gather for times of worship and fellowship. While we do not believe that observance or non-observance of this feast is a salvation issue, we do believe that its observance is in keeping with God’s order. God told Israel the Passover was to be observed throughout their generations as an ordinance forever (Ex. 12:14,17,24 plus many other references). Israel had three major celebrations each year, which consisted of seven feasts they were instructed to observe. The first feast included the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The second feast consisted of the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Firstfruits, and the third combined the last three of the seven: The Feast of Ingathering, The Feast of Trumpets, and the Feast of Harvest. Each feast was a time to give thanks to God for His blessings, blessings which God provided by meeting their yearly and daily needs. But each feast was not only a time to praise God for present blessings, they also held out promises of future spiritual blessings which God ordained to bring to mankind. Of course, the spiritual blessings were the true purpose of what the physical was only a type or shadow. To miss the spiritual is to miss the whole message and purpose of the feasts.
The physical observance of the Passover Feast was a reminder to Israel of when God delivered them from the cruel bondage and slavery of Pharaoh. Its spiritual revelation and fulfillment was when Christ shed His blood. He set those who believe in Christ free from the bondage of sin and the tyranny of Satan’s domain. Every truly born again Christian knows experientially this freedom and liberty, for they were once the slaves of sin but now have been set free and sin no longer rules their lives. The sentence of death, which once hung over their heads, has been placed upon God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, Who bore the judgment of their sins. The day they were born again, they passed from death into life, so now they can most assuredly say, “Death has passed over us.” This is the spiritual significance of the Passover Feast and is a time to rejoice in our Savior and in the salvation, with which He has so richly blessed us. The significance of the unleavened bread is the part of salvation that portrays that we are no longer the servants of sin but the servants of righteousness. Those who walk in righteousness before the Lord have the blood of Christ as a continual cleansing agent (I John 1:7).