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People of The Living God |
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July 2019
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
A WATCHMAN’S CRY
The Editor
Recently a young man in his thirties, came to me and said that he is amazed by the changes he has seen in society just in his lifetime, and he could only imagine the changes that I have seen being almost twice his age. I found the statement interesting because so many young people think the way life is today in America is basically the way it has been in the past. The moral decline and the lack of any purpose other than to enjoy life as much as is possible under the present conditions, is all there is. Let me just refer to a few ways in which young America view things.
In a recent YouTube video a major conservative talk show host was speaking about where America is heading as a nation. He referred to a question and answer session he had at a major university. A young lady asked a question concerning why we should take the Bible as a source or standard for present day morality. The host responded to this question by asking her a series of questions. “How do you determine what is right and what is wrong?” She responded, “By how I feel.” He then asked, “Do you feel the holocaust was evil and that the Nazis were wrong?” She responded by saying, “Yes.” He continued by telling her that the Germans felt it was right. They judged right and wrong by how they felt, and did what they felt was right. She then responded by saying that, for her, it would be wrong, but since they felt it was the right thing to do, then it was right for them. What kind of reasoning is this? But this, friends, is the kind of logic and reasoning with which our university students are graduating. Why? Because that is what is being propagated in America’s universities. Many young people who have been raised in a Christian home are coming out of our universities as Atheists; they no longer believe in God nor do they have any point of reference upon which to base right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral. What is right or wrong is how one feels.
What is wrong with feelings being the point of reference to determine right or wrong, good and evil? If one feels it’s the right thing to shoot innocent children in a school, who can say it’s wrong? The stupidity of this type of ideology is staggering to say the least.
Recently, a Christian apologist was also at a question and answer forum where thousands of university students were gathered. After the session was over, he invited any who wanted to speak to someone or to have some counseling to come forward and someone would speak with them. The number one problem these young people were having was pornography. More students were struggling with pornography than any other struggle. These were enslaved to pornography and didn’t know how to free themselves. It was already beginning to control their lives before they even graduated from college. The second thing tormenting these young people was suicide. There appeared nothing for them to live for. Why? Because life is empty without purpose. It is to live from day to day trying to find something to satisfy the longing within.
God created man and God knows what will make men happy and have purpose in life. All other avenues are roads to temporal pleasure and happiness and once that is gone, there is nothing left. C.S. Lewis said it this way, "What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could "be like gods” – could set up on their own as if they had created themselves – be their own masters – invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history – money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery – the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy. The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That's why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."
God, speaking through Hosea the prophet, said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” God, who loved the world and loves every soul, desired that they might know Him and find in Him their happiness and purpose of life. But when men want to determine what is right and wrong by their personal “feelings” they set themselves up as Gods. The lie the serpent convinced Eve of is still the lie that is leading multitudes to reject the true knowledge of God and that to their eternal harm.
Carnal men do not want God to rule over them. Many people today actually hope there is not a God. Why? Because if there is a God, they would have to obey Him and submit themselves to Him. But if there is no God, then they can do as they please. How many times have we heard sinners say things like: “I know I am sinning, but I hope God will look at the good things I do.” “If there is a God, I’m going to be in trouble, so I hope He doesn’t exist.” Why are these types of statements made? Because those who make them want to continue in sin and do not want to see nor understand that God exists and that one day they will stand before His throne and will be judged by what they have done in this life.
But let us not stop with those obvious sinners. Let us not fail to observe where we stand as those who have been washed in the precious blood of Christ Jesus. We must be the light we have been called to be. Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). We are a city set on a hill for all to see. Unfortunately, we have all too often taken our light into our little buildings we call “church” (which Jesus termed a bushel) and we hide it there. This is not how the early church functioned. They did have places of gathering for worship and teaching, and they went there regularly to brighten the light, and they carried that light outside the gathering and let it shine wherever they lived, worked, shopped, vacationed, dined, etc. They were a living organism, not just an organization gathering in a building with a sign outside. When the church ceased to be the light of the world, humanism, atheism, agnosticism, and all the other isms crept in and they are destroying a whole generation of young people.
Many Christians see what is happening all around us. Jesus warned of these days as well as did the Apostles. There will be wars and rumors of wars, Jesus said in Matthew 24, and the twentieth century was a century of wars, and millions of men and women perished in those wars. The twenty first century is not starting much better. The breakdown of the family, divorce, and absence of fathers in the home has produced a generation of young people who don’t understand how to be a man, and many don’t know if they are a man or a woman. How did we get here? These are just a few of the signs of the latter days. How long will it be before Jesus returns? I don’t know but I am confident that God’s judgment is beginning to fall upon this nation and on the world.
Where do we go from here? It is time for the virgins to awaken and begin trimming their lamps. It is time for the church to get serious about their relationship with God. It is time to seek God with all our hearts. Jeremiah gives us this promise, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). This is a glorious promise to those who will set themselves to truly seek Him.
This is the voice of one watchman who sees the decline of a great nation and the need for God to once again move among His people. In Matthew 25, Jesus gave the parable of the Five Virgins. In that parable, Jesus said, “They all slumbered and slept.” Not only the foolish virgins slept, but the wise did also. People of the Living God is no exception. I personally have been content to take the path of ease. Amos 6:1: “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion.” When God uses the term “Woe” it’s not a favorable expression and certainly not one we want hanging over our heads. Let us all seek God afresh and pray that He will once again pour out His Spirit upon His people as He did for those early disciples on the day of Pentecost. May God stir up His people.
HIS WIFE HATH MADE HERSELF READY
Harold Scullin
The “wife hath made herself ready” (Rev. 19:7) implies that time was a factor in her reaching this state of readiness. Also, the fact that she was “prepared and ready” for this glorious event causes us to know that she read and understood the “sayings of Jesus” (Matt. 7:24,25). “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” Heareth and doeth meant that she was obligated and responsible to obey the teachings of Jesus.
There is evidence in Revelation 19:8 that day by day she had applied the “sayings of Jesus” to her daily life and walked with the Lord. “And to her was granted (or permission was given) that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white.” This was actually Divine sanction, Divine acknowledgement, that her daily walk was well pleasing to the Master. She could look back through the years and recall the many times she had submitted her will to the will of God – many times through tears, mental anguish, physical suffering she came to the place she could say, “Not my will, Lord, but thine be done.” Through the struggle she had to learn patience, and to control her own spirit, “to crucify the flesh,” and “turn the other cheek.” She had walked so many extra miles, she recalled often the path was obscure and dark, and she had to “walk by faith.” Her heart was full of praise and gratitude now as she vividly remembered how patient, faithful and longsuffering the Holy Spirit had been, as He led her, taught her, and guided her in these trying hours, as He was working to prepare her for this hour of victory and triumph.
As she continued to read and study the Scriptures, she found there was a reproach for those who wholly follow the Lord according to the “sayings of Jesus.” She read in Heb. 11:26, “Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.” It was very clear to her, that in order for her to bear the reproach of Christ, it would be necessary for her “to go without the camp” (Heb. 13:13). The way of the Lord is very restrictive, confining, and narrow. Great devotion is required of them who will fully obey His teachings. She was willing to bear the reproach of Christ.
Every Scripture “the wife” read seemed to speak of the obligation that is upon every individual who professes the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, to do, to measure up to the standards as set forth in the Word of God.
This wife found much opposition to the “plain statements” of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not many were willing to sacrifice to the degree as stated by the Lord. “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. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:37,38).
The more effort she put forth to obey the commands of Jesus, the more effort also did the powers of darkness rise up to oppose her efforts and seek to discourage and cast her down. She found Scriptures that she could use when such conditions arose. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Jesus very plainly stated, “Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you: but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:19,20). Her victory was in the authority of the Word of God and in the name of Jesus through His shed blood.
She knew that eternal life and immortality were promised in the Word of God to those who would “endure to the end,” but the truth and meaning of these promises were obscure and it was hard for her to relate herself to them. However, in II Peter 1:4, she read, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers (sharers) of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world.” This had meaning to her; she could do something about entering into this relationship. Then, too, she could relate to the nature of Jesus. It was His Divine Nature that drew her to Him. This was very personal. Also, in Rom. 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” The present: “exceeding great and precious promises, sufferings of this present time;” the future: “partakers of the Divine Nature, the glory that shall be revealed in us.”
As she viewed the end product, “partakers of the Divine Nature and the glory that shall be revealed in us” and weighed the present against it, she decided the wisest thing to do was to act upon what Jesus said in Luke 14:28, “to sit down and count the cost.” She could compare what she would receive from following and doing the “sayings of Jesus” and evaluate this in terms of the cost to her – what would be required of her.
The cost, she found, could not be evaluated just in terms of houses and lands, dollars and cents, possessions, but also in having to make decisions that would affect her will, her nature, her thoughts, in fact, her whole being. She had to make a decision. As she looked around her and observed others in their walk with the Lord, she did not see or find many who had made a complete surrender or commitment to the Lord Jesus to walk with Him all the way.
She did read in the Bible, where Jesus not only taught and preached such a strait and narrow walk, but that He, Himself, also practiced these precepts. “Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obediant unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:6,7,8). Jesus never sought glory and honor for Himself. He humbled Himself (emptied Himself) of His heavenly glory and took upon Himself the form of a servant – He lived and died as a servant.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:6).
She was ready to make her decision. How could she hold back when He had done so much for her? He asked her to make a complete commitment, a full surrender of her will, her desires, her plans, her time, her heart to Him who loved her, died for her, and called her to be “conformed to the image of Jesus” (Rom. 8:29). His presence in her heart, His peace that flooded her soul, the satisfaction she found in Him was of greater value than her own way, possessions and things. What He was giving her was of eternal value. There was such joy and assurance in just surrendering completely to Jesus. The mind that was in Jesus would assist and help her in all future decisions.
Without question, she made mistakes, she failed in some issues, she came short at times, not all lessons were learned the first time – but she quoted and read many times, Isaiah 60:7, “For the Lord will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” And in her times of failure, mistakes, short comings she would remind herself of the provision the Lord had made for such occasions. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). She was “growing (maturing) in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).
Scriptures in Revelation 21 also give a very vivid word picture of this perfected state of readiness. “John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). “Having the glory of God: and her light was like a stone most precious, even a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:10,11). This was her testimony.
“A jasper stone most precious,” suggests that such a testimony was extremely costly and very rare. There was nothing to mar or distort her testimony – it “was clear as crystal.” In John 14:30, Jesus said, “the prince of this world cometh and hath (findeth) nothing in me.” His testimony was pure, clear, transparent. Such a testimony gives evidence that the wife measured up to the standards as given in Eph. 5:27 concerning the church, “That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
The “Wife was adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). This adornment was not that which appealed to the flesh. “Adorned for her husband” is an internal expression of divine character. A state or condition that can only be wrought by the Holy Spirit. She, the wife, walked in truth; Jesus promised in John 8:32, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” This means that she was “set free from all obligations imposed upon her by sin, by the world, by self, and by the flesh. So that she was able to do what was required of her” (Thayer). The truth of the Lord stripped away all of the expressions of self so that she could express the Lord Jesus in truth. Her testimony was “clear as crystal.”
The wife was surrounded by a “wall, great and high” (Rev. 21:12). “This building of the wall of it was jasper; and the city was pure gold like unto clear glass” (Rev. 21:18). The “pure gold” speaks of that which is divine. The “clear glass” again refers to a transparent testimony.
In Isaiah 26:1, we read a prophecy given by Isaiah, “We have a strong city: salvation will God appoint for walls, and bulwarks.” And also, “For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall” (Isa. 25:4). Many times in the hour of distress and darkness, when she was heckled and tormented by evil spirits, when it seemed her very foundation would be swept away, did the wife find security and peace and rest for her troubled soul in reading and standing on this marvelous promise given to God’s people. She found as she stood upon the word of God and applied the teachings of Jesus to her life, that she was made stronger, her salvation was more secure – the walls of salvation – were being built higher around her. In taking a stand for the victory of Jesus in her life, she discovered that the “walls of salvation” kept out many objectionable issues that she did not want in her heart. Her thought life was completely changed – she found that by using the “weapons of our warfare, that imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God” could be cast down and “every thought could be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (II Cor. 10:3,4,5). The Holy Spirit was able to show her that in this warfare it is absolutely necessary to labor, contend, strive, fight the good fight of faith, and pray, to maintain her walk with Jesus.
One other issue was to confront this woman of God. In the walls surrounding this heavenly city there were twelve gates. Rev. 21:21: The “twelve gates were twelve pearls.” Jesus gave the explanation regarding the pearls. “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant man seeking goodly pearls: When he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Matt. 13:45,46). Quite costly! All that he had. But that is the gospel of the kingdom, according to the teaching of Jesus. “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26,27,33).
Her answer – “Not my will, Lord, but thine be done.”
She was ready to be arrayed with fine linen, clean and white.”
She was “all glorious within” (Psalm 45:13).
This woman is representative of that group of individuals who have determined in their hearts to completely surrender their wills to the will of God and walk according to His Word.
It is well to note the connection of other Scriptures which relate to the marriage supper of the Lamb, that we might gather additional information on the preparation that is so necessary.
In Matthew 25:1-12, is the record of the five wise virgins and the five foolish virgins which “took their lamps” (Psalm 119:105), and went forth to meet the bridegroom. The five foolish virgins failed to purchase the required oil that caused the lamp to burn. “While they went to buy the oil, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in and the door was shut” (Matt. 25:10).
A preparation was necessary to enter this marriage supper. According to the sayings of Jesus, only a “few” will find the “strait gate and the narrow way” (Matt. 7:14).
Again in Matt. 22:1-14, the invitation was given to both “bad and good.” When the king came in, one individual did not have on “a wedding garment” (Matt. 22:11). He was “cast into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:12,13).
To those who profess the Lord Jesus Christ, scriptural preparation is an absolute requisite to enter into the glories of the kingdom of God.
MAY NONE OF US MISS IT!
EXCELLENT FRUIT
Harry R. Miller
“In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely” (Isa. 4:2). These adjectives were chosen by the Spirit of God to describe to us the impressive beauty of the perfected work of Christ in the latter day. When He says “the fruit” is excellent, there is no doubt concerning its superior quality. James has written these words: “Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain” (James 5:7). Think of it! The Master Craftsman has a special interest in the fulfillment of this generation!
We are truly most fortunate to be living in the very day when God’s regenerative efforts are being brought to their zenith. Never lose sight of this fact: the very reason for creation is the establishing, perfecting, and bringing to maturity of beings worthy to be God’s sons. The one and only object of our individual passage through this earthly life is that we may strive to become like Christ.
Since the days of Adam, the Lord has been working patiently with man in order to help him develop and strengthen his wavering character. Many people have been retrieved from the muck of human depravity, but their growth in saintly stature has almost invariably been so slow that they have come to life’s journey’s end before they have reached the “goal” of their heavenly calling. Very few saints have ever actually come to “perfection” and “entered into His rest.” However, the Lord has declared that “some must enter therein” (Heb. 4:6).
Professing Christendom as a whole has failed to follow its Lord into full possession of the kingdom. While they have tarried along the way, they have lost sight of the fact that they “are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;” and they have completely forgotten that they “should shew forth the praises (virtues) of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9).
But God will have a people who have reached this state: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Here is a command: a divine “order” for all believers. No matter how one defines the word “perfect” it still retains such a high quality that most men have failed in their attempts to attain it. With the power of Christ within the believer it is possible for every saint to become perfect. However, it is clearly evident that few have cared to put forth the effort that is necessary in order for any human soul to reach this standard.
But man’s failure to attain perfection has in no way thwarted the purposes of God. Those whose intentions have remained steadfast to the end of life have been saved from death eternal: we will see them in paradise. But it is God’s plan for mankind that there be a real demonstration of the overcoming power of Christ in the lives of the saints; so He, Himself, will “finish the work in righteousness.” Consider these words: “As I live saith the Lord…I will rule over you…I will bring you out from the people…I will bring you into the wilderness…I will plead with you…I will cause you to pass under the rod and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant…I will purge out from among you the rebels and them that transgress against me” (Ezek. 20:33-38).
This portion of Scripture from the writings of the prophet Ezekiel is setting forth a summary of the steps which are necessary before the walk of God’s people can be corrected. Every saint who aspires to perfection must first learn that God is the undisputed ruler of his life. It is easy enough for many people to acknowledge Him as supreme; but for them to put this acknowledgment into actual practice is an entirely different matter. When the Lord begins to “bring us out from the people” (the life of separation), our miseries become many: old acquaintances turn away from us, and even the love of our friends often grows cold. Suddenly we find ourselves marked as fanatics. People begin to say that we are narrow-minded, and we become marked just as surely as though we had suddenly become one with the vast and lonely army of the “untouchables.”
It is into the “wilderness” that God desires to lead us. Here, where we are seemingly alone, He will plead with us face to face. Like the “valley of the shadow of death,” the “wilderness” is a place where we must fearfully learn to trust Him and to know Him. Here it is that the “rod” is applied to our quavering backs as He pleads with us. This is the place where sons are chastened and moral fortitude is strengthened; for it is written: “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Heb. 12:6).
We are given to understand, plainly, what the object of this fiery period of correction is: it is to bring believers into “the bond of the covenant.” Again, we are reminded of the difference between the “state” and the “standing” of believers. When we are first converted by the spirit of Christ, we are counted, or accredited, as saints. From deep within our hearts we have made a covenant with God, and we fully intend (with his help) to change, and leave off our unrighteous ways: this intention is accepted at face value in heaven. As long as we work at it, and labor to acquire it, our accreditation remains in effect, even though the actual state of our sanctity may be far below par. This is what is known as attributive righteousness.
Among men, when a prisoner of the state is pardoned and put on parole he is counted as a just man as long as he makes it clear that he intends to do the right thing, so, also, is it before the bar of heavenly justice: our intentions are considered worthy and valid as long as we continue to keep them so. However, when men fall back into their old sins, or into new sins, they bring themselves out from under the blood covering, and they become subjects of the angel of death.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring men to a holy state. Our heavenly Father intends that “the remnant whom the Lord shall call” shall reach this state of perfection.
The stage is now being set for “the manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19). These are the “wheat” of Matthew thirteen, who are “gathered into the barn.” They are also pictured as the “virgins” who, with lighted lamps, enter into the marriage chamber when the “bridegroom” comes (Matt. 25:10). Another word sketch portraying this selected company of the latter day is given us in Revelation 12:14. The group is here depicted as “the woman” who is carried into the wilderness where she is cared for during the time of great tribulation.
Let us carefully examine the following few significant phrases from Isaiah 4:2,3: “In that day…them that escaped of Israel…he that is left…he that remaineth…shall be called holy.” These “that escaped,” and remain among the people of God, are the cream of the crop. These are they who are the “precious fruit of the earth.” Concerning the rest of humanity, the prophet has said: “the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left” (Isa. 24:6). Surely it is going to be as it was in the days of Noah! Not many men were left after the flood; neither will many be left after the wrath of God burns the earth in these latter times.
But let us not think that God’s saints must go through this wrath! However, we must not be foolish enough, either, to believe that well-worn old fable about a secret “rapture” of the saints. God’s people will be here upon the earth during this time of great tribulation, but they will be hidden in “a place of refuge,” secure from the “storm.” This will be the company of saints who will obey this Scripture to the letter: “Come (God calls and they obey), my people, enter into thy chambers (the “place in the wilderness”), and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast” (Isa. 26:20).
Friends, it is time for God’s people to quit toying with the Christian faith. These are gravely serious times and all of the prophets cry aloud for men to hear the word of the Lord: “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zeph. 2:3).
Those who love God need to have no fear of His judgments in the day of wrath; they can rest securely in the knowledge that these words from the Book are true: “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him” (Psalm 91:14). The only thing that must and will concern the lovers of the Lord is this: that they might please Him. The “drive” which will keep them in the “way that leadeth to life” is their love for God: they will constantly seek ways and means to please Him. Strict obedience to His written Word will always be an integral part of their lives. The one thing which is, and will be, their only real worry is this: that in the bustle and commotion of the affairs of this day, they might somehow fail to hear that “still small voice” which so often speaks to their hearts.
OUR GOD REIGNS
Melody Ax
We are living in perilous times. It is a time when many are becoming discouraged and worried about our future. Let us not forget that the Lord is in control of everything.
The Lord keeps bringing back to my remembrance these scriptures:
“Thus saith the Lord: Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jer. 17:5-8).
We must remember this scripture and others to bring to our remembrance not to trust in man (the arm of flesh), but to trust in God. God said in Psalm 50:10-11: “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.” Our Lord is in control of this universe.
In Matthew 6, beginning in verse 24, the Lord tells us that we cannot serve two masters. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Are we going to trust in our God, or trust in man? Jesus goes on to tell us in that same chapter that we should take no thought for our life what we shall eat or what we shall drink. Look at the fowls of the air. The Lord takes care of them. Are you not much better than they?
Our Lord Jesus continues in verse 33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” I would like to encourage everyone today that God is in control of everything that is happening.
I like what A.W. Tozer stated, “Let us beware of allowing our spiritual comforts to rise and fall with world news or the changing political or economic situation. We who lean upon Jesus and trust in the watchful love of a Heavenly Father are not dependent upon those things for our peace. We must face today as children of tomorrow. We must meet the uncertainties of this world with the certainty of the world to come. To the pure in heart nothing really bad can happen. He may die, but what is death to a Christian? Not death but sin should be our great fear.”
There is no limit to the good that can be done in this world if it is clearly known and accepted that God is the only one who is to receive the credit.
May the Lord give us all a burden to pray for our leaders and our country.
“These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful” (Rev. 17:14).
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN –
“the end of the world”
Randall Walton
In a recent well-known religious publication, this question was asked and a very well-phrased answer was given. The magazine explained that the Greek word for world is aion (αιωυ) and then proceeded to tell us it is better translated age.
This is truth, but it is not the whole truth and often times a partial truth is more misleading than an obvious lie. We would like to include some more of the truth regarding this topic, that others may know what is involved in “the end of the world.”
The above-mentioned article leaves the impression that wherever the word “world” appears in Scripture, it always means age, but this is not true at all: there are other Greek words which are translated into the English as world! Not only that, the word αιωυ (age) is used to describe eternity as well as a specific period of time (Eph. 3:21). It is regrettable that such a superficial treatment of these words has caused so many people to err concerning the truth
Let us consider the other usages of the English word “world” in the concept of the Greek text.
- κοσμος (kosmos) = the world, the arrangement, the earth with its inhabitants, worldly affairs.
Mark 16:15,b: “Go ye into all the world (κοσμος) and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Acts 17:24: “God that made the world (κοσμος) and all things therin” etc.
I Cor. 4:9,b: “for we are made a spectacle unto the world (κοσμος) and to angels and to men.”
Matthew 13:38,a: “The field is the world” (κοσμος)
Galatians 6:14,b: “the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (κοσμος).
John 7:7: “the world (κοσμος) cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.”
II Peter 2:5: “And spared not the old world (κοσμος), but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world (κοσμος) of the ungodly.”
- οικουμευη (oikumenay) = the world, the inhabited earth.
Acts 24:5: “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world” (οικουμευη).
Acts 11:28: “And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world” (οικουμευη).
Acts 17:31: “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world (οικουμευη) in righteousness.”
Luke 21:26: “men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth (οικουμευη): for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”
- γη (gay) = arable land, ground, the earth, the inhabited earth, the soil.
Luke 13:7,c: “cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?” (γη).
Matthew 10:29,b: “and one of them shall not fall on the ground (γη) without your father”
Matthew 5:18: “Till heaven and earth (γη) pass, one jot or one tittle” etc.
Luke 21:35: “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (γη).
Acts 10:12,a: “Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth” (γη).
Although there are many more good examples, these should be sufficient to give us a good impression of what is involved when the word “world” appears in the Bible. A Strong’s Concordance is very helpful in a study of this kind, because a person can quickly ascertain the intended use of most of the words which are under question.
Now, the article to which we referred earlier states that the earth will survive and prosper! It alleges that Jesus will end this present evil age and bring in an age of unprecedented peace, prosperity and harmony.
In the light of what we have gleaned from the definitions and usages of the words “world” and “earth,” let us consider what the Good Book has to say concerning this subject.
II Peter 3:10,11: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements (the basic composition of all matter) shall melt with fervent heat, the earth (γη, the soil, ground) also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all manner of conversation and godliness.”
We need to understand some of the terminology which is used here in order to see what Brother Peter was portraying: “The elements shall melt with fervent heat.” The word melt as used in the Greek text means to break up, put off, demolish, destroy, do away with. The word dissolve is (in the Greek), exactly the same and has the same meaning, of course.
Fervent has to do with the intensity of the heat. Ordinary heat could not break up, demolish, destroy or do away with the elements. Nuclear power could do it, but we are not saying a mammoth nuclear explosion will be the means of this great holocaust. But neither do we reject this as a possibility. Who has the authority to say by what means God will accomplish His plan? We are only positive that the Word of God will be fulfilled!
The expression “burned up” means to consume wholly by fire, which, of course, agrees with the rest of this portion of Scripture. In the face of this terrific evidence, how can anyone be so arrogant as to assert that the earth will survive and prosper?
For added confirmation John tells us that “the world (κοσμος) passeth away, and the lust thereof” (I John 2:17), and Jesus affirmed that “Heaven and earth (γη) shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:35).
Isaiah was shown a preview of this climactic event: in Isaiah 24:19 and 20 he says: “the earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved (break up, cause to cease, make void), the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again”!
The author of the book of Hebrews makes this astounding announcement: “Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish (the earth and the heavens); but thou remainest; and they shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same” (Heb. 1:10-12). The word perish means to be “fully destroyed,” and changed means “to be different.” What a difference that will be, from material substance to a state of oblivion, or destruction!
God created the earth and the heavens for a specific purpose and when that purpose has been fulfilled there will be no further use for it. God is using this earth with its limitations, imperfection, and vale of sorrows for the creation of His own divine family. This creation is no haphazard experiment, nor an accident of nature; God planned ahead, before the world was, to bring forth from this old earth a people who would share His likeness, His character, His personality (Titus 1:2; II Peter 1:4; Rom. 8:29).
He purposely designed the world to be a sort of sifter or sieve (Rom. 8:20), to which He would subject His creation, in hope that they would respond in faith to the working of His Holy Spirit and would cooperate with Him in His efforts to conform them to the image and likeness of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
God has patiently labored with mankind to bring His plan to perfection and it has been declared in the Holy Scriptures that before Jesus returns to claim His own, that plan will be completed, His family will have been produced and shown to the universe (I John 3:2; Rom. 8:18,19; Eph. 5:25-27; Eph. 3:10,11; Matt. 25:31-34).
Thus, Paul said that “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Thess. 1:7,8). And Peter stated flatly that “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (II Peter 3:7). That’s the reason John could report that “I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Rev. 21:1).
Thank God there is something better than this crumbling planet for the saints of God. We, as Abraham did, look for “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). God’s wonderful tomorrow is a day, not of one thousand years’ duration, but of eternity, everlasting joy, eternal bliss; an eternity where the sun and moon and stars shall not govern the time nor seasons, for time shall be no more and there shall be no night there.
We are not looking forward to a revamped, renovated, made-over globe. We expect to spend the eternal ages in heaven with the Lord Himself. Man’s time of probation here has been nearly 6000 years, but it will soon be over and past and those who have walked with God will abide with Him forever, for Jesus Christ is even now “bringing many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2:10).
We find, then, that the “end of the age” coincides with the “end of the world,” “the last day,” “the end of time,” the “second coming of Jesus,” “the great white throne judgment,” the resurrection “of all that are in the graves,” “the destruction of the last enemy,” and the blowing of “the last trumpet.”
A LOVE SLAVE OF JESUS CHRIST
Alfred King
Deuteronomy 15 contains the Lord’s instructions to Israel concerning masters and their servants (slaves). The word used in Deuteronomy for servant is ebed which is defined by James Strong as “a servant” and is translated in the King James Version (KJV) as “bondage, bondman, [bond-] servant, (man) servant”. The KJV never uses the word “slave” although the context in certain cases clearly speaks of one owned by another, which is what slave actually means. Dictionary.com defines the word slave as: “noun - 1)a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant. 2) a person entirely under the influence of some influence or person; a slave to a drug.” The case addressed in Deuteronomy dealt primarily with Israelites, which by some misfortune, found themselves in dire need for the necessities of life. They would then sell themselves as bond servants or slaves to their brethren. They would have their necessities provided but they would be slaves and their Israelite brother to whom they sold themselves would be their master.
The instructions given in Deuteronomy 15 for those who would sell themselves as slaves to a brother provided that after seven years of slavery, they were then to be set free and their master was to provide the means by which they could, from that point on, survive and meet their needs and the needs of their family.
There were times when a slave was loved by his master and treated much as a member of the family, so that when the seven years had come to an end, the slave had no desire to depart from his master. He had developed a love for his master and was completely satisfied to remain as a servant. If that was his desire, he would have his ear pierced through with an awl and that was a sign that he was a slave to his master for life. This was true for a maidservant also (Deut. 15:17).
It was a very sad day when slavery was introduced into the new America. However, slavery was considered a necessary part of the British empire. In every colony throughout the world which the British conquered, slavery was a part of the culture. The fact that it migrated to America was not surprising nor did it seem strange; it was just a “normal” way of life for both those who owned slaves and those who were slaves. However, there have always been those opposed to slavery and believed that all men should be free. True Christianity* is a gospel of freedom, freedom from sin and freedom to serve God to the best of one’s understanding and ability. True Christianity* cannot be forced. The one outstanding thing about Biblical Christianity is that it is impossible to force it; therefore if it is forced, it is not the genuine Gospel. Most other religions are imposed upon its people, and unfortunately, many Christians ignorantly attempt to “shove the Bible down people’s throat.” This coercion is a problem when the government, whether they be monarchy, oligarchy, theocracy, authoritarianism, or totalitarianism (or even a democratic republic) embraces any religion as a part of its platform, it always force its religious ideologies upon the citizens. We can see the results of this played out when the Catholic Church was embraced by the Roman Empire, calling it, “The Holy Roman Empire.” It became a theocracy and it brought about the Spanish Inquisition and many other atrocities of cruelty used in an attempt to force men to be dedicated to the Catholic Church. It produced an empire of religion which reduced men to slaves of the state. Several religious groups migrated to America to get away from religious tyranny.
A little over a hundred and fifty years ago, America fought one of the most grievous wars of all time. It is called “The Civil War,” a war in which more American men died than in any other war in American history. It is thought that just under 500,000 men died in that conflict. Brother against brother, father against son, friend against friend, and even Christian against Christian. On both sides there were Christians who thought the cause for which they were fighting was justifiable. Many were fighting because of the issue of slavery, and many were engaged because they felt the government had overstepped its bounds. It was an issue of freedom from each perspective: Freedom for the slaves or freedom from oppressive government.
Being saved as a teenager, I could never understand how a person who claimed to be Christian could condone slavery or own slaves. And yet, the south is considered the Bible belt. It seemed to be such a contradiction of terms, a contradiction of ethics, and certainly a contradiction of Biblical Christianity. But the purpose of this article is not to go back and wrestle with the issue of slavery but to consider the issue of a love slave, a person who desired to remain a slave because he loved his master.
When the Civil War ended and the slaves were free, they faced a dilemma of unprecedented proportions. They faced a new world, not only a different environment, but in many ways, a hostile environment in which they were somehow to provide for themselves and their families. How could they survive? There was little to nothing provided for them to aid them in this new life. President Lincoln had plans to help in this need, but with his assassination, those plans were poorly understood and even more poorly carried out and the now freed slaves suffered greatly. In fact, it was the aftereffects of the war that brought upon the slaves more hardship even than the slavery, because men took advantage of the situation and exploited the slaves as well as the government.
All men are slaves to sin. The gospel of Christ Jesus is that men can be free from that slavery. Not only are men dominated and controlled by sin, but sin brings forth death. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Sin in the world not only brings upon man physical death but death of the soul, a death with eternal consequences. Adam transgressed in the garden and that transgression brought upon the human race creatures subject to and compelled to sin, and sin brought man into slavery. Sin is man’s master. Sin has a tremendous power to control, and it’s difficult to overcome. However, the gospel, or good news, is that Jesus came, first to cleanse us from all our transgressions, and second, to free us from the slavery of sin. In other words, Jesus not only offers man forgiveness but also provides the power to overcome sin. That power rests in His precious blood.
Jesus did not just free us from slavery, but He also provided for us after our release. We are not left defenseless as was the case with the slaves after the Civil War, for Jesus has provided everything necessary for our future. When He directed those who owned slaves in Israel to provide for them when they were freed, He did not command them to do something that He would not do also. Jesus has provided for His people to be free from sin, for sin is a tough taskmaster. Yet scripture tells us that “sin shall not have dominion over you” (Rom. 6:14).
All of us who have been washed in the blood of Christ are acutely aware that sin still stalks us. We find temptation lurking, it seems, at every corner, and this scriptural fact that sin does not have dominion over us seems sometimes a mere wish or hope that someday it will be fulfilled.
Whatever was provided by the masters in Israel to the freed slave, was to be used wisely by that slave. He could squander it, waste it, or invest it unwisely. If they lived only for today they would find themselves enslaved again tomorrow. So it is within the Kingdom of God. Jesus has provided every means by which His children can be totally free of sin. However, as children of God, we must apprehend those provisions and use them wisely.
The greatest force that can and will compel believers to be completely free from sin is love. Not only is God love (I John 4:8 &16) but love is a divine attribute or a heavenly characteristic that God willingly offers His children. John tells us that “love is of God” (I John 4:7). He adds to that, “he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God and God in him” (I John 4:16). It was the love of God for man that compelled Him to make that tremendous sacrifice, sending His beloved Son, the Son of His bosom, into the world to experience the same problems we face, to live in poverty, rejection, persecution, and finally to be hung unmercifully upon a Roman cross. All this was done because God loves you and me. This shows very clearly the power of love.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 5:5 informs us that the “love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us.” Jesus said that He would send the Holy Spirit after His resurrection and, with that Holy Presence, God’s love would abound in the hearts of those who received Him. The more we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, the more God’s love will flourish in our hearts. As our love for God grows, we will, over time, come to that depth of love where we don’t want to do anything that displeases Him. When we mess up and transgress even in the most minor issue, we grieve over it and immediately repent. Sin is a powerful force but love is a more powerful force, and that pure love of God which Jesus offers to all those who will put their trust in Him will conquer the remaining sin within the believer’s heart. The message we have in the account in Deuteronomy is that we can, through Christ Jesus, love to such a degree that we willingly and forever become His love slaves, doing always those things that please Him. When Jesus informed the church in Ephesus that He had some things against them because they had lost their first love, He was calling them to return to that love which will empower them to overcome sin’s slavery. May the love of God be fully shed abroad in the heart of every believer and bring about true love slaves.
I use the term, “true Christianity” because there is so much false Christianity in our world today and very few are genuine Christians. It is easy to claim to be Christian, and it’s another to live the Christian life. Those who go out and start fights at abortion clinics and those who spew out hatred at Gay Pride parades are not demonstrating “true Christianity.” I am not saying here that we condone these practices, but there is a right way and a wrong way to conduct ourselves in such matters, and we, as Christians, must pray through and find God’s means to confront the enemies that are motivating and controlling these groups.
WHY PERSECUTEST THOU ME?
Donald Pugh
As I begin to put my thoughts on paper, I question not the reason behind this that I write, but my lack of ability to bring clarification to the premise behind these thoughts and words. This child of God is called to be neither a teacher, nor a preacher. I simply desire to share that which has been opened to my eyes and is heavy on my heart.
Our God is truly an awesome God. He, at times, uses simplicity to confound the wise and seemingly ordinary, common, often mundane stories to illustrate lessons or to teach truths that are far reaching and will have profound and life changing effects in the life of a child of the kingdom of heaven, who will submit himself to being taught by the gentleness of the Holy Spirit.
This One has been sent and given the task, with the sometimes unpleasantness, of accompanying us everywhere we go. He will never leave nor forsake us, no matter the sin-darkened threshold we might cross, the worldly entertainment we occupy, or the rude, crude, and sometimes blatantly sinful activities we companion with.
Truly incredible is the truth that He will never abandon or reject the born again child of God who, by poor choices, brings chastening upon himself, many times over and over again. At some point in the life of every blood-bought and blood-washed child of God, we have come up short in our actions to the Word of the Lord.
It is, and rightfully so, a very unsettling thought to realize that by reason of choice and of our own will, we as mere mortals, can, and often do, negate the desires and thwart the purposes of an All Powerful, All Sovereign, Omnipotent, Creator and Savior by our reckless unwillingness to surrender and submit our will to His.
Even God’s only begotten Son learned obedience by the things He suffered. Had He not become perfect through absolute obedience, He could have never become the Author of man’s salvation. The focal point must not be the suffering and chastisement that we are all predestined to face but on the gloriously designed plan of the Father to create the perfection and beauty of the image of Christ in you and me. Surrender to the beauty of a Heavenly Romance.
Saul Of Tarsus
The New Testament records a man of many and varied social skills, a man highly regarded, intelligent, of high judicial, political, and military office. This man was given much authority and was “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord”. We know him as Saul; later to be born again and re-named Paul. This man was a man to be feared and avoided, but a man yet to meet his Creator and Savior (Acts 9:1-3; 9:4,5). As Saul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, a bright light beamed down from heaven and he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” And he said, “Who art thou, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.”
Through no great intellect of my own, I am going to present a number of verses, which I hope, will bring about serious and thoughtful consideration. First, look again at the question in Acts 9:4: “Why persecutest thou me?” This does apply to most of the church body today. Oh yes, and ashamedly so, it is a garment that is worn with not a little comfort. Second, let us look at verse 5 of chapter 9: “it is hard to kick against the pricks.”
hard to kick…A Greek proverb for Useless Resistance.
to prick…A point, a sting, a goad, divine impulse.
Why do we kick?? It’s a waste of your time and God’s, and it only does damage and violence to the individual and to the church.
Love = The deliberate assent of the will to do good at any cost; even though our natural inclination is revolting, and reluctant, and the deed is most repugnant.
1. I John 4:11: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
2. Eph. 4:32: “and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.”
3. Col. 3:13: “Forbearing one another and forgiving one another.”
4. Eph. 4:2: “With all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love.”
5. Eph. 5:21: “Submitting yourselves one to another.”
6. I Cor. 12:25: “Same care one for another.”
7. James 5:16: “Confess your faults one to another.”
8. James 5:16: “Pray one for another.”
9. I Peter 4:9: “Use hospitality one to another.”
10. Gal. 5:13: “Serve one another.”
11. I Thess. 5:11: “Edify one another.”
12. Rom. 12:10: “Prefer one another.”
13. Rom. 15:14: “Admonish one another.”
14. Eph. 4:32: “Be kind one to another.”
15. Gal. 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens.”
16. I Thess. 5:11: “Edify (build up) one another.”
17. Heb. 3:13: “Exhort one another.”
Maturity And Unity Are Impossible Without The Love Of God
The above verses paint a gloriously beautiful picture of a church body that is presenting and brightly shining for all the world to see the perfection to which Christ is calling us. This perfection or degree of maturity is what we who have the temerity and boldness, not only to proclaim, but to possess that we may be the bride that is to be presented at the marriage supper of the Lamb. I have no scripture to reference, but it is the belief of this writer that these preceding verses will be the veil that adorns the bride as she takes her place by the side of the groom at that heavenly marriage.
If we willingly submit to the washing by the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us, then the above verses will change our lives. This is done not by any merit or goodness that we have of ourselves, but through the Christ that strengthens us (Phil. 4:13). To do any less is to kick against the pricks, and refusing to love every blood bought and blood washed child of God is to do violence to and persecute the Jesus who is our Savior and Redeemer. It truly makes no difference which denomination, non-denomination, or sect you and I align ourselves with, we cannot – as long as Jesus Christ is Lord in our lives and is Lord of the people we may differ with – allow this anemic condition to continue in our church body.
You and I are born again children of God, citizens of a heavenly city, sanctified, purified and, by adoption, all of us are members of a spiritual family. As the saying goes, “you can pick your friends, but you are stuck with your family.”
You, the reader, are a member of my spiritual family. We are all different members but we are all one body. We being many are one. We are the church and Jesus Christ is the head of that body, the church. I Cor. 12:13: For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be slave or free, and given one Spirit to drink.
Christians Are Called To Battle Against Division
It is speculative at best to number the multitudes of churches and differing sects and denominations that are scattered across the United States. The gates of hell would rattle and the demons quake in fear if any two should actually grasp the magnitude and revolutionary power of the forgiveness Jesus spoke of in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew. Matthew 18:21-22: “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” After the parable of the “Unmerciful Servant” who was cast into prison for his unforgiveness, Jesus concluded this lesson with, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses” (Matt. 18:35).
Just because we gather in a building or a tent, wherever or however humble or grand, the warrior of God should never leave his armor at home or in the barn. All too often we personally allow ourselves to relax because we are with “family.” We have all heard gossip, slander, even little white lies, and have sometimes contributed to it. We are all guilty of gossip. At times, we have allowed that little member that James cautions us about defile us and, consequently, persecute Christ. That little member defiles the whole body and is set on fire of hell. It is a world of iniquity. Our adversary, the devil, goes about as a roaring lion, seeking to devour, and his minions aren’t bashful about going to church. They hang out in the parking lots before and after church services, and some will even accompany an unarmored and unprepared congregant through the main door. Crafty, deceptive, delusive, filled to the brim with guile and cunning he sows his seed of contention. Because of an enormous lack of discernment in the church body, they can, and often do, negate the blessings of a God-inspired and anointed message from the pulpit and hinder the praise and worship service. How does a true lover of God and truth combat this heinous condition?
II Chronicles 7:14 offers this promise. “IF, (my choice and your choice) my people who are called by my name shall (#1) Humble themselves, and (#2) pray, and (#3) seek my face, and (#4) turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Jesus clearly spells out who are truly His brothers and sisters. Mark 3:35: For WHOMSOEVER!!! shall do the will of God, the SAME IS my brother, my sister, and mother (emphasis mine).
To disallow another sanctified, purified, righteous, born again child of God fellowship with us based on the treacherous foundation of a particular denomination or doctrine of men is to do violence to the body and person of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Why persecuteth thou Me?” The Persecution Must Stop; the church Must be Healed.
Unforgiveness, disrespect, and cold carnality are loathsome, disgusting diseases of Sin that is undermining genuine Christianity and, sadly, we allow it to continue.
Reams have been recorded on the power of God and the attributes of the Love of God. This child will not suffer an attempt to add his two bits, but I will borrow from the authority of God’s word by which all our love will be measured. I John 4:20-21: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, How can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God, love his brother also.”
For there to be a ministry of reconciliation, there must be an acknowledgement that reconciliation between one another is essential and that we can, through Christ, meet the qualifications for this ministry. Both to minister and to be ministered to. Reconciliation is an action word. If we will tune up our Revelation Ears, the Holy Spirit will guide us into truth and accomplish this work of reconciliation within the body of Christ. As we work together with Him, we receive the enabling Grace of God. By being reconciled one to another, we are also reconciled to God.
God is always victorious and He will enable His people to be reconciled to each other, for we have been Reconciled; Restored to Divine Favour to God by Jesus Christ, and He has given to us the Ministry of Reconciliation (II Cor. 5:17-19).
“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in Love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ through out all ages, world without end” (Eph. 3:14-21).
Blood Bought
A NOTE FROM A PRISONER
Jimmy Windham
Dear Children of God, first I greet you all in our dear Savior’s name. For our Lord Jesus’ name is above every name, for there’s no other name given under heaven whereby we shall be saved but in His name. There is no other way to God but through him. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all the fullness of God reside. Jesus said, “I am the way.” So, there’s no other way to God; you can’t come to God except through the door, and Christ said that He’s the door and if you try to climb up any other way, He said you’re the same as a thief and a robber. Only His blood can redeem you and set you free from (not in) your sins. So, dear friends, let us always come to the throne of God boldly and in our Savior’s dear name, for He’s not only the way, He’s the truth, and only in Him is there life.
My fellow Christians, today my heart is lifted up in gratitude to our dear Father and you, People of the Living God, and you, the readers of the TOT magazine, for though it’s been seven years now since I felt led of the Lord to write my autobiography, which includes life before and during my 35 years in prison. In my book I tell of how God has used me to bless, encourage, and lead many men to Christ. I’ve fought the good fight through heartaches, trials, tears, and even some failures, but I never gave up, for our Lord stayed with me and His Spirit and His word always showed me that joy would come in the morning when His loving kindness and tender mercies were renewed. He’s never left me or forsaken me. But, dear friend, I’m tired and I want to go home. My mom is 95 years old and her prayer is to see her only son left walk out of prison a free man before she passes on to her rewards. So, please pray that next year when I go back up for parole that God in His mercy will allow me to make parole.
Now, please let me share with you the good news Bro. Al has allowed me to be the one to tell you. My book, that several of you helped fund last year, is published and is available on Amazon.com. Its title is, A Prisoner of Jesus Christ, by Jimmy Windham. Well, I still need help, because the funds from its sale will allow me to start a prison ministry once I’m out and also to help get the representative and support I need to represent my case to the parole board. The funds aren’t for my personal needs in prison, but are going into a trust fund overseen by a minister and ministry. Anyone who purchases my book from Amazon will help provide the necessary funds for my release and ministry. And if any of you feel it’s good and would feel to promote it on any social media platforms you’re on and tell everyone about my book in hopes they’ll also buy one and also spread the news? Bro. Al wouldn’t allow me to write to you if he didn’t think that this is a God ordained book. We’ve already received many reports about my book touching people’s lives.
I humbly thank each and every one of you for your prayers and support.
God bless you all
Jimmy Windham
A Prisoner of Jesus Christ