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People of The Living God |
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October 2024
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
PREPARING A GENERATION FOR THE ANTICHRIST
Warren Berry
A most important question not only for today’s Christian church but for the world in general is: Are we preparing for the return of Christ or are we preparing for the coming of the antichrist?
I remember when I was a young child, around eight or nine, my dad was lying on the bed one day and I went in and laid beside him. As we lay there, my dad began sharing some of his wisdom with me. Although he was not a believer at the time, he began telling me how inappropriate it was to curse, specifically emphasizing that cursing around women was extremely disrespectful and only those of the worse (worst?) character would ever do so. While that was over six decades ago, I still remember that day because it made a strong impression on me. It was a combination of my dad’s wisdom and the fact that the only time I ever heard my dad use foul language was when he was drunk that I came to hate any type of profanity. In spite of the wisdom imparted to his son, when my dad was drunk he let some of the worst language imaginable flow from his mouth and it didn’t matter that it was directed at my mother or to any other woman who happened to be around.
So, even before I was saved cursing was not a part of my vocabulary and I still hate to hear it. Yet, it is so prevalent today that some people cannot complete a sentence without adding a few expletives. It is painful to see this in a land which is considered, “A Christian Nation” and one which inscribes on their currency, “In God We Trust.” One has to wonder: Which God does America trust in the 21st century?
What is more alarming and painful is that young people have picked up the language and, apparently, like smoking and vaping makes them feel big; foul language must also stroke the same baser elements of human existence. Where do we find teenagers today who don’t pollute their conversations with a few expletives? Consider how much our societies have changed since I was a child in the fifties. I never heard men using bad language in front of women even though they didn’t refrain when around men.
My dad also gave me another bit of knowledge that day, which was that very few women used foul language but, he added: “When they do, they are worse than men.” Over the years I have seen this fact to be true as well. Sometimes, whether it be men or women, it seems that there is a competition of who can be most foulmouthed.
There are several causes for the profanity that exists today. Modern contemporary music, rock, hard rock, acid rock, heavy metal, rap, punk, and even country music today are filled with profanity and thoughts that would make grandma turn over in her grave if she were to hear it. Yet our youth are bombarded with this slop hour after hour, day after day, and such language and thought permeate and pollute their innocent minds.
But it’s not only the music, it’s also Hollywood. Today’s movies (going back even to the seventies) are filled with immorality, slut, profanity, drinking and other demoralizing antics. It’s difficult today to find a movie that is not filled with such garbage, and it is not the bad guys alone that are guilty but the “heroes” as well. Not only is the language disgracefully profane the stories themselves contribute to the delinquency of today’s populace. It matters not whether that actor is good or bad, they all curse, swear, are vulgar and all go to the bars and drink. It makes one wonder if the beer and alcohol companies pay Hollywood to promote their products. I have been around young people who can’t wait until they can legally purchase an alcoholic beverage at a restaurant or at a convenience store. You have to wonder, what’s so great about purchasing and drinking a beer? It goes back to the Adamic nature which is gratified by such actions.
There are questions we must ask ourselves: Is our 21st century generation preparing for the return of Christ or preparing for the antichrist? Are we conditioning ourselves to be ready for the second coming of Jesus or grooming ourselves to be deceived by the antichrist?
Jesus, as well as the apostles, warned that the time would come when many will fall away. We are warned that the latter days would be perilous and dangerous. Scripture is replete with the necessity to guard our hearts, that iniquity and evil will increase, and many will be overcome by sin and will, when the time comes, bow down and worship the antichrist and his image. We are cautioned to be ready so we will find our security, strength, and hope in Christ alone, not placing our trust in human governments or men’s ideologies. Man’s ways will fail us. Neither of those presently running for the presidency in America have the answers for America’s ill,s for the real answer is in Jesus Christ and His word.
It seems very apparent that the world is more prepared today for the antichrist’s coming than for Jesus’. Paul gives us a clear reason why this is so in II Thess. 2. Paul is writing to the church in Thessalonica and informing them that certain things would take place before Jesus returned. One of those things is the rise of the antichrist. (It is best that the whole chapter be read.) In verses 10 through 12, Paul informs us of some reasons why many will be deceived and will embrace the antichrist and his false message. “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Take special note of two important phrases: They did not want to hear nor walk in truth and they had “pleasure in unrighteousness.” There is a certain pleasure in many sins, such as: profanity (especially when one first begins), drinking, smoking (it’s big stuff), pornography, and things of like nature. These and many other transgressions of like kind stir up some perverted and degenerate pleasure in the sinful heart. Sin gratifies one’s fallen nature and, when continued in and practiced, it directs him to the wide gate and the broad way that leads to destruction and, in this day, makes him prey to the man of sin.
Jesus is coming again and it appears to be soon. As much as Christians relish this day and pray it comes soon, we must be aware that the antichrist is also coming soon, and he will be the greatest deceiver that has ever appeared on earth’s stage. His appearing will bring about the Great Apostasy (the Great Falling Away). The Great Falling Away is what will affect Christians. Many of those who will fall away will be those who once were saved, were faithful church attendees, contributed both monetarily and with service to the church and were highly respected. They may have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoken in tongues and even prophesied. They may have been great preachers or even missionaries and at one time God-centered. It’s as time passes that one can fall away from that which he at one time knew and experienced. It is very easy in our modern day to allow music, Hollywood, society, and the false understanding of grace to cause one to become licentious and slip away from God. As Christians we are admonished to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10).
We live in a very perilous time and we who love God and love truth must be most diligent and ready when Jesus returns. May God open our eyes and ears and condition our hearts to love God above any and all of the pleasures and treasures of this earth so we are ready when He comes.
ANY FORM OF FATALISM DISCREDITS THE PERSON AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CREATOR
Harry Miller
Fatalism is a doctrine of pagan origin which implies an autocratic and arbitrary power that irrecusably controls all destiny. Human beings, in such case, then, would merely be substance dominated by a force which they could neither choose nor control. Those who embrace this doctrine visualize the universe as being under the power of an absolute tyranny: that which is to be, will be; and nothing that man can do will ever change the matter. Those who are destined for destruction will be relentlessly cast there; and those who have been arbitrarily chosen for divine favor will be treated accordingly.
Modern Calvinists decry fatalism as such, and would openly declare that the foregoing merely delineates an extreme or fanatical form of the doctrine. There have been many attempts to combine certain features of fatalism with the doctrine of free moral agency, but in the face of reason and logic all of these fall completely flat. The government of this world must either be one of free moral agency, or else a tyranny.
The subjects of any tyranny are simply puppets which are moved in accordance to the wishes or whims of some greater, dominating power or force. If what those subjects will do have been predetermined by a higher authority, then they most certainly have no choice in the matter; therefore there can be neither reward nor punishment meted out for their acts.
Free moral agency means that the creature is free to make his own choice. This implies, in relation to his own destiny, that man's will is sovereign in the matter. No matter how far back we try to trace the matter of choice, its genesis must begin in man if he is to be considered a free moral being. If the Creator arbitrarily formed Jacob, in his mother's womb, to become an honour to Himself, but on the other hand, neglected to change the evil form of the unborn Esau, then God would certainly be “respecter of persons.”
But, “there is no respect of persons with God” (Rom. 2:11); “there is no respect of persons” (Col. 3:25); “that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). Calvinists, or fatalists, accuse the Lord of discrimination and also of the violation of His own law; “If ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (James 2:9). “Respect of persons,” or discrimination without just REASON (or justification) does violence to the very principles of righteousness. If God had no REASON for choosing Jacob as the object of special divine favor, then His act was certainly that of a tyrant in relation to the unfavored brother, Esau.
If the unmerited grace of God had the ability to make Jacob acceptable as the beloved, and if that same unmerited grace was capable of bestowing like favor also upon Esau, then the Creator would be morally responsible to do the same thing for him that He had done for his brother. If I see two men lying drunk in the gutter and I am physically able to drag them to a shelter, then I am certainly morally responsible if I leave them there to freeze to death. But, if I should arbitrarily pick up one of those men and move him to safety, but forsake the second man because of some indefinable whim of my own, then I am morally responsible for the death of the man I deliberately left there to die. Even the courts of law among men punish willful negligence.
It is impossible for a Christian to feature the God of love as a despotic tyrant. John Calvin realized that his theory made much of the Bible seem “very difficult,” so he attempted to explain away the difficulties by making some extremely abstruse statements (Concerning those who are lost): “The gate of life is closed by a just and irreprehensible, but incomprehensible judgment” (Institutes, Bk. 3, ch. 21). “Their perdition depends upon the divine predestination in such a manner that the cause and matter of it are found in themselves. For the first man fell because the Lord had determined that it should happen. The reason for this determination is not known to us. Man, therefore, falls according to divine Providence, but he fails by his own fault” (Book 3, ch. 23,24). It is very hard to believe that such statements could have been written by a noted scholar in his prime; it certainly does seem that only a man in his dotage could come to such nonsensical conclusions – yet these are the statements of a thinker who is pushing his theory to a LOGICAL CONCLUSION! If he actually believes the first part of his theory, HE MUST CONCLUDE THAT THE ACTS OF GOD ARE “INCOMPREHENSIBLE.”
A Calvinist has but two conclusions which he can logically make concerning the nature of God; either he is a TYRANT or He is INCOMPREHENSIBLE. Calvin refused to think of God as a tyrant; he chose rather to consider Him as being “incomprehensible”.
The law of any tyrant is the law of his own will. Principle and reason are not factors in such law; neither are the virtues of justice and mercy. Since the ways of a tyrant are never governed by reason, principle, justice, or mercy, it is only natural that the acts of such a creature should be incomprehensible. TYRRANY, in fact, is a state of madness, and such a state recognizes no obligation except the satisfaction of the desires of the despot, himself.
The Scriptures supply sufficient evidence to show that the great and glorious God of all creation has not set up a universal tyranny. On the contrary, He has subjected Himself to all of the laws of principle and free moral agency. Again and again the Scriptures vindicate the absolute justice and mercy of the King of Righteousness.
Tyranny and madness are effects or results brought about by the unreasonable activities of the powers of the darkness of this world, powers whose acts are both lawless and incomprehensible.
But we contend that God is comprehensible: He is reasonable, and His motives and acts are understandable in the light of logic and reason. The nature and character of the heavenly Father is no mystery; the principles of righteousness and justice are no mystery; they are all most reasonable. Even the very atonement is subject to reason: it is a mystery to the human mind, nevertheless it is a master stroke, a scientific achievement of the Great Engineer of the universe.
The atonement is absolute proof that the Creator has subjected Himself to all of the demands of free moral being. When His Son was suffering that ignominious death upon the cross, the Father was in reality testifying to the whole universe that He had greater respect for MORAL PRINCIPLE AND LAW than He had for His own feelings. Surely this most costly divine testimony should forever settle the fact that mercy, justice, and truth are the eternal principles upon which God's throne is founded – and fatalism has no part whatsoever in His plan of redemption.
At Calvary the Father testified to the fact that He was obligated to His creation. He was the One who brought us into being; He it was who invested in each human being the awful power of choice. As the Maker and Creator of both the creature and the power of choice, He was morally responsible for every effort toward rehabilitation. The cross was the demonstration of the lengths to which the governor of the universe would go to uphold His law, to justify His enactments, and to make reconciliation for His wayward creatures.
A LETTER FROM A BROTHER ON THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND TONGUES
Randall Walton
Notice:
A letter from a brother in prison sent a few years ago asking for help regarding a perplexing situation which is taking place in the prisoners’ fellowship meetings. Since questions concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is still a confusing topic today, we have decided to reprint the late Pastor Randall Walton’s reply to this brother in hope that it will give some understanding and biblical meaning to this serious and often asked question.
A group from a local Pentecostal church is teaching the prisoners that they must “speak in tongues” or they are not saved. This brother was greatly disturbed because he could find no evidence for this in the Scriptures.
He was also upset over the tactics which were being used to cause these men to speak in tongues. They were told to imitate or repeat the jabberings of the “coaches” as they spoke in tongues. The brother who wrote to us was convinced the coaches were wrong, but he didn’t know how to contend for what he believed, hence his letter to us.
The question for us is: what do the Scriptures teach about speaking in tongues?
TONGUES
First, let us explain what is meant by the expression, “speaking in tongues.” This term is found in the second chapter of Acts where about 120 followers of Jesus were gathered in an “upper room” on the day of Pentecost in response to the command of Jesus to wait in Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). This promise included three outstanding elements: 1-they were to be baptized with the Holy Ghost (verse 5); 2-they were to receive power (verse 8); 3-and they were to be filled with the Holy Ghost (2:4).
According to Acts 2:4, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) and began to speak with other tongues, “AS THE SPIRIT GAVE THEM UTTERANCE.” Whatever is meant by “to speak with other tongues,” take special note of the fact that this was done as the Spirit gave them utterance! No one taught them how, nor encouraged them to jabber or stutter, nor utter unintelligible sounds. This was a 100% supernatural expression, led by the Holy Spirit!
GLOSSA-WHAT IS IT?
There are two Greek words from which the English word tongue is translated: 1-dialektos (dialect, Eng.), meaning language or tongue; 2-glossa: “by implication a language, specifically one naturally unaquired): tongue.” Strong’s
Both of these words are used in Acts 2. Verse 4: “other tongues” = glossa. Verse 6: “in his own language” = dialektos. The disciples were speaking in glossa, or a naturally unaquired tongue, and the spectators heard their speech in their own dialects, of which there were at least fifteen. It is important to understand that the disciples were not merely jabbering nor making unintelligible sounds or noises: they were most definitely speaking a language which they had not learned, a language which was under the direct influence and inspiration of the Spirit.
This divine utterance was simultaneously “interpreted” to the multitude of people which had come to behold and witness this strange phenomenon. They were astounded that they understood in their own native languages the messages which came from the lips of the disciples of Jesus.
Based upon the foregoing evidence, we conclude that these men and women were speaking a language they had never heard and which was uttered under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Such a demonstration as this cannot be duplicated apart from the over-powering presence and dominance of the Holy Spirit. It cannot be worked up, forced, nor activated by the flesh. It can be and is counterfeited and faked, but it can never be genuinely produced by memorization, nor recitation, nor pounding on people’s backs, nor any other physical activities.
Many people have explained glossa as the God-given ability to learn instantaneously a foreign language, which many a missionary has laid claim to. We do not question God’s ability to so bless, nor the likelihood of this having been done in many instances, but this is not, is not, the same as the manifestation of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:4.
Since the glossa in Acts was “as the Spirit gave them utterance,” we conclude that the unaquired language was the language of heaven, or the language (tongue) which is spoken in heaven. This is the only true sacred language; all of the languages of men (including Hebrew) are but profane and came about as the result of God’s confusing the languages at the time of the building of the tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9).
PENTECOSTALISM
Early in this century, the Spirit of God fell upon a small group of saints assembled in a store-front church on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, CA. Many of the people were overcome by the presence of the Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, a near duplication of Acts 2.
From that outpouring of the Holy Ghost, several “Pentecostal” groups emerged and were eventually formed into denominations in much the same order as the other existing religious groups. (The Assembly of God is one of those). The experience of “speaking in tongues” finally became the rallying cry of these neo-pentecostals. So much importance was placed upon this experience that pastors and evangelists began teaching that a person was not genuinely saved until and unless they spoke in tongues. So earnest were they in this belief that they began using all sort of devious means to induce people to say anything at all so long as it wasn’t in English. They exhort the people to say “glory” over and over, and faster and faster, until they lose control of their tongues. Then they are proclaimed to have received the baptism of the Spirit because they are said to have spoken in tongues! This, of course, is not a duplication of Acts 2.
This is counterfeit! And the sad fact is that this is being carried on all over the earth where Pentecostal and Charismatic people congregate. Some preachers actually conduct classes to teach people “how” to speak in tongues!! And they make the false claim that they can speak in tongues any time they want to. This is nothing less than a contradiction of Acts 2 and is an abomination. Further, this has become the means of opening the door to the influence and activity of seducing spirits, those evil spirits which look for any means to intervene in the affairs of mankind.
The dangers inherent in such activity cannot be overstressed. While there remains the true, genuine baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, this experience is being counterfeited under the influence of familiar spirits because men are attempting to duplicate a phenomenon which is 100% supernatural. When the Holy Spirit does not give the utterance, BEWARE!! When ministers, pastors, preachers, (or any one else), attempt to “work up” the Spirit and induce people to turn their tongues loose—“talk, but not in English”—politely excuse yourself from this Babel, and escape! This is Penetcostalism on the prowl.
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
In Acts 1:5 Jesus told His disciples that “John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” In just a few days the miracle of Pentecost took place. The account does not say that they were baptized with the Holy Ghost. It does say they were all filled with the Spirit and spoke with other tongues. Since Jesus had said they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, we must conclude that they were baptized when they were all filled with the Spirit. Was their speaking in tongues evidence that they had been baptized in the Holy Spirit?
The answer to that question is found in Acts 10:44-48, and 11:15-17.
Here we find the Apostle Peter in the home of a Gentile named Cornelius. Peter witnesses to Cornelius, his household, his relatives, and close friends about Jesus and salvation. Unexpectedly, while Peter was talking, “the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision (the Jews) which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, (glossa) and magnify God.”
Later, Peter was called on the carpet by the brethren in Jerusalem for fellowshipping with the Gentiles. In his retelling of the events which took place at Cornelius’ house he stated: “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?” (11:15-17).
Putting all these verses together, we conclude that the speaking in tongues was/is the evidence that a person has been baptized with the Holy Spirit. The “tongues” is not the baptism of the Spirit; it is only the evidence or demonstration of that which took place in the spirit of the person. Baptism is immersion, whether it is in water or in the Spirit.
In the case of the Spirit, man’s spirit (the real you) is immersed or covered up by the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit during this experience is in control of the human spirit, and it is subjugated to the dominion of the Holy Spirit. Extreme joy, ecstasy, and peace flood the very being of the person so blessed; he may experience a surging of the Spirit in waves of recurring bliss and harmony with the Spirit of God. The proof or evidence that the Spirit has temporarily taken control of the person’s consciousness is that He tames that untamable member, the tongue (James 3:5-8). Genuine tongues speaking is completely under the control of the Holy Ghost. All attempts to coax people to start talking, “but not in English,” are vain, empty, useless gestures which are nothing other than the works of the flesh.
Brother Paul outlined strict orders for the conduct of believers in regard to tongues. He let it be known in no uncertain terms that glossa, or tongues, is not just a foreign language of men; he also stated that tongues speaking without interpretation of the message was not to be tolerated. The individual so anointed of God is to “keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God” (I Cor. 14:28).
Pentecostal and Charismatic people need to read and study the entire fourteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Great confusion has entered into their meetings because they have rejected the instructions given through that man of God.
THE GIFT OF TONGUES
As we have pointed out above, when a person is baptized in, or with, the Holy Spirit, this spiritual experience is evidenced by the Spirit using the person’s tongue to glorify and praise God. The person may never “speak in tongues” again in his entire Christian life. That does not mean that the person has backslidden nor fallen from grace.
However, Paul speaks about the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation of tongues as two of the nine gifts of the Spirit which were given to the church (I Cor. 12:10,28; 14:5,26-28). This was one of the means by which the Holy Spirit led and directed the affairs and ministries of the church. Paul stated that these two gifts together were equal to prophecy (I Cor. 14:5).
Let us make it plain that the individual to whom these gifts are given does not exercise them at his own will and choice. It is totally and completely the work of the Holy Spirit through a person so chosen for that ministry by the Lord Himself. When anyone attempts to speak in tongues of their own volition, you can be sure that it is counterfeit.
There is an excess of this fakery going on in the Pentecostal and Charismatic circles today. Many people desire to be the voice of God, and they love to be seen and heard; they usually introduce their message with such sayings as: “I, the Lord, say unto thee,” or something similar. It is as if God Himself is speaking through such a person.
Remember, the Holy Ghost is also called the “Spirit of truth” (John 16:13). When the Spirit of God speaks through a person, the message will be true and truth. It will agree 100% with the written word, for the Spirit and the word agree! Remember also, that we are living in a day of great deception, when even the very elect would be deceived if possible. This deception springs not from satan, but from evil men who are growing “worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (II Tim. 3:13). These are the days in which it is wise to “Prove (test) all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thess. 5:21).
Is tongues speaking essential to salvation? No, most definitely, NO!
A HOLY PEOPLE
Mary Woodard
Over the past forty or fifty years, several Christian authors and speakers have written and spoken about the direction in which the charismatic movement has taken. Their warnings have centered on the lack of old-fashioned holiness in the lives of those professing to have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Encounters with most charismatics show no change whatever, except for tongues.
We, too, have encountered this same situation and have been at a loss to understand so much that we have observed which seems so inconsistent with the teachings of the Scriptures and the dealings of the Holy Spirit with us since we came into the experiences of salvation and the baptism with the Holy Spirit in the early part of our Christian lives.
As others have pointed out, tongues have often been held up to the believer as the one and only sign of the baptism. As a result, tongues have been sought with varying degrees of success. In some instances, the seeker has been led in methods which resulted in what could be a speaking out of unintelligible sounds in the natural rather than a speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance according to the pattern set in Acts 2:4. This, in turn, has resulted in the seeker thinking he has received something which in reality he has not received, causing confusion and frustration because of a lack of the power which he expected to receive which would result in the changed life.
At the new birth, “old things are passed away and all things are become new” (II Cor. 5:17). Past sins are forgiven and the new Christian has a clean slate, so to speak, with which to begin his new life in Christ. Many, with their new desires, start to try to live the Christian life and to serve the Lord without the power that the Lord promised to believers (Acts 1:8). That is why many fall short in giving the world an effective Christian witness either with verbal witnessing or with their total lives. After one has a genuine experience of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, there should be a marked change in both of these areas. If this change does not occur, one should examine his experience in the light of Bible doctrine to determine where the fault lies.
However, the main purpose of this article is to delve a little more fully into the seeming absence of an infusion of old-fashioned holiness. For some time now the writer has been seeking a means of expression as to what is meant by Bible holiness. The word “holiness” has an elusive quality which is difficult to grasp or define, and so we are each prone to give it our own private interpretation. And then there are those who are taken up with the gifts and other manifestations of the Spirit to the extent that they give little or no thought or consideration to this important phase of their lives.
According to the dictionary, the word “holiness” means “the state or quality of being holy,” so the idea comes through that “holiness” is a state in which we either are or we aren’t, and “being holy” speaks of spiritual and moral purity which is akin to and patterned after the character or holiness of God.
Following the experience of the new birth this “state” of holiness should begin to be made manifest in our lives, or as the Scripture puts it, “that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (II Cor. 4:10). The seed of the nature of Jesus has been implanted within us. How this seed grows depends to a great extent, of course, on how it is nurtured, watered, and encouraged to grow. The Holy Spirit begins to prod, and if we begin to walk in obedience, the old nature begins to be replaced by the new. Or in other words, the “old man” begins to die, and the “new man” begins to come forth. There should begin to be made manifest a change in one’s thoughts, desires, and motivation, resulting in a change in one’s actions. The character, or nature, of Jesus should begin to be formed in the individual after one is converted, and most especially after one has received the power which comes with the baptism with the Holy Spirit. A “Holy” Spirit indwelling the believer will just naturally result in the forming of a “holy” character in the individual.
We see from the Scriptures that there is a cleansing that should take place and that there is a part that we must play in this cleansing:“Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Cor. 7:1). We also see that there are two facets of this cleansing. One may emphasize outward appearance, another outward actions, another the gifts, and still another the fruits. All are needful for a well-rounded Christian character and the right kind of image before the world.
Let us now examine why we see so little change in the lives of some who are a part of the present charismatic movement:
As mentioned, it could possibly be that some have not in reality received the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit even though they may have been led into believing that they have received this gift because they have “spoken in tongues.”
Far too little is known of “old-fashioned holiness” which is only old-fashioned in the sense that it is practiced so little today.
Due to the current permissiveness which has invaded the churches along with all other areas of society – and the lack of a teachable spirit among the church people – leaders refrain from setting up a standard and teaching or preaching what is required in the way of holy living as taught in the Scriptures. When someone does attempt to hold up a standard, the cry of “legalistic” is heard and truth is cast aside as not necessary or relevant in this age of grace.
Some of the holiness groups have adopted rules to follow which have been set up by their leaders. While the intent is most surely good and the rules are no doubt scriptural, in many instances there is no conviction on the part of the believers. Outward holiness alone without the inner cleansing by the Holy Spirit will often result in a feeling of pride, or an attitude of superior goodness or virtue. On the other hand, many of the Pentecostal groups have no consistency of standard among the members. As a result of these conditions, those coming into the present charismatic movement are faced with the problem of having few to effectively set an example for them to follow.
Some are waiting for the Lord to do that which we are admonished to do by an exercise of the free will and choice which has been given unto us. Of course we can be assured of the help of the Holy Spirit as we attempt to bring our lives into conformity to the will of God.
What is needed today is more yieldedness on the part of the charismatics to the
“Spirit of Holiness” so that the holiness of God can be worked out in the individual. We must have a return to the concepts and active practice of righteousness, separation, and holy living if we are to experience the power, anointing, and blessing of God upon the charismatic movement. God’s people must study the Scriptures, set up a standard, and get away from the permissive attitude so prevalent in Christian circles today. Truly a holy God requires, yea, demands, a holy people.
“AND THE HIGH PLACE I’LL BRING DOWN”
Eda Sanderson
In this day, people have embraced Christianity as never before. It is the thing to do. The poor and needy do it. The rich and famous do it. But are they really walking with God or just going through a form because it looks or feels good? Does God care how they worship Him as long as they worship? Does it matter how you worship Him?
From the time of Adam, the people of God built altars to make sacrifices and to worship God. Abel did; Abraham did; Moses did; Samuel did. The places of sacrifice were called “high places” because they were usually built on a hill. In I Samuel 9:11-14, Samuel was found by Saul in the high place. There, Samuel anointed Saul to be king over Israel (as God instructed him to do).
In I Kings 3:2, it says that the people sacrificed in the high places because no house of God had been built. Verse 4 says that Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice because it was the great high place. There, God gave him the wisdom for which he asked. Up to this point, it seems that the high places were acceptable to God, because He was worshiped and honored there.
Finally, God allowed Solomon to build Him a house. When the temple was finished and dedicated to the Lord, it became the acceptable place to sacrifice and worship God. The high places were no longer needed, because the people could go to the temple, where God was pleased to dwell, and offer their sacrifices to Him.
At the time of the building of the temple, Solomon was walking with God. However, as time went on, he started going his own way. He began marrying heathen women who, the Scriptures say, turned his heart from the living God. I Kings 11 tells about Solomon building high places, not to worship God, but as places for his heathen wives to worship their gods. From this point on, the high places became an abomination to God. Why? Because, either they were used to worship other gods, or the people worshiped there their own way, not God’s way.
In I Kings 12, Jeroboam built a high place in Bethel. There, he put graven images for the people to worship, saying it was too much trouble for the people to go up to Jerusalem to the temple. In I Kings 13:1-5, God pronounced judgment upon the altar at Bethel. I Kings 14:15 said the Lord would smite Israel “because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger.” (The groves were high places, set among trees.)
Today, we don’t worship at high places, do we? Or do we? II Corinthians 10:5 says, “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” The high places of the Old Testament represented a form of rebellion against God, an exalting of other things (gods) instead of exalting the Most High. Today, the “high things” can be anything, whether it be a possession, a job, a spouse, people’s opinions, etc. Anything can be a high thing, if it keeps a person from doing what he knows is God’s will. One example is the keeping of the Sabbath.
The majority of Christendom keeps Sunday as the Sabbath. Why? Because most of the Christians today keep it, and who wants to be different? Most people cannot give a biblical reason for keeping Sunday. Their strongest argument is, “It doesn’t matter what day we keep, as long as we keep one day holy.” God said, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…” (Ex. 20:8-10). Does that sound like God doesn’t care what day is kept? In those verses, God not only named the day of rest: He also specified which day was the Sabbath. The same day He rested from His work of creation – the seventh day!
Isaiah 58:13-14 says, “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” There is a blessing from God for those who keep the Sabbath His way. That means keeping the right day, not seeking our own pleasure (watching TV? going to a favorite restaurant after church? reading books for pleasure?), not working on the day, keeping our minds and hearts on Him. The “high places” in our hearts must be torn down so we can worship God the right way and receive His blessings.
When we keep the Sabbath as God wants us to, we will find ourselves drawing closer to God. In these last days, the closer we get to God, the better off we will be. Satan cannot touch the people who “abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). And we only get to that place by seeking God with all our hearts and doing His will, not ours.
The keeping of the Sabbath, in itself, does not guarantee an entrance into Heaven, but it does indicate a willingness to walk God’s way. God can then lead that person in other ways. Not keeping the Sabbath will not necessarily send a person to hell…unless the Holy Spirit has revealed the truth of the Sabbath to that person, and he deliberately turns from it.
Do you want the blessings of God in your life? Study the Scriptures with an open mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truths to you and be willing to do God’s will, no matter what others do or say.
IS HONESTY IMPORTANT?
Randall Walton
It seems strange that the above question should become an issue, but in this day when honesty seems to be an option rather than a requirement, the question warrants being asked.
Mankind has always leaned toward cover-up and subterfuge regarding his actions simply because his actions have not been consistently upright and noble. There lurks within the human heart the desire and the tendency toward evil and wrongdoing. “The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked,” the prophet declared (Jer. 17:9).
Perhaps this is the reason the courts require witnesses to “swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” They have also discovered that the taking of an oath doesn’t guarantee that a person will absolutely tell the truth.
But does it really matter? Is it so important that Christians be totally truthful in all they say and do? Or does God really care?
Jesus gives us the answer to this question: in His parable of the sower (Luke 8:4-15). He made the following declaration in verse 15: “But that on the good ground are they, which in an HONEST and GOOD HEART, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
Is honesty important? Absolutely! First of all, honesty is essential in regard to the word of God: “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience IN THE SIGHT OF GOD” (II Cor. 4:2).
The religious world is full of those who handle the word of God deceitfully. Through the machinations of interpretation, dispensationism, and interpolation, men have succeeded in forcing the word to conform to their own ideas and opinions. But doing so is a flagrant display of dishonesty. In much the same way, the words of Jesus Christ have been denounced and relegated to another era, another time, a future dispensation. It is as if those who are so guilty do not regard the Bible as the very word of God. It is astonishing to hear the dishonest explanations of why Christians should not observe the Sabbath, the so-called Jewish holy day; or the empty interpretations of the Scriptures to bolster a pre-tribulation secret rapture of the church; or the vain teachings that the words of Jesus were spoken only for the Jews.
Dishonesty seems to reign in nearly every segment of secular society, from cheating on school tests, to falsifying one’s tax returns, and lying about one’s liaisons with a non-spouse. Facing the truth may be too expensive for many people. Yet the Lord placed great emphasis upon the necessity of loving truth. “He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God,” Jesus stated (John 3:21).
Honesty and truth are fellow traits of a noble and upright character. Such a person “cometh to the light.” He does not shrink from exposure because he has nothing to hide: his life is like an open book. This is well-pleasing in the sight of God who looks at all people in the bright light of truth.
Brother Paul spoke of a class of people who “received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” It sounds as if they had been given the opportunity to receive a love for truth but rejected it.
God’s response to their perverseness is set forth thusly: “For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thess. 2:10-12).
If people would be honest it would be unnecessary to require them to “swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
If you have difficulty being honest and truthful, there is hope for you through Jesus Christ. Confession is a prime requisite for obtaining forgiveness; repentance follows close behind confession. Then seeking God consistently and fervently and asking Him for help in overcoming this mortal weakness is a necessary third step. But it will take a strong desire and adamant determination on one’s part to have complete deliverance from the ungodly sin of dishonesty.
Is honesty important? You had better believe it is!
ARE YOU PREPARED?
Alda Scullin
Jesus’ disciples asked Him in Matt. 24:3, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?” Jesus enumerated many signs that are already occurring on a large scale, such as nation against nation, (ethnos = race or tribe), famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places” (v. 7). Then He added, “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The beginning of these sorrows has already begun. He warned of false prophets and false Christs who come in His name and would deceive many. Some, He said, would show great signs and wonders. There is already a preponderance of false prophets, and even though they do not yet fit the description of showing great signs and wonders, multitudes follow after and believe in them. Listen carefully to their words and compare them to the message of Jesus. A false prophet will not point you to obedience to God’s law. His main message is designed to create in his hearers a confidence in himself.
Jesus also said His followers would be “hated of all nations for my name’s sake,” afflicted and killed (Matt. 24:9). All of these and other warnings that God has given were not intended to put fear in our hearts, but to help us realize that we must awaken and make our walk with Him more serious and circumspect. “All things (DO NOT) continue as they were...” (II Peter 3:4). These are “perilous” times. It is imperative that we be “strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” to be able to stand in the time of great trouble (Eph. 6:10).
The letter to the Ephesians further states, “...take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day...” (v. 13). The armor of God involves much more than meets the eye when reading this passage. Most of the armor is for defense. It will protect us; the loins girt with truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; a powerful weapon which Jesus Himself used against Satan.
Truth and righteousness protect very vital organs of the body as does the shield of faith. These are not automatically ours when we are converted. Truth must be loved, sought and made a part of our lives. It is very precious and therefore costly; “BUY the truth and sell it not,” (Prov. 23.23). Jesus is truth and the truths He taught caused religious men to hate Him. Truth uncovers. Man’s sinful nature wants to be hidden. Jesus said, in John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.” Righteousness becomes a reality as we practice those things that are right in the eyes of God; His standards. Isa. 51:7 describes those who are righteous: “Hearken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My law.”
Of course, how a man is affected by all these things depends upon his relationship with the living God. Being “born again” is a spiritual beginning. It is often referred to as “being saved,” and AT THAT MOMENT one is forgiven and saved from his sins, but this wonderful experience is not in itself eternal salvation. It is the beginning of spiritual life, but as with physical birth we can grow into adulthood or die as an infant. Salvation is a process whereby we rid ourselves of the carnal nature to make room in our lives for the divine nature. “He that shall endure unto the end the same shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13; 10:22).
The helmet of salvation is one piece of the armor of God. We are to PUT ON the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11) and TAKE the helmet of salvation. These are command words; something we must do; it is not done for us! Even if it were true that one receives the helmet when he is “saved,” what of the other pieces of armor? Picture, if you will, a warrior going forth to battle with no shield or weapon; only a helmet. Can you imagine how vulnerable he would be? Beware of ministers who send you on your way to battle the “wiles” of the devil with only a helmet!
Then “Above all, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (v. 16). Rom. 12:3 tells us that “...God hath dealt to every man a measure of faith.” Faith is so important to a life in God that He gave to mankind a starter as it were; perhaps it could be said, an ability to believe and trust if he so desires. Bro. James made it very clear that faith is an active expression of godliness. If it is not expressed in action, it is dead. When God tested Abraham, he obeyed God even to the offering of his son, “and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. “...Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only...so faith without works is dead” (James 2:20-26). “Now faith is the substance (or confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). This kind of faith is a strong shield against the darts of the enemy, because Satan is the father of lies, and lies do not shake the confidence in truth.
Have your feet (your walk) shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. There are numbers of ways in which this gospel can be manifested in the people of God. In Rom. 14:17, we are told “The kingdom of God is...righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Though Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth, I came not to send peace but a sword” (Matt. 10:34); yet He spoke of comfort and peace to His own. It was part of His gospel.
In one account He read from the book of Isaiah (61:1,2), “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
In Matt. 5:3, He speaks of the “poor” in spirit. “...theirs is the kingdom of heaven;” and “blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” In this way the “gospel of peace” can be manifested. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, read and known of all men: ... declared to be the epistle of Christ ... written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God ...” (II Cor. 3:2,3). There is much truth in the axiom that “actions speak louder than words.”
To be clad in the WHOLE armor of God is not accomplished overnight. To become mature followers of Christ is progressive just as growing to adulthood, physically. Let us make haste before the night comes when no man can work.
When Jesus spoke of the signs of His coming, He spoke of two main events. The first is the wrath of Satan against the saints and is followed by the wrath of God against the wicked. In the day of the Lord’s anger, He will shelter the true church, His body, His bride. In 2:3 of Zephaniah, we read, It MAY BE ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” For the people who are “the meek and the righteous;” those who have kept His words and have held the beginning of their confidence (trust) stedfast UNTO THE END, SHALL be hidden” (John 15:10-14; Heb. 3:14).
Isa. 26:20, “Come My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast.”
Prov. 14:26, “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence and His children shall have a place of refuge.”
Psalm 27:5, “In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me....” Jesus promised, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). And “He is not a man that He should lie,” (Num. 23:19).
Each person must decide where he wants to be in the time of trouble.
NOW is the time to prepare.