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This book of the bible is frequently and
erroneously
referred to as the start of "The Church, The Body of Christ".
99.44% of fundamental, bible-believing teachers and pastors
embrace this falsity as truth! The fact is, The Book of Acts is
primarily about the unbelief of Israel and God's postponement of
her program. |
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These books of the bible are where believers in this dispensing
of God's grace should go for their day-to-day doctrine on
living. These books contain the revelation of the mystery,
otherwise known as the gospel of Jesus Christ. |
Click here to
contact LMM
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For though
I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity
is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the
gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward:
but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is
committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that,
when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ
without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.
1
Corinthians 9:16-18
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REMEMBER,
THE FOUR SYNOPTIC GOSPEL ACCOUNTS OF THE EARTHLY MINISTRY OF JESUS
CHRIST WERE WRITTEN
TO
ISRAEL UNDER THE LAW:
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SINCE
PROPHECY IS SUCH A HOT TOPIC THESE DAYS, DID YOU EVER WONDER WHAT THE
TRIBULATION SAINTS WILL STUDY AFTER THE BODY OF CHRIST IS RAPTURED?
Doctrine
for
The
Tribulation Saints after the rapture of the Body of Christ:
Here Israel is now back at the forefront under the law against the
imminent judgment and earthly return of The Messiah, Jesus Christ.
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1 For this cause I Paul, the
prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of
the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to
you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the
mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye
read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as
it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the
same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the
grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his
power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is
this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is
the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus
Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose
which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have
boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13
Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my
tribulations for you, which is your glory -
Ephesians 3:1-13 |
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 Where
Was
Darwin at
Virginia Tech?
By Pastor James T. Penney, Jr., Th.M.
Pastor of Falls Bible Church, Associate Professor of Theology,
St. Louis Theological Seminary
Once
again, the nightmare of every parent and grandparent has come to
pass. 28 students and 5 staff members were recently killed at
Virginia Tech University, including the gunman. 15 were wounded,
some critically. One of the staff members was Liviu Librescu,
76, who survived the holocaust perpetrated by Hitler upon the
Jews. He was here on a teaching visa, only to be killed in
America by a young man who was an immigrant himself, here on a
student visa.
Until
that Monday, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history was in
Killeen, Texas, in 1991, when George Hennard plowed his pickup
truck into Luby’s Cafeteria and shot 23 people to death, after
which he shot himself.
The
deadliest previous campus shooting in U.S. history took place in
1966 at the University of Texas, where Charles Whitman climbed
to the 28th-floor observation deck of a clock tower and opened
fire. He killed 16 people before he was gunned down by police.
After that,
we had Columbine in Littleton, CO where two young men
methodically went from class to class, executing their high
school classmates, especially those who professed to be
Christians. If I were a betting man, I would bet that not one of
those victims or their family members had in mind that this
would be their last day on earth. I doubt that
any one of them awoke and said that this would be a good day to
go to class and be shot.
At times
like this, one of the first questions that come to mind is this:
Where was God in all of this? If there is a God and He is in
Control, why do these kinds of things happen? The argument goes
something like this: either God is good but impotent and not in
control, or He is omnipotent but He is not all good. He cannot
be both all good and all
powerful; otherwise these things would not happen. In response
to those who pose the question “where was God,” I would counter
that the question is not where was God, but where
was Darwin? By Darwin I mean Darwinian philosophy and secular
humanism. I know where God was, but where was Darwin, because
it appears to me that this shooting is not a failure on the part
of God, but a failure on the part of secular humanism.
The
Psalmist tells us something about where God was during this
tragedy:
.1
Where can I go from
Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven,
You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost
parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night
shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide
from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the
light are both alike to You. -
Psalms 139:7-12
Where was God during this inexplicably evil act? He was there
all along, and He was a comfort to the extent that those
individuals allowed Him to be. But we are still left with the
nagging question of
why? Why do these things happen in our society?
Déjà Vu:
In 1968, conditions in the country were eerily similar to that
which we face in our country today. We were in the middle of an
unpopular war. The country was divided politically, culturally,
and morally. Young Americans were coming home in body bags.
President Johnson’s approval ratings were in two categories: Low
and lower. Bobby Kennedy was running for president, and in a
speech given in response to a request by the president
for an increase in troop levels, Kennedy questioned the wisdom
of sending more troops to Vietnam. At the end of the speech is
the following quote:
“You are the people, as President Kennedy said, who have ‘the
least ties to the present and the greatest ties to the future.’
I urge you to learn the harsh facts that lurk behind the mask of
official illusion with which we have concealed our true
circumstances, even from ourselves. Our country is in danger:
not just from foreign enemies; but above all, from our misguided
policies—and what they can do to the nation that Thomas
Jefferson once told us was the last, best hope of man. There is
a contest on, not for the rule of America, but for the heart of
America....I ask you to go forth and work for new policies—work
to change our direction—and thus restore our place at the point
of moral leadership, in our country, in our hearts, and all
around the world.”
Bold words. The last, best hope of man. One can only
wonder where he would have taken the country had he not been
assassinated. I don’t need to wonder however, about the kind of
country envisioned by those who heard his words that day, for it
is that generation that is among the ruling elite; from the
halls of Congress to the halls of the local school.
I don’t know what Bobby Kennedy had in mind when he quoted
Jefferson; but I know what his followers have done with the
country.
The first thing they did was:
Remove
God from the classroom: It’s ironic that when tragedy
strikes, people start questioning where God is, or why He
allowed a particular tragedy to happen. They treat God like
Superman, expecting him to stay hidden until they need him, at
which time He will pop out of a phone booth and come to the
rescue. God is not a God of force, but a God of love. Love
doesn’t force, and God doesn’t force Himself on any individual
or society. By removing God from the classroom and putting
Darwin in His place, America has removed the moral foundation of
our society. By removing God and His word, we have a whole
generation that has grown up on moral relativism; i.e. there are
no moral absolutes. When you have no moral absolutes, then you
have no right or wrong, nothing that is intrinsically evil or
good.
In 1987,
Allan Bloom wrote a book called THE CLOSING OF THE AMERICAN
MIND.2 In the introduction, he
wrote, “If there is one thing that a college professor may count
on among all of his students to believe, or think they believe,
is that all truth is relative” (Interesting that Bloom uses
an absolute to support relativism) Just one look
at the faces of those young people at Virginia Tech will tell
you how wrong Bloom was. At least for that one that day, they
were not moral relativists. There is an innate, moral sense that
tells us that certain acts are evil, no matter how much you try
to deny the existence of evil.
That act of violence perpetrated upon their fellow students and
teachers forced them to confront the stark face of evil. No one
can say that this kind of evil is culturally relative; i.e. it’s
evil here but not there.
On
Virginia Tech’s website, I noticed that they offer no courses in
theology or religion. All of the sciences are represented. There
is a
philosophy department, a psychology department, but nothing
about God or the Bible. None of those students deserved what
happened to
them. But I thought it was revealing that the first two murders
took place in a coed dormitory. If we have great
universities in America where there is nothing morally wrong
with unmarried young men
and women sharing the same dorm, then we have a moral crisis;
and I believe that we have just seen the tip of the
iceberg.
The Psalmist said it best in Psalm 53:1:
“The fool has said in his
heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and have done
abominable iniquity; There is none who does good.”
And Paul
reflects in Galatians. 6:7:
“Do not
be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he
will
also reap.”
While some might suggest
that Virginia Tech is proof that God is judging America for her
wickedness, under Grace we believe
we are simply reaping what we have sown. America has been sowing
the seed of Darwinian philosophy for at least the past 150
years, and
we are now reaping the whirlwind.
Thus, the
first step that led to Virginia Tech was removing God from the
classroom.
The
second step I have already alluded to, but consider, not only
did they remove God, they Replaced God with Darwin: What
I mean by that is in American schools, media, government and in
almost all of public life in America, God, and especially
Bible-based Christianity, has been systematically attacked and
ultimately removed. The result is the loss of a moral compass
and the distinction between right and wrong.
According to
marketreasearch.com, the average American child watches 8,000
murders and 100,000 acts of violence before finishing
elementary school. Darwin taught that only the fittest survive
and that nature is morally neutral. When you remove God and
replace
Him with the moral relativism of secular humanism, add the
constant exposure to violence, and you create monsters like
Jeffery Dahmer, and mass murderers like Cho Seng Hui. When you
remove the restraining influence of Christianity, the ethics of
Jesus in the Gospels and Paul in his epistles, you have a whole
generation who have been brainwashed to believe that nothing is
right or wrong within itself.
If you kill a child before
birth, that’s not morally wrong, but choice; if you crush its
skull and suck out its brains, that is protecting the
reproductive rights of the mother (thank the Lord partial birth
abortion was overturned recently by the Supreme Court). If you
assist old Uncle Homer in committing suicide, that’s called
mercy.
When you extend the
philosophy of secular humanism to its logical conclusion, you
have a society in which life has no value, and chaos
reigns. In order to keep society from imploding, society demands
more and more laws. It wasn’t long after the shooting that the
anti-gun lobby
was on the television. “If only we had stricter gun laws, this
wouldn’t have happened.”
This guy broke so many laws
already on the books, what makes the humanists think that adding
yet more laws will stem the tide of violence? The only hope for
our society in the dispensation of Grace is for the Body of
Christ to rise up and stand in the gap to stem the tide of evil
in our society. Our form of government was not created for the
atheist; it will never work outside of a Biblical worldview and
framework. Paul makes it clear in Galatians that no law, whether
written
on stone tablets or paper, can force a person to act morally.
Only a life led by the Spirit, can hope to, “crucify the flesh
and walk by the Spirit.”
You see, legislating morality isn’t the answer—Christ is the
answer!
Just because we are in a church building does not make us
immune. Recall the shootings at the church meeting in a motel in
Brookfield; or the shooting at a church in Milwaukee last year.
I saw the ranting of Cho Seng
Hui on the internet. It was obvious that he had come to the
point where he no longer valued life, neither his nor those that
he perceived as the source of his pain. He was a social outcast
who taped his plan for murder in advance. It wasn’t long after
NBC aired this rambling diatribe when the talking heads
were excusing his behavior based upon mental illness or a
chemical imbalance. The one word that was noticeably absent was
the word “evil.” In the absence of a transcendent God, in the
absence of an external standard, you cannot call those murders
evil. In Darwinian naturalism, there is no evil. Call it an
inconvenient truth; call it a
tragedy for the students and their families; but you can’t call
it evil. Evil implies the existence of transcendent good, and
when you replace
God with Darwin, you have lost all standards of ultimate good
and are left adrift on a morass of moral relativism.
I ask again, where was Darwin
at Virginia Tech? America has removed God from the classroom,
replaced God with Darwin, and in the face of a mass murderer,
Darwin was M.I.A. May I suggest that only Christianity explains
our moral outrage?3
It’s explained by the fact that we are created in God’s image
and that we have in us a sense of moral right and wrong. Paul
writes in Romans
2:14-15 concerning the Gentiles who did not have the
written Law:
“For when
Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in
the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to
themselves, who show the work of the law written in their
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between
themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”
Christianity also explains our desire for justice. We know
some things are morally wrong and are deserving of punishment.
We want to make a strong enough impression on the guilty that he
(or
observers of the case) doesn’t do it again. The NKJV has 135
verses that use the word “justice”; God is very interested in
justice.
Acts 17:31:
“He has
appointed a day on which He will judge the world
in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given
assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
The Greek word
for righteousness in this context is “justice” or “righteous
judging.”
Besides moral outrage and a
desire for justice, Christianity offers hope. Even
in the worst of situations, the person who has received the
grace of God in salvation has the hope of a future in which
death has no place. In the New Testament, hope is presented as
the assurance
of the future. We have the hope of eternal life—of that life
which has no room for death—by the resurrection of Jesus from
the dead.
The Apostle Peter wrote,
“Praise be to
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy
He has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
(1 Peter 1:3). Jesus proved that He has broken the
hold of death through His own death on the cross, breaking free
from the tomb and appearing live to hundreds of people. Because
He rose and conquered death, we who trust in Him will also.
Please go
to the third column " Darwin"
“For I am the least of the apostles, that am not
meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His
grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more
abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with
me”
1 Corinthians 15:9,10
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Today's World News
Damascus-
Shortly after the glorious
resurrection and ascension into heaven of the glorified Christ, God sent
His Holy Spirit to empower and strengthen believers amidst a time of
great and fierce persecution. At that time, a modern day Adolph Hitler,
Saul of Tarsus, whose name struck fear into the hearts of kingdom
saints, was wreaking havoc to all who would believe Jesus Christ was the
Son of God and Messiah of Israel! Saul of Tarsus was consenting to
the deaths of many saints while imprisoning others. He most recently
consented to the death of Stephen (Acts 7) as zealous followers laid the
bloodied clothes of the stoned saint at his feet!
Then, an event
occurred that changed how man would view God and his relationship with
Him until this very writing and onward until He calls us home through
death or the catching away of His saints otherwise known as the rapture! Follow along as we investigate
how God would move again in the course of man's history and change His
dealings with mankind using a figure in history least expected......
Acts
9
1 And Saul, yet
breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the
Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to
Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether
they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
In verses 1 and 2 Saul increased (yet) the threatening and
murder in opposition of the disciples of Jesus Christ. The word
"breathing" used here describes that Saul's purpose in life, the reason
he took his breath was to exterminate those referred to as "The Way".
Friends, we cannot mince words on the persecution that Saul caused to
those beloved kingdom saints (saints who waited for the return of Jesus
and the establishment of the kingdom on earth -
RICK). In Acts 8:2
the bible tells us that Saul "wreaked havoc" or in other words
he:
-
He affixed a stigma to it.
-
He dishonored it
-
He defiled it.
-
He spotted it.
-
He treated it shamefully
-
He laid it to ruin.
-
He ravaged it.
-
He devastated it.
In addition, he took with him letters from the Jewish High Priest to
send to religious rulers at Damascus in order to persecute those saints
who lived (what Paul later referred to as "strange cites") in cities
beyond even Jerusalem. It was also Saul's intention to bring these
saints back to Jerusalem so that if he found any of "this way" he would
bring them back bound; man or woman! Read Paul's own account below:
And I
persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons
both men and women. 5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and
all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the
brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound
unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. -
Acts 22: 4,5
It is of special interest to note that more information is available to
bible students in addition to what we read in Acts 9 about Saul's
conversion. Acts 22 and Acts 26 give us an inside slant on
more events that occurred that are awesome and insightful indeed!
3 And as he journeyed,
he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light
from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto
him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
At around noon (ref. Acts 22:6) EDT (Eastern Desert Time) a light shined
round about him from heaven. It was a great light, a light that shined...
5 And he said, Who art
thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and
astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said
unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what
thou must do. 7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless,
hearing a voice, but seeing no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and
when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand,
and brought him into Damascus.
A
stunned, Saul asked; "Who art thou Lord"". I can only imagine the
astonishment in Saul when he heard that it was The One of whom he
had indeed been persecuting that was speaking to him! Further,
Christ identifies Himself as Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 22:8) and tells
Saul it is hard to kick against a pricks (Greek
kentron
- a sting; of bees, scorpions, or
locusts) or hard to kick against
something that hurts or injured.
I
often thought about whether Christ was implying that Saul was beginning
to be convicted of the harm he was doing to the kingdom saints. But in
fact other definitions of this word (an
iron goad, for urging on oxen, horses and other beasts of burden)
show us that Our Lord was telling Saul that this painful and ruinous
resistance is in vain! was that (Please note: The distinction I
am referring to when talking about kingdom saints is purely intentional.
These saints were waiting for Christ to establish the
kingdom as He promised to Israel and part of that program. -
RICK)
The bible tells us that the men who were with Saul stood speechless but
in verse 9 of Acts 22 Paul recounts his conversion on the
steps of a Jerusalem castle. He tells the people that when Christ
appeared to him, the men heard a voice and were afraid. Those men heard
"a voice" but did not hear what Jesus Christ was saying to Saul in the
middle of the desert (Re-read Acts 9:7 and Acts 22:9).
Saul (soon to be Paul) arose (verse 8) from the earth but when he
opened his eyes he saw no man and was in fact blinded as those with him
took him by the hand into Damascus.
10 And I said, What
shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into
Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are
appointed for thee to do. 11 And when I could not see for the glory of
that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into
Damascus. -
Acts 22:10,11
Many bible teachers make the error in believing that Paul received
ALL of the revelation of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus based
on Acts 22:10. What the Lord said unto Saul was to arise, go into
Damascus and there it shall be told thee of all things which are
appointed to do. What Christ meant here is that Saul would be instructed
as to what to do next...and the man to do that was Ananias!
12 And one Ananias, a
devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews
which dwelt there, 13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother
Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. 14 And
he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest
know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of
his mouth. 15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou
hast seen and heard. 16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. -
Acts 22:12-16
9 And he was three days without sight,
and neither did eat nor drink. 10 And there was a certain disciple at
Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias.
And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
Notice,
Ananias did not freak out here and warmly answered the Lord knowing
fully that God was dealing with man audibly and through miracles. It is
also interesting to note that we do not read about the testimony of
Ananias until Paul later describes him in Acts 22:
And
one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of
all the Jews which dwelt there, -
Acts 22:12
As we
read verses 11 through 14 Ananias was not too excited about the thought
of confronting this madman.
11 And the Lord said
unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and
enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for,
behold, he prayeth, 12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias
coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how
much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 And here he hath
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
The Lord's
first instructions were for Ananias to arise and go to Straight Avenue
and enquire in the house of Judas about Saul who would be in prayer.
During his prayer, Saul will see a vision from God concerning
Ananias....this man would put his hands upon him.
Understandably
so, Ananias told the Lord that he had 'heard by many' the havoc Saul was
wreaking across the region and how much evil (Greek:
kakos - of a bad nature, of a mode of thinking, feeling, acting,
troublesome, injurious, pernicious, destructive, baneful)
he had done to the saints at Jerusalem. In addition, Ananias did not
want to be one of those bound and sent to prison by Saul or the chief
priests. The Lord did not hit Ananias with dumbness as he had done
earlier with Zacharias and as recorded in Luke 1 being merciful and
understanding of his caution given Saul's destructive ways. Also,
Ananias would be used by God to witness to Saul and validate what had
been revealed to him in the desert.
15 But the Lord said
unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name
before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 For I
will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.
The Lord in fact comforted Ananias by telling him:
-
Saul was a chosen vessel unto Him (Jesus
Christ)
-
Saul would bear His name before the
Gentiles, kings and the Children of Israel
-
Saul would be shown great things in his
suffering for the namesake of Jesus Christ
Notice that Ananias does not comment on how Christ switched around the
order of "to whom" He would be revealed: the Gentiles, kings and the
children of Israel. Instead, Ananias had heard what he needed
to hear and went on his way.
17 And Ananias went
his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said,
Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way
as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and
be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Saul
received a double-witness to what had recently occurred in his life.
Just moments earlier, his life's purpose was to do harm to those that
preached Christ. Up until his encounter with The Risen Lord Jesus
Christ, Saul of Tarsus had letters in his hands and was ready to take
them to the chief priests in order to wreak further havoc to the kingdom
saints beyond even Jerusalem!
Now Ananias put his hands on Saul. How Ananias did this is also
significant as noted in the Greek
word for "hands" which is cheir:
-
By
the help or agency of any one, by means of any one
-
Figuratively
applied to God symbolizing His might, activity, power
a)
in creating the universe
b) in upholding
& preserving (God is present protecting and aiding one)
d) in
determining and controlling the destinies of men
God
is quite involved here in the ordainment of the chief of sinners
as the laying on of hands here
is by the agency of His work! As inspired by God,
Ananias calls Saul brother (adelphos
- as a brother in Christ)
and confirms what had just happened to him letting him know that the
Lord....yes Lord Jesus Christ.....the same One that appeared to you came
to me so that you would receive your sight AND be filled with The Holy
Spirit. Friends, Saul who would become Paul the apostle of grace was
quickly getting an indoctrination of the Tri-Unity of God!
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COFFEE
CORNER
Be Coachable!
- David C. Egner
Casey Seymour, a
successful soccer player and coach, notes that everyone
on his team hates the 10-by-100 drill that ends
practice. Before the men can leave the field, they must
run 100 yards 10 times at full speed with minimal rest.
If they don't beat a prescribed time, they have to do it
again.
The players hate it-until the day of the game. Then they
find that they can play at full capacity for the entire
match. Their effort has been rewarded with a
championship!
The apostle Paul used metaphors of training and
competition in his letters. While he was a missionary to
the Gentiles, he submitted to the instructions and
drills of God amid great suffering and hardship. Twice
in Philippians 4, he said,
"I
have learned"
(vv.11-12). For him, and for each of us, following Paul
as he followed (insert that scripture) Jesus is a
lifelong learning process. We are not spiritually mature
the day we are saved, any more than a schoolboy athlete
is ready for professional soccer. We grow in faith as we
allow God through His Word and the Holy Spirit to
empower us to serve Him.
Through hardship, Paul learned to serve God well-and so
can we. It's not pleasant, but it is rewarding! The more
teachable we are, the more mature we will become. As
members of Christ's team, let's be coachable.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there
be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both
learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do:
and the God of peace shall be with you. 10 But I
rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your
care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also
careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak
in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever
state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how
to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and
in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be
hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do
all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 14
Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did
communicate with my affliction. 15 Now ye Philippians
know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I
departed from Macedonia, no
church communicated with me as concerning giving and
receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye
sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I
desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to
your account. 18 But I have all, and abound: I am full,
having received of Epaphroditus the things
which were sent from you,
an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable,
wellpleasing to God. 19 But my God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. -
Philippians
4:8-19
In His Service
by Paul M. Sadler
Scripture Reading:
"I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God."
-
Romans 12:1,2
As we stand on the
threshold of another new year, we should stand ready to
serve the Lord in whatever capacity He has called us.
Time is precious! Isaac Watts once said: "Time, like an
ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away." Unlike
eternity, everything in this life has a beginning and an
end, as Solomon reminds us:
"To
every thing there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time
to die" (Eccl. 3:1,2).
In the natural course of things, life and death are in
God's control. But what takes place between these two
monumental events will have a bearing upon us throughout
eternity. Life is the dash that appears between the
dates on every tombstone. And that little dash speaks
volumes. For some it marks a conversion to Christ and
all the spiritual benefits that come with it. But for
others it is a chronicle of rejection and rebellion
against God, with no hope of reprieve. Which is true of
you? If the latter, there's still time to trust Christ
and flee the wrath to come.
The question is, what
will we do with the remaining time that's left before
our dash is etched in stone? Paul says,
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but
this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13,14).
This passage has always amazed me. After 30 plus years
of serving the Lord, Paul was still pressing toward the
goal. He refused to allow the past to influence his life
-- whether it was past failures or accomplishments. God
has done a wonderful work here at BBS through the years,
but we must not dwell upon past accomplishments or
failures.
Like Paul, we must press forward toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God.
In the new year, may
it be our desire that we might "know Christ," that is,
more fully, and experience the power of His
resurrection. There is still much to be done, but with
your help, we can leave a legacy of grace that will be
long remembered after we lie in the dust of the earth.
THE APOSTLE OF
GRACE
by Russell S. Miller
“How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory:
yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities” (IICor.12:4,5).
When the world was ripe for the judgment of God to fall upon it, the
Lord Jesus Christ in mercy and grace reached down to save “the chief of
sinners,” and in so doing God “shewed forth all longsuffering” to a lost
and dying world.
“And [Saul] trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me
to do?” (Acts 9:6).
It is most touching, after being caught up to the third heaven
(IICor.12:1-7), that this once proud Pharisee should speak most humbly
of the Christ who had saved him from such an eternal loss, making him
“the Apostle of grace.” In a number of passages Paul speaks with such
gratitude of the matchless grace of God and his own unworthiness:
“For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews religion,
how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
“And profited in the Jews religion above many my equals in mine own
nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers”
(Gal.1:13,14).
“For I am the least of the apostles, that am not
meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His
grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more
abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with
me”
1 Corinthians 15:9,10
In Ephesians 3:7, the Apostle tells us that he is “made a minister,
according to the gift of the grace of God, given unto me by the
effectual working of His power.
“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints,
is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ”
-Ephesians
3:8
And Paul’s apostleship is further confirmed in I Timothy 2:7:
“Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an
apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the
Gentiles in faith and verity.”
The theme of Paul’s epistles is “Grace be to you, and peace, from God
our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph.1:2). This is why Paul
is “the Apostle of grace.”
___________________________
Where was Darwin (con't)
And there, as the English
say, “is the rub.” Only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as
Savior have that assurance. We leave it in the hands of a
merciful God as to whether an individual was saved or not. But I
can’t help wondering if anyone ever talked to the gunman about
Jesus Christ. Imagine how different things might be today had he
become a Christian years ago.
Thus we see the inevitable
spiral of doom that led to this tragedy. God was kicked out of
the classroom and was replaced with Darwin. And
where was Darwin that day? He was noticeably absent as
the students were jumping out the window; as their classmates
were being murdered; and as the cries of the wounded resounded
through the building.
In addition to students and
faculty, four things died at Virginia Tech, at least for that
one day: 4 1. Secularism
died. Even the secular university held a memorial service,
and they invited every kind of religious representative they
could think of. Noticeably absent was Darwin. 2. The
second thing that died was blind optimism. The
idea that humans are getting better and better. There is still
resident within us the capacity to do tremendous evil.
Noticeably absent was
Darwin. 3. The third thing that died was euphemism.
Trying to call what happened something other than what it is. A
good example
of secular euphemism would be to call the murderer at Virginia
Tech a disturbed young man. That he was, but what he did was
absolute evil by any decent standard. Noticeably absent was
Darwin. 4. The last victim of Virginia Tech was
relativism. All of the moral relativist professors on that
campus who taught that morality is relative to culture or
situation were silenced that day. Look at the crying faces of
those students on that campus. If they were, they are no longer
moral relativists. They would not argue that what happened there
was not wrong, or that it might be alright if it happened in
another culture, and oh yes, Darwin was noticeably absent.
I would love to say that our
country has finally learned the lesson of leaving a Biblical
world view, but I am not that optimistic. I did not find one
secular pundit who called for a return to a sane society based
upon the Bible. Where was Darwin at Virginia Tech? He and his
followers were on the sidelines, watching as the fruit of their
philosophy played itself out. May God comfort the families of
those poor young people, and may He help America return to its
Christian roots, and in this way help prevent further Virginia
Techs.
____________________________________
Endnotes
1. All Scripture references are from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION,
Nelson,
(Nashville, 1979).
2. Bloom, Allen, THE CLOSING OF THE AMERICAN MIND,
Simon and Schuster,
(New York, 1987).
3. From Lane Palmer, A PASTORAL RESPONSE TO AN UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY,
www.dare2share.org,
(2007).
4. Ibid.
|
Does the
bible seem contradictory? |
|
Does God
get mad at us today? |
|
Evolution? You
are kidding me right? |
|
Is water
baptism relevant today? |
"Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from
this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father."
|
been revoked".
Joe
knew that this could be a major problem in that he would not be able
to get his work completed without access to area XYZ! However, after
further review of the e-mail, the man quickly discovered that he was
not the intended recipient but instead "copied" or "cc'd" as a
reference only! As it turns out, a collogue of his was the man who lost
his access! Joe, as the superintendent of area XYZ, simply needed to
be aware of this. For a brief moment, Joe confused his TO
mail with his CC mail. Not understanding that distinction for
those brief seconds after reading the message caused severe anxiety for
Joe until he realized the message was indeed TO someone else!
In a much similar example, when
we
read the bible, identifying our TO
mail is very important lest
we make the same fundamental mistake as the person above. Without
understanding the distinction between our "to" mail and our
"cc" or our "reference only" mail, believers inadvertently
"read themselves" into areas of the bible that God did not intend.
The result when this happens: confusion!
(see
