Category: God: The Father, the Son Jesus Christ, & the Holy Ghost

Christ Crucified

Monday, September 26, 2011

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2 KJV).

Christ’s cross is seldom preached in Christendom’s “praise and worship” meetings. We Bereans know Christ crucified, yet religion emphasizes everything but. Most churches stress Jesus’ teachings and miracles, but our salvation is not found in anything that Jesus preached during His earthly ministry. Christ ministered to Jews under the Law (Matthew 15:24; Romans 15:8; Galatians 4:4,5). We are neither Jews nor under the Law (Romans 6:14,15; Romans 11:11; Galatians 2:16,20; Galatians 3:28).

Many claim to “follow Jesus”—but, which Jesus? The Bible speaks of “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4); the “Jesus” of religion (the Four Gospel Records) is not the Jesus God wants us following today. We follow Jesus Christ as our Apostle Paul followed Him.

Paul did not follow Christ after His earthly ministry: “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Today, in the Dispensation of Grace, we follow Christ according to His heavenly ministry as described only in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon.

Recently, a clergyman used his weekly column to voice his concern in my local newspaper. Why was he so distressed? That souls were going to hell? No! His column’s theme was that he feared cigarette butts were greatly polluting our streets! There was not one word about how to be saved by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Not one word about Calvary’s cross or Christ’s shed blood. Sad.

What did our Apostle Paul preach? “Save the planet?” Christ’s earthly ministry? No, today’s Scripture says he preached, “Christ crucified.” Today, the message of Christ’s cross is the foremost issue, not His earthly ministry. Paul’s Gospel—Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). This message, the Gospel of the Grace of God, is the most important message we proclaim, for it alone is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16b).

The Precious Blood of Christ

Friday, September 23, 2011

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” (1 Peter 1:18,19 KJV).

The term “redeem” means “to buy something back that which was originally yours.” When God created Adam (the first man), mankind was in complete fellowship with God. There was no sin or death. That all changed when Adam disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6,7). Sin had ruined God’s perfect creation. There, in Eden, God lost the human race to sin and mankind became part of Satan’s policy of evil, “the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 2:2).

Coming up through the Scriptures, we see God setting His plan into motion. Somehow He would redeem man, and restore the fellowship He and man had once shared. God purposed in Himself to die for man—God would become a man to shed His sinless blood for our sins. The sinless Son of God, Jesus Christ, has “purchased us with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

First and foremost, Jesus Christ died to redeem the nation Israel (today’s Scripture). Matthew 20:28: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many [Israel]” (cf. Luke 1:68). But, 1 Timothy 2:5,6 says: “the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” When we come to Paul’s ministry (“in due time;” see verse 7), God reveals that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for Israel and for everyone else (us Gentiles!).

Just as God will restore Israel at Christ’s Second Coming (Acts 3:18-21; Romans 11:26-29), Christ has restored us unto Himself now: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law…” (Galatians 3:13). If you have not done so, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, His dying for your sins, His burial, and His resurrection for your justification, and God will save you forever.

The Scientifically Accurate Bible

Thursday, September 22, 2011

“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves” (Revelation 11:9 KJV).

Many wrongly assume the Bible is anti-science. Actually, the Bible and science disagree because sinful mankind has manipulated science to make it anti-Bible. The Bible is not against science; that is, testable, repeatable analyses of creation’s systems. However, the Bible is opposed to speculative arguments (theories) that glorify man’s “wisdom” (1 Corinthians 3:19; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Timothy 6:20,21).

Today’s Scripture, written 2,000 years ago, is one demonstration of the Bible’s scientific accuracy. Verses 10-12 speak of dead bodies lying in Jerusalem’s streets, and ultimately ascending into heaven. The Bible also says that the whole world will witness these events. Undoubtedly, the Bible predicted satellite television and the internet!

  • Nineteenth-century oceanographer Matthew Maury discovered “the paths of the seas” of Psalm 8:8—written 3,000 years ago—was actually a reference to ocean currents!
  • Isaiah 40:22 speaks of “the circle of the earth,” a 2,700-year-old explanation for a round earth! This verse also speaks of an expanding universe, discovered just a century ago!
  • How did King David know that Earth had a North-South axis, with East and West never intersecting (Psalm 103:12)?
  • Genesis 2:7 says God formed Adam’s body from “the dust of the ground.” Medical science confirms that elements found in earth’s crust—magnesium, calcium, oxygen, potassium, et cetera—are also present in our bodies!
  • Leviticus 15:13 commands the sick to wash their flesh in “running water.” (As opposed to bathing in unsanitary stagnant water. Until 1850, doctors did not realize the importance of handwashing in water to reduce or kill germs.)
  • Why did God demand male Jewish babies be circumcised on the eighth day in Leviticus 12:3? Because the baby’s immune system reaches its peak on day eight!
  • Job 28:25, written 3,500 years ago, makes reference to the “weight for the winds.” Air mass!

The Bible is God’s Book, so it teaches science with God’s authority. The Bible is amazing, millennia ahead of modern “science!”

Ask and Ye Shall Receive?

Friday, September 16, 2011

“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23,24 KJV).

Unanswered prayer is confusing. Have you ever prayed to God for something, and yet you never received it? Why did today’s Scripture not work? Did God lie? Not at all. Dispensational Bible study dispels confusion and doubt: today’s Scripture was not spoken to us. Jesus Christ in His earthly ministry spoke exclusively to Israel (Matthew 15:24; John 4:22; Romans 15:8).

Faith healers and prosperity preachers enjoy Matthew 18:19: “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” This too has nothing to do with us Gentiles: it belongs to Israel’s apostles.

If you pray according to today’s Scripture (or Matthew 7:7; Matthew 18:19; etc.), and do not receive what you prayed for, it is not because the Bible has mistakes, or because God does not love you, or because you had too little faith. God demonstrated His love for us, fully and clearly, at the cross of Calvary. These verses do not work today because God did not speak them to us. God is not doing today what He did with Israel in time past.

When our Apostle Paul prayed three times for the Lord to deliver him from his “thorn in the flesh,” Jesus Christ answered “No” three times (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Why did today’s Scripture not work for Paul? Again, today’s Scripture was spoken to Israel, not to Paul and us in this Dispensation of Grace.

Saints, while God will not answer our prayers in the same way He answered Israel’s prayers, He does hear our prayers. Regardless of what happens, we have “the peace of God which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:6,7).

Believers and Unbelievers

Thursday, September 15, 2011

“And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not” (Acts 28:24 KJV).

Near the close of Acts chapter 28, the Apostle Paul, who is under house arrest in Rome, invites chief leaders of the Jews (verse 17) to hear him teach the Old Testament. Verse 23 says Paul “expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening” (verse 23). Today’s Scripture says some Jews believed God’s Word, and some did not believe.

In Acts 4:4, “many of them which heard the word believed.” While about 5,000 believed, many did not believe. Acts 14:1,2 and Acts 17:4,5 speak of believing Jews and Gentiles, but also mention unbelieving Jews disrupting the ministry work of Paul, Barnabas, and Silas. According to Acts 17:32, some mocked Paul, but verse 34 says that “certain men clave unto him, and believed….”

Many of Israel’s religious leaders refused to believe John the Baptist’s message (Luke 7:29,30; Luke 20:4-7). In fact, some never believed the words spoken by the Lord Himself! “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (John 6:64).

John 12:37-40 says: “But though he [Jesus] had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: that the saying of Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report?…”

When you share the message of God’s grace to us in Christ Jesus, some will believe but many will not believe. Be not discouraged if they refuse to hear you and believe God’s Word. Most have always refused to receive—let alone believe—God’s Word. Remember that the multitudes never believed the Lord Jesus and His apostles when they preached, but they still preached to reach those who did want to believe. So, for the sakes of those who will respond to God’s Word by faith, but have not yet believed, we continue in the ministry!

Trust in the LORD

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6 KJV).

What is the basis for your worldview? Who (or what) is your final authority? What gives you guidance in life? In our world of “glorified fools” and “educated ignoramuses,” Christians can quite easily fall prey to the “wisdom” of human viewpoint.

Human viewpoint seems wise and authoritative, yet the Bible pronounces, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19a). Paul admonished the Corinthians: “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:5). The Holy Ghost through Paul warned the Colossian believers: “Beware lest any man spoil [rob] you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

Today’s Scripture reaffirms what the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” We are so wicked we even deceive ourselves! We should not trust in ourselves or anyone like us; therefore, we need to trust in the LORD.

All aspects of your life should be lived with God’s will in mind. So, how will God “direct your paths?” In Psalm 119:105, the Bible says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” The Bible is our guidebook, the only Book that God wrote: “we have the mind of Christ” in the form of the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:16).

King David wrote (Psalm 62:7,8): “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”

May we always trust in the King James Bible rightly divided, and not rely on our intellects, or anyone else’s human viewpoint. May we always trust in the LORD!

The Salvation of the Lord

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32 KJV).

Simeon, a believer dwelling in Jerusalem, had been “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (verse 25). By faith, he anticipated the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of Israel’s coming Messiah-King and kingdom. The Holy Ghost revealed to him that “he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (verse 26). In verse 27, the Holy Ghost compels Simeon to go to the Temple. There he encounters Joseph and Mary presenting 41-day-old baby Jesus to the Lord (verses 21,22).

Simeon picks up baby Jesus and holds Him (verse 28)! Can you imagine holding your Creator as an infant? Wow! Simeon blessed God, and then spoke the words of today’s Scripture. He has seen His Messiah (Christ), “a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of [God’s] people Israel.” Finally having beheld his King Jesus, Simeon is comforted and can now die peacefully.

God’s purpose in forming the nation Israel was to bless the nations (Gentiles) through Israel in her kingdom (Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 61:6). Isaiah 60:1-3 speaks of Israel in her kingdom, with her Messiah ruling: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee… the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

Through Simeon, the Holy Ghost declared that Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled with the birth of Jesus Christ. Now that her Messiah is born, Israel can finally inherit her kingdom and be the channel of God’s blessings to Gentiles. Sadly, Israel rejected and crucified Jesus Christ, and that kingdom has yet to be set up.

At Christ’s Second Coming, Israel’s kingdom will finally be established on earth. Then, all the world will see “the salvation of the Lord!”

Demas, a Reverted Saint

Monday, September 12, 2011

“Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia” (2 Timothy 4:9,10 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is found near the conclusion of Paul’s final epistle. Recall that Paul is imprisoned and awaiting execution. He urges Timothy to come visit him in Rome, for “only Luke is with me” (verse 11). Beside Luke and the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul is alone. Today’s Scripture tells us that Titus, Crescens, and Demas have left. While we know not why Titus and Crescens are absent, Demas’ nonattendance is (sadly) explained.

Years earlier, Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse. One of his concluding remarks was, “Demas, greet you” (Colossians 4:14). He also wrote in Philemon 1:24 that Demas was one of his “fellow-labourers.”

Today’s Scripture says Demas “loved this present world”—that is not a good thing. Galatians 1:4 speaks of “this present evil world.” The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:4 that Satan is “the god of this world.” Demas had been helpful to Paul in the ministry, but as the years lapsed, Demas lost interest in the things of God.

Demas, evidently, reverted to his former lifestyle. Something evil had captivated his attention, and he abandoned Paul. Instead of standing beside his brothers in Christ, Luke and Paul, Demas fled Rome and was now in Thessalonica. While Demas never lost his salvation, he did trade his eternal wealth in Christ for the cheap, empty “pleasures” of this evil world.

How sad it is to see newly saved people return to their old, wild lifestyles. It is quite tragic to see children raised in the grace movement who later, as adults, abandon the rightly divided King James Bible for religion or a perverted modern Bible.

We need to “hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21b). Let Christ live His life in and through you as you study and believe the King James Bible rightly divided, and you will not end up like poor Demas, who discarded God’s riches for the world’s rubbish.

Remembering the 10th Anniversary of 9/11

Sunday, September 11, 2011

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18,19 KJV).

It is difficult to fathom that today marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On that dreadful day, over 3,000 Americans perished. Amidst the heartache, I recall many preachers piously screaming, “God’s judgment and wrath has come on America!” God’s promise to Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14 was flippantly quoted as though it were God’s message to America. Sinful men, not God, orchestrated the events of 9/11.

All nations, not just the United States, abound with greed, dishonesty, unbelief, violence, and fornication, and all are worthy of God’s wrath. However, today’s Scripture says that, in this the Dispensation of Grace, God is “not imputing [applying] their trespasses unto them.” Today, God’s attitude toward the world is “grace and peace,” not wrath and war. This is why Paul’s epistles open with “grace and peace.”

God in His grace is postponing His wrath (2 Peter 3:9), but the day is coming when this dispensation will conclude. Only then will God pour out His wrath on unbelieving mankind. Thankfully, we Christians will be raptured out before that period of wrath begins (1 Thessalonians 1:9,10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Currently, God is not condemning the world for their sins. Rather He extends His grace to all the world through Jesus Christ, His shed blood, His death, His burial, and His resurrection (Paul’s Gospel, the Gospel of Grace; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Through Christ’s shed blood, God in His grace offers His forgiveness to everyone (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14). But, only when we trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour does God apply (“imputes”) His righteousness and salvation to us. How many of the 9/11 victims were ready to die? Few.  Do not put off salvation; you are not guaranteed tomorrow. Please trust in Jesus Christ today.

-IN MEMORIAM-
The victims of 9/11/2001

-IN DEDICATION-
All those affected by 9/11/2001

*This is excerpted from a larger Bible study titled “September 11, 2001: The 10th Anniversary.” The Bible study can be read here.

Two Extreme Ministries

Saturday, September 10, 2011

“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” (Galatians 1:13,14 KJV).

Saul of Tarsus, a religious fanatic, hated Jesus Christ. According to Philippians 3:5, Saul was a Pharisee, a religious leader in Israel, and a member of the Sanhedrin (Israel’s governing religious council). If Saul heard you had trusted in Jesus Christ, he wanted you imprisoned or dead (Acts 26:9-11)!

Jesus of Nazareth threatened his religion, so Saul personally made sure Jesus’ followers deeply suffered (see today’s Scripture). In a great persecution immediately following the prophet Stephen’s death, which Saul encouraged, Saul forced every Jewish believer in Jesus out of Jerusalem, except for the twelve apostles (Acts 8:1).

As angry Saul was heading north to Damascus, to arrest any Jewish believers in Christ there, the Lord Jesus from heaven suddenly struck down Saul and saved him in His grace and mercy (Acts 9:1-8)! Saul’s fanatical ministry against Jesus Christ was eternally “out of commission;” his fanatical ministry for Jesus Christ had “come into commission!”

For the next 35 years, Saul of Tarsus (now the Apostle Paul) served and preached Jesus Christ, the very Person he had so hated (Acts 9:21): “But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name [Jesus Christ] in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?” Galatians 1:23: “…That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.”

Until his death, Paul tirelessly preached God’s grace and Christ crucified, suffering greatly for Christ’s name (2 Corinthians 11:22-28). Paul was once known for his zeal against Jesus Christ. But, even to this day, he is known for his zeal for Jesus Christ.

By faith, we follow our Apostle, considering the name “Bible fanatics” a privilege. 🙂