Category: Christian brethren

God’s Family #2

Sunday, February 2, 2014

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19 KJV).

How enjoyable it is to fellowship with other members of God’s family!

Recently, I ministered to a dear Christian brother via phone, a man who enjoyed our blog. Little did either of us know, in just a few days (yesterday), he would lose his battle with cancer. His absence genders sadness, yet joy fills our hearts because we know that he is free from his pain and suffering, and finally at peace. He saw his Lord Jesus Christ!

More recently, I ministered to a dear Christian brother who, some months ago, lost his wife of 55 years to prolonged illness. This brother and I, still saddened by her passing, nevertheless rejoiced in that she too is free from her pain and suffering, and finally at peace as well. She saw her Lord Jesus Christ!

The Bible likens Christians of this the Dispensation of Grace unto a body, what it calls “the Church the Body of Christ.” Just as our physical bodies are made of many body parts, the Body of Christ has many members. Both bodies function as one because their members are so intricately connected. Thus, when one Christian cries, we should cry with him or her. When one member rejoices, we should rejoice with him or her. This is what family does.

“That there should be no schism [division] in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (1 Corinthians 12:25-27).

As biological brothers and sisters look after one another, so should members of the Body of Christ. Even in the grimmest of circumstances, meeting with and conversing with like-minded believers in Christ is very encouraging and refreshing. While we can no longer converse or fellowship with those Christians who have passed on, we anticipate the great day when we fellowship with them again….

-IN MEMORIAM-
Mr. G. F.

God’s Family #1

Saturday, February 1, 2014

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19 KJV).

How enjoyable it is to fellowship with other members of God’s family!

Recently, I met an out-of-state individual who was distributing Gospel tracts on my university’s campus. Although we had never met before, and there was a considerable age difference between us, this Christian brother and I had such wonderful fellowship around the King James Bible rightly divided. It was very edifying for both of us, so I was sorely disappointed that I could not stay longer. Beloved, this is exactly how Christian fellowship should be, since the same Holy Spirit indwells us both.

The Bible says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). As in any family, we should be especially kind to and caring for fellow saints (our spiritual siblings). Unfortunately, as in any family, there is petty bickering, immaturity, sibling rivalry, and even more serious issues in the Body of Christ, so this fellowship can be greatly hindered or even impossible.

In the context of today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul is reminding us that, when God was dealing with the nation Israel, we Gentiles were “without Christ… without God in the world” (verses 11,12). As lost people headed for eternal hellfire, we were “of [our] father the devil” (John 8:44), we “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and we were under “the power of darkness” (Colossians 1:13).

That all changed when the Dispensation of Grace began and when we realized our lost estate. We decided to trust exclusively in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork as sufficient payment for our sins. The day we were saved unto eternal life, God became our Father (Galatians 3:26), and other people who had trusted Christ prior, whether living or deceased, became our spiritual brothers and sisters (today’s Scripture; cf. Ephesians 3:15).

Saints, let us remember to get to know each other now, because we, as God’s family, are living together, both now and forever….

‘Twas the Sunday Night Before Christmas

Sunday, December 22, 2013

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15 KJV).

Let us not be so sidetracked by religion and commercialization that we miss the reason for the Christmas Season….

During the Christmas Season, we wonder how many people are visiting church for the second time this year (the other being Easter Sunday). How many will be going to church today—the Sunday before Christmas—just to feel “religious” or “holy?” How many really know Jesus Christ? For many, visiting a church building is just an obligation; they do not have faith in God’s Word and have no interest in God’s Word.

We do not go to church to “feel closer to God,” for if we have trusted in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, we cannot be any closer to God than we already are in Christ! “[Before salvation, we were] without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh [close to God] by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:12,13).

Furthermore, we do not go to church in order to get God’s blessings, for God has already given us “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We go to church, not because we are keeping Israel’s Sabbath day, since we are not obligated to observe Israel’s religious days (Colossians 2:16). We go to church to fellowship with like-minded believers and hear sound doctrine… more than twice a year, by the way.

In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy that whenever he would assemble with fellow Christians, certain behavior was acceptable and other types of behavior were not (described throughout the epistle of 1 Timothy). Recall that when the Bible refers to “the church,” it refers to the body of believers, not the physical building in which they meet.

As we get opportunities, let us make an effort to reach these dear souls misled by all the vain religious tradition and Christmas commercialization, and may we tell them of the wonderful Christ Jesus whose name is found in Christmas!

*Based on the poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Attend a Grace Bible Conference!

Friday, November 29, 2013

“Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:13 KJV).

Before attending a grace Bible conference today, I will briefly discuss what such gatherings are all about.

The Apostle Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus (modern-day western Turkey). According to chapter 1 (verses 3-11), he charged Timothy to address a major doctrinal issue—legalism. Today’s Scripture communicates some of Paul’s instructions to Timothy until he could come and personally assist Timothy in Ephesus.

Timothy was to pay attention to three specific areas of ministry, and today’s Scripture lists them: “reading,” “exhortation,” and “doctrine.” When we Pauline dispensationalists (or “grace believers”) assemble, we do so to read and study God’s Word God’s way, to encourage one another to study and believe God’s Word God’s way, and to uphold and proclaim the doctrine that we learn when we study God’s Word God’s way.

Stated another way, we fellowship around three basic ideas that guard us against the errors in Ephesus (the same threats to our Christian lives today):

  1. FINAL AUTHORITY: We believe in the inerrancy and authority of the King James Bible—God’s preserved Word for us as English-speaking people.
  2. SOUL SALVATION: We believe in the sufficiency of the Gospel of the Grace of God—that Jesus Christ died and shed His sinless blood to pay for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised again the third day for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).
  3. DAILY LIVING: We believe in the validity of the grace life—the doctrines of grace and their resultant manner of living that the ascended and glorified Jesus Christ first committed to the Apostle Paul (found in his epistles, Romans through Philemon).

We do not rely on the modern English “bible” versions for reading. We do not trust in works-religion for soul salvation from sins and hell. We do not believe in legalism (Mosaic law-keeping) as the operating system for the Christian life.

In short, we seek God’s approval, not a denomination’s approval.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 KJB

NOTE: I plan on video-recording the aforementioned grace Bible conference and uploading the footage to our YouTube channel. Updates will follow in the coming weeks.

As We Tarry Here and Long for There #4

Friday, November 15, 2013

“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23,24 KJV).

Before we go on to the next world, we must tarry in this one….

Paul demonstrated Jesus Christ’s selflessness (after all, Jesus Christ was operating in and through Paul). He knew firsthand that to be with his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was “far better” than sitting in a Roman prison awaiting execution. Nevertheless, Paul knew that it was in the best interest of his audience—the Gentile Christians in Philippi—that he remain in this evil world.

Beloved, we must learn as Paul did, that there is more to the Christian life than seeking our best interest. Paul could have died, gone to heaven to be with Christ, and been freed from the torture and capital punishment of the evil Roman government that had arrested him. Yet, Paul, or technically the Holy Ghost through Paul, knew that there was a more important matter than his physical comfort. Paul needed to stay on earth, so he could minister to the Philippian saints—a spiritual matter of eternal value.

Paul, imprisoned in Rome, could not physically go to Philippi over 600 miles (965 kilometers) to the east. Yet, he could write them an epistle, which he sent by one, Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:28,29)—Paul told them he hoped to come later (verse 24). We can benefit from that epistle today!

We must learn from Philippians that it is more needful for other Christians and the lost world that we remain here. Lost souls still need to be saved; Christian souls still need to be edified. For their sakes, our Dispensation of Grace must continue operating. We must tarry for the Lord as He tarries for lost people to trust Him alone for their soul salvation (2 Peter 3:9).

In the Lord’s own time, we will no longer tarry here and He will no longer tarry there. When His time has come, He will be here and we will be there, as we will be reunited to meet Him in the air! 🙂

As We Tarry Here and Long for There #3

Thursday, November 14, 2013

“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23,24 KJV).

Before we go on to the next world, we must tarry in this one….

Let us read today’s Scripture within its context: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.”

Obviously, Paul, in prison in Rome, was initially uncertain which one—his living or his dying—was what he wanted. It was a very complex set of choices, and to an extent, we find ourselves in such a dilemma even today.

The Apostle had been caught up into the third heaven many years earlier (2 Corinthians 12:1-7), and he knew the “gain” that awaited him after physical death. It truly was “far better” “to be with Christ.” Nevertheless, he knew that his earthly life was the only way he could continue ministering to the saints at Philippi (his audience). He acknowledged that if he died, he could no longer serve them. Yet, if he stayed on earth and preached Christianity, an “illegal religion” in the eyes of Rome, his imprisonment was certain (“the fruit of his labour;” Philippians 1:22).

Paul had hoped to be released from prison, and perhaps he did get to see these saints again in Philippi: “And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again” (verses 25,26). Surely, even if Paul never did return to Philippi, he had made up his mind. He preferred to stay alive on earth, for the benefit of these saints….

As We Tarry Here and Long for There #1

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23,24 KJV).

Before we go on to the next world, we must tarry in this one….

Not too long ago, I visited the grave of a recently departed saint and a family friend of many years. Another Christian and I stood by her grave with her widowed husband, and there we discussed our memories of her. In that time of great emotion, we rejoiced that she is free from frailty and suffering, and yet, we mourned that we will never see her again in this life.

It is never easy to lose a loved one, even if that person had a testimony of having trusted Jesus Christ alone as personal Saviour. We still miss their phone calls, visits, voices, and friendship. Even as Christians, we are not shielded from physical death: short of the Lord’s coming for us, we and all other Christians we know will die. Such is a part of living in a sin-cursed world.

The Bible’s shortest verse, John 11:35, simply says, “Jesus wept.” Upon seeing the tomb of his friend Lazarus, Jesus is deeply moved inside, knowing that death has Lazarus captive and his family members and friends are heartbroken. Amidst Jesus’s tears, He shouts, “Lazarus, come forth!” Lazarus, all bound in burial clothes, hops out, as alive as ever! The crowd is not only amazed at the love Jesus had for Lazarus, but also at Jesus’ power demonstrated at such a morose occasion.

We are tempted to wish the Lord Jesus Christ would appear at the graves of our departed Christian loved ones and do what He did at Lazarus’s tomb. How we long to be with them, to be out of this world of pain and suffering. How we “look for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ,” to see those saints once more.

Yet, as we tarry here and long for there, let us remember why we are here….

At Home, At Last

Friday, November 1, 2013

“…to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV).

Let us rejoice that a dear saint is now Home, and her faith is now sight!

Brother “G.,” our fellowlabourer in the newspaper ministry, phoned me late Wednesday night to deliver a bittersweet message: his wife of 55 years had just gone to be her Lord Jesus Christ. We both grieve and rejoice with this dear brother, that another saint is at peace in heaven’s glory. Having visited them both almost every week for the past four years, I always heard her talk about her wanting the Lord Jesus to come take us all to heaven soon (little did she know she would see Him before we would).

The death of a loved one is very difficult to bear, but the death of a loved one in Christ is both sad and joyful. We should—and do—mourn their absence, but there is something we should not miss. These brothers and sisters in Christ are still “in Christ.” The only difference is that the Holy Ghost has taken them far away from us so they can be eternally free from sin (and suffering!). They have left their physical bodies of sin, and they are now literally sinless. We cannot fathom the sights they are seeing and the sounds they are hearing! Their physical eyes closed so that their souls’ eyes could see the face of their Saviour Jesus Christ. Their weary, earthly sojourn has concluded, and they are now at peace.

We need not sorrow like the hopeless pagans (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The Apostle Paul reminded the Thessalonians that they would see their martyred Christian brethren again: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (verse 14). At the “rapture,” we living Christians will be “caught up together with them [the deceased Christians] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (verse 17). What comfort there is in knowing we will see those Christians again.

She is at Home at last!

IN MEMORIAM:
B. G.

NOTE: On his behalf, I ask that you keep Brother “G.,” his family, and his ministry in prayer. Feel free to read our (2008) Bible study “Golden Matrimony,” which I wrote marking their 50th wedding anniversary.

To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

Thursday, September 5, 2013

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 KJV).

In these twelve simple words, we see the Christian’s life and death….

The Christian (“Christlike”) life is the life that Jesus Christ lives in and through the Christian. Here on this earth, Christ lives His life in us Christians. Galatians 2:20 affirms: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Colossians 3:4 says, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear….” The Bible also says in Colossians 1:27, “…Christ in you [Gentiles], the hope of glory….” We do not live the Christian life because we, even as Christians, cannot live the Christian life. Only Jesus Christ can live His life. When we place our faith in God’s Word to us, Romans through Philemon, the Holy Spirit will take that sound doctrine and transform our inner man (soul and spirit; 1 Thessalonians 2:13), thereby changing the outward man (the actions of the physical body).

In today’s Scripture, we also learn that for the Christian, physical death is “gain.” In 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, we read: “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

While here in this physical world, we are absent from the third heaven where God our heavenly Father dwells. However, we have a responsibility—yea, a privilege—to care for our Christian brethren here on earth and tell the lost world about the salvation in Jesus Christ!

Until we reach heaven’s glory, we agree with Paul: “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23,24). 🙂

With the Saints Versus With the Ain’ts

Sunday, July 21, 2013

“And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26 KJV).

Dear Christian, lift up thy chin, for thou shalt see the saints again….

Bible conferences are wonderful occasions for which members of the Church the Body of Christ fellowship with another around God’s Word, the Holy Bible. These extended periods of time are (or should be) marked by edification, encouragement, and enlightenment. Meeting with like-minded Christian brethren is very enjoyable—unity that cannot be found elsewhere.

In today’s Scripture and its context, the Apostle Paul likens Christian believers of this the Dispensation of Grace to one unit, one body. “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (verse 27). Just like our physical body has many “members” (body parts), so the Church the Body of Christ has many individual members (with Jesus Christ as its Head; Colossians 1:18). Consequently, whether in health or sickness, all of the body is affected. One Christian’s time of sadness should be a time of grief for other Christians. When one Christian is filled with joy, every other Christian should rejoice with him or her.

As people who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ alone as our personal Saviour, we are a family in Christ, united forever. It is only natural to miss Christians who are absent, and it is expected that we feel excitement when we see other Christians. After all, that is what family members do! Again, we cannot have that unity with lost people, for they are not family. “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26).

While we join all our Christian brethren in lamenting the conclusion of Bible conferences, we also join them in rejoicing in that the day is coming when we shall all assemble at the “grand Bible conference.” And that “family reunion” will never end! 🙂