Category: encouragement

Unappreciated Truths

Thursday, March 2, 2017

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6 KJV).

As dogs reject sanctified objects, and swine trample pearls under foot, so Bible scoffers turn away from its truths.

Sometime back, I posted in an online forum the fact that I received some very negative emails in response to our online Bible studies. These emails were from people interested only in denying the Bible verses and truths we provided. Denominational teaching meant more to them than God’s Word, and they would relentlessly fight to keep their traditions!

Recently, I received the following email: “You should listen to some of those people sending emails. You are in a nutty cult.” (That was literally all he wrote to me.) While he was speaking of the critical emails, he also was sending one of them. Rather than engaging in meaningful discussion, or a substantive rebuttal, telling me precisely where I was wrong, he rejected our studies and resorted to mere name-calling—“you member of a nutty cult!” When they hate the message, but cannot refute it, they attack the messenger. It is precisely these people that we do not waste our time addressing. Brethren, if they rebel in reading Bible verses, we can do nothing more for them. There is nothing we can say to convince them if the Bible did not persuade them. In fact, we are not even obligated to reply with an email saying, “I am not interested in arguing.” Frankly, I just delete those emails without responding. I keep a mental file of names, ready to delete future emails from them.

As the Lord Jesus said in today’s Scripture, while some hypocrites can be reached with the truths of God’s Word (verses 1-5), others will reject those truths and refuse to be corrected. They will see no value in divine words any more than a dog loves something sanctified in God’s eyes, or any more than pigs see the value of pearls. While we go to great lengths (!) to guide people in the Word of God, we are to let them have their way if they persistently reject it.

Your Mind, Not Your Emotions

Sunday, February 19, 2017

“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 KJV).

A renewed mind, not domineering emotions, is the key to Christian living!

Some television shows and films are so well written and visually vivid that they seem to be real-life. Our emotions get involved, and these works of fiction become even more realistic. A humorous example involves a Christian couple I knew many years ago when I was a small child. This couple, friends of my parents, enjoyed watching a particular soap opera. On that television show, a man and his lover were having persistent relationship difficulties. So, the Christian couple, in their nightly prayers, suddenly found themselves asking God to repair the relationship of those two fictional television characters! These Christians decided they were just too enthralled by that show, so they gave it up completely.

Friends, as the above anecdote demonstrates, our emotions do not have a mind. It is therefore unwise to base our life on (shifting and deceptive) emotions. What we need to do is take the Word of God rightly divided, use it to renew our minds (correct our thinking), and make a conscious choice (exercise free will) to believe it. No matter what our emotions urge us to do, they are not meant to govern our lives. The Word of God and the Spirit of God are to control us. Jesus Christ said, “…The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). These life-giving words of God are the Holy Bible, as Hebrews 4:12 affirms, “…The word of God is quick [living and life-giving, active] and powerful….”

Brethren, let us walk—not by emotions and engaging in rash behavior—but with a firm understanding and trust in the Word of God rightly divided. The renewed spirit of our mind, governed by the Holy Spirit, is sure to produce a life that is pleasing in Father God’s sight.

Competition

Saturday, February 18, 2017

“Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” (Philippians 3:17-19 KJV).

Even today, we find such “enemies of the cross of Christ” among our “Christian” brethren!

A pastor friend once held a grace Bible conference at his local church. He had discovered dispensational Bible study a few years earlier. Now, he was eager to hold a conference by inviting some grace preachers to his assembly. Of course, a denominational preacher in the same town, not far away from his church, who had already rejected right division and decided to compete against it. The same weekend my preacher friend held his Bible conference, the denominational pastor had his own conference. This was strategic. His church members were distracted, unable to attend the nearby grace conference and hear dispensational Bible study. They would not be freed from his denominational system!

Dispensational Bible study allows us to understand God’s grace given us in Jesus Christ. We find that in the Pauline epistles, Romans through Philemon. Once we recognize Grace—not Law—is how God deals with us today, then we will not stumble over Scripture’s legalistic passages. Rather than struggling under Law, we will know that it was nailed to Christ’s cross: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:14).

However, some Christians fight against this—they want Law, the performance-based acceptance system found in the Bible. They prefer their rites, rituals, and ceremonies because human flesh gravitates toward human “goodness” (religion). Since they follow Scripture’s water baptism, tithing, Sabbath-day keeping, and so on, they believe this “Scriptural” approach is God’s will for them.

However, the Holy Spirit instructed in today’s Scripture for us to “follow Paul and those who follow him.” Only Paul’s epistles tell us we are dead to the Law, and free under grace (Romans 6:14,15). How sad many professing Christians ignore this!

Until We Talk Again

Thursday, February 16, 2017

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV).

Dear Christian friend, are you longing for Home—Heaven? You must remain focused on your current location!

Some brethren in Christ and myself were recently online, remembering the birthday of a mutual Christian friend whose untimely death caused him to tragically leave us. He graduated to Heaven nearly a year ago. My advice to them was that I was quite sure he would want us all to continue our labor in our Lord. I encouraged them to keep on in that labor, until we talk to our dear brother again!

If our deceased brothers and sisters in Christ could return and tell us something, it would be in the vein of today’s Scripture. After all, that verse was a Spirit-filled Christian exhorting other believers to be Spirit-filled. We should not simply be about the Lord’s work, but rather “always abounding” in it. That means constant, plenteous works, not sitting idly by and/or doing the absolute bare minimum. Christian ministry—which is really for all believers, not just preachers—is about “maintaining good works” (Titus 3:8). These “good works” have nothing to do with religious rites, rituals, and ceremonies. It has to do with sharing God’s Word with others. That means preaching the Gospel of Grace to lost people, and teaching the Message of Grace to saved people. In addition to using the printed page, electronic devices, and our voices, that sound doctrine should also be communicated in our actions (daily living).

In the context of today’s Scripture—the whole chapter—we read about the reality of bodily resurrection. Our labor is not in vain in the Lord because physical death does not end our Christian service (see especially verses 50-57—the Rapture, our resurrection as Christians). Our earthly Christian sojourn will end one day. All of our earthly ministries will cease. Still, there is in Heaven waiting for us, a reward… and a reunion with the saints of the ages. We will talk again, and all work together in eternity to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ! 🙂

Lifted and Fallen #6

Monday, February 13, 2017

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:12,13 KJV).

Does the Bible teach “entire sanctification?” Today’s Scripture screams, NO!

Since we are all genetically related to Adam, all humans are equally prone to sin. Whatever Satan has used to seduce you to sin, he has utilized it to allure every other person, present or past. That is why the Bible says, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man….”

Still, today’s Scripture pronounces we can indeed be victorious over sin. Nonetheless, it has nothing to do with our faithfulness (works-religion). Today’s Scripture goes on to say, “God is faithful.” While Satan’s evil world system tantalizes us with various temptations, we escape them by “bearing” (enduring) them—not by having them removed. We have complete victory in Christ, but only in Christ—not ourselves! Hence, Paul issues the command: “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry” (verse 14). The indwelling Holy Spirit can cause us to avoid idolatry (that is, Israel’s mistakes). Yes, we will still sin, but that is because we reverted to the flesh when we should have been relying by faith on the Spirit of God and His Word rightly divided.

Dear friends, we had better learn—and never forget!—these lessons from Israel’s history. They serve as our example in how not to behave, how not to respond to God’s generosity (goodness and grace). While we hope we will not sin, we will sin until we are taken to Heaven. Thankfully, God has already taken care of our sin. Nearly 2000 years ago, He settled IN FULL our sin debt at Calvary. Now, we just walk in Him, living day-to-day, relying on Him (resulting in good works) not self (resulting in sins). When we sin, we just return to His Word, find verses to correct our behavior, and implement them to life by faith! 🙂

Sin = Death = Not Long Enough

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12 KJV).

A woman, commenting on her husband’s recent death, said they had been married 40 years, adding, “But it was not long enough. We could have gone another 20.” This dear lady, widowed and heartbroken, is just another victim of this sin-cursed world!

People who do not understand Bible truths try in vain to reconcile how a “loving” God can let life end in death. I remember one non-Christian lady asking after her father’s death, “What is the purpose of living if you die?” Friends, death is a thief. One spends his or her whole life amassing relationships, wealth, prestige, education, beauty, fame, and so on. Nevertheless, death will snatch it all away one day. Whether it takes a few decades or over a century, sin eventually produces death, and death instantaneously causes poverty. Professor and plowboy alike cannot escape death! Pope/preacher/priest and parishioner will all be placed in a casket! Prince and pauper alike go the grave! President and populace all wind up in the cemetery!

Today’s Scripture says this is the result of Adam’s sin, and certainly not in God’s design. Sin entered the world by one man—Adam. God did not initiate sin; Adam did. The Bible says death entered the world by sin. Wherever we find sin, we find death. Wherever we find death, we find sin. Until the Lord returns, that will always be a fact of life. In the meantime, we have the hope that physical death is not the end. For us in Christ, we have the assurance of eternal life now. Though our Christian loved ones have gone to heaven, they are still very much alive, to be seen again. The countless ages we will spend with them with our Saviour are infinitesimally longer than the few moments of our current separation.

Though “the wages of sin is death,” “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “Not long enough” because of sin does not compare to eternal life because of Jesus Christ our Lord! 🙂

Eager to Preach, Eager to Leave!

Friday, January 27, 2017

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4 KJV).

One is ready to preach—the other is ready to leave!

Recently, I saw a man sitting and reading his Bible. I walked over, introduced myself, shook his hand, and sat down beside him. I began to ask him some questions to get a sense of his spiritual understanding. Although not talkative, he permitted me to share verses with him. Suddenly, we were interrupted, distracted, and a pressing matter forced him to temporarily leave. I told him we could talk some more when he returned. Eventually, he did come back to the room where I was, but no longer with a Bible in hand. Also, he did not approach me. (I had already decided not to engage in any further dialog unless he initiated it.)

The above scenario, while terrible, has repeated itself millions of times throughout the centuries. People have read the Bible, appeared to be genuine Scripture readers, sounding like Christians, but really having no interest in hearing the things of God. They would rather keep their worthless church traditions, preconceived ideas, and age-old superstitions. While we cannot read hearts, God can and does. We can fool a preacher into thinking we love the Bible (as that man did with me), but God is never fooled by anyone. He knows who is a member of the Church the Body of Christ, and who is simply a church member. He knows who has been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, and who was baptized simply into water.

Saints, we should do our very best to preach a clear Gospel message and teach plainly the rightly divided Scriptures. Still, some people will object. They want religion, not Bible. They want themselves, not Christ. They want fables, not truth. We need to respect their wishes. If they do not want the truth, then they should be left in error!

A New Nature, A New Day, A New Life

Friday, January 20, 2017

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).

Today, January 20, 2017, is important to my family for two reasons.

Firstly, my parents celebrate their 37th birthday in Christ! It was on this day in 1980 that they both trusted Jesus Christ and abandoned works-religion. They were rendered dead to their old nature and old life in Adam, and were given a new nature and new life in the Lord. Wow! Secondly, my family and I as Americans celebrate that the United States of America today ushers out one president, Barack Hussein Obama, and welcomes a new one, Donald John Trump. Nationally, we become dead to old procedures and politicking, and alive to new principles and policies. How exciting!

We Christians in America have long anticipated a day when we could get our country back to the things of God—a nation with more accountability and justice, more economic stability, a better educational system, amiable social relations, and so on. Granted, until Jesus Christ returns, there will be no perfection. We know that man can never solve every problem in this sin-cursed world. Still, our incoming president is currently our best option available, and the Bible would have us make the best choice possible. The United States electoral process must be upheld, and the silliness must stop: Mr. Trump won fair and square, and he will be inaugurated as per our Constitution. But, those who prefer the “old arrangement” continue to fight to try and keep it!

Similarly, the old sin nature in Adam constantly pops up in the life of a Christian. It seeks dominion over the Christian’s life, sins thereby produced. However, God the Holy Spirit should be the Governor of the Christian. We are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10). The old administration of sin and death is gone; we need not live in the graveyard, defeated and miserable! Saints, Romans chapter 6 says we are alive in Christ! We are “new creatures in Christ” (today’s Scripture)—now, we need to act like who we are!

Our United States of America is a new nation—let us act like the new country we are too! 🙂

Bible Q&A #340: “Did little boy Jesus know He was going to die on Calvary?”

Household Rules #15

Thursday, January 19, 2017

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God” (Colossians 1:25 KJV).

And, just what is this “dispensation of God which is given to [Paul] for [us]?”

With the Lord Jesus Christ directly revealing to Paul the Dispensation of Grace of God, we have a completed Bible. Hence, Paul wrote in his final epistle: “[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

The Apostle Peter preached in Acts 3:21 about that “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” In stark contrast, the Apostle Paul had a ministry concerned about “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest” (Romans 16:25,26). These are two totally different dispensations, never to be confused unless we want to be confused. God kept a secret, but He revealed it directly and exclusively to Paul. Without Paul’s writings, Romans through Philemon, we lose the “household rules” God withheld from other Bible writers and holy men of old.

We see Paul as God’s spokesman to us—not Jesus in His earthly ministry, Peter, Moses, John the Baptist, and so on. We realize Jesus Christ exalted in Heaven (Paul’s ministry), not just on Earth (rest of Scripture). We know we are under Grace (Paul’s ministry), not under Law (rest of Scripture). We see the Gospel of the Grace of God—Christ’s finished crosswork as sufficient payment for our sins—as our way to a right standing before God (Paul’s ministry), not other Gospel messages (rest of Scripture). We recognize our completeness in Christ (Paul’s ministry), not needing rites and rituals and ceremonies to make God happy with us (rest of Scripture). We see ourselves as the Church the Body of Christ (Paul’s ministry), not the nation Israel (rest of Scripture). We recognize the difference between mystery (Paul’s ministry) and prophecy (rest of Scripture).

If we are to know God’s will for us today, we had better pay attention to His current “household rules”—Paul’s ministry and writings! 🙂

-FINIS-

A Life That Will Please

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

“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” (Galatians 2:20 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone can live a life pleasing in God’s sight!

Everyone does “good” deeds. Yet, doing “good” is not necessarily good. For instance, people often do “good” just to receive praise/reward, make up for their wrongs, feel good, et cetera. Furthermore, despite our “good” deeds, we have plenty more bad ones! Pride, lying, evil thoughts, being a false witness, and being contentious are some of the things the LORD hates (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Mankind cannot even keep 10 simple rules from God. However, religion continues to urge us to keep seven sacraments, utter various prayers, give assorted offerings and “tithes,” attend numerous feasts and festivals, and perform sundry other tasks to “hopefully” please God and avoid hellfire. Whether we attempt to keep a church’s laws, our laws, or God’s laws, our flesh is far too weak to ever measure up. Just look at what God’s religion did to Israel—how much worse some man-made religion does to us!

As Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul was a Pharisee, a religious leader of Israel. He was a nitpicker concerning Law-keeping, and yet, after his soul salvation, he admitted that all of his religion was “but dung” compared to Jesus Christ’s righteousness (Philippians 3:3-11). Even for the Christian, to live a perfect life is impossible (read of Paul’s miserable existence in Romans chapter 7). Paul had to forsake his vain religion and learn today’s Scripture: the Christian life is NOT the performance of the Christian, but the Lord Jesus Christ living and working in the Christian, as the Christian walks in an intelligent understanding of God’s Word to him or her!

If we trust a Saviour who will save—the Lord Jesus Christ—and trust a Book that will teach—the King James Bible—we can redeem the year for the great God and our Saviour, “who loved [us], and gave himself for [us]!” 🙂