Category: Grace Living (Christian Life)

Enlightening the Ethiopian Eunuch #2

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

“And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet” (Acts 8:26-28 KJV).

Why and how can this Ethiopian eunuch be enlightened?

The events of Acts chapter 8 show us Israel’s prophetic program breaking down. With Stephen’s death by stoning in chapter 7, Israel falls: her national leadership has blasphemed the Holy Spirit for the last time, and that will not be forgiven (Matthew 12:31,32; cf. Acts 7:51-60). The Bible narrative subsequently focuses on Philip’s ministry (chapter 8). Like Stephen, Philip was one of the seven Jerusalem elders the 12 Apostles appointed in Acts 6:1-6.

Leaving Jerusalem, Philip travels to Samaria (central Israel, between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea) to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom (see Acts 8:1-13). The Samaritans are not full-blooded Jews—namely, they are half-Gentile (cf. John 4:9,12). Yet, unlike Jerusalem, they eagerly hear and believe God’s Word (Jesus is Christ). By entering these incidents into the record of Scripture, God rebukes Jerusalem for unbelief.

After preaching in Samaria, the angel of the Lord instructs Philip to travel to southern Israel to visit an African man, a Gentile (today’s Scripture). This eunuch (government official) is returning home to Ethiopia after worshipping in Jerusalem. Sitting in his chariot, he reads the Book of Isaiah (no doubt a copy from northern Africa).

“[29] Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. [30] And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? [31] And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.” Philip did not shy away from that calling. He “ran thither”—he was excited!! Furthermore, the eunuch (unlike the Jews in Jerusalem) wants to learn and believe God’s Word….

Enlightening the Ethiopian Eunuch #1

Monday, October 22, 2018

“And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet” (Acts 8:26-28 KJV).

Why and how can this Ethiopian eunuch be enlightened?

Continue reading: “[29] Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. [30] And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? [31] And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

“[32] The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: [33] In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. [34] And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

“[35] Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. [36] And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? [37] And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. [38] And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. [39] And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.”

Now, we expound and enlighten….

333’s 2700th – The Pillar and Ground of the Truth

Sunday, October 21, 2018

“These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 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 3:14,15 KJV).

Dear brethren, only by God’s grace, devotional #2700 has arrived!

One faithful reader just commented—like others have through the years—that our studies are direct (to the point). There is little, if any, deviation from the study’s theme. Of course, this is all by design, as the author intended that from day 1! He knows that so many poor souls have been overwhelmed concerning Scripture. The way they have been taught to approach the Bible is exceedingly arduous, quite complicated, wholly confusing. He knows those frustrations firsthand, and has thus striven to help you, the readers, avoid as much of that spiritual darkness and superfluity as possible.

Friends, these past 2,700 days have been a real joy! 🙂 Such tremendous spiritual changes have occurred in us all, so praise our Lord Jesus Christ! Indeed, when we “just release the lion from his cage, he will defend himself.” We simply distributed God’s Word, and it took care of itself. Almighty God does not need us, but we have been given the privilege of sharing the Holy Scriptures with others. What an honor!

We the Body of Christ are “the house of God… the church of the living God” (today’s Scripture). His Holy Spirit lives in and through us as we walk by faith in an intelligent understanding of His Word to us (Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon). We are “the pillar and ground of the truth.” As a “pillar,” we hold the truth up high, displaying it for all to see. We are the “ground” because we support, maintain, or undergird the truth. This is not a denominational system, organized religion, advocating pet doctrines and opinions of men; rather, it is the true Church the Body of Christ proclaiming the Word of Christ, that the Word of Christ might dwell in them richly (Colossians 3:16), that Christ might be formed in them (Galatians 4:19).

Thank you for your prayerful support. Onward now to higher ground, and devotional #2800! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Is it sinful for women to wear makeup?”

Willfully Ignorant!

Saturday, October 20, 2018

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (2 Peter 3:5,6 KJV).

Ignorance is not a sin; willful ignorance is!

Recently, I attempted to teach a professing Christian lady quite steeped in her religious tradition. After I explained how she had not been taught the truth, I believe (for just a few seconds) she saw in her heart the plain facts of Scripture we discussed. Immediately, however, she shut out that light. She said the Bible was “complicated,” “hard to follow” here. Basically, refusing to forsake her warped theology, she dismissed Scripture as “confusing.” Frankly, I let her have her ignorance. When she stopped the conversation, so did I. She was clearly deceived, but willfully ignorant. Nothing more could be done for her. We changed subjects.

Later, I spoke with two other professing Christian women. One dear soul, certainly unsaved, had no interest whatsoever in hearing how to have her sins forgiven, a right standing before God, and an eternal home in Heaven. She told me not to speak about that to her anymore (and I have not!). The other woman, allegedly a believer in the Gospel of Grace, did not care about sound Bible doctrine. She was “too busy” with other issues—evidently “more important” ones. That evening, I talked with a Christian brother whom I have known for some years. As I offered Biblical insight concerning the anxieties and troubles bothering him, he expressed disagreement with the verses. Decades of religious tradition had gripped him tightly, and he had gripped it tightly too!! (He then hung up the phone!)

Similarly, in today’s Scripture, deniers of God’s wrath deliberately ignored His truth. He had judged the world with the Great Flood that destroyed nearly all Earth’s biosphere. They merely had to read and believe the preserved record of Genesis chapters 6-8, but they refused and claimed obliviousness! Dear friends, may we not follow their example. To be unskilled in the Word of Righteousness is one thing; to be firmly uninformed, fervidly declining to learn the truth, is entirely different!

A Tattered Book

Thursday, October 18, 2018

“Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end” (Psalm 119:33 KJV).

Today, my primary print Bible turns 15 years old!

I am looking at it now. Its pages are stained with oil from my fingers. The margins have brief notes scribbled on them. Its ragged cover finally fell off recently—but I glued it back together. Highlighter colors decorate its pages. I have memorized its layout, where verses and passages sit on the sheets. Pages have been folded, torn, and wrinkled. Dear brethren, my (and your) spiritual growth came at its expense. It has truly become my “best friend,” having been useful in writing thousands of Bible studies over all these years.

When my parents purchased it for me, this King James Bible meant little to me. I had been saved for about eight years, but I was still extremely denominational in my Christian understanding and practice. For the first few years I owned it, I read a verse or two a night. There was no serious Bible study. How shallow I was—how ignorant I was! When two dear brothers in Christ shared dispensational Bible study with me over 10 years ago, the “Old Book” became a “New Book”… and now it has literally become (physically) an “old” Book! As God’s Word worked in me, I desired to enter the ministry. With all these years passing, the Holy Scriptures have become more and more understandable and enjoyable. Of course, the more reading and studying I have done, the more worn-out the pages have become. However, it may have another 15 years of use left!!

Human nature is independent—especially of God. It is defiant, unwilling to listen to Divine instruction. “I will believe what I want!” “Let me be my own person!” “I will do it my way!” Contrariwise, today’s Scripture is the attitude of the believer in the God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ. A believer submits to God’s authority, words, and direction: “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart” (verse 34). Brethren, let us allow the Holy Spirit to teach us His words, the way of His statutes, that we keep it unto the end, too! 🙂

Why Death Loses

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57 KJV).

Behold, the deathblow to death!

Secular scientists claim “natural selection” (the heart of evolutionary theory) is nature’s mysterious method of “selecting” against weak and sickly traits while simultaneously ensuring beneficial characteristics are passed on to offspring. Organisms, if they do not adapt to their environments, die (making reproduction impossible). (On a larger scale, such vague genetic “selections” allegedly originated Earth’s millions of species of life over four billion years.) Since natural resources are limited, not all members of all species can survive anyway. Death is therefore viewed as advantageous: it eliminates the bad, that the good may have a chance to exist and thrive.

Indeed, it makes perfect sense in the lost person’s mind, but we with spiritual eyes simply cannot agree that death is suitable. Romans 5:12 declares: “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:….” Originally, immediately after Creation, sin and death were nonexistent on planet Earth. It was not until Adam, the first man, intentionally followed Satan did our world (and human race) fall. Death made its grand entrance all those millennia ago… and has been stealing from us ever since!!

If death were “natural”—God’s intention from the very beginning—then He would have no reason whatsoever to abolish it with resurrection! Today’s Scripture in context: “[53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. [55] O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? [56] The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] 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.”

Death loses simply because the Lord Jesus Christ resurrected and won, thereby giving us the victory too!

Bible Q&A 545: “O ye of little faith?”

When Death Loses

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

“So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54 KJV).

Friends, it (unfortunately) appears that death wins, does it not? Loved ones leave us; we leave them. Yet, God’s Word speaks of the day when, “Death is swallowed up in victory….”

Isaiah 25:8 prophesies of Jesus Christ’s Second Coming: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.” The Lord GOD—Father God—will wipe away all tears from their faces via bodily resurrection. Shortly after Christ’s Second Coming, He will physically resurrect the saints of the ages in Israel’s program (Revelation 20:1-6).

When describing our resurrection at the Rapture, the catching away of the Church the Body of Christ, the Apostle Paul quoted Isaiah. While Isaiah 25:8 is not fulfilled at the Rapture, our resurrection is similar to the believers’ resurrection that will transpire after the Second Coming to establish God’s earthly kingdom.

Today’s Scripture in context: “[51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. [53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

“[55] O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? [56] The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] 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.”

The Hottest Places in Eternity #13

Saturday, October 6, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

“In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel” (Romans 2:16). Verily, verily, the God-Man who died for man’s sins is the Judge condemning unbelievers at the Great White Throne Judgment (cf. John 5:22). Christ’s finished crosswork (Paul’s Gospel) ultimately saved all saints of all ages, but they did not know it at the time. However, lost souls do not have the merits of the cross credited to their account, do not have their names written in the Book of Life, and are thus worthy of the Lake of Fire, the second death (Revelation 20:15).

Doubtless, friends, some of you reading these lines sit in unbelief even now. The Gospel of the Grace of God is plain for those who want to understand and believe unto eternal life: “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). We pray you in Christ’s stead, be reconciled to God. Rely exclusively on the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour before it is eternally too late!!

Returning to the Great White Throne Judgment, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Forced to bow before the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge, the lost of the ages now go their way. Justice has been served; they have been given their preference. Banished from His presence forever, they leave to serve out their death sentence in the hottest place in eternity!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why are lost people not judged for their works immediately after physical death?”

The Hottest Places in Eternity #12

Friday, October 5, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

Individuals in leadership will be held more accountable before Almighty God (cf. Matthew 23:14): “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.”

Satan initiated and tirelessly led creation’s rebellion against the Creator God; therefore, he will receive the hottest cell in eternity. Fallen angels, the Devil’s spiritual emissaries, have also practiced evil for 6,000 years—more damage than people. These will be severely tormented. The Antichrist, the False Prophet, and Judas Iscariot are those most consumed by Satan’s policy of evil; they too will be tortured beyond imagination.

Israel’s kings, priests, and false prophets will all be severely punished. They willfully perverted God’s people and His Bible for thousands of years. All other religious leaders (popes, priests, preachers, cardinals), political leaders (kings, queens, princes, presidents, prime ministers, dictators) and educational leaders (teachers, professors, especially educators at seminaries and Bible colleges) will suffer abounding flames. Their temperature will be dependent upon how many they led astray.

Husbands and fathers will face more intense eternal judgment than wives and mothers. It is God’s design that men (not women!) be spiritual leaders in the marriage, the family, and the local assembly (Ephesians 5:23; Ephesians 6:4; 1 Timothy 2:11-15). Indeed, Almighty God will hold men overwhelmingly responsible for broken homes, corrupt local churches, and wicked civilization overall.

All other lost people—from women to young people, right down to the youngest person who died after having deliberately rejected God’s Word to them, and up to the oldest senior citizen who perished after having intentionally refused God’s Word to them—all will be eternally tormented but less severely than the other classes.

Dear friends, Hell and the Lake of fire are most serious matters. Thankfully, in Christ Jesus, we can escape sin’s eternal penalty….

The Hottest Places in Eternity #11

Thursday, October 4, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

Lost individuals who received more Divine revelation will be held more accountable before Almighty God (cf. today’s Scripture): “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”

The LORD God gave His Word to Israel and her leaders (Deuteronomy 4:6-8; Psalm 147:19,20; Romans 3:1,2; Romans 9:4,5; et cetera). Gentiles (nations, non-Jews) were not given the Old Testament Bible. As concerning “time past” (or pre-Apostle Paul; cf. Ephesians 2:11-13), God will judge Israel more harshly than He will the Gentiles. Israel had greater spiritual light than the Gentiles, yet Israel lived just as wickedly (Romans 2:17-29)! Of all those in time past, unbelievers during Christ’s earthly ministry will face more serious condemnation than those who lived previously (cf. today’s Scripture).

Out of all the dispensations, frankly, our Dispensation of Grace will carry the worst eternal penalty. Lost people who have died during the last 2,000 years (and onward until the Rapture) have rejected God’s full revelation. They spurned a completed Bible, the most information the Creator ever revealed to mankind (Colossians 1:23-29; 2 Timothy 3:16,17)!!! If Jesus Christ declared His contemporaries would be more strictly judged than Sodom and Gomorrah because they had more spiritual light (Divine revelation) than Sodom and Gomorrah, how much more judgment for those lost today who have a completed Bible and ignored the LORD God’s counsel entirely? Horrors!!!

Friends, the message of God’s salvation available in the Lord Jesus Christ has circulated the globe now for 20 centuries. How kind He has been, how gracious, how longsuffering! With each passing day, unsaved mankind refuses His goodness. “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5). Indeed, the lost are rejecting the Gospel of Grace and “treasuring up wrath….”