Category: Grace Living (Christian Life)

The ABCs of Becoming a Christian?

Thursday, June 18, 2015

“Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge” (Job 38:2 KJV).

Today’s Scripture could easily be God’s response to the average “Gospel tract” or “Gospel invitation!”

If there is one thing Fundamental and Evangelical Christians have utterly destroyed, it would be a clear Gospel message. The following poster demonstrates: “ABCs of Becoming a Christian: Admit to God that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23). Repent, turning away from your sin (Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:9). Believe that Jesus is God’s Son, and accept God’s gift of forgiveness from sin (John 3:16; John 14:6; Romans 5:8; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9). Confess your faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10,13).”

While catchy, it is theologically deficient. To tell lost people to turn from their sin in order to be saved is to tell them, “You cannot be saved and you will never be saved!” No lost person has God’s power to quit sin. A Christian can resist sin, but not a lost person! How is it that lost people must quit sinning to be saved, but then Christians are urged to confess their daily sins?! (Religion is absurd!)

The above poster, save the Bible verse of Romans 5:8, makes no direct reference to Calvary’s crosswork. Is there salvation apart from Christ’s cross? Then why is it missing from the poster? How is that forgiveness from God possible? Where is 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, the clearest presentation of the Gospel of the Grace of God?

To tell someone they have to “confess” their faith to be a Christian is to make them work, and as Ephesians 2:8-9 says (the poster quoted), we are not saved by works! To grab verses from Romans chapter 10 and make them a Gentile salvation message is to ignore verse 1—it is the nation Israel’s salvation!

Beloved, from “Make Jesus the Lord of your life” to “Ask Jesus into your heart,” or “Say the sinner’s prayer” to “Confess your sins,” these are not clear Gospel presentations. They confuse. First Corinthians 15:3-4 and Romans chapters 3 through 5 are some of the best passages to use to make the Gospel as simple as possible. Lost people do not need to be further confused!

Have Ye Not Known, Heard, Been Told, and Understood?

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

“Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?” (Isaiah 40:21 KJV).

Long before spiritual ignorance gripped the Body of Christ, it smothered the nation Israel!

Isaiah chapters 40 through 48 are a polemic, JEHOVAH’S rebuke of idolatrous Israel. She had traded her living Creator God for dead wood and stone statues! Today’s Scripture is directed toward the Jews, God attempting to reach their darkened hearts and silly minds: “Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?” The answer to all four questions is “Yes!” Israel had known, had heard, had been told, and had understood from the very day God had formed them!

Going all the way back to the Abrahamic Covenant, God had promised to make Israel His chief nation in the earth, the channel of blessing to reach Gentiles, His instrument to restore His authority in the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). Essentially, Israel was to do and be what Adam failed to do and be. The Apostle Peter said that that earthly kingdom, over which Jesus Christ was King, was that “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). Up until Isaiah’s day, God had sent prophets to Israel to instruct them in His ways. Moses was chief, but others were Job, Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, David, Joel, Nathan, and Micah. Israel was without excuse!

The verse following today’s Scripture says: “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.” In other words, “Israel, I formed you because I wanted to live on planet Earth with you and the rest of mankind.” Alas, like Adam, Israel threw away the promises of God and the Word of God, embracing worthless idols! What would He say of the Body of Christ today, who has largely ignored His Word for 20 centuries?

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Does not Acts 11:15 prove the Body of Christ began in Acts 2?”

Give Yourself to the Lord

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

“Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8:4,5 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is the key to giving under grace.

Giving to churches is justifiably a very sensitive matter. Especially when preachers demand $65-million personal jets! There is much abuse when it comes to religion and money. Ironically, when Jesus condemned “thieves,” He did not castigate publicans (tax collectors who amassed exorbitant amounts from the Jews to give the Roman government). Rather, Jesus entered the Temple—Israel’s religious center—and declared thieves had overrun His house. He drove these religious people from God’s house (Matthew 21:12,13; Luke 19:45,46; John 2:13-17). Paul confessed that, before salvation, he, a Pharisee, “profited in the Jews’ religion above many [his] equals in [his] own nation” (Galatians 1:14).

We read today’s Scripture in context: “[1] Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; [2] How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. [3] For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; [4] Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. [5] And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.”

When Paul collected from his converts various goods to assist the poor believing Jews in Jerusalem, the Macedonian Christians, though poor, wanted to give more and more (beyond their means). The believers in Macedonia (Thessalonica and Berea) were motivated by God’s grace. We first give ourselves to the Lord. Then, we give to sound grace Bible ministries—NOT out of fear of God’s curse (tithing), but out of thanksgiving for God’s blessings (giving under grace). Let us give “cheerfully” (2 Corinthians 9:6,7)! 🙂

Bring Forth and Bud!

Monday, June 15, 2015

“For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10,11 KJV).

How can today’s Scripture be an encouragement when we witness to others?

Dear Christian friend, you have probably wanted to rush someone into salvation or spiritual maturity. You desired them to trust Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, right there on the spot. You wanted to see them immediately understand the Bible dispensationally. But, you fail to remember that there are many barriers to overcome. They have been so deceived, so confused, or so turned off to religion that much (or all) of the verses you shared with them seem to “go right over their heads.” You have tried to be as simple as possible and they just do not get it. The key is to remember the analogy in today’s Scripture.

In the physical world, we plant seeds underground, water them, and let the sunlight shine on them, but we cannot force them to grow. It takes time, something beyond our control. Likewise, we must remember that God’s Word does not show immediate results. It can take days, weeks, months, years, or even decades. Nevertheless, we are to faithfully preach and teach the Holy Bible rightly divided, that it be there to work in their lives. Once present, that “quick [living and life-giving] and powerful” Word will take care of itself (Hebrews 4:12).

Just as the little seeds cannot be seen sprouting underground, we cannot see God’s Word working in those precious people. Until they believe those verses, and bring them into their hearts (Romans 10:10), they will remain in their minds. Regardless of whether they believe or reject, God’s Word will still convict, show them where they are wrong, and it will glorify Him. One Christian “plants,” another believer “waters,” but “God giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6,7; cf. today’s Scripture)! 🙂

Quarantined for Christ!

Sunday, June 14, 2015

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets” (Luke 6:22,23 KJV).

Christ in us is contagious… and they do not want to “catch” Him!

Recently, a Christian was telling me how another Christian had “Christian” family members who emotionally and spiritually abused him. She claimed that this individual was treated as though he had leprosy. They had no time for him unless they could benefit from him in some way. It undoubtedly was a spiritual battle. It was a great division, a battle between good and evil, a situation wherein one party stood for sound Bible doctrine and the other party was entrenched in religious tradition. Today’s Scripture came to mind.

We can be “quarantined” for various and sundry reasons. Perhaps we live a “gutter life,” one filled with violence and crime, and (understandably) no one wants to be associated with us. Or, maybe we just like to gossip and backstab and people thus avoid us. These are negative. But, to be “separated… for the Son of man’s sake” (today’s Scripture), that is the noblest type of quarantine. It is not easy to handle, and it does hurt, but Jesus Christ forewarned His disciples that it would come. They should not be shocked or “frozen,” unable to react when it happened. But, how can one in that predicament be “blessed,” happy, “rejoicing,” “leaping for joy?” It takes the mind of God to understand!

If ever people associate you with the God of the Bible, you have given a clear testimony of the God of the Bible in your behavior and lifestyle. There was no phoniness or cravenness in you. You were candid about your Saviour, they saw the light, and they refused to see that light any further. They knew you were “infected” with Jesus Christ, and they sealed you away, lest you “communicate” Him to them! Indeed, rejoice, beloved, jump for joy, when the world places you in “quarantine!” 🙂

If Thou Be #10

Saturday, June 13, 2015

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6,7 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is the key to finding your identity in Christ!

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Once we realize the spiritual wealth we have in Christ, we can rejoice. We can be so thankful that we have the riches of God’s grace!!! Ephesians 1:7 says: “In whom [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Friends, we need to quit living and thinking like spiritual beggars, behaving like we are poor, ever asking God for things when He has given us “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We lack nothing in Christ (Colossians 2:10). Now we need to believe these Bible truths and ignore what religion says to the contrary!

There can be no thanksgiving in a worrisome life—Did I do enough to please God?, Confess enough?, Give enough?, Keep holydays enough?, Get water baptized enough?, Love God enough?, Love my neighbor enough?, Attend church enough?, Pray enough?, Stop sin enough? There is no peace in a troublesome life—Am I God’s child?, Will I make into heaven?, Does God really love me?, What is His will for me?, Has He really forgiven me? Rather than being “tossed to and fro” by the wiles (schemes) of the Devil in religion (Ephesians 4:14), wondering about contingencies and conundrums, we can be “rooted, built up, and stablished” (stabilized) in Christ, in our identity in Him (today’s Scripture). The doubt, frustration, and perplexity thus cease.

Beloved, the Body of Christ is ever so weak today because it has largely forgotten its identity in Christ! May we take an intelligent understanding of Romans through Philemon, God’s Word to us, and rest our faith in that. We can then cease from our works, and let Father God start doing His by means of the indwelling Holy Spirit! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Where was Jesus during the three days between His death and resurrection?”

If Thou Be #9

Friday, June 12, 2015

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6,7 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is the key to finding your identity in Christ!

A dear brother in Christ often says, “Your Christian life will not operate on the basis of ignorance.” Why does the average Christian life not function properly? Ignorance concerning what God is doing today! The average Christian is not taught God’s Word rightly divided. They are not taught their identity as members of the Church the Body of Christ. Instead, they are taught from the Old Testament, the Four Gospels, early Acts, and Hebrews through Revelation—all of which describe Israel’s identity in Christ. No wonder Christians claim and follow Israel’s verses. They believe they are Israel. No wonder Christians claim to be Israel. They claim and follow Israel’s verses. In other words, the Bible has been so misconstrued that it is just one gigantic mess, and their identity is so screwed up in their minds!

Thankfully, in heaven, such confusion will be absent. There will be no denominations, and no hijacking Israel’s verses. God will clear that all up with one verse—2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” It is in Paul’s epistles alone that we find our identity, doctrine, duty, walk, and destiny as members of the Church the Body of Christ.

We received Jesus Christ by faith in His finished crosswork (Colossians 2:5), and everything in our lives is dependent on that crosswork (today’s Scripture). As we were saved unto eternal life, so we walk in Him—by grace through faith, apart from works, rites, rituals, ceremonies, and so on! We are to be taught that, stabilized in these grace doctrines, remembering we are alive with His life, built up in Him to be in full cooperation with Him as He accomplishes what He wants done in and through us! That is how we remember our identity in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Now, we can conclude this devotionals arc….

If Thou Be #8

Thursday, June 11, 2015

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4 KJV).

Can Satan use the Bible to confuse God’s people concerning their identity? Yes, today’s Scripture says he most certainly can (and does)!

If you want to be a Christian, it is commonly said that you need to be water baptized, give tithes, confess your daily sins, pray the “Lord’s Prayer,” observe holy feast days, faithfully attend church and “worship” on the Sabbath, keep the Mosaic Law, follow Christ’s earthly ministry, obey the “Great Commission,” seek the “manifestation of the Spirit” of tongues and miracles, et cetera. Beloved, while these activities are Scriptural, they do not belong in our dispensation. So, they are advantageous to Satan’s policy of evil in confusing us about our identity.

By the way, if you do not do these activities, traditional “Christianity” does not consider you a Christian. In agreeing with the Bible rightly divided, you disagree with traditional Bible thinking. Since religious tradition is the standard rather than the rightly divided Word of God, those who disagree with religion are labeled “non-Christians.” In that warped world, “Christians” follow tradition instead of Scripture! Behold the insanity, irony, and heresy!

Religion demands we give, confess, repent, attend, observe, seek, do, to get from God and keep it. Our one baptism by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ is seen as deficient. The written, completed Bible is seen as wanting. We are urged to pursue experiences and emotions to hear more from God. Our once-for-all forgiveness is seen as flawed. The Adversary causes Christians to revert back to Israel’s system of short sin-accounts (confession). In short, our sufficiency in Christ is seen as insufficient. Talk about identity crisis! What identity theft! Satan stole their identity, and then they stole Israel’s! The Devil’s damnable statement reverberates throughout the ages, right up to our present-day—“If thou be the [children] of God….”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “How are we ‘able ministers of the new testament?’”

If Thou Be #7

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4 KJV).

Can Satan use the Bible to confuse God’s people concerning their identity? Yes, today’s Scripture says he most certainly can (and does)!

The Bible student must be Scriptural and dispensational. To use the Bible but not rightly divide the Bible is the most dangerous type of Bible quoting and teaching. During Jesus Christ’s temptations, Satan used the Bible but he ignored its dispensational boundaries. Like most in Christendom today, he just haphazardly grabbed any Bible verse that appealed to him, any passage that advanced his agenda (theological system), and unashamedly used God’s Word against God’s Son… on two occasions (Matthew 4:5-6 and Luke 4:9-11)!

Even today, organized religion uses God’s precious Words to “beat up” God’s people. When someone abandons traditional (denominational) thinking, and simply believes the Bible dispensationally, that Bible-believing Christian—not the denominational leadership—is the party accused of “heresy.” When that person calls out those who pervert and disbelieve the words of God in the denomination, that Bible-believing Christian is again condemned as a “heretic.” The Pauline dispensationalist is viewed as the “troublemaker.” Meanwhile, lest the denomination recant and collapse, the denominational leaders—the real troublemakers—cite additional non-rightly divided Scripture.

Thus, Bible believers are often unwelcome in denominational churches. However, those who believe the church’s doctrinal statement and traditions are applauded as “true Christians.” Those outside the denomination—those who use God’s Word, God’s way—are again the “apostates” and the “mischief-makers.” What a complete flip-flop! “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

Yes, just as Satan corrupted the Corinthian Christians with non-rightly divided Scripture (today’s Scripture), Christendom finds itself in equally dire straits….

If Thou Be #6

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4 KJV).

Can Satan use the Bible to confuse God’s people concerning their identity? Yes, today’s Scripture says he most certainly can (and does)!

Every cult in Christendom is “Scriptural.” They all use part of the Holy Bible—the Psalms, Isaiah, the Sermon on the Mount, Genesis, the “Lord’s Prayer,” and so on. Marvel not, dear friends, that false religion does utilize God’s precious words to fool the masses. For, long before false religion used and abused the Bible to support their warped system, Satan did likewise during Christ’s earthly ministry.

Most people greatly underestimate Satan—“The Devil works in those who smoke, chew, and hang around the girls who do. Satan working at and in my denominational church? Never! My preacher uses the Bible! We follow ‘Jesus,’ are led by ‘the Spirit,’ and proclaim ‘the Gospel!’”

Note the following dialog during Christ’s temptations, Matthew chapter 4: “[5] Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, [6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

Quoting Psalm 91:11-12 to Jesus, Satan was “Scriptural!!” The Devil grabbed a passage from another dispensation (specifically, Christ’s Second Coming) and forced it into Christ’s First Coming. Jesus knew better, and did not claim those verses because they were irrelevant at that time. Likewise, Paul feared in today’s Scripture that the Corinthians would allow someone to take a Gospel message from another dispensation (Scripture!) and force it on them, Jesus’ earthly ministry to Israel (Scripture!) and force it on them, and the Mosaic Law (Scripture!) and force it on them….