Category: spiritual growth and maturity

Established Saints #2

Thursday, January 3, 2013

“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end that ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith of you and me” (Romans 1:11,12 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is God’s will for every believer.

The division, contention, and Bible ignorance that proliferate within the professing church today is due to a deliberate failure to understand and appreciate the Apostle Paul’s special ministry, message, and doctrine. Rather than focusing on what God is doing today—described in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon—religion “takes and fakes” Israel’s program. Nearly every church today attempts to follow the Old Testament, the Four Gospels, Acts, and Hebrews through Revelation. In doing so, they completely miss what God is doing today! They emphasize Christ’s earthly ministry in Matthew through John to the extent that they ignore Christ’s heavenly ministry through the Apostle Paul.

When we trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, He saved us from sin, death, and hell. But, how did He save us? Why did He save us? What will He do with us in the future? How does the Christian life operate? How should we pray? What does God want us to do on a daily basis as Christians? It cannot be emphasized enough—we must, must, MUST go to the Apostle Paul for the answers, for you cannot find them anywhere else in Scripture.

Usually, the average church member will thus respond with a snide, “Paul worshipper!” On the contrary, Paul wrote, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37). To demean and disregard Paul’s ministry is to disgrace and discard the Lord’s commandments to us. Paul is “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13): He is God’s spokesman to us. Friend, if you ignore the Apostle Paul in order to retain your church tradition, you are only hurting yourself, for Paul is the man God sent to “establish” us spiritually (today’s Scripture).

For more information, read this study regarding Paul’s special apostleship and message.

Established Saints #1

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end that ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith of you and me” (Romans 1:11,12 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is God’s will for every believer.

The Apostle Paul desired to come to Rome and see these saints many times, but he was “let [hindered] hitherto” (verse 13). He wanted to “impart unto [them] some spiritual gift.” His goal in doing so was to have them “established,” which is defined as “the mutual faith of [the Apostle Paul] and [them].”

The Holy Spirit through Paul is writing that He wants every believer to have a clear, firm understanding of the Pauline grace doctrine (Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon). God wants us to have the same understanding of His Word as the Apostle Paul did: What is God doing today? Forming the Church the Body of Christ. Why is He doing this? To have an agency He can use in the heavenly places in the ages to come, for His glory. How does the Christian life operate? By faith in sound grace Bible doctrine—not the Mosaic Law—which the Holy Ghost will use to transform the minds and lifestyles of believers.

As a dear brother in Christ says, “Your Christian life will not operate on the basis of ignorance!” Oftentimes, believers have such an extremely shallow understanding of Scripture that they are prone to be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” (Ephesians 4:14). Sadly, Satan’s religious system sweeps them away into serving a denomination, filling their minds with worthless “commandments and doctrines of men” (Colossians 2:22), and thus making their Christian life a “shipwreck” (1 Timothy 1:19).

Dear saints, God’s fervent desire, Paul’s fervent desire, and our fervent desire for you this year is that you be “established” in sound Pauline Bible doctrine—that you do not simply know about Paul’s ministry, message, and doctrine, but you also understand them and believe them. This will bring stability in your Christian life, and guard you against Satan’s deception in religion and philosophy.

Wilt Thou Serve the Denomination, Or the Lord? #4

Thursday, December 6, 2012

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23,24 KJV).

Beloved, we have a choice—we can serve a theological system (which is worthless), or we can serve the Lord (which is priceless).

If we desire to know the Lord’s will for our lives, should we consult manmade “articles of confession” and “catechisms” published by denominations? No! It is only logical to find God’s will for our lives by reading the Book God wrote!

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable, for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17). Everything we will ever need to know about God’s plan for us is found in the Holy Bible. Found therein is everything that He has done for us, and everything that He purposes to do with us! When we grasp that information, we progress in spiritual maturity, and by faith, we “labour together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Satan knows God’s Word is effectual, that it accomplishes what God intends (Isaiah 55:11). So, to the devil’s delight, sinful man corrupted God’s Word by fabricating perverted Bible manuscripts, creating elaborate organizations instead of preaching the Gospel of Grace to perishing mankind, wrongly dividing the word of truth, and thus splintering into 38,000-plus denominations. These activities still distract lost people (and even Christians) from discovering God’s will and the clarity of His Word.

The Bible warns us: “Beware lest any man spoil [rob, cheat] you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Doubtless, this refers to empty religious tradition, denominational doctrine which is “not after Christ.”

Let us walk by faith in an intelligent understanding of what God is doing today, Paul’s epistles Romans through Philemon, and not what some denomination is doing. After all, dear saints, serving a denomination will profit us nothing in eternity….

Decent and Orderly

Sunday, December 2, 2012

“Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40 KJV).

Today’s Scripture is straightforward regarding individuals’ behavior within the local church.

A lady recently shared with me her experience of visiting a new local church. After an hour of singing, dancing, shouting, jumping, and tongue talking, there was less than an hour of preaching. While she claimed that she learned “a little” (!) from the Bible, she was overall displeased. Thankfully, she said she was not returning there. (I was then able to share some Scriptural truth with her concerning those matters.)

Emotionalism dominated the Corinthian church. The Corinthians, although Christians, were spiritually immature: they failed to learn and grasp the doctrine found in the book of Romans. They could not function like adult saints because they were “babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1). Consequently, they abused spiritual gifts.

Rather than using their spiritual gifts to benefit the assembly as God intended, these believers were selfishly glorifying their flesh by drawing attention to themselves (the “charismatic movement” is nothing new). The Apostle Paul spent three chapters—1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14—addressing spiritual gifts. The last verse of that section is today’s Scripture, which summarizes God’s view of the whole issue. We are not to lose self-control under any circumstances.

Dear readers, be not swept away by the charismatic movement. We humans are emotional creatures, prone to fall into the trap of deceptive feelings, and this religious movement appeals to our flesh. Spiritual gifts—even when they operated in biblical times—were never meant to be haphazardly used to lift up the individual Christian, or be utilized to give an “emotional high.”

Lost people are watching us, and is that the impression we want them to have about God? Jumping, shouting, and babbling incoherently? As 1 Corinthians 14:23 says, these lost souls will exclaim, “Ye are mad [crazy]!!!” Remember, everything in the local church should be done “decently and in order.” Let us be grounded in this truth, let us walk by faith in sound Pauline Bible doctrine, and let us not be “children… tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).

Aging Grace-fully

Friday, November 30, 2012

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16 KJV).

As the aging process degrades our physical bodies, let us allow God’s grace to “renew” our minds.

I just heard people share their anxiety about their aging physical bodies. They loathe their gray hairs, sagging skin, and wrinkles, and do whatever they can to “look younger.” They are not focusing on the things of eternal importance, for they probably never have trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. All they think about is the here and now, failing to understand that there is more to life than this physical dimension.

In one recent year, Americans spent $10 billion (!) on cosmetic surgeries. These efforts to slow down and even reverse aging and its effects are futile. Death and elderliness will still come. Beloved, no matter what we do to these physical bodies, they will still age, and short of the Lord’s coming, they will die. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). These are “vile bodies” affected by sin, and thus they must die (Philippians 3:21). They cannot enter heaven.

Thankfully, one day (the rapture), these physical bodies will be redeemed from death (Romans 8:23): we Christians will receive new bodies “eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). As a dear brother in Christ always states, “In heaven, there will be no [from head to toe] baldness, bifocals, bridgework, bulges, and bunions!” Yes, we have those here, but be not depressed. We will not be here in this sin-cursed world forever. We are not bound forever in these limited (and weakening) bodies.

Today’s Scripture shows us that this physical body—the “outward man”—will ultimately die, and give way to a new glorified body. What we need to focus on is the “inward man,” our soul and spirit. We will leave these physical bodies behind, but we will take with us our spiritual bodies. When we daily study and believe the King James Bible rightly divided, it will “renew” and strengthen our souls, the bodies that count for eternity. And thus, we will age “grace-fully.” 🙂

Quelling the Questions of Quandaries

Sunday, November 25, 2012

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17 KJV).

Sin makes life very complicated, but today’s Scripture is a great help in attempting to resolve those “quandaries” (“sticky situations”).

Life affords many choices ranging from a variety of topics. “Do I do this, or do I that?” In some cases, there is no one Bible verse that gives us a clear-cut answer as to what specific choice the Lord would have us to make. Furthermore, some situations are so tough, they seem almost impossible to solve. Such predicaments can be quite troubling to the Christian, who is on the verge of screaming in desperation, “Lord, I know not what to do because I do not know Thy will concerning this!”

Dear saint, no matter what quandary you ever face, here are three basic doctrines to bear in mind:

  1. God’s grace—everything He can do for us through Christ’s finished crosswork—gives us Christians the power to stop sin from dominating us: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” (Titus 2:11,12). When we make mistakes (sin), we need to acknowledge them by letting God’s Word (these verses) correct our thinking. Grace living is not sinless living. We do and will make mistakes, but we need to learn from them.
  2. If the Bible—especially Paul’s epistles—are silent about how to handle the matter in a specific manner, today’s Scripture provides general counsel: And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Do what best reflects and glorifies Jesus Christ.
  3. The Lord wants you to make the choice that would further and exalt His Word. When we make godly decisions, we promulgate the sound doctrine taught by God’s written Word, the Holy Bible, and we accomplish His overall will to glorify His Son, Jesus Christ, in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:10). 🙂

Saved from Religious Tradition!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16 KJV).

Having returned from a very refreshing Bible study meeting, I shall recount for you some of the highlights.

Although brief, our Bible study meeting was a spiritual “jumpstart!” Firstly, we discussed how, if we neglect to study the Bible “rightly divided,” as 2 Timothy 2:15 clearly declares, we will wind up in confusion, and our Christian lives will be in shambles. Secondly, we learned that the order of the Bible’s books—particularly Paul’s epistles—is no coincidence. It is meant to spiritually grow Christians from “babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1) to “full age” (Hebrews 5:14). If we fail to recognize how God has constructed His written Word—how God the Holy Spirit arranged the Bible’s canon (the order of its books)—it will hinder our spiritual maturity.

God purposed the wisdom contained in the Bible to help us know Him and what He is doing. Alas, sin and religious tradition keep us ignorant, shackled, and miserable, which makes Bible study burdensome and impossible. Oh, but what joy to simply study the Holy Scriptures as God designed them to be studied, for they radically transform the way we think! Oh, what a thrill it is to simply believe the Holy Bible, for it certainly revolutionizes our lives!

How refreshing it was to hear a faithful servant in the ministry teach God’s Word dispensationally. It was thrilling to see new Christian faces. How encouraging it was to see curious souls turning the pages of Scripture, and writing notes. Surely, I was “godly edified” (1 Timothy 1:4), and indeed the rest of the class was, too. These dear saints were just as eager to soak up sound Pauline Bible doctrine as I was. We share life in Christ, and it was very enjoyable to fellowship with them, eating and talking with them.

By simple faith in the precious Bible doctrine we learned yesterday, we saved ourselves from religious tradition (see today’s Scripture), and we rejoice in this liberty in Christ (Galatians 5:1)! 🙂

Give Attendance to Bible Study Attendance

Friday, November 23, 2012

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

Due to “the fellowship of the mystery” (Ephesians 3:9), we grace Christians should give attendance to fellowshipping with each other.

In a few hours, I will be privileged to assemble with fellow grace believers, individuals who have trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, and who also understand and appreciate the special message and ministry that our ascended and glorified Lord gave to the Apostle Paul. I will be meeting many of these Christians for the very first time. How thrilling!

Literally, had it not been for God’s grace, none of us would be saved, and we would have probably never even met. We Christians are all partakers of the grace life in Christ, and it is around this precious Bible truth that we are united forever. Because of our salvation, all of us members of the Body of Christ are eternally linked to one another. We will be spending a literal eternity with each other, so we might as well get a head start now! 🙂

There will be about four hours of Bible study. During that time, we hope to cover basic grace doctrine, and especially how God the Holy Spirit has arranged the books of the Bible’s canon to accomplish our edification (building up, strengthening). This priceless doctrine that we learn, we can then apply to life by faith, and we can also share it with fellow Christians and the lost world.

When our King James Bible says, “give attendance” in today’s Scripture, it means, “pay attention to.” As the Bible declares here, we should emphasize three elements in the local church: “reading, exhortation, doctrine.” We should not only read the Bible, but study it and consider what we read. We are to pay attention to “exhorting” (urging, encouraging) our Christian brethren to continue in sound Bible teaching and grace living. Lastly, we are to pay attention to doctrine itself, for sound doctrine sets us apart from the cults, sects, denominations, and false religions of the world.

Attending Bible studies is very profitable—both now, and (more importantly) forever….

In Every Thing Give Thanks

Thursday, November 22, 2012

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV).

Dear saints, take a moment this Thanksgiving to learn a valuable lesson from the Holy Scriptures!

God wants “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). To be “saved” here means you have been rescued from the penalty of sin (hell and the lake of fire), and that you have a home in heaven, because you have trusted the death, shed blood, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as sufficient payment for your sins. To “come unto the knowledge of the truth” is when a person who has trusted Christ, begins to understand why God saved him or her, and how God will use him or her for His glory. Although soul salvation is instantaneous, spiritual maturity is a life-long process (that is especially true regarding handling difficulties, the grace way!).

It is human nature to avoid difficulties and stress, to flee them, rather than confront them. This self-preservation is advantageous, particularly in “life or death” situations. However, running from troubling circumstances is not the way God has designed our life in Christ to function. Today’s Scripture says, “In every thing give thanks,” not “For every thing give thanks.” We do not thank God for our troubles; we thank God while we are enduring those troubles. This is tough, I know, but it takes time for us to learn it. Even the Apostle Paul had to learn this.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Be thankful in every thing. God’s grace is sufficient for you, dear saint, in all of life’s circumstances. When you learn this, you are “[coming] unto the knowledge of the truth.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

*Excerpted from a larger Bible study with the same name. That study can be read here or watched here.

Arrayed in Hypocrisy

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:27,28 KJV).

“Looks can be deceiving” is not only true during Halloweentime, but confirmed year-round within Christendom.

Today is Halloween, when children dress up and feign themselves to be creatures they are not. Likewise, many church leaders today wear “Christian” garbs, but their ministries do not bring the Lord Jesus Christ glory and honor. They promote their denomination, and seek to perpetuate it, rather than serve and exalt the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Bible manifests these who appear to be good, as “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

In today’s Scripture, Jesus Christ exposed Israel’s corrupt religious leaders who misled the nation in His day. In His Parable of the Tares, Matthew 13:24-30,37-43, Christ explained how just as He had sown good seed (wheat, believing Jews) in Israel, Satan had also sown tares/weeds (unbelieving Jews). Tares resemble wheat; unbelieving Jews resemble believing Jews. The unbelieving Pharisees and scribes, for instance, looked like God’s people (believing Israel). Judas Iscariot was another example of Satan’s tares—the apostles never realized who Judas really was until it was too late!

But Satan’s counterfeit believers are not confined to Israel’s program. Today, within local assemblies of the Body of Christ, there are people feigning themselves to be Christians: For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Beloved, beware of the church leaders who are arrayed in hypocrisy, “and avoid them” (Romans 16:17b). If their teaching does not agree with the rightly divided King James Bible, you have no business as a child of God to be following them.

*This is excerpted from a larger Bible study with the same name. The Bible study can be read here or watched here.