Category: The Church the Body of Christ

Pray for the Grace Saints

Saturday, October 1, 2011

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12 KJV).

For what should we pray? Notice in today’s Scripture that Epaphras prayed that his Christian brethren would “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Epaphras wanted the saints to understand what God’s will was, and then he wanted them to allow God to accomplish His will by transforming their lives for His glory. That is our prayer for you, beloved!

Epaphras is not noted as a pastor or teacher (someone in the “spotlight”), yet he still had a vital role within the local church. He “laboured fervently… in prayers.” A praying saint is just as important to the Body of Christ as a church elder. Whether it is a saint silently praying for God’s Word to prosper and accomplish His will, or a saint audibly teaching God’s Word, every Christian is useful in the ministry.

Pray daily for the grace brethren to “stand perfect and complete in all God’s will.” They, like you, grow weary under the continual bombardments of this present evil world. They too need encouragement and strength, for they are also hated by the lost world and are belittled by the denominationalists and religionists. All over the world, there are clusters of grace saints, your brethren! You should be praying for them, and they should be praying for you.

In Ephesians 1:16, Paul writes: “[I] cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;….” From verses 17 through 23, Paul explains what he prayed for believers (basically, that God would open their understanding, allowing them to comprehend the awesome work He was accomplishing by forming the Church the Body of Christ). Pray continually for the saints with that in mind.

The Apostle Paul, in one of the closing verses of his first epistle to the Thessalonians, simply wrote: “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25). So, “brethren, pray for us”… for we are praying for you!

We Shall Not All Sleep

Monday, September 19, 2011

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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” (1 Corinthians 15:51,52 KJV).

Save Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), every believer has died physically. Today’s Scripture speaks of a secret (“mystery”) that the Lord did not reveal until He showed it to our Apostle Paul. There is a group of believers who will not experience physical death (“we shall not all sleep”). It will be some members of the Church the Body of Christ.

The Old Testament only spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ as coming to earth to meet believers and set up His kingdom (Job 19:25,26; Zechariah 14:1-4)—this is called the “prophetic program.” But, when we come to Paul’s epistles, God has interrupted that program, split it into two segments of time, and has inserted our “mystery (secret) program” into that gap. Before Jesus Christ can come earth (as prophesied in the prophetic program), He must first conclude our mystery program.

Our mystery program, the Dispensation of Grace, will terminate at an event we call the rapture (derived from the Medieval Latin “raptura,” meaning “caught up”). According to 1 Thessalonians 4:17, all believers of this dispensation will be “caught up…to meet the Lord in the air.” Contrariwise, believers in the prophetic program will meet the Lord on the earth (His Second Coming).

While we do not set dates, the Bible teaches a pre-Tribulation (pre-seven years) rapture. The rapture may or may not occur in our lifetimes. However, we have the prospect that if the Lord Jesus Christ would come now, we Christians would not experience physical death! Our bodies would just be instantly changed, without dying, into glorified bodies fashioned like unto Jesus Christ’s body (Philippians 3:20,21).

If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, keep looking up! We may be that group of believers who will not see physical death…. 🙂

Be Established Saints

Saturday, September 17, 2011

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

The best book to use to introduce anyone to the Bible is the book of Romans, not John’s Gospel Record. The Holy Spirit designed the Bible’s canon so that Romans is the first of Paul’s epistles in Scripture. Lost people seeking salvation should study Romans chapters 1 through 5. Saved people seeking spiritual understanding from the Bible also need to begin in Romans, the foundational (basic) book of the doctrine committed to the Apostle Paul’s trust.

According to today’s Scripture, Paul wanted to “establish” the Roman saints, to educate them so they would have the same understanding of God’s Word as he did. Notice how the book of Romans is laid out:

  • Romans chapters 1-5: JUSTIFICATION — our salvation and position in Christ Jesus.
  • Romans chapters 6-8: SANCTIFICATION — how our salvation and position in Christ affect our lifestyle.
  • Romans chapters 9-11: DISPENSATION OF GRACE — where is the nation Israel today?
  • Romans chapters 12-16: CHRISTIAN SERVICE — sound doctrine for daily Christian living.

Romans 16:25,26b explain how God will “stablish” (stabilize) your Christian life: “according to my gospel, and 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, and by the scriptures of the prophets,”

The foundation of your Christian life is “my gospel,” Paul’s Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Built on that is “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery,” sound doctrine from Paul’s epistles. Finally, “the scriptures of the prophets” refers to all of Scripture in light of the doctrine in Paul’s epistles.

If you want your Christian life to be “established” (fixed) and “stablished” (stabilized, strengthened), you need to build up a structure of sound doctrine inside your inner man. Study and believe the book of Romans, and ye will be established saints!

This Present Evil World

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

“[Jesus Christ] Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1:4,5 KJV).

The world is overwhelmed with violence, corruption, and injustice. How did earth become “this present evil world?”

When God created Adam, He gave him dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). By eating the forbidden fruit, Adam disobeyed God and lost that dominion. Satan then assumed the dominion that Adam had. Now, Satan is “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

In our Lord’s temptations, Satan shows Christ all the world’s kingdoms and their glory. Satan entices Jesus, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8-10; Luke 4:5-8). Satan would give the world’s governments to Christ if Christ would worship him—Satan bragged that he had dominion over the earth instead of God!

God’s Word says, “…the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19). Christ told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).

Today’s Scripture gives us good news. Christ Jesus “gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world.” He died to “deliver us from the power of darkness,” Satan’s evil world system; as Christians, we are now spiritually in “the kingdom of [God’s] dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). At the rapture, Christ will physically deliver us Christians from this evil world.

Furthermore, at His Second Coming, Jesus Christ will return to earth to demolish Satan’s evil world system: its governments, religious organizations, and educational systems. In that day, “the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9).

Our planet will not always be “this present evil world.” Stay tuned…. 🙂

Joseph, a Man of Faith

Sunday, September 4, 2011

“By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:22 KJV).

The book of Genesis closes with: “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt” (50:24-26).

Prior to Jacob’s death, he told his son Joseph: “God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said unto me, Behold I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession” (Genesis 48:3,4).

When Joseph died, Israel was in Egypt (recall that Joseph’s brothers sold him into Egyptian slavery, and Joseph’s family escaped famine in Canaan by joining him in Egypt; Genesis chapters 37-46). Joseph had faith in what God had promised his great-grandfather Abraham, his grandfather Isaac, and his father Jacob. Israel would eventually leave Egypt to forever return to Canaan, the Promised Land.

Some 140 years after Joseph died, Moses led the nation Israel out of Egypt. The Bible says, “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you” (Exodus 13:19).

Through the eyes of faith, Joseph foresaw the day—over a century into the future—when his remains would lie in Canaan’s soil. God had been faithful to Israel, delivering them from Egypt as He promised. Through the eyes of faith, we see ourselves already in heaven. God will be just as faithful in delivering us.

Gather With the Saints

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

“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).

“The house of God” of today’s Scripture does not refer to a church building, but the group of saints that meets in that building. “Church” in the Bible always refers to a group of God’s people, never to a stone or wooden structure. God designed the local church so we could have an assembly to fellowship with like-minded believers in Christ. Today’s Scripture encourages Timothy (and us) to gather with the saints.

While in Troas (northwestern Turkey), the Apostle Paul fellowshipped with the saints, “Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus” (Acts 20:4). Verse 7 says, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”

Notice that first-century saints fellowshipped by eating a meal together and listening to Bible preaching. Interestingly, Paul’s preaching “until midnight” caused Eutychus to literally fall asleep, falling from the third loft to his death (Paul raised this “church sleeper” in verses 10-12)!

Since we are under grace and not law (Romans 6:14,15), we are not obligated to go to church (going to church is not Sabbath day keeping). We go to church willingly. Why? God designed the local church to “perfect” (mature) the saints and “edify” (build up) the Body of Christ with sound Bible teaching so they can then share what they learned with the lost (Ephesians 4:12).

If you get an opportunity to meet with the grace brethren, make every attempt to attend. You will be greatly edified and encouraged by hearing some sound preaching from the rightly divided Word and seeing God’s grace and Word working in the lives of others!

At Least the Angels Are Listening

Saturday, August 27, 2011

“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,” (Ephesians 3:9,10 KJV).

In the Old Testament, the Four Gospel Records, and the first eight chapters of Acts, God spoke of His purpose and plan for the earth. That prophetic program focused on the nation Israel and an earthly kingdom (Matthew 25:34) “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21).

But, during that time, God kept a secret, “the mystery,” “the hidden wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:7,8). When the ascended Lord Jesus Christ saved Saul of Tarsus and made him Paul the Apostle in Acts chapter 9, the Lord revealed that information to Paul: “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 16:25,26a).

Paul’s epistles alone reveal this mystery (secret) program (Ephesians 3:1-9; Colossians 1:24-27). Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon speak of God’s purpose and program for the heaven, which encompasses our present-day Dispensation of Grace, a heavenly kingdom, and the Church the Body of Christ (Ephesians 2:6,7).

According to today’s Scripture, we members of the Body of Christ share the goal of the Apostle Paul: “to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery….” Our goal is not only to proclaim to people this now-revealed information in Paul’s epistles, but also to make it known to “the principalities and powers in heavenly places.”

God’s angels observe us Christians. They understand what God is doing today by listening to us teach and preach God’s Word rightly divided. While most church members care not to listen to the rightly divided King James Bible, and the denominationalists dislike us for exposing their church tradition, at least the angels are listening to us. 🙂

Babes in Christ

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1 KJV).

The Apostle Paul stated six times he did not want “ignorant” Christians (Romans 1:13; Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 10:1; 1 Corinthians 12:1; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13). “Ignorant” describes people who are uninformed (or misinformed), not people who are stupid.

Most professing Christians today are ignorant of the Bible because they seldom hear God’s Word properly taught, if at all. Sadly, many churchgoers attend “church services” that resemble circuses! Preachers usually rattle on and on about worthless topics. Rituals are performed with impeccability, and yet they are nothing but vain, faithless activities. Sadly, many people attend church to feel “religious,” to be entertained with “Christian” rock and rap music, to socialize, or just to shake the preacher’s hand.

In today’s Scripture, we gather that the Corinthians were spiritually immature. They loved emotional highs and supernatural experiences, yet the Corinthian assembly was plagued with fornication, lawsuits, and drunkenness. There was almost no spirituality within the Corinthian church, and yet, the same applies to “the Church” today!

Corinth had great apostles and teachers, particularly Paul and Apollos. Yet, whatever sound doctrine the Corinthians heard, they never placed their faith in that sound doctrine. However, “the Church” today is not as fortunate as the Corinthians. Today, many church members do not even hear sound doctrine in the first place.

To avoid the Corinthians’ pitiful spiritual state, and the shameful spiritual state of today’s Christendom, we need to study the Holy Scriptures “rightly divided” and believe them! After all, “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 [spiritually mature], throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

The only way to reach spiritual maturity is to study God’s Word “rightly divided,” apart from denominational eyeglasses, and then place our faith in God’s Word. Otherwise, we too will be “babes in Christ.”

Be of the Same Mind in the Lord

Sunday, August 21, 2011

“I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, the Apostle Paul mentions two Christian women, Euodias and Syntyche, in opposition to one another. We know not the nature of that disagreement, but it was disruptive in the Philippian church, so Paul addressed the matter and begged them to resolve it.

There should be unity within the Church the Body of Christ, but there is very little because human viewpoint and religious tradition divide. Unfortunately, even among some “grace brethren,” we find “strange doctrines” that generate arguments. We should make every attempt to get along with our Christian brethren, but we should never, ever seek unity at the expense of sound doctrine. There should be no disagreement in the Body of Christ regarding matters clearly taught in the King James Bible.

The Corinthian church was noteworthy for its divisions (“denominations!”). Some Corinthians followed Christ according to His earthly ministry, others followed Peter, some followed Apollos, and still others followed Paul (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). Paul wrote, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (verse 10). How were they to avoid these divisions? They were to follow Paul as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

The Bible says (Galatians 5:15,16): “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Arguments can get rather nasty amongst Christians (spiritually “biting and devouring” each other). As long as we “walk in the Spirit,” allowing God’s Holy Spirit to teach us to follow the doctrine in Paul’s epistles, we will believe what the King James Bible says where it says what it says, and not argue with God. This is the unity that God desires the Body of Christ to have.

The Grand Bible Conference

Thursday, August 18, 2011

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13 KJV).

The breathing of the departing saint shallows, the eyes close, the soul exits the physical body, and the Holy Ghost Himself escorts the saint to the third heaven. Millions of saints have already experienced this, and short of the Lord’s coming, physical death shall be our lot too.

Today’s Scripture and its context (verses 13 through 18) address the question: Will we ever see those dearly departed brethren again? Verse 14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep [die] in Jesus will God bring with him.” Our hope is that we will see those Christians again. A saint’s death is bittersweet: we loathe their short-term absence, but we rejoice in a long-term reunion, a glorious re-gathering that will literally last forever!

There shall come a day, the rapture, when all the saints are united for the first time. We shall see those saints who have gone before us, those we have never met. Meeting the Lord Jesus Christ face-to-face and hearing His voice, enjoying His glory, and fellowshipping with all the saints around God’s Word. No grief, no heresy, no denominational or religious bickering. Wow, that is heaven! 🙂

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:8: “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” While we grieve for the departed saints, we rejoice because they have been eternally rescued from this present evil world. They are in the Lord’s presence now, at peace. Psalm 116:15 says: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” A hearty amen!

Rest assured, we shall see those saints again. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have a secure reservation for “the grand Bible conference.” Just wait for your flight….

-IN MEMORIAM-
THOSE WHO HAVE DIED IN CHRIST