Category: Salvation

When All You Have is Christ Jesus

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:3,4 KJV).

When all you have is Christ Jesus, then you realize He is all you need!

Here in southern Louisiana, significant rainfall and extensive flooding have caused tremendous destruction these last several days. One grace Christian I spoke with via phone said his house had over four feet (1.2+ meters) of water in it! Thankfully, he and his wife escaped with their dog. They lost all their other possessions.

I reminded that brother that God’s grace is sufficient for them. He and his wife can still rejoice in being alive. I reminded him they were going to lose those possessions at death anyway. Scripture calls our material goods “uncertain” (1 Timothy 6:17). At any moment, we can lose them to various events. If our identity is found in our things, and we lose our things to disaster, then we lose our identity. That is the danger of materialism, exalting riches as a god. The Bible calls this “mammon,” material riches worshipped as a deity (Luke 16:13).

However, as Bible believers, we know that our identity is in Jesus Christ. Fellow saint, that identity is the only thing that cannot be taken from you. You can lose your house, job, family, vehicle, and even your physical life, but you can never lose your eternal life in Jesus Christ. God freely gave it to you forever! With that identity in Christ, Father God has promised us comfort, abounding security. He provides us with spiritual stamina, fortitude, to endure all of life’s troubles (Philippians 4:11-13).

Paul, in the context of today’s Scripture, was very depressed because of violent opposition in Ephesus (verses 3-10; cf. Acts chapter 19 and 1 Corinthians 16:8,9). Yet, Father God gave him victory over that enormous burden. He was thus able to comfort others. When we suffer, let us rely on God’s grace too, that we may comfort others with, “When all you have is Christ Jesus, He is all you need!” 🙂

333’s 1900th – The Greatness of God’s Grace

Friday, August 12, 2016

“[The word of the truth of the gospel] Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:6 KJV).

Dear friends, solely by God’s grace, devotional #1900 is here! Here is a “behind-the-scenes” look at “333 Words of Grace.”

The most common question received these past five years concerns the number “333.” (One fearful person inquired if it was related to “666!”) Actually, “333” is the approximate word limit for each study, excluding the words in the main Scripture text. This safeguards me from rambling, and it protects you the readers from being overwhelmed. From day 1, we have always aimed to communicate the dispensational truths of God’s Word (King James Bible) as clearly and concisely as possible!

Inspiration for studies comes from various sources—events in my life, Bible questions people recently asked, snippets from counseling sessions with others, questions raised in my own personal Bible study, news stories, science articles, et cetera. Each study is described as: topical (particular theme), and/or expository (specific verse, passage, or book), and/or exhortation (encouragement). Some devotionals were written in a matter of minutes. Others literally involved years of study and writing before you read them! (I still have dozens of unfinished ones from five years ago when we first started this blog!) At least 1500 new devotionals are planned.

Our studies are designed not only to explain how the Christian life operates, but also clarify how God’s other people in the Bible—the nation Israel—functions. We study all of the Bible, for it is all God’s Word. However, we always recognize and respect its dispensational layout, lest we wind up confused like the rest of professing “Christianity!”

When the Gospel of God’s Grace is preached to the lost, and the Message of God’s Grace is preached to the Christians, it brings forth fruit (today’s Scripture). Lost souls will be saved from hell, and Christian souls will be saved from religious bondage! These last 1900 days have demonstrated that in all our lives. Onward in Christ we go to devotional #2000! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What were the ‘stones’ of Matthew 3:9?”

arC Ministries Is 9!

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20 KJV).

To our Lord Jesus Christ’s glory, arC Ministries celebrated its ninth anniversary this past Sunday!

Nine years ago, as an 18-year-old college student, I endeavored to use Facebook to create a Bible study group for teens and college students. Thus, “ambassadors for the risen Christ ministries” was born. As I grew more in God’s Word rightly divided, I grew increasingly aware of the need for additional ministry projects. The more I had been learning drove me to share those precious truths with others. That eventually led me to look for supplementary avenues of ministry.

During these past nine years, God’s grace has enabled us to continue the original group on Facebook. In addition, we have branched out quite a bit in other areas. This devotionals blog has been operating for over five years now. For the last four years, we have focused on developing and drafting a grace study Bible (now in its fifth year). Other ministry projects include a 22-week newspaper ministry column (this devotionals blog’s predecessor), a YouTube channel with home Bible study videos, a Twitter feed, a full-length Bible studies blog, a college campus ministry, a nursing-home ministry, and our Bible-question-and-answer blog. Earlier this year, we launched our new main ministry website and now have a line of printed Bible study booklets available for sale there. We hear from people all over the world!

Our name says it all: we serve the risen Lord Jesus Christ, not some “dead Jew” and not ourselves. The original motto of our ministry was, “To equip ambassadors, and to encourage others to become ambassadors.” Our primary goal is to teach Christians, and our secondary goal is to evangelize the lost world. Nine years later, we still endeavor to uphold God’s Word (King James Bible) rightly divided, whether it be in edifying the Christian brethren or preaching the clear Gospel of the Grace of God to this lost and dying world. For those of you who have been with us from day 1, thank you for your prayer and encouragement. We pray for you upon every remembrance! There is still plenty more for the Lord Jesus Christ to do in and through us, so let us give Him all the praise and glory as we enter Year 10! 🙂

Please note that you can support our ministry financially by securely giving here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux. Thanks!

A Baptism You Cannot Fake

Sunday, July 31, 2016

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV).

Water baptism can be feigned; today’s Scripture cannot!

Once, a lady was looking through some old documents she had stored at home. She came across the water baptism certificate of her then eight-year-old son. Yet, as it turned out, he never actually trusted Christ Jesus as his personal Saviour until age 21! Friends, we can only wonder how people leading the church allowed a lost person to get water baptized. They evidently never asked him what the Gospel was, or even if he knew why he was getting water baptized in the first place!

Many people in religion have gotten wet at some point. Whether immersion, sprinkling, or pouring; whether as an infant or an adult; almost every professing Christian has experienced some water ceremony—some several! While people, preachers, and denominations continue their centuries-old arguments about which mode is correct, which words should be said, and who should be baptized, they ignore a major fact. Most of the people getting water baptized have not got a clue concerning the biblical meaning of water baptism. They have gotten so hung up on water baptism that 99.999% of the time they never realize the “baptism” in today’s Scripture is the ONLY baptism that really counts for eternity (Ephesians 4:5). Oftentimes, they refuse to see it!

Friends, our “one baptism” does not come by a preacher or priest, but by the power of the Holy Spirit placing the believer into the Church the Body of Christ. The exact moment a person trusts exclusively the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit takes that person and makes him or her one with Jesus Christ forever. That individual is united not only with Father God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit—but with other believers as well.

Unlike water baptism, this baptism by the Spirit of God into the Body of Christ can never be faked! Only God Himself sees it, and He is the only witness necessary to make it valid forever and ever! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Are Matthew 17:1, Mark 9:2, and Luke 9:28 contradictory?”

Saved, Saved, Saved #4

Friday, July 29, 2016

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV).

The chorus of Jack P. Scholfield’s classic 1911 hymn, “Saved, Saved, Saved,” highlights today’s Scripture.

“Saved by His power divine,
Saved to new life sublime!
Life now is sweet and my joy is complete,
For I’m saved, saved, saved!”

As the songwriter knew, God’s power, not our power, saved us. Today’s Scripture plainly declares: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Some Bible commentators, hating these verses, have said the following to keep their works-religion: “What these verses ‘really’ mean is we are not saved by works alone. We need Jesus too.” Alas, a lie! If Jesus is enough to save us into Heaven, and the Bible says He is, then we need not introduce our measly religious works!

Friend, the Bible versions issue is a most serious matter. Did you know that, where the King James Bible says five times “saved” (past tense), modern versions use “being saved” (as in “being saved” today but not necessarily tomorrow)? Check Acts 2:47, 1 Corinthians 1:18, and 2 Corinthians 2:15. The King James has “saved” while the NIV, Amplified Bible, NKJV, Jehovah’s Witness New World Translation, and New American (Roman Catholic) Bible agree, “those who are being saved.” Luke 13:23 in King James Bible—“Lord, are there few that be saved?”—is now in the NIV, NASB, and HCSB—“Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” The NRSV, NKJV, and Jehovah’s Witness New World Translation are unique with “are being saved” in 1 Corinthians 15:2 (“are saved” in KJV). It gets worse! They even pervert today’s Scripture—“are saved” is now “have been saved!”

Modern English versions are spiritually dangerous. They teach the erroneous idea that salvation unto eternal life is uncertain. (Remember the “mortal sin of presumption” in Roman Catholicism? See, such “scholarship” has dominated modern English manuscripts and versions!) However, our trusty Protestant Bible (King James) says we ARE “Saved, Saved, Saved!” (It is a done deal in Christ!) 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What does 2 Peter 3:8 mean?”

Saved, Saved, Saved #3

Thursday, July 28, 2016

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6 KJV).

The third verse of Jack P. Scholfield’s classic 1911 hymn, “Saved, Saved, Saved,” highlights today’s Scripture.

“When poor and needy and all alone,
In love He said to me,
‘Come unto Me and I’ll lead you home,
To live with Me eternally.’”

Religion has ingrained in people’s minds, from birth to death, the lie that they can do something religious so God can declare them righteous before Him. Lost people take Bible verses that apply only to Christians, and they try to follow those life principles hoping to “make Christians out of themselves.” Dear friends, we do not make ourselves Christians. No religious group makes us Christians, either. God’s intention in giving Christian living verses was not for everyone to follow in order to become Christians; He gave those verses for Christian people to follow. Without Christ inside the heart, one cannot have the Christian life. Lost people can imitate the Christian life at times, yes of course, but they fail. God is not the least bit fooled; He sees straight through artificial Christianity.

Without Jesus Christ, friends, we literally have nothing! The Lord Jesus Christ is the way to Father; without Him, we have nothing but a one-way path to hellfire! Jesus Christ is the truth; without Him, we have nothing but Satan’s lies! The Lord Jesus Christ is the life; without Him, we have nothing but death in our trespasses and sins! We do not come to Him for “help” in doing good or being good; we come to Him for everything!

Most assuredly, we are poor, needy, and all alone. So, God’s Son came to this wretched planet. We were not looking for Him; He was looking for us, to turn us back to Father God. Christ Jesus was obedient to His Heavenly Father, all the way to Calvary’s cruel tree. He reached out with a nail-scarred hand and offered to lead us to heaven, to enjoy forever the same fellowship that He had with His Father from eternity past. Friends, may we take His hand by faith and be “Saved, Saved, Saved!”

Saved, Saved, Saved #2

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

“The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me” (Psalm 116:6 KJV).

The second verse of Jack P. Scholfield’s classic 1911 hymn, “Saved, Saved, Saved,” highlights today’s Scripture.

“He saves me from every sin and harm,
Secures my soul each day;
I’m leaning strong on His mighty arm;
I know He’ll guide me all the way.”

While Scripture certainly does not teach sinless perfection in this life (called “complete sanctification” in strict religious circles), it does teach victorious Christian living. For example, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Romans 6:11,12). As Christians, we can choose to let sin reign in us, or we can choose to deny sin’s access to our life. Our choice!

Christ Jesus died, and we died to sin with Him; He was raised again, and we were raised again to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-5). “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin” (verses 6,7).

Romans chapter 6 is packed full of wonderful verses about our identity in Jesus Christ. We can have complete and total victory over sin on a daily basis. But, do we access that identity by faith in these Bible verses? Or, do we coast along in the energy of our flesh (the Law) and let sin get dominion over us? That is what happened to Paul in chapter 7. Chapter 8, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, rescues us from the despair and defeat of chapter 7.

Brethren, whether or not we act like Christians, we are still the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26-28). It is His faithfulness that keeps us saved, for it is His faithfulness that purchased our redemption in the first place! What a glorious, exciting reality—we will never find anything like it in religion! The salvation we have from the penalty of sin (hell) allows us to have salvation from the power of sin (daily sins).

Saved, Saved, Saved #1

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:24,25 KJV).

The first verse of Jack P. Scholfield’s classic 1911 hymn, “Saved, Saved, Saved,” highlights today’s Scripture.

“I’ve found a Friend, who is all to me,
His love is ever true;
I love to tell how He lifted me
And what His grace can do for you.”

In religious circles, “saved” is a very dirty word. When you utter it in a denominational setting, gasps can be heard. Parishioners may experience cardiac arrest! How dare you be so “arrogant” in declaring—let alone thinking!—there is reserved in heaven a place for you! Church members shudder as that word “saved” “defiles” their religious ears. They have no such assurance of “salvation.” Furthermore, they tremble to realize the precarious situation they have been in since birth—“If I am not ‘saved,’ I must be ‘lost!’”

According to Roman Catholic theology, the “mortal sin of presumption” is committed when one believes he or she will go to heaven without any time spent “suffering for sins” in “purgatory.” Of course, this is fiction and nonsense. Remember, as long as you do not know if you are saved, you will keep coming to church, keep giving, keep praying, keep keeping the sacraments, keep keeping the ordinances! To die in the “mortal sin” of “presumption” is to merit immediate hellfire, with no chance of ever entering purgatory… or heaven. Oh, but praise God, we know God’s truth in today’s Scripture! There is total redemption—complete deliverance and purging from sin—in and because of Jesus Christ!

There is a “Friend” of sinners and His name is Jesus Christ. His love spanned the gulf of sin between you and God, and it sent Him to Calvary’s cruel cross. “Grace” is not what you can do for God so He can offer you salvation; grace is what God can do for you through Calvary because you can do nothing for Him! ’Tis the only way to be “Saved, Saved, Saved!”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Must I witness to be saved?”

No “Sin?”

Monday, July 25, 2016

“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 4:3,4 KJV).

Is there really such a thing as “sin?” If there is, a good many preachers will literally not say it!

Not long ago, a feel-good pastor was featured on a news show to comment on a recent tragedy. When the news anchor asked him why there was all this craziness in society, the pastor just could not bring himself to say the word “sin.” The best he could do was repeat, “It is just our fallen nature, humanity’s fallen nature.”

Beloved, “sin” is such a negative word, and this man was used to pleasing people. He would not dare say “sin” on television. It might offend someone “too sophisticated” or “too positive” to think about something so unconstructive as “sin!” Overall, the pastor’s spiritual insight was that of a first-grade Sunday School student. He never gave any real comfort and no in-depth commentary from the Bible. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say he quoted as much Scripture as the news anchor! (None.)

People just cannot handle the truth, especially the truths of the Holy Bible. One of the ways we know the Bible is not of human origin is its negative portrait of mankind. It offends our flesh; it contradicts our sin nature that wants to perform. The Bible is always negative toward man and always positive toward God. But, today’s Scripture says people will more and more gravitate toward error. They do not want to be called “sinners.” Oh, no! They do not want to be called “lost,” either! Let us call them “diseased,” “debilitated,” and “un-churched!”

Friends, there is a negative reality called “sin.” This offends people, but so what! God gave us that bad news so He could then give us good news, the Gospel of Grace. “Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). We can have righteousness—His righteousness—when we trust Him and Him alone as sufficient payment for our sins!

Light and Understanding

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130 KJV).

Behold, light and understanding are in the Word of God rightly divided!

Today’s Scripture is so simple that even a small child can grasp it. Unfortunately, many seminary-educated preachers, many “scholarly” persons, and many religious leaders could not comprehend that verse even if their lives depended on it! They have been so “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14)—their minds scrambled and their hearts hardened. When the spiritual light of God’s Word shines, they hide behind an intellectual or religious argument, lest the light expose them and convert them from their wayward path!

Still, despite all the willful ignorance described above, there are a handful of genuine souls. They are really trying to find the truth; they are waiting for some Bible-believing Christian to help them. Dear brethren, dearly beloved in the Lord, we should not be lackadaisical. There are some very confused people out there seeking answers; they need the light of the Gospel of Christ to shine on their hearts so they can be saved unto eternal life. There are some very confused Christians out there; they need the light of the Message of Grace to shine on their hearts so they can learn sound Bible doctrine. Let us not sit around waiting for some other person to do it. We should get out and do it. Win souls to Jesus Christ, and edify Christian souls to His glory! Go! Go! Go!

Some have no interest whatsoever in learning the truths of God’s Word rightly divided. But, there are others who are praying for God to enlighten them. We need to be ready to reach them whenever they request our assistance. Let us study and be prepared to answer their questions! In this world of increasing darkness and confusion, God’s Word rightly divided is a beacon of understanding. It shines ever so brightly. Let us be “mirrors,” reflecting that light so all can see and come to Christ Jesus! The fruit in eternity will be so much more exciting than we could possibly imagine here! 🙂