Wednesday, February 29th, 2012 by Greg
GRACE
I. Biblical usage of the word “grace”
A. Hebrew word hen – “favor, mercy, kindness, graciousness”
1. Derived from hanan – “to favor, to grant mercy”
2. Biblical examples
a. Gen. 6:8; 19:19; 32:5; 47:29
b. Exod. 33:12,13
c. Ruth 2:10
B. Hebrew word hesed – “loving-kindness, mercy, pity”
1. Derived from hasad – “to be good, kind”
2. Biblical examples
a. Ps. 25:6; 107:43
b. Isa. 63:7
C. Greek word charis – “grace”
1. Derived from char – “well-being, pleasant, delightful”
2. This word is invested with new meaning in the new covenant.
a. Conveys idea of personal relationship of love and generosity
b. Unique activity of God in Jesus Christ – Christocentric
(1). John 1:17 – “grace realized through Jesus Christ”
(2). Acts 15:11 – “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ”
(3). II Tim. 2:1 – “grace that is in Christ Jesus”
3. Common definitions too general
a. “undeserved favor of God”
b. “God’s activity consistent with His character”
II. Contrasting Law and Grace
A. Law served as instrument to reveal character of God, whereas grace is essential dynamic of
God’s revealing Himself in Jesus Christ.
B. Law was a legal instrument demanding performance, works, and obedience (Rom. 2:14,25;
Gal. 3:10; 5:3), whereas grace is God’s activity in Jesus Christ responded to only by the
receptivity of faith (Rom. 9:32; 11:6.
C. Law could not impart life (Jn. 5:39,40; Gal. 3:21) or righteousness (Rom. 3:20,28; 10:4; Gal. 2:16,21; 3:11), whereas grace imparts the life (Jn. 1:4; 11:25; 14:6; Rom. 5:21; Col. 3:4; I Peter 3:7; I Jn. 5:12) and righteousness (I Cor. 1:30; II Cor. 5:12; I Jn. 2:1) of Jesus Christ.
D. Law had no provisional dynamic of divine enabling, whereas grace is the divine dynamic of
God’s enabling power in Jesus Christ.
E. Law was a means to an end, whereas grace is the objective that God had for man’s restoration
in Jesus Christ.
F. Law had a termination (Rom. 10:4), whereas there is no end to God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
III. Content of Grace.
A. Grace should not be conceived as a separate entity, substance, process, force, principle or
process.
B. Grace is the dynamic of God’s activity in Jesus Christ.
1. Grace is personal.
2. Grace is not quantitative, but is qualitative.
3. Grace is embodied in Jesus Christ.
4. Grace is the dynamic of the resurrection-life of Jesus – Rom. 1:4; 4:25; 5:2; Phil. 3:10).
5. Grace is the activity of the Holy Spirit – Heb. 10:29
IV. Condition of Grace.
A. Grace is unconditioned and unconditional. The activity of God is not contingent on man’s
action.
B. Faith is the human condition of response to God’s grace in Jesus Christ.
1. Faith is not the act of God – Eph. 2:8; Gal. 2:20
2. Faith is not a “work” of man.
3. Faith is man’s receptivity of God’s grace – Rom. 4:16; Eph. 2:8,9
C. God’s grace can be resisted – I Cor. 15:10; II Cor. 6:1;Gal. 5:4; Heb. 12:15
D. Grace grates against man’s selfish propensity of self-confidence.
V. Complements of Grace.
A. God’s grace is always complete and not partitive; no “measure of grace”
B. All that is Christian is enacted by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
1. Saving grace – Acts 15:11; Eph. 2:5,8; II Tim. 1:9
2. Justifying grace – Rom. 3:24; Titus 3:7
3. Sanctifying grace – Acts 13:43; II Cor. 1:12; 9:8; 12:9; Titus 2:11,12; I Peter 5:10; II Peter 3:18
4. Future grace – I Peter 1:13
C. Grace is what distinguishes Christianity from all man-made religion.
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Wednesday, February 29th, 2012 by Greg
Question: “Faith vs. fear – what does the Bible say?”
Answer: Faith and fear cannot exist together. Faith is described in Hebrews 11:1 as being “certain of what we do not see.” It is an absolute belief that God is constantly working behind the scenes in every area of our lives, even when there is no tangible evidence to support that fact. On the other hand, fear, simply stated, is unbelief or weak belief. As unbelief gains the upper hand in our thoughts, fear takes hold of our emotions. Our deliverance from fear and worry is based on faith, which is the very opposite of unbelief. We need to understand that faith is not something that we can produce in ourselves. Faith is a gift, (Ephesians 2:8-9) and is described as a fruit (or characteristic) which is produced in our lives by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The Christian’s faith is a confident assurance in a God who loves us, who knows our thoughts and cares about our deepest needs. That faith continues to grow as we study the Bible and learn the attributes of His amazing character. The more we learn about God, the more we can see Him working in our lives and the stronger our faith grows.
A growing faith is what we desire to have and what God desires to produce in us. But how, in day-to-day life, can we develop a faith that conquers our fears? The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The careful study of God’s Word is of primary importance in developing a strong faith. God wants us to know Him and completely rely on His direction in our lives. It’s through the hearing, reading and meditation in the Scriptures that we begin to experience a strong confident faith that excludes worry and fear. Spending time in prayer and quiet worship develops a relationship with our heavenly Father that sees us through even the darkest of nights. In the Psalms we see a picture of David, who, like us, experienced times of fear. Psalm 56:3 reveals his faith with these words, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Psalm 119 is filled with verses expressing the way in which David treasured God’s Word: “I seek you with all my heart” (v. 10); “I meditate on your precepts” (v. 15); “I have hidden your word in my heart” (v. 11). These are revealing words which speak wisdom to us today.
God is kind and understanding toward our weaknesses, but He requires us to go forward in faith, and the Bible is clear that faith does not mature and strengthen without trials. Adversity is God’s most effective tool to develop a strong faith. That pattern is evident in Scripture. God takes each one of us through fearful situations, and as we learn to obey God’s Word and to allow it to saturate our thoughts, we find each trial becomes a stepping stone to a stronger and deeper faith. It gives us that ability to say, “He sustained me in the past, He’ll carry me through today and He’ll uphold me in the future!” God worked this way in David’s life. When David volunteered to fight against Goliath, he spoke these words, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1Samuel 17:37). David knew the God who had sustained him through dangerous situations in the past. He had seen and experienced God’s power and protection in his life and this developed within him a fearless faith.
The Word of God is rich with promises for us to take hold of and claim for ourselves. When we face financial trouble, Philippians 4:19 tells us “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” If we are anxious about a future decision, Psalm 32:8 reminds us that God will “instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” In sickness we can remember that Romans 5:3 says “Tribulation works patience.” If someone turns against us, we can be comforted by the words in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us who can be against us!” Throughout life we will continue to face various trials that would cause us fear, but God assures us that we can know a calm peace through every situation, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” which He has promised will “guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
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Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 by Greg
How can I hear God’s voice and know that He is clearly speaking to me?
By Randy Alcorn
I really want to follow Christ but at times I become anxious searching for God’s Spirit within me. How can I hear God’s voice and know that He is clearly speaking to me?
Knowing God’s voice, I think, comes mostly from abiding in Christ, as in John 15. Part of that, but not all of it, is His Word abiding in us. Then, our confession of sin and coming back into relationship when it’s broken. The wisdom and input of others—not just any others but very godly others—is helpful. But in the end, there is a supernatural aspect to this that’s more than seeing what the Bible says and listening to others.
I can’t quantify this or even describe it well, but sometimes I sense a definite prompting from God, call it the still small voice or whatever. Often this is to pray for someone, or speak to someone about the Lord, to give them a book, and not just a book but one particular book. For instance, on Sunday I was playing tennis with a non-Christian guy I’d never met. My default giveaway book to nonbelievers is Grace and Truth Paradox, but for some reason I really felt led to give him Lord Foulgrin’s Letters. I called him yesterday to see if we could play again and he said, “I read that whole novel you gave me; it was very interesting.” We’ll see where it goes but I have no doubt God was speaking to me.
I do usually avoid the words “God told me to…” or especially, “God said to me, ‘Give him Lord Foulgrin’s Letters.’” Yet essentially I do believe that’s true. I avoid saying it that way because it’s never been an audible voice. But sometimes it seems just as objectively real even though it’s not audible. Of course, that’s my subjective sense of what is objectively true, but it is a very real sense. I am virtually certain of God’s leading in some of these things even that are not directly stated in Scripture.
In many ways I think God’s voice has become clearer to me as the years have gone on. Maybe I’ve been around long enough now to evaluate the difference between a thought or idea popping into my mind, and something really coming from the Lord. Of course, much of life does function on the basis of principles, wisdom and counsel. We don’t have to have an objective voice from God to know we should go to a certain place and talk to someone, or help the needy or share the Lord.
I do have a greater sense than I ever have of God’s providence in arranging the people who come across my path. Last night I got a call from someone about a young guy on the tennis team I help coach. His father abandoned him and his mom in the last few weeks, and he is distraught. I called him and spent three hours with him today, mostly playing tennis, but building a relationship, and talking quite a bit afterward. I felt God directing me to call him, to say certain things, to pray for him, etc. I have no doubt of God’s voice and direction in this. On the other hand, when I came home, my wife and I had dinner and after a while the Olympics came on. I watched it for forty minutes. It wasn’t a matter of feeling God’s leading. It was a discretionary choice. I didn’t have to hear God’s voice to figure out what I should do.
Now that doesn’t mean that God’s Spirit doesn’t lead in such things, but I can say that I don’t sense God’s voice in every detail of my life, nor do I need to, but in most days I have a number of things small or large in which I do think I’ve heard his voice in the sense I’m talking about.
This may not be helpful, but that’s what comes to mind. I appreciate your heart and your desire for insight. I would encourage you to relax and be patient, and let God develop your sense of His voice and direction more as the years go on. As long as you abide in Him, I believe you’ll find a greater sense of assurance of God’s leading and speaking in your life.
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Monday, February 27th, 2012 by Greg
Favor With God and Man
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”
- Proverbs 3:3-4 NIV
For most of my life, I had repeatedly heard the verses in the Bible that talked about how those who were devoted to the Lord would suffer persecution and criticism from others. I got the impression that I always had to choose between having God’s favor or man’s. Once I started studying the Scriptures in-depth, I began to realize that many times, I could enjoy both. The verse above promises us favor in the sight of God AND man when we walk in God’s ways. The apostle Paul records a similar statement in Romans 14:18 (NIV), where he describes true Kingdom behavior, and says, “Anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.” The truth is that if we just concentrate on pleasing God, HE will give us favor with others when we need it most. We can even ASK God to give us favor with others. When we do that, we’re not being selfish or prideful, but scriptural.
Nehemiah was a devoted servant of the Lord. He was called by God to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem during the reign of King Artaxerxes. As cupbearer to the king, he asked the Lord to give him favor with the ruler, so that he could complete his God-given assignment. “Give Your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” (Nehemiah 1:11 NIV) Here, we learn an important Bible principle–that God will grant us favor with others when it will help us carry out His will and plan. We can also pray for favor when we take a stand for the Lord. In the first chapter of the Book of Daniel, the young prophet “resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine,” and he needed the cooperation of the chief official in order to carry out his commitment. (Daniel 1:8 NIV) Scripture says, “Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel.” (Daniel 1:9 NIV) When receiving favor will glorify God, we shouldn’t hesitate to pray for it.
It’s true that believers who are really committed to God will sometimes experience criticism and persecution. Jesus said we could count on it. He wanted us to know what we were getting into when we made the decision to follow Him. If we’re making a difference for God, we can’t expect Satan to just sit back and do nothing to try to hinder us. But the Bible teaches us that we can pray for God’s favor, which can be a powerful weapon against the enemy’s attacks. Psalm 89:17 (NLT) says, “Our power is based on Your favor.” And Psalm 5:12 (NIV) says, “Surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.”
We are God’s children–His chosen, His elect. And He is committed to protecting and providing for His own. When we concentrate on pleasing God, we can depend on Him to change people’s hearts for our benefit. Proverbs 16:7 (NIV) says, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” If God is willing and able to change the hearts of our enemies, surely we can expect Him to give us favor in the sight of our teachers, employers, neighbors, and others we come in contact with. But we mustn’t assume that this favor is automatic. Often, we will have to ask God for it, expecting Him to act on our behalf.
The Lord tells us: “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.” (Isaiah 41:10 AMP) One of the ways that the Lord “hardens [us] to difficulties” is to allow us to encounter hardship and heartache as we seek to follow Him in obedience. If we never had opportunities to exercise our faith and trust in God during hard times, we would never grow spiritually, or come to know the Lord in deep and intimate ways. We would become arrogant and self-reliant, rather than humble and dependent upon the Lord’s wisdom, guidance, and grace. And we would never fulfill our God-given purpose or potential.
The Lord has extraordinary rewards and blessings “on the other side,” just waiting for you. Don’t “fall away” when trouble comes, and forfeit the good things God has in store for you. Start seeing your “intervening trials” as faith-building bumps in the road that God will use to your advantage and for His glory!
Over the years, when my children have been treated unfairly at school by their teachers or fellow students, I have asked the Lord to give them favor, and He has always been faithful. I have also asked God to grant my family favor in the sight of bosses and coworkers. And I have seen my family acquire jobs that we were not even qualified for, often with salaries well above what we expected. When you pray for favor, people will bless you, and they won’t even know why. But don’t just take my word for it. Begin today to pray for favor, and discover for yourself that “the Lord bestows favor and honor” upon His people! (Psalm 84:11 NIV)
Prayer: Lord, help me to always concentrate on pleasing You, and teach me how to pray for favor with others, especially when I need it most. Reveal to me how praying for favor can open doors that appear to be closed. Thank You that blessing me with favor will bring You glory!
- J. M. Farro
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Friday, February 24th, 2012 by Greg
What To Do When You Are in A Trial or Testing Time?
By Betty Miller
1 Peter 4:12-13: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ//’//s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
1. Stay focused on God and the vision He gave you. Remember what He showed you in the “light,” you must hold onto in the “night.”
Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”
2. Avoid placing blame on others for the adverse circumstances you are facing. Be humble and open to God//’//s correction in your own life. (Know that your trouble isn//’//t coming from Him, as the real enemy is the devil and we have been given victory over him.)
James 4:8-10: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
3. Stay in a praising attitude and resist complaining. God wants us to have His joy no matter what we are going through. We are to continue to be thankful “in” every trial, not to be thankful for the evil circumstances we are experiencing, but to be thankful that the Lord is with us, no matter what the devil throws our way. It is always the will of God that we keep a thankful heart and attitude in spite of what is happening.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
4. Receive your faith, strength, guidance and encouragement from the Lord through prayer and staying in the Word.
1 Samuel 30:6: “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”
5. Discern and resist Satan//’//s lies that are designed to demoralize and destroy you, especially through fear. (Guidance that is different from what your original vision is or anything that works against that, is designed by the enemy.) Remember, it is the devil who will flee, not us, if we stand in faith.
James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
6. Look for God alone to come and save you.
Isaiah 35:3-4: “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.”
1 Peter 5:7-11: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
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Friday, February 24th, 2012 by Greg
What Does the Bible Say About..God’s Favor?
I need to give a class on God’s Favor. Could you please send me some information the class will last about 45 minutes? The Favor of God (1 Samuel 2:26). The grace of God and the sacrifice of his son for our sins.
Answer
I don’t intend to write you class for you, and certainly won’t give you 45 minutes worth, but here are some thoughts for you to build on.
And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. (1 Samuel 2:26)
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. (Luke 2:52)
What does it mean to find favor with God? Interestingly, why does God use the exact same description for Samuel and Jesus? Perhaps the latter question can be answered with the idea that both came at a time and place in order to save their nation or the world. But what does the Bible say about finding favor with God?
A psalmist said that the favor of God was the difference between life and death. “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.” (Psalm 30:5-7) In other psalms we find that the favor of God is the same as his mercy and, importantly, God’s salvation of man. “I entreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.” (Psalm 119:58) “Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation.” (Psalm 106:4) So it is important, even vital, that we find the favor of God.
So how do we find that favor with God. The book of Proverbs tells us how. Somewhat surprisingly, considering the verses from Samuel and Luke, one way to find favor with God is to find a wife. (Proverbs 18:22) Obviously that was not the method used by the young Samuel or by the young Jesus. But it is one way.
One of the things Solomon emphasized in his treatise on growing up that makes up much of the book of Proverbs is finding wisdom. Chapter 8 is all about wisdom, and concludes with the relationship to finding wisdom and finding God’s favor. “For whoso findeth me [wisdom] findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.” (Proverbs 8:35-36)
Further, Solomon says we find God’s grace by following his mercy and truth. “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:3-4)
That is what the Bible says about the favor of God, particularly in relationship to 1 Samuel 2:26. None of that, however appears to have much to do with the last part of what you wanted, the grace of God and the sacrifice of his son for our sins. Other than the similarity in wording between the passages in Samuel and Luke, the favor of God in 1 Samuel and the grace of God in salvation through his son seem to be two totally separate concepts. One is about individuals finding some undefined favor with God and man. The other is about what God has granted to man with no consideration for man earning or doing anything to obtain it. God sent his son as a sacrifice for sin in spite of man being sinful. That is, he sent Jesus Christ to save us even when we weren’t worthy of that salvation.
To find what the Bible says about the grace of God, look up “grace” in a good concordance. Keep in mind, though, that when Paul is writing to the Galatians and Ephesians he is contrasting grace to legalism. When he says, for instance, “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) he is not saying that man has no part in accepting that salvation, but rather that God’s grace is a free gift in contrast to the idea that man can earn his salvation independent of that grace. Man certainly has a part in accepting that grace; we must believe, repent, and be immersed. But those are not works that we do in order to earn salvation without the sacrifice of Jesus.
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Friday, February 24th, 2012 by Greg
God does not usually show us His will by performing outward signs, such as a Gideon’s fleece. Rather, He usually speaks to us through His quiet inner voice. To hear this voice, we must tune our hearts to God’s heart. Our hearts are like soil that must be cultivated to be fertile and responsive.
I have six steps that will prepare your heart to be sensitive to God’s leading. Since cultivating your heart takes time, weeks or perhaps months, you may be performing many of the steps at the same time. Nevertheless, breaking down the process into six separate steps allows you to be able to visualize what’s needed. In summary, they are:
Step 1: Be obedient to what God has already shown you.
Step 2: Pray and continually seek God’s wisdom and guidance in everything you do.
Step 3: Rearrange your priorities so your primary motivation is to glorify God.
Step 4: Saturate yourself with the Word of God.
Step 5: Learn from the examples of others.
Step 6: Get involved in a variety of ministries.
Step 1: Be obedient to what God has already shown you.
The first thing we should do is become obedient to the obvious things, the things we know we should already be doing. These are the commonsense things clearly spelled out in the Bible. For example, we know we should not lie, cheat or steal. We cannot expect God to reveal more to us when we haven’t followed what He has already shown us.
Before God gives you direction in the “important” things, you must first be obedient with the small things he has already shown you. This is the area where most of us Christians fail. We don’t realize God has already revealed His desire for us in so many areas. If we are not obedient with the small tasks, how can we be trusted with the larger tasks?
Probably most Christians feel they are already obedient to the basic things God has shown them. Yet, in reality, many of us fall short. For example, do we always speak the truth or do we sometimes conveniently leave out vital information to mislead someone? Are we completely truthful when we fill out our tax returns? Do we report errors when mistakes have been made in our favor, such as being given too much change? Do we obey the laws of the land, such as speed limits? Do we tithe?
When we are at work, do we give our employers their money’s worth or do we take extended coffee breaks and make personal calls on company time? How do we treat our mates? Is the time and attention we give our family honoring to God or does our work or ministry command a higher priority? How is your thought life?
The list could go on and on, but I think you get the point. We must be faithful with what we already have. Obviously, because of our fallen nature, being perfect in these areas is an impossibility. Yet, to the extent we are faithful to what He has shown us, He will reveal more of His will.
Step 2: Pray and continually seek God’s wisdom and guidance in everything you do.
It has been said, “A Christian is no greater than his prayer life.” We should continually pray and ask God to bless and energize each area of our ministry. We must commit all rights and control to God with every issue we encounter. Besides asking God for His power, we should continually ask God to give us wisdom and guidance in everything we do.
Many people make the mistake of thinking since God already knows my needs, He will automatically meet them. As I mentioned in earlier chapters, this couldn’t be further from the truth. God wants you to continually come to Him and be specific about all your needs.
An example of this is George Mueller’s orphanage. Although he had a deep love and concern for orphans, the main reason he started the orphanage was to show the world God still performs miracles that rival the miracles of the Bible. The orphanage was to be a showcase of God’s power. Therefore, he felt led of God to live financially one day at a time. When money came in above and beyond his current needs, he sent it on to missionaries. To ensure God would receive all of the credit and glory, he made it a policy to never ask for money or even tell others of his needs.
As Mueller prayed for the material needs of the orphanage, the supplies miraculously came in. Now, it was time to open the orphanage. To his surprise and frustration, no one showed up. He was deeply depressed. That night, as he and his wife talked, they realized a startling fact. They had not specifically prayed for orphans. They prayed for everything else, but they had assumed God would bring the children.
They prayed for orphans that night and the next day there was a line of people with orphans to drop off. Many of them had stories about how they had planned on coming the previous day, but were detained. We should never assume God will meet a need simply because He’s aware of it. You must do your part and ask God to meet it.
In every project you undertake you should continually seek God’s wisdom and guidance. The story of the nation of Israel in verse Joshua 9:1-18 emphasizes the importance of this. Israel had just entered the Promised Land and was enjoying tremendous victory. God had promised them victory as long as they remained obedient.
God had told Israel to destroy every nation within a certain set of boundaries, and many of the targeted nations were concerned. The people of Gibeon knew they were going to be destroyed, so they embarked on a plan to trick Israel into making a peace treaty with them. Their plan was to make Israel think that they were from a distant country and were not one of the targeted nations.
They rode up to Joshua in old, worn-out clothing. Their provisions included worn out sacks and stale, moldy bread. Without consulting the Lord, Joshua concluded they were not one of the targeted nations and made a peace treaty with them. Within a few days Israel found out they had been deceived. But, it was too late. A treaty had been made and they were not permitted to destroy this nation. As a result of Joshua’s error, this nation was a continual thorn in Israel’s side. In verse 14 the Bible specifically makes it a point to say, “The men of Israel sampled their provisions but they did not inquire of the Lord.”
After the death of Moses, God made it clear He would lead the nation of Israel through Joshua. Although this godly man had a close walk with God and was privileged to information not available to others, he still was required to seek the Lord’s direction before making a decision. Joshua was careless and it cost Israel greatly.
It is easy to become careless and overconfident. The story of Balaam’s talking donkey (Num. 22:20-35) provides a sound warning about being careless. In this story, Balaam was instructed by God to meet Balak. On three occasions during Balaam’s journey, the Angel of the Lord stood in the pathway to kill Balaam. Each time his donkey took evasive action to stay out of harm’s way. On the third occasion Balaam became so angry he started to beat the donkey. This is when the donkey began to speak.
After the conversation with the donkey, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Balaam and informed him the donkey saved his life. God told Balaam in verse 32 that He was going to kill him because he was being “reckless.” We have no idea what Balaam did to make God so angry. It is obvious there is more to this story than what was recorded in the Bible. However, we do know Balaam was on his way to do some work for God when he was chastised for being reckless. As we set out to do God’s work, we too should take care not to be reckless.
I try to make it a point at the beginning of each day to ask God to provide me with wisdom and guidance for everything I will encounter throughout the day. During the day, when I am faced with a new issue or concern, I ask God for wisdom and direction. Although I don’t seek God’s wisdom for everything I do, such as, “What gas pump should I use?” I try to cultivate my heart so it will be open to His leading even on small “insignificant” things.
Step 3: Rearrange your priorities so your primary motivation is to glorify God.
God created us for the purpose of bringing glory to Himself. Our primary goal and focus should be to bring Him glory. Everything we do should center around this. Even “important” things such as witnessing and world evangelism should not be our primary motivation. As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, it is much better to do God’s will than to do God’s work.
Step 4: Saturate yourself with the Word of God.
There is no better way of knowing what’s important to God than by reading His Word. The Bible clearly states God’s position on a large number of issues and a systematic Bible study will reveal many of these to you. However, there are still many other areas that the Bible does not address directly. To understand God’s will in these areas, you must have a good understanding of the whole Bible. A good way to do this is to continually listen to the Bible on tape.
Our spiritual walk is like a wheel that must be perfectly balanced. As the wheel is centered on the axle, our focal point should be centered on bringing glory to God. If our desire is to glorify God, then many of our priorities will automatically align themselves properly.
Picture a wheel on an old cowboy wagon. The hub keeps the wheel centered on the axle. The stronger the hub the greater pressure the wheel can withstand and still be correctly centered. The “hub” in our spiritual wheel is the Word of God. The more we saturate ourselves with the Word of God, the better we can stay centered.
Step 5: Learn from the examples of others
The Bible tells us in verse 1 Cor. 10:1-11 we are to learn from the lives of the people in the Bible. Study their lives and see how God directed them. Learn from their mistakes and victories. The lives of believers who lived after the Bible was written can also be a rich source of examples. Think of these people as great teachers who will enlighten you in their area of expertise. Remember, of course, anything in their lives that contradicts the Bible should not be followed.
Step 6: Get involved in a variety of ministries
Exposing yourself to other ministries not only increases your spiritual vision, but it also gives God the opportunity to open and close doors. If you look at the lives of powerful Christians, you’ll find many of them got their start by “temporarily” helping out in a ministry which later became their life work.
Even when you have found the ministry that you feel God is leading you into, you should still get involved in other ministries. This will help keep you fresh and will continually expand your spiritual vision. Some suggest a good mix would be to spend 90% of your time and energy on your primary ministry and 10% on other ministries.
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Monday, February 20th, 2012 by Greg
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT TATTOOS?
by Betty Miller
The Bible warns us against tattoos in Leviticus 19:28 (Amplified) which says, “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord.”
I know some will have a hard time receiving this teaching because tattooing has now become an accepted practice in our society. However, just because society approves of something does not make it right in God’s eyes. Our society at large, also approves of abortion and divorce as well. However, the Bible makes it clear that God doesn’t approve of these things.
In sharing this teaching, I am not trying to condemn anyone who already has a tattoo; but rather to warn those who are considering getting one. God loves us, and even when we make mistakes in poor judgment, He doesn’t condemn us, but rather tries to help overcome the consequences of those mistakes. Having a tattoo will not keep anyone from serving the Lord. We know some very godly people who have tattoos and are serving the Lord and their tattoos do not interfere with what God is doing through them. Anything Satan tries to use for evil, God can turn and use it for good when we commit totally to Him. God takes us as we are and uses us if we will yield to His will. God will use any of us when we come out of the world and start serving Him with our whole hearts to do His will. Our past is under the blood of Jesus and the sins and mistakes of the past will not hinder our God in our serving Him. Only a hard and unrepentant heart keeps us tied to the old life.
There are many dedicated and sincere Christian people that have tattoos. This article is not meant to say they do not love the Lord. God not only can use them, but does use them. The issue is not whether God can use someone, but rather should Christians pursue getting tattoos? Just because something is popular does not mean it is right. We should always examine things by the “roots and the fruits” of the thing in question.
TATTOOING HAS WITCHCRAFT “ROOTS”
In addition to the above verse, Scripture also warns us not to disfigure our bodies in following verses:
1 Kings 18:28: “And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.”
Deuteronomy 14:1(Amplified): “Ye are the sons of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.”
When it speaks here about doing this in relation to the dead; this was a witchcraft rite done to mourn or remember their dead. Therefore tattooing, cutting one’s body and shaving one’s head in defiance have their origin in witchcraft practices. Tattoos have their “roots” in witchcraft. Many young people today are doing these very things because of some evil witchcraft influences in their lives that they are unaware of. They do not realize that partaking of these can open the door to wrong and defiling influences in their lives. Evil videos, depraved rock music albums, wicked Internet games and violent movies are displaying evil trends in order to destroy our youth. Satanic tattoos, skin heads and other cultic rites are opening many of our children to demonization.
This is what makes it spiritually dangerous for people. People do not realize displaying a satanic mark or symbol can open the door for Satanic attack which allows the enemy entrance in their lives. It is not the mark itself, but rather the sin behind it. Today this practice is growing because of the spread of False Religions. Some people are so hideously covered with tattoos that their appearances look evil. Others, only have small tattoos that they believe are trendy or artistic.
Now this article is not meant to hurt or offend those that have tattoos, but rather to help people avoid getting tattoos that later on they might regret (especially young people). Many tattoos have evil and witchcraft themes that are portrayed as devil faces, skulls, ugly demonic signs, vulgar pictures, etc. These things hurt the human spirit, just as satanic displays of any kind do. Some tattoos are obviously Satanic as they look devilish, while others may be flowers or innocent looking names or objects but it is the spirit behind this compromise that makes it dangerous for a Christian. God loves the person who has tattoos just as He loves all of us. However, He would rather we did not deface our bodies in any fashion.
Some people object to using Old Testament scripture as a reference to tattoos since the New Testament doesn’t speak of these things. However, in the New Testament we are even called to a higher law. We are to have God’s laws written in our hearts. When we remain close to the Lord and obey Him, He can direct us in things that are not good for us. For example although the Bible does not say, “Thou shalt not smoke” or “Drug addiction is bad for you;” we know that these things are destructive to the human body. In the New Testament, we are told to glorify God in our bodies. This would include not marring our bodies with tattoos, as the principles in the Bible clearly tell us it is wrong to defile our bodies.
OUR BODIES ARE A TEMPLE
When the Lord created man and woman and placed them in the garden along with His other creations. He spoke these words in Genesis 1:31, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” When the Lord created the human body, He pronounced that the way He created it was very good. The Lord desires that our bodies be a reflection of His own beauty. When people tattoo their bodies they are tampering with what the Lord said was very good the way He made it. We should never mark our bodies as this is unnatural. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are admonished not to defile them. Tattoos on one’s body is like graffiti on a wall. Having tattoos on our bodies does not glorify God.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
What is it within man that makes us dissatisfied with the way the Lord made each of us? Most people are not happy with the way they look so they seek ways that will cause them to feel better about themselves or cause others to accept them. This is not wrong when it comes to having good grooming habits, but we need to understand true beauty comes from within, not from what we wear or how we look. When the emphasis is put on the outward appearance we can be ensnared in vanity, rejection, fear, pride and even racial discrimination. One of the most wonderful things about receiving the Lord is that He wants to deliver us from the outward things that we think we need to feel good about ourselves. When we are in sin we do not feel worthy or acceptable, but through Christ we are. When we can fully walk in the knowledge that we are acceptable before God through Christ, we are then free to be the person God made us to be without having to create a different image. Many people are consumed with trying to be different or become acceptable not only by getting a tattoo but by other things as well.
Some Christians argue that they have the name Jesus or some Biblical word or sign tattooed on their body so they can witness by the tattoo. However, God is more concerned how we are living our lives than by displaying a religious mark on our body. That is not the highest way He would have us witness. The Lord would rather us witness to others by the character of Christ being demonstrated in our lives than display Christian slogans that many times are not matched by the life of Christ. Certainly, the Lord can use a tattoo of a cross or other religious symbol when a Christian has one of these as God knows the heart of the one who truly wants to share Christ with others. However, it is not necessary to use any worldly thing to attract sinners. It is the Holy Spirit who draws people to Christ through any yielded vessel of the Lord. When we pray and witness to others the Lord will cause them to listen.
Just because a person has had a tattoo, it will not prevent God from using people to witness nor keep them from being a minister of God. God looks on the heart and can use different things to testify of Christ’s love, even tattoos. However, well- meaning people can be deceived in their methods of evangelism.
THE YOUTH CULTURE AND TATTOOS
I really believe that one of the compromises we see today is parents allowing their children to mark or tattoo their bodies. Christians can look at someone who has tattoos all over them and know by discernment that it is not God, but the same Christians may get a small tattoo themselves or allow their children to have one without thinking anything about it. Toy makers today even sell washable ink transfer kits so children can mark their bodies with designs. This may seem like a harmless game but this is the enemy preparing or setting up our children early to receive real tattoos later on.
Many young people today do not realize that they may be sorry in the future that they chose to put tattoos on their bodies today. We know of many people who have said to us that they wish they had not been foolish when they were young as now they must live with the reminder of what they did when they were young. Only a few people have the money to have them removed by laser.
Years ago our young boys in the military had to go to foreign lands to get a tattoo, now tattoo parlors are everywhere because our nation here in the U.S.A. has opened its doors to many heathen practices and false religions. Another danger in receiving tattoos is a medical one through faulty procedures. One of the latest discoveries of another way AIDS is being transmitted is through contaminated ink or dirty tattoo needles. If fresh ink is not used, then the last person who was tattooed who had any kind of transmittable disease could leave behind that virus or bacteria. Not only Aids, but Hepatitis as well, has been traced to tattoo ink and needle contamination.
Some young people are having them done in defiance and rebellion to their parent’s wishes because they want to be like their friends. This is displeasing to God as the Lord tells children to honor and obey their parents.
Colossians 3:20: “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.”
The reason so many people are deceived on this issue, as well as others, is that there is a lack of knowledge in the things of God and a lack of discernment in the body of Christ. Hosea 4:6a says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Many have not been taught nor grounded in the Word of God. We as church leadership owe an apology to the youth of our day because many of us have failed in our responsibility to speak out on the issues of the day and have allowed the influences of the world to shape our society. Many Christian parents have failed in their responsibility also, as they have been too involved in chasing the American Dream instead of raising our children in the nurture and admonition of God as commanded in the Bible. Ephesians 6:4: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
One note of warning to the church on this subject of tattoos. We have a generation now of young people that love the Lord yet do not understand all of His ways. Soon we are also going to be seeing a great revival among the youth of the world. The youth of this day want a real cause to live and die for. Most have not seen true Christianity. However, when they do come to Christ many will be bringing their tattoos, dress, music and old habits with them right into the church. We must be sure that we do not despise them nor look down on them, but rather welcome and love them and gently teach them the ways of the Lord. We are called to love and pray for them and help them avoid making some of the mistakes we have made in our own walk with the Lord. We need to be true mothers and fathers to them. Yes, we must speak the truth in love, but let us make sure we are loving them and not condemning them. On the other hand, we must not accept all that they would desire to bring with them that would harm them and compromise the Word of God. We will all need God’s grace to bridge the generation gap. We would recommend a great article written by a young Christian on this very subject. Click here to read “Bridging the Generation Gap.”
If you, through ignorance, have received a tattoo or allowed your children to have one, you should pray against any evil or witchcraft that may have come through the circumstances when that tattoo was received. Some people receive tattoos before they are “born again” and after they are touched by the Lord, they wish they had never had it done. The Lord loves you, so do not come under any condemnation, just pray over them and ask the Lord to remove any spiritual influences denoted by the tattoo and He will do it. The Lord looks on our hearts and motives and judges us by those, not our outward appearance. However, if the tattoo bothers you and you cannot cover it, you can have it removed by laser surgery.
The bottom line for this issue would be to ask the popular youth slogan, “What Would Jesus Do?” I don’t believe we will ever see Jesus with a tattoo. The only scars on His body are the ones put there by evil men that crucified Him. They were not self inflicted. Overcomers will put away anything that leads to bigger compromises.
This article was taken from the Overcoming Life Digest (Jan./Feb. 1997 Issue); click here to view Digest
Betty Miller has written several books on other topics as well. To view titles or purchase those books click here: http://store.bible.com/
If this message has been a blessing to you and you would like to see more like them posted on this site, you can help make this possible by your gifts to Bible.com Ministries. Click here to donate
TESTIMONY REGARDING TATTOOS
When I was in high school I really wanted to get a tattoo and a body piercing. So, during high school I got a body piercing (in my bellybutton). Shortly after I graduated from high school I got a tattoo. Neither action was well thought-out, but more of a spur of the moment thing. In fact, I’m grateful that the man who did my tattoo wouldn’t do what I originally wanted. He told me to go home and really think about it until I knew what I wanted and where I wanted it. If he would have done whatever I wanted at that moment, I would be even more regretful at this point. So, I ended up getting something I thought I would want for the rest of my life on my ankle. Now, about five years after I got my tattoo I have a scar where my body piercing was and a tattoo that I wish I didn’t have.
I got a navel piercing and tattoo to be different and cool. After a while of having both, I didn’t care much about showing them off. It really surprised me in a way when people would point to me and ask me about my tattoo. It started to annoy me that when certain people noticed my body piercing or tattoo, I suddenly had become more cool in their eyes. I felt like they liked me more, only after they had found out that I was the type of person who would have a body piercing or tattoo.
Shortly after I got my tattoo, I realized that a lot more people from many different groups of society were getting body piercings and tattoos. The trend of tattoos and body piercings was becoming popular among more and more people regardless of what “group” they were in (i.e. the “rebellious” crowd, as well as the more average straight-laced group of people).
After a few years I got sick of my body piercing because so many other people were doing the same thing. Then it came down to deciding whether I wanted metal or a scar. I chose the scar.
Here’s why:
After I was touched by the Lord I was told by a friend that body piercing and tattoos were wrong because the Bible said so. I was immediately defensive and confused. I wanted to follow the Lord and do what was right in His eyes. So, while I was with my friend one time we decided to look it up in our NIV Bibles for ourselves. We found Leviticus 19:28: “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.”
We couldn’t find anything that directly said you should not pierce your body. In fact, I was surprised to see in certain parts of Scripture that women wore nose rings in the Old Testament. For instance, Abraham’s servant gave Rebekah a nose ring as a gift when he knew he had found the right wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:34-51 NIV). I believe, however, that nose rings were common in their culture, just as common as earrings have been in American culture for a long time. Therefore, there is not the same reasons behind Rebekah wearing a nose ring as someone in America might have today. It would be as simple as her being given earrings today.
I decided to pray about whether it was right for me to have a body piercing and tattoo. During the time I was praying and seeking God about this the Lord led me to Scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
I was also convicted by 1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”
I felt that I had harmed my body by tattooing it and piercing it. I passed out when I got my body pierced and came close to passing out when I got my tattoo. Basically, I went through a lot of pain to look cool. I felt that it was wrong for me to have pierced and tattooed my body, especially because of the reasons behind both–vanity and pride. Between vanity and pride and harming my body that the Lord had created I knew that I had sinned. Now I can see that I was not honoring God with my body by piercing it and putting a permanent mark on it. Although I was able to remove my piercing, my tattoo is not something that I can just wash away. It is on my leg to stay.
I know the Lord has forgiven me. His grace and love are so amazing. I was living a sinful, ungodly life and then I found the Lord. Jesus died for us all and God raised Him from the dead so that our sins can be forgiven and that we may be cleansed of our iniquities. Now, we can enter into an amazing love relationship with Him. God did this all through Jesus! The point of this testimony is to share how I was convicted of sin in my life. It doesn’t matter what the sin was. We all need to repent and follow the Lord. If we love Him, we will obey Him.
John 14:15 NIV: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
1 John 5:3-5 NIV: “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
__
Contributed by a young Christian girl who asked to remain anonymous.
Question: “What does the Bible say about tattoos / body piercings?”
Answer: The Old Testament law commanded the Israelites, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28). So, even though believers today are not under the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15), the fact that there was a command against tattoos should raise some questions. The New Testament does not say anything about whether or not a believer should get a tattoo.
In relation to tattoos and body piercings, a good test is to determine whether we can honestly, in good conscience, ask God to bless and use that particular activity for His own good purposes. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The New Testament does not command against tattoos or body piercings, but it also does not give us any reason to believe God would have us get tattoos or body piercings.
An important scriptural principle on issues the Bible does not specifically address is if there is room for doubt whether it pleases God, then it is best not to engage in that activity. Romans 14:23 reminds us that anything that does not come from faith is sin. We need to remember that our bodies, as well as our souls, have been redeemed and belong to God. Although 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 does not directly apply to tattoos or body piercings, it does give us a principle: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” This great truth should have a real bearing on what we do and where we go with our bodies. If our bodies belong to God, we should make sure we have His clear “permission” before we “mark them up” with tattoos or body piercings.
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Saturday, February 4th, 2012 by Greg
The Problem With Most Christians
by David J. Stewart
What’s Behind the Church Walls?
Luke 11:33, “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.”
I can write an article like this because I am a Christian Myself. I am not writing this article to attack any Christians; on the contrary, I am writing this article to wake you up if you’re sleeping in this dark hour. Jesus asked His disciples to pray, but they went to sleep instead. MOST believers have gone to sleep spiritually worldwide, especially in America. I want you to awake to righteousness (1st Corinthians 15:34, “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame”). I want to help you in the spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1).
Where is your light oh Christian?
One of the biggest problems with Christians today is that they are hiding their light within the church walls (in a “secret place” as mentioned in Luke 11:33). “Secret place” simply means “hidden place”. Why would a person light a candle and then cover it? Or in today’s thinking, why would you turn on a lamp and then cover it with a box? It is just as ridiculous for a child of God to hide their light from the world. Most believers know the Biblical teaching of the candle being hid under the bushel, but the true meaning just doesn’t register. There are churches all across America that meet a couple times a week behind closed doors and the local community has NO IDEA what the church believes. Their candle (light) is well hid.
Most Churches operate like the occult
Do you know what the definition of “occult” is?
OCCULT: Become concealed or hidden from view or have its light extinguished
I hate to say it, but it needs to be said…most churches operate more like occult organizations than they do local New Testament churches. Church members all across America think they only go to church to “worship” God. Show me that in the Bible. We are supposed to worship God at all times. Americas churches have fallen into the lie of the devil that we shouldn’t FORCE our beliefs upon other people. This is simply not true. Christians are supposed to stand up against the evil doers…
“Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” -Psalm 94:16
I am NOT saying that the church is the occult. I am saying that most churches operate like the occult. Most communities across America know as much about their local church as they do about Skull and Bones or the Freemasons. I believe that every community in America should know clearly what their local New Testament church stands for and believes. Will this make some people angry? Of course, but that should not be a factor because God has commanded us to stand up against evil and iniquity.
The Early Church was Persecuted for Their Faithfulness to Christ
The believers in the early church were making things happen. God gave us the Book of Acts so we would have an example to follow. They were getting people saved (Acts 2:41 tells us that 3,000 souls were saved). The Devil doesn’t care what you believe, just so long as you keep it to yourself. The early believers were worrying Satan and giving him cause for concern. By Acts 4:4, the Bible tells us that 5,000 men were saved (not including women and children). By now the Devil was going ballistic. It is not surprising that Herod killed James in Acts 12:2 with the sword. Acts 12:3 says that the Jews were pleased with James’ execution, which prompted Herod to also put Peter on death row.
It’s no different today… the wicked love to see Christians get their heads chopped off.
I heard a deadbeat pastor say that he wasn’t trying to grow his church. Huh? He said that he only wants to pass to the next generation the doctrines which have been entrusted to him. The guys an idiot, pardon the expression. Who’s he going to pass the doctrines to? His biggest Sunday attendance since he became pastor is about 30 people. He spent 4-years in an Independent Fundamental Baptist Bible college. He needs to go back to school because he missed something.
He leads his congregation every Wednesday night to “pray about the abortion issue” while the local community never hears a word from his church about the sin of abortion. The abortion clinic down the street never sees a protester from his church. This is what’s wrong with America!
Churches today are mainly concerned about making money and going through the religious motions, but their candle is well hidden. When God says in 2nd Timothy 3:12, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” If you are not experiencing persecution in this apostate world, then you are not living godly in Christ Jesus.
A Christ-honoring Church Stirs Things Up with the Truth
The early church in the Book of Acts was rocking the boat. They were making people angry by preaching the truth. Some people were martyred, willing to die for the cause of Christ. In Acts 19:19 many who had been involved with the occult brought their “curious arts” and burned them in a bonfire. The worth of the books and items were 50,000 pieces of silver (about $48,000 in today’s value, and millions in Bible times). A piece of silver was a day’s wage in the New Testament.
The local idol makers were so enraged at Paul, that the other believers had to keep him from the angry mob waiting to tear him to pieces (Acts 19:30). This is what the truth does friend, it puts the beer companies out of business. It puts the pornographic perverts out of business. It shuts down the taverns and whore houses. The truth cleans up the community. It cause women to keep their babies instead of murdering them. It puts the Rosary makers out of business. It puts the palm readers, Tarot card readers, and psychics out of business. It puts the Godless video game makers out of business. It puts Godless Hollywood and Devilish Walt Disney out of business. It puts the gambling casinos out of business. The truth puts the strip joints and nightclubs out of business. Praise God, when Jesus returns at the Second Coming, He will put all these evil people out of business!!!
Please notice that the early believers didn’t just preach a salvation message. The Apostle Paul preached about all the things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 19:8). I actually had a preacher tell me, that when I came to his church, he only wanted me to preach a “salvation message.” He didn’t like me teaching that all modern Bibles are corrupt. He didn’t like when I preached against liquor. He didn’t like when I preached against bars and nightclubs. He didn’t like when I exposed the lies of Roman Catholicism. And he hated when I preached with zeal and fervor. He actually accused me of shouting at the people from the pulpit. I was shouting at anybody, I was zealously proclaiming the truth with excitement. I don’t know about you, but I get exciting knowing that I have found the truth in Christ Jesus. Eventually he threw me out the door.
Until Christ returns, we are responsible to stand against the evils of our day (Psalm 94:16). The truth will make people angry. The truth will cause others to come to God in repentance. The truth is emotional. The truth demands an answer. The truth cannot be ignored forever. The truth is the truth! 2nd Thessalonians 2:10 tells us that we should receive the love of the truth. Do you love the truth? Now, I don’t like to know of bad things, but I need to know the truth. I must know the truth!
It is Our Constitutional Right to Proclaim the Truth
When a man of God proclaims the truth and tries to reach people for Christ, he is simply exercising his Constitutional Bill of Rights, as well as his God-given call. Furthermore, EVERY believer is commanded to speak out against the wickednesses of our day! It’s not just the preacher’s job to witness to the lost and speak out against wrong doing… this is another lie of the Devil which many Christians have fallen for… it is ALL of our jobs. So why aren’t America’s men and women of God doing it? Wake up!!!
To accuse a zealous Christian of “forcing his or her beliefs” unto other people is simply the Devil’s lie. We have every right to speak out with contempt against contemptible things. I do NOT endorse deliberately being unkind to anyone, but unrepentant sinners will nonetheless be offended when we preach out against wickednesses. We should attack the sin, never the sinner. Though the wicked will claim the two are inseparable, there is indeed a great difference. God HATES sin, but not people. No one hates sin any more than God, yet no one loves sinners as much as God. We must follow Christ’s example by trying to do the same.
The Devils’ Crowd Parades Their Wickedness
Do you think the Devil plays by his own rules? I mean… America’s homosexuals proudly march up and down our streets promoting their wickednesses. When a few Christians protest the parade, the Christians end up being arrested and put into jail -Facing 47 years in prison! I just have a few webpages exposing the evils of homosexuality and the homosexuals go bizzerk, calling my everything imaginable. One homosexual told me that I’d better run when he sees me in Hell. Why can they have a parade, but I can’t have a few webpages? Talk about hypocrites!
I recently received an e-mail from a young man who said his teacher hated God and would sing “One nation under evolution” instead of “One nation under God” when he said the pledge. He asked me why a teacher would do that. I replied that “people need God.” I sent him Ephesians 2:2 which explains that Satan’s spirit works in the hearts of the unsaved (“…the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”). The bottom line is that the righteous and the wicked will NEVER co-exist in harmony (“An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked, Proverb 29:27″). We can’t stand each other. This is the plain truth.
America’s Churches Need to Speak the Truth Publicly
As Christians, it is our responsibility to get the truth out. Every church in America should have a big sign out front that speaks to the drivers passing by… “Homosexuality is sin!”… “Harry Potter is wicked”… “It’s Jesus or Hell!” Every week you could change the message.
I greatly admire Dr. Roy Thompson (former pastor of the Cleveland Baptist Church in Ohio). Many years ago while driving by his church I saw a great big sign…”Abortion is cold-blooded murder!” Amen! I wanted to jump out of my seat. I was so encouraged to see a man of God with some GUTS! America’s pulpits are filled with sissy’s and wimps who are afraid to shell the corn. America needs a generation of Billy Sundays to set the fields on fire.
“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by old-fashioned preaching.” —Dr. Jack Hyles
What does the Bible mean by “the Light”? The “Light” is simply the truth. Hence, it is our responsibility as Christians to get the truth out, the truth about everything! I am so disgusted with the attitude of wishy-washy believers who say that nothing else matters except the Gospel.
Certainly, the Gospel is the most important truth in the world, but the Bible contains much more truth than just the Gospel. If nothing else mattered except the Gospel, then God would have only written us a gospel tract, not an entire Book… the Bible.
Some Believers are Preaching Lies
So many Christians have their own concepts of what the Bible teaches. Obviously, some are correct and others are very wrong. Truth is intolerant! 2 + 2 = 4. You can sincerely believe that 2 + 2 = 5, but you are dead wrong. There is no compromise, there is no diversity. The modern-day neo-evangelical church preaches a watered-down gospel, but little else. This is the crowd that says it really doesn’t matter which Bible you use. They don’t fuss over MAJOR doctrinal differences such as the blood of Jesus, etc. Basically, they are a liability to the name of Christ.
I’d like to share with you the ministry of one neo-evangelical minister in particular. The pastor (and I use the term loosely) was a disgrace to his profession and faith. His sermonettes were so weak that any Catholic or Jehovah’s Witness would have felt at home listening to him. He preached a basic gospel, but never touched upon any doctrinal issues such as the deity of Jesus Christ or the virgin birth. The minister would simply promise his congregation that everything would get better in their life if they would simply say “yes” to Christ. He’d say things like, “Give your life to Jesus and you’ll never have any problem again.” I often wondered if he even thought about the statements he was making before he blurted them out. There are no such teachings in the Bible (Remember, Lazarus was the good guy in Luke 16…the guy begging for scraps from the garbage). Becoming a Christian doesn’t guarantee a smoother life. On the contrary, becoming a Christian guarantees you persecution…
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” -2nd Timothy 3:12
The minister I’m sharing with you didn’t care which Bible he used. He told his congregation that it didn’t matter what Bible they used either. He often made references in his sermons to movies because never missed a Hollywood movie. Truth meant nothing to the minister. He’d say, “We don’t preach anything here but the gospel.” Often he was angry because of something bad someone did to him and turned it into a sermon. His congregation starved spiritually. It wasn’t a surprise to me when the ministry closed it’s doors just 2 years later. Sadly, there are tens-of-thousands of such pathetic ministries still in existence today. Most churches just don’t care.
Most Christians Don’t Care About the Truth
The problem with many Christians is that we either don’t care about the truth (like the sinister minister above) or we don’t preach the truth outside of the church walls. It’s critical that America’s churches get riled up about the truth and proclaim it uncompromisingly and without apology. The problem with most Christians is that they’re at ease on Zion, complacent in their salvation…
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation…” -Hebrews 2:3
Hebrews 2:3 was written to Christians. This verse is not talking about being saved. This verse is simply saying that we should not neglect our salvation. Perhaps you may want to read the excellent book, Salvation is More Than Being Saved. Look back to verse one…
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” -Hebrews 2:1
God saved us to do more than fill up 18 inches of pew. The problem with most Christians today is that they’re “sitting on the premises” instead of “standing on the promises.” The world needs to hear the truth. We’re not going to reach the world by opening our church doors for a few hours a week and dishing our sermonettes.
Lazy Pastor Says He’s Not Trying to Grow His Church
I know of a pastor in Chicago who has about 15 to 20 people present on Sunday morning. I am mentioning him again because he is the epitome of what is wrong with America’s churches. I actually heard him say from the pulpit that he WASN’T trying to grow his church. He said his job was to pass on to the next generation what had been handed to him. What generation? You don’t have any members! Kindly said, the guys an idiot! Every pastor should want to grow his church. Look folks, God’s not interested in empty pews, He wants His house full (Luke 14:23). It wasn’t a surprise when the same pastor declined to go soul winning with me.
I looked through his weekly bulletin that’s passed out every Sunday in church. He had a list of things that the church was going to pray about on Wednesday. I noticed “the abortion issue”. Week after week his church prays about the “abortion issue,” but NEVER lifts a finger to do anything about the murdering of little children. There’s an abortion clinic right down the street, but the church is nowhere to be found. The local community never hears a word of protest from that little church. The light of the truth is hidden within the walls of the “church”. Like I said, most churches operate more like an occult organization than they do a New Testament church. It’s a disgrace.
Why Are the Churches Silent?
In the 1970’s Anita Bryant took a stand for decency and morality standing up and speaking out against the homosexual agenda. For her efforts, she was rewarded with being abandoned by the Christian churches across the Nation and ultimately suffered a divorce when the homosexuals began to make phone calls to the churches she was speaking at threatening to blow them up. The churches decided to give in to this terrorist tactic and abandon Anita. Then in the 1980’s Pastor Jerry Falwell took a stand against the homosexual agenda and many leading pastors and churches also ostracized him across the country as being a little too political and getting off focus of preaching the gospel. As a result the churches joined in with the liberal media in labeling Falwell as a hatemonger. Well today, churches are getting to reap what they have sown…
“Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” -Galatians 6:7
Here’s what Anita Bryant’s husband said…
Anita Bryant’s husband, Bob Green, was quoted as saying, “One thing we have noticed in letters we receive from people is the question, ‘Why should it have to be a woman and mother in the forefront of this battle, instead of the Christian leadership in this country.’ Since the petition drive began, Anita has had her life threatened almost daily…”
Shame! Shame on America’s Christians. We out to all be ashamed of ourselves for being so complacent and careless with our freedom.
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for conscience people to remain silent.” -Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, an unsaved man, had more sense than the average Christian does. Jefferson knew the road which leads to tyranny…silent citizens. If America’s Christians don’t speak out, then who will? Sadly, many of the heathen are speaking out while Christians play the religious game.
“Let’s quit fiddling with religion and do something to bring the world to Christ.”–Billy Sunday
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