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People of The Living God |
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November 2019
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
FIVE WERE WISE
Harry Miller
The essential difference between the foolish and the wise virgins was the fact that the wise had provided themselves with “oil” for their lamps. Since the possession of this commodity makes the difference between being rejected or accepted of the Lord, it is most imperative that we know the nature of this most important item. It has been said by many Bible students that this particular essential represented by the “oil” symbol is the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is certainly true and Scriptural – but many people have made a fetish of it, saying that without it there is no hope of entering in with Christ, and claiming that this Spirit Baptism is the “oil.”
According to many poor souls, an emotional experience constitutes the possession of the oil required of a wise virgin, but a careful examination of Scripture will disprove such a position. When the foolish virgins asked the wise to share their “oil,” they were told, “Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.” It is not Scriptural to say that the Holy Spirit can be bought with money, or any other way: “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money” (Acts 8:20). This was the apostle Peter’s statement to Simon who was willing and ready to pay for “the gift of God.” To state glibly and dogmatically that this “oil” is the Holy Spirit is to miss completely the divine purpose of the three parables of Matthew twenty-five. The central teaching of all three of these parables is this: that selfless devotion to Christ and His work is essential to salvation.
We turn back to Moses to learn the nature of the “oil” here used as a symbol: “Thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always” (Ex. 27:20). The Septuagint says: “refined pure olive-oil.” This oil is not a product brought up out of the ground, it is produced by refining the fruit of the olive tree. Christ is the “root” and trunk of the “good olive tree;” we who believe Him are “the branches” (Rom. 11:24). Branches are under obligation to bear fruit: “Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (John 15:2). The teaching in these texts is very plain: branches are living things, and they must bear fruit.
The nature of the tree is spiritual, so also must be the nature of the “branches” – and the fruit will bear the same identification: it will be of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:22-24).
Olive fruit is not the material that is burned in the “lamp,” but it is from the fruit that the oil is made. Olive oil “beaten for the light.” Those who bear fruit for God are thorns in the flesh of worldlings, and the result is that the world actually hates a true child of God: “I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). “I have given them thy Word: and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14). “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). It is in the midst of this earthly opposition that the “divine nature” is developed.
Nothing can be found in the Scriptures to contradict the fact that God demands that His people grow, develop, and progress. Christ plainly taught that the “seed” (His Word) was sown in the heart with the intent that it increase by growth and bear fruit. “The husbandman” (our heavenly Father) works with men with this one object in view: that they might bring forth “much fruit” (John 15:1,5).
Here are the steps necessary for filling your vessels with oil: a) bear much fruit for Christ. b) Suffer opposition from the world – which will automatically follow a fruit-bearing life for the Lord. c) Your carnal nature must die, and the divine nature must be implanted within you – This is the oil that makes the virgins’ lamps burn.
Jesus taught that the “good seed” falls upon all manner of “ground.” Christ and the “seed” are one. It is not the letter of the Word that enters the heart, for “the letter killeth.” The Spirit of Christ was received by all of the virgins. They all had lamps that burned for a season. The divine nature was imparted to them in the “seed,” but because they failed to go on and grow, they gradually dried up and the oil supply failed.
Brethren, let us not forget nor neglect our calling: “The high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14) is that we might be “like Him” (I John 3:2) and stand before God “a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). The apostle Peter describes our call thus: “Him that hath called us to glory [the end of all His labor with us is that He may bring “many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2:10)] and virtue (moral excellence) whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these (conformity to this “means”) ye might be partakers of the divine nature” (II Peter 1:3,4).
“Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:14). “Put on the new man” (Col. 3:10). This requires effort. It also takes time. “Put on the new man (this, and the above passages, are all spoken to saints – not to sinners!), which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). When we are converted, the righteousness of God is attributed to us, but after we have known the way of righteousness, justice demands that we acquire “the righteousness of saints” (Rev. 19:8). Holiness is that state of separation from the world, and dedication unto God, which is attained by the great leading of the Word and the Spirit of God.
“Above all…things (a top priority) put on charity” (Col. 3:14). It is well to take cognizance of the fact that “the new man,” and “the Lord Jesus Christ,” and “charity,” are one and the same person. With this in mind, it is a very simple matter to understand the identity of the one who is called “charity” in I Corinthians thirteen, without whom tongues-speaking men become “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal,” and prophets and miracle workers are “nothing.” Without Him, Christ, the philanthropists’ gifts profit nothing and even “though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity (have not the abiding of Christ within) it profiteth me nothing” (I Cor. 13:3).
The inner, abiding presence of Christ leads us farther and farther away from the world life, and as this takes place we gradually become an offence to the world.
The fruit of a genuine Christian is a stigma before the world. It is this “fruit” which appears to the world as a stigma that crucifies us to the world; and it also crucifies the world to us. Paul calls this stigma the cross of our Lord: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14).
The cross in the life of the Christian is not the thing upon which the Saviour died – the “rugged cross” is the reaction that the saint suffers from the flesh, the world, and the devil when he implicitly obeys the commands of the Lord. It is the preaching of this kind of a cross that is foolishness “to them that perish” (I Cor. 1:18).
The wise virgin soon learns the value of opposition, tribulation, and suffering for the Lord’s sake: “Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings…If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified…If any man suffer as a Christian let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (I Peter 4:13,15).
Depth of character is wrought in the storms of life; and in the furnace of affliction our metal is purified. “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir” (Isa. 13:12). This promise is given to men who live in the day when the Lord shall “shake the heavens and the earth” (13th verse). “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi (the priesthood) and purge them as gold and silver” (Mal. 3:3). This sort of work cannot be done to a “shallow ground hearer,” neither can it be applied to those whose hearts are full of thorns.
Being “conformed to the image” of God’s Son is not an instantaneous work. There are many factors in the process of the change: “But we all…beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory…by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor. 3:18). God has so constituted us that this transformation of character is done by the pressures of the world: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). The shallow-pated religionist, who lives by his physical senses, “enjoys” salvation only when he is having a high-altitude, mountain-top experience. He is under the delusion that the Lord is near him when he is riding the highest and shouting the loudest, but the Psalmist found the Lord nearest when he was passing through his greatest trials: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Take particular notice of what it was that the Psalmist said comforted him: “thy rod and thy staff.” “The “rod” is for chastening; those who are true sons learn the value of the Father’s rod. Such an instrument is for correction: only a saint values correction. (The “staff” is for man to lean upon while the rod is being applied!)
TO BELIEVE IS TO OBEY
Russel Dockum
Most church people of our day refrain from accepting what we term the “Old Bible” as a basis for guidance in our way of life, and it is true that in Christ we do live under a new covenant; yet we can find many examples in the Old Testament that should help us to evaluate our efforts in response to the teachings and commands of Christ and the apostles, as given in the New Testament.
The apostle Paul, in speaking of God's dealings with ancient Israel, said, “all these things happened unto them for ensambles: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (I Cor. 10:11; also vs. 6).
In the light of this statement, I wonder how many have read and carefully considered the importance of the commands of God as given to the Israelites at the time of their “Passover” and deliverance from bondage in Egypt (Ex. 12:11), and the way their example may relate to man's behavior in our time.
One can see considerable parallel between their response and practices of service toward their material goals of promise, and those of our spiritual goals.
Many of God's commands are contrary to what we consider normal behavior and our natural inclinations; and human nature, as a whole, has not changed much throughout the generations. In practice, we are much inclined to compromise the “thus saith the Lord” to meet our own conveniences or habits. We can reasonably suppose that the Israelites' reactions to God's commands were somewhat similar to what ours are, or would be under like circumstances.
Now, when God called for the beginning of their actual deliverance from the slavery of Egypt's bondage, He gave them several commands relating to the preparation for going out in their journey.
Some specific commands of note that were contrary to custom and men's habits, related to their last meal before taking their leave.
For example, “they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until morning; and that which remaineth of it until morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste” (Ex. 12:8-11).
Now, realizing something of human nature and man's reasonings, it seems very likely that some, and perhaps many, would say, “What difference does it make whether the meat is actually roasted with fire or just nicely barbecued with a sauce to better suit our taste? And really, I don't like the head of the animal, so let's just leave it off and we will burn it with the left-overs. Another thing, I don't care for bitter herbs, so let's use some other seasoning that's not so bitter.”
When it came to eating, I imagine some preferred to eat in their customary manner of comfort, with shoes off, reclining in loose fitting clothing and in a leisurely fashion. Surely not with loins girded and staff in hand. Why not set the staff by the door where it could be picked up on the way out? And why “eat in haste” when they were not leaving until morning anyway?
After all, were they not protected by the “blood” upon “the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses” (Ex. 12:7)?
Once the Lord had passed over and did see the blood, were they not then saved from the destroyer and free to depart with all those who were called to go forth and into the promised land “unto a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:17)? No doubt many of them reasoned in just such a manner.
As we continue to study and follow the patterns of the people of Israel in their departure from Egypt and their subsequent travels, we can readily see much in common with our departure from the old life of bondage to sin, and our continuing travels through this life as Christians.
It is so easy to hear the great promise and look at the simple matter of the covering of “the blood,” and fail to exercise diligence in the detailed preparations for the protracted journey through the wilderness of life.
Israel started, but soon began to find themselves in situations which they had not expected and which began to try their faith to the utmost. Their many trials and tests were too numerous to go into in detail here, but we find that they (as we so often do) saw only the material and physical aspects of the journey and forgot the miracles God wrought in their behalf, when they called upon Him in their times of need.
It seems so natural for man to always complain or find fault or look for someone to blame for everything unpleasant that befalls him in life. This is especially true if it involves privation for our children or other loved ones. Sometimes, even these things may be permitted of God for the trial of our faith and the development and maturity of our stature in Him.
Herein we see some symptoms of lack of faith: that which we demonstrate when we fail to be diligent in following in detail our obedience to God's commands.
If we truly believe that when God speaks He means it and has a purpose for what He says, then we should fully obey His Word with confidence that it will attain the desired end. That, in turn, will work in us the greater assurance that God's goodness and promises are for us, and we can stand in this faith in times of adversity.
God's Word is sure and steadfast, and if we are to attain His favor, it is incumbent upon us to take heed to His every word and walk in accordance with His will. The Israelites were being led to an earthly “Promised Land,” but more than that, if they had followed on in faith and complete obedience, it was in God's purpose that they should “enter into His rest” (Heb. 3:17-19). They “entered not in because of unbelief” (Heb. 4:6).
We are called unto a spiritual “promised land,” and into “His rest,” even as Abraham who “looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:8-10). Let us profit by their examples, and “Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it…Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief” (Heb. 4:1,6).
We may not be called upon to go out into a literal, physical desert and wilderness such as Israel went through, but we may have a number of areas of desert or wilderness experiences in our spiritual walk as we go through this life.
If we look at our natural environments and some of the “dry” places in our experience, and see only the privations or sacrifices we might be called on to bear, the way may seem very hard. At such times, if we do not have faith to trust implicitly in God and have not practiced complete obedience to His Word, we too, may complain and find fault with Him and thereby open the door for that devastating unbelief to come in.
Israel continued to believe that they were God's chosen people and called to be a nation set apart unto Him, but many lost their lives and the benefits of God's promised blessings because they did not believe sufficiently to demonstrate faith and obedience.
We, too, may be called and have an experience of conversion to God, but if we are not diligent and exercise complete faith in obedience, we too, can fall short of the promises and lose our way.
Christ, as our example, “humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death” (Phil. 2:8). “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…How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Heb. 2:1,3)
“I LABORED MORE ABUNDANTLY THAN THEY ALL”
Alfred King
The title above is a quote from the Apostle Paul found in his first letter to the church at Corinth and is found in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians. Paul is speaking of the resurrection of Jesus and authenticating that fact, writing that Christ’s resurrection was according to the scriptures, and validating his premise by referring to many different people who had seen Jesus after His resurrection. Paul authenticates the resurrection by stating that Jesus was seen after His resurrection by over 500 people and, last of all, He was seen by the Apostle Paul himself. While Paul claimed himself the least of the Apostles and not worthy to be called an apostle because he had persecuted the church, he then makes the bold statement that He “labored more abundantly than they all” (verse 10). However, he qualifies his statement by adding, “yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”. Paul realized that the labors he had expended in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and its obvious success was due to the power of God’s grace working in his life, anointing his ministry and reaching the hearts of those who responded positively in faith. He gave God the glory for any fruit that was produced and also, credited God for the many times he was delivered out of the hands of angry mobs.
The Apostle Paul said that Jesus was seen of him last of all. While Peter, James, and John had walked with Jesus for three and a half years, and had been taught by Him, the experience which Saul (Paul) had on the road to Damascus was an experience that totally changed this man, giving him a fervor that seemed to be lacking among the other apostles. This man was a man of intense dedication to what he believed. Before his conversion, he was so convinced of the doctrines of the Pharisees that he obtained letters from the authorities to seek out those who held to this new doctrine of Christ. His firm intent was to imprison them and punished them. With letters, granting him permission to imprison those who confessed Jesus and with the determination to stamp out the very name of Jesus Christ, he ventured toward Damascus not knowing that his life was about to be changed forever.
The account of Paul’s conversion is found in the ninth chapter of the book of Acts. He was on the road to Damascus when suddenly a bright light from heaven shined down upon him causing him to fall to the ground. Stunned and shocked as he lay there, Jesus spoke to him from heaven asking Saul this question, “Saul, Saul, why persecuteth thou me?” Saul responded, “who art thou, Lord?” Jesus again spoke and told him that He is Jesus, whom Saul was persecuting. So closely connected to Jesus are Jesus’ disciples that when they are persecuted, He is persecuted. When His sheep rejoice, Jesus rejoices. When His people are in need and one gives to that one in need, it is giving to Jesus. Matthew 25, verse 40 reveals that if one aids even the least of God’s people, he has ministered unto Jesus, and if we do not provide for the least of His sheep, we have refrained from giving to God.
Jesus felt the pain that Saul was placing upon His sheep and, in this instance, God came down in a most remarkable way to change the course of Saul’s life and, consequently, the course of history, for it was primarily through Paul’s ministry that the Gospel was spread throughout the known world at that time.
When Jesus had finished speaking to Saul, instructing him to go to Damascus and wait until he was told what he should do from this time forward, Saul arose, being blinded by the light and needing someone to lead him by the hand. As he sat in total blindness for three days he prayed, seeking God and seeking truth. God was preparing a man to labor and to suffer greatly for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Most Christians today have not had the supernatural experience that Paul had, and many believers question their salvation experience, possibly because it was not so vividly apparent and unquestionable as Paul’s, or even other people’s experience that they may know. Some may struggle at times wondering whether they have truly been saved. They allow the enemy to condemn and question their relationship with God. As true believers, we desire to be convicted by the Holy Spirit. Yet we must be aware that the great enemy of our souls is ever ready to condemn us and discourage us. While facing the truth of our carnal nature, our short comings and failures, we must not allow the enemy to discourage us. We must come to the place where we discern the difference between the voice of the Holy Spirit and the voice of the Condemner. This is critical for peace to exist in the heart. We must hear the voice of the Holy Spirit as He corrects us and puts us on the path that leads to life. We must always remember that God’s grace is sufficient for us even when we fail. God’s love for us is far beyond anything we can truly comprehend in this life, but we can certainly rest in that love, knowing that He will finish the work which He has begun.
It was this great experience that the Apostle Paul had on the road to Damascus that, I’m certain, carried him when he was in prison, when he was floating in the seas after experiencing the ship being wrecked, when he was suffering from the stripes on his back, or after being stoned and left for dead (II Cor. 11:23-27). How did he endure all these things? God’s grace! God’s grace was first manifest to Paul on the road to Damascus. The profound reality of that experience was so powerful that he could no longer doubt that Jesus was the true Son of God. There was a vivid awareness that this Jesus, whom he had been an enemy of, was truly resurrected from the dead. And, somehow in that revelation, there was given him an understanding that if Jesus had risen from the dead, then there is a certainty of a future resurrection when all those in the grave shall come forth and those who had been faithful in their service to God would be gathered together and taken up to be with the Lord for eternity. The glories of that experience for Paul were sufficient to carry him through the most difficult and trying times. There are few men who have suffered as the Apostle Paul for the sake of the Gospel.
God saves us in different ways. We might all like to have an experience similar to Paul’s, but God deals with each person differently and He knows what is best for us. A few years ago my wife and I had the opportunity to go to the Grand Canyon. We didn’t have a lot of time, which was disappointing to me for I would have liked to stay longer, but as we left the Canyon we came upon the Welcome Center. We stopped to see what was there and found that there was an Imax. We decided to watch the production, which was well worth the expense, for it took us into the depths of the Canyon and we were able to experience it better than we could just viewing it from the top. As I recall, the film started with some very close up views of some insects on leaves and things like that. But shortly switched to a scene with a man riding a horse through the woods at a swift pace. He came to a group of Spanish explorers and spoke something to them in Spanish (which I could not understand). He then turned excitedly and, with the others following, he rapidly rode toward something which all in the audience was waiting to see. The camera then switched showing the group coming toward the camera. As they got close to the camera, they stopped as it seemed, right in front of all of us sitting there, with expressions of awe. The leader dismounted, removed his hat, and holding it over his heart, he knelt. All the others followed suit and, as they knelt, the camera turns and you see the vastness of the Grand Canyon before you and, immediately, you sail out over the canyon and you begin to experience the beauty, the wonder, and the majesty of the canyon. For thirty minutes you sail, first above the canyon and then down into the very heart of the canyon where the Colorado River flows. Sometimes the river rushes through narrow gorges, creating dangerous rapids only to become gentle as it reaches large areas where it forms a small lake with little flow and no turbulence.
I have often likened that presentation of the Canyon as that of my salvation. We go through life, living in sin and attempting to find something that truly satisfies. Then, one day, God graciously reaches down from His heavenly throne and turns us to that One from whom all blessings flow and in whom all peace is embodied. When we finally surrender to God in total brokenness and humility we immediately sail into another world of such great beauty, wonder, and majesty, a world where we find in him that for which our souls have longed. Thus, we begin our walk with God, and that beginning is something that will always be a strength when trials and difficulties arise in the future.
As wonderful as this experience is, and in spite of the great transformation it has done in our lives, we don’t stay in that place. Rather, we are set on a journey, a journey where we will experience many wonderful and glorious beauties in God, His love, grace, and presence, but we will also face many trials and tribulations. We will be tried as gold is tried in the fire. We, like the Apostle Paul, will find ourselves in a battle with the world, the devil, and our own carnal hearts. Yet that experience we had when Christ came into our hearts is forever with us, and it encourages us when we face those difficulties in life. We must walk and live like the men of scripture: like Abraham, who looked for a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God; like Moses who esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; like Noah who moved with fear to the saving of his house; like Paul who suffered the loss of all things (of this world) and counted them but dung so that he might win Christ; and others who “through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith.” (Heb. 11:33-39).
Paul was so positively convinced of the reality of Christ, of God, and of Heaven, and assured that the path he was on would eventually bring him to that desired haven, that he never looked back. We can also have that same assurance and so fervently and passionately walk this path which leads to life eternal. If we have been saved, washed in the blood of Christ, we have already begun to sail into a brand new world and we don’t ever want to look back but to continue, as the Apostle Paul, to press toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
There is a missing ingredient in every soul. When God created Adam, He breathed into him the breath of life. Adam lost that breath of life and, consequently, man ever since has come into this world with a soul void of that life of God. Jesus came to fill that void, and when one comes to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and believes on Him, he finds saving grace, forgiveness of his past sins, and God breathes into him the breath of eternal life. May every man, woman, and child find this eternal life in Christ Jesus.
LETTER FROM JIMMY
Dear Saints of the most High God across this great land,
It's with much humbleness that I come to you today to bring you this message that Bro. Al gave me permission to write. I have some very good news to share with you today. Do you believe in miracles? I do, and I had one recently that only our miracle working Lord could have accomplished for me. A miracle isn't just something that happens in a person's body, for with me it certainly wasn't that, for I'm in tiptop condition in the prison I live in, for I exercise daily. Exercising relieves a lot of stress, so if you aren't being active maybe you can also get started.
The miracle God gave me started with prayer. Listen Saints, prayer mixed with simple faith can remove any mountain in your life. I truly am a fasting prayer warrior and I can attest to the fact that I've never prayed over anything that I didn't see God's hand of mercy move in my prayer. First, I know and I believe what Jesus said about praying in faith, that we can have the petitions we desire of Him. Also, look at James' writing when he said when we pray about anything we must believe or we're like a ship tossed about and we won't receive anything we asked for.
A few months ago, a sister in the Lord who has a jail ministry wrote, to tell me that the dear saints who have given their lives to our Lord in the jail they minister at, have read my articles in the TOT magazine, and are reading and passing around copies of my book. She said it is really ministering to them. Saints, y'all don't know how that blessed me and encouraged me. I know how society thinks that anyone in jail or prison who says they are born anew by God's Spirit and power, have gotten a fake phony jailhouse religion, and are just looking for a way out or a way to use people for whatever they need. But I know as you do, Sister Ax, that this isn't so. God is moving, by His delivering power in jails, setting people free, and maybe for the first time, setting their lives in order.
I know that it's a shame that most of us in jails or prisons had to come to prison to find Christ, but there isn't a set rule or guideline as to when or where you accept Christ as your savior. Truthfully, in all my 35 years in prison there have been few, if any, days that I haven't shared my faith with someone who was hurting, depressed, or even suicidal. It isn't my job to pressure or try to push my beliefs on anyone, but it's God's job and His Word won't return to Him void. It accomplishes what God intends for it to do. But, as I said, prayer mixed with faith can move any mountain. For instance, Sister Ax told me in her letter about a lady there in the jail they go to, who found Christ as her savior who was going to court and facing a life sentence. Saints, I know that feeling, and even though we may be getting justice for our crime, no one wants to be in prison for life. It touched me deeply, so I began to pray for Sister Bush that God would have mercy on her.
I teach a faith-based class here in our dorm called H.O.P.E. (Helping others positively everyday), so I had my class to also start praying for Sister Bush. When you are led to pray for someone you don't just say a two-minute prayer, for a prayer warrior will lie on the mercy seat in the blood of Jesus and won't get up until he or she knows God has heard their prayer, and then they see Him move. Many people say they're a prayer warrior and have on the armor of God, and may even appear as a warrior. But when Paul told us to put on the armor of God, he also said, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit”.
I talked to Bro. Al a few days ago on the phone and my first inquiry was, I asked if Sister Bush had been to court yet, and he told me that she had indeed. I asked what was the sentence. I was so happy to hear that God had answered our prayers and the judge only gave her 18 years. You in society may think that 18 years is a lot of time to have to do. But us here in prison know that 18 years is a slap on the wrist, for you have hope and can work it down to less. So, prayer moved God again and gave Sister Bush a miracle.
Now, about my miracle. Y'all know that Bro. Al has helped me get my book printed and it's selling now on Amazon. I was praying and asking the Lord to let it sell and generate this $10,000 I needed to hire a lawyer that deals with inmates with life sentences to help them to make parole. This lawyer is highly successful, so his reputation among us in S.C.D.C. is well known, and he's highly sought after. But most of us can't afford to spend $10,000 to retain him and $5,000 more once you make parole. My hope was in my book selling was to raise the $10,000. Let me stop for a moment and say that God is so awesome and doesn't need me, my book, or a lawyer to set me free. But, when you're dealing with politics and man's laws, God can and does use anything or anybody He wants to use to accomplish His purpose. I believe that all the scars on my soul will be used once I'm free, to accomplish a great work in jails, churches, and prisons. So Bro. Al asked their readers to support my book sales, for he knew that that was where my hope lay in hiring my lawyer.
Well, praise and honor be to God alone, for two months ago I was told to go to the A-building conference, for my lawyer was waiting to see me. This was strange, but I felt the Lord's Spirit in it. When I walked in the lawyer introduced himself and it was none other than the lawyer I wanted to hire. He said he had been retained and paid $15,000 by an individual who wants to remain anonymous, but he was here to represent me at my parole hearing. I'm not trying to figure out who did this for me, because I know you were led of God to do this. But I want you to know that from the bottom of my heart I thank you. God chose you because He knew that you would obey Him. Few people would pay $15,000 for someone they have never seen before. I'm humbled by your act of love and kindness, and I assure you that your gift won't be wasted. Thank you!
Well, this is my lesson on prayer that moves God, for I feel mine and y'alls prayer has bless me and I believe God will set me free next year. Pray for me.
Bro. Jimmy Windham
A prisoner of Jesus Christ
A NEW CREATION
Lorraine Scullin
This world is a vast workshop in which the Master Craftsman is fashioning a product of inestimable worth. So important is this product to the Father that He has waited for it through ages of time with “long patience” (James 5:7). The Father has bestowed infinite labor and care upon the “processing” involved in this great work throughout the centuries, for the revelation of the finished product in the end of the world will completely vindicate the Father’s wisdom in that which He has undertaken to demonstrate.
The work of the Father began with Adam who was created a son of God and placed in the garden where he walked in the government of God, under His laws, and attentive to His voice. God was seeking for Adam to give obedience by deliberate choice to His laws and to His voice. Adam was not forced to yield obedience; he was presented with a choice, as every son of God has been since that day. The alternatives remain the same today – obedience or disobedience.
Men are still required to obey the word of the Lord, as well as the voice of the Spirit. “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isa. 30:21). “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion (refusal to obey) is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness (refusal to yield) is as iniquity and idolatry” (I Sam. 15:22,23). Adam’s disobedience was so terrible a sin before the Lord that he was sent from the garden. Disobedience is as idolatry, and by their disobedience men demonstrate that they consider their own ways superior to that of the Most High and set them before Him. But God has commanded, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3).
In this great workroom God is bringing forth a new creation, of whom Christ is the beginning, “the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14); “the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29); for “in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren” (Heb. 2:17). In this group of individuals with whom the Father is working, the same objective is being accomplished as was brought forth in the Lord Jesus Christ when He walked among men. And by the same process: “And being found in the fashion as a man He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death” (Phil. 2:8). And He was made “perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10). “Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8).
The process is obedience. The result of obedience is death – daily death – to the flesh and to all of its ways. The product at the end of the process is the new creation. The new creation is an individual who stands in the very likeness of Jesus Christ, having come “unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), through obedience unto death.
Jesus Christ demonstrated this new creation as He walked on the earth nearly two thousand years ago – a Man completely obedient to His Father’s will; having learned obedience by suffering His own will to be put aside so that He might not speak His own words, nor render His own judgment, nor do His own works; but the Father’s.
In the closing days of the end of the world this new creation shall be demonstrated again, but at this time, it shall be manifest in many sons – men made obedient by suffering their own wills to be laid aside so that the Father’s will might be done in them in all things. This was what Adam failed to demonstrate. Jesus Christ walked before men for three and one-half years, demonstrating perfection which was accomplished through obedience unto death – death to His own desires.
When many sons reach this state of being made perfect in like manner as Jesus Christ is perfect, then the Father will manifest this new creation in completeness; “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19). For this demonstration of the Father’s matchless workmanship, the universe waits.
“I KNOW YE NOT”
Harry Miller
In studying the Scriptures we find that there is a distinct difference between the two classes of professing Christians that the Lord denies as being His own.
The vast multitude of those who hear the words, “I never knew you,” are a people who have never “tasted of the powers of the world to come,” they do not know what it is to be “born again,” and they have never experienced what is known as “passing from death unto life.” Judas and, also, Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8) were both religious men: they claimed Christ; they were baptized in water; they were considered members of the body of Christ; but inwardly they were devils. It is such characters as these who cling to religion because they enjoy all of the trappings that help to adorn a religious profession: they are the “tares” which the devil has sown in the “field” of the Lord.
One of the chief characteristics of the “tares” is the ability to make a most impressive example of religious piety. The outside of their “sepulcher” is always garnished with pious-appearing camouflage. For example, remember Judas whom no one suspected of being a devil, even up to the very last hour. As a matter of fact, it was an accepted thing among the twelve that Judas was a worthy Christian, for the Master had made him the treasurer: he kept “the bag.”
Christ did not direct His most scathing denunciations against the liquor interests; not even against immorality; neither did He bother to expose the extortions of the publicans. These, after all, did not claim to be anything but sinners. His ire, even His violent wrath, was against those of the churchmen who were playing the hypocrite in the name of the Lord: these He called “children of the devil.” This kind are the “I never knew you” people. Heaven will rejoice when the Lord gathers up these “vessels of wrath” and separates them from His own people.
However, there is another group of professing Christians that must cause even greater grief to the Holy Spirit than do the Judases. These are the folks who, having “escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…are again entangled therein, and overcome,” and “the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” (II Peter 2:20,21).
Now, let us consider the actual meaning of the words: “to know the way of righteousness.” Jesus said, “I am the way, no man cometh unto the Father except by me,” and Paul tells us: “No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (I Cor. 12:3). Anyone who has a revelation of Christ “by the Holy Ghost” experiences what is known as “tasting of the powers of the world to come” (Heb. 6:4-6). In these same verses we are told that such people were “made partakers of the Holy Ghost.”
If these people “fall away,” they are guilty of crucifying the Son of God afresh, and putting him “to an open shame.” The writer of the book of Hebrews says they are like something that beareth briars and is “rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned” (chapter 6, verse 8). Let us take a good look at this word “rejected.” The Greek word here is adokemos, which means: rejected, disapproved, or castaway. Paul uses this same Greek word, adokemos, in Romans 1:28, where it is translated “reprobate.” Notice in this passage in the book of Romans that these people who are called “reprobate” are folks who knew the Lord, but “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.” They craved something to worship, but they chose to devote themselves to carnal things and refused to worship God; they were rejected.
Verse twenty-one of this first chapter of Romans says: “they knew God” but “they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful.” It is evident here that God, through the Spirit, made Christ known unto these people, for verse nineteen says: “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.”
John also speaks of this witness of God “which He hath testified of His Son,” and he says: “he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son…and this is the record…life is in His Son” (I John 5:9-12).
Again, Paul speaks concerning a multitude in the last days who will be “reprobate concerning the faith” (II Tim. 3:1-8). And he further defines such characters in Titus 1:16, saying: “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient; and unto every good work reprobate.”
The apostle Paul declared that adokemos, or becoming a “castaway,” was a peril that stood in the life of any Christian if he failed to apply himself to the things of God. He said, “Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel…this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you…I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (I Cor. 9:16-27). Again, we have the same Greek word, Adokemos – rejected; disapproved – this time translated “castaway.”
Ananias and Sapphira were “disapproved” and “rejected,” but unlike some of the other castaways, they were struck down immediately” (Acts 5:1-10).
Demas, a man whom Paul had called his “fellow-laborer” (Philemon 24) also became a castaway. In Colossians 4:14 the apostle names Demas with Luke the beloved physician; but Demas did not remain steadfast, and even as Lot’s wife, he “looked back.” Jesus said such a man was not worthy of the kingdom. That backward “look” was more than Brother Demas could bear: he was “overcome” with infatuation for the things of the world. Paul wrote about this to Timothy, saying, “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed” (II Tim. 4:10).
We are told, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 2:15). According to the testimony of Scripture we certainly cannot expect to see Demas in the kingdom of God.
To Brother Timothy, Paul gave admonishment: “This charge I commit unto thee…war a good warfare; holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan” (I Tim. 1:18-20).
Hymenaeus was probably a zealous and persuasive Christian (?) worker; for Paul, in his second letter to Timothy, warns: “Shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker; of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some” (II Tim. 2:16-18).
Notice that these men were not without faith – they still had faith: but a shipwrecked faith; a faith that caused them to err; a faith that had power to “eat as doth a canker.” These men were disapproved, castaways; and Paul turned the reprobates over to the devil.
The Lord Jesus taught His disciples that there would actually be many seekers of the things of God in the latter day who would be rejected because they lived in a state of unpreparedness, and not as saints who wait for their Lord. He said, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the Master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say unto you, I know ye not” (Luke 13:24,25). The writer of this gospel (Luke) continues on to show that these people who are outside the door have not only been familiar with Christianity, they have actually practiced certain forms of the religion of Christ. They even claim to have had fellowship with the Lord at the communion table. “We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence,” is one of their arguments. And the Master of the house does not deny these claims; but he rejects the claimants on the grounds that they are “workers of iniquity.”
These are people who testify for the Lord Jesus Christ; but their works are a testimony against Him. They make great protestations of loving the Lord, but their works are a flat denial of such devotion. Whenever God’s commands are set aside so that the religious practices of men may be observed instead, that is iniquity; and such substitutional practice becomes an abomination, an affront to the King of Glory.
The parable of the ten virgins shows us the way in which the Lord makes distinction between “wise” Christians and “foolish” Christians. As a matter of fact, the three parables of Matthew twenty-five all teach that final salvation depends upon a believer’s works: the unfaithful steward was cast into outer darkness because he did not use his talents for the Lord; the “goat” class of believers did not serve Christ’s body, and they, too, went away into “everlasting punishment;” while the “foolish virgins” were found outside the shut door, with the Master of the house declaring, “I know ye not.” The reason for this final judgment was that they had failed to provide enough oil for their lamps.
The “foolish” were “virgins,” even as the wise. They, too, had “lamps,” and a certain amount of oil, for at the time of his return their lamps were not out – they were going out (R.V.). But they had failed to secure enough oil.
Calvinists declare that these “foolish virgins” had never been born again, while the Arminians contend that they had received just as good a born again experience as the “wise.”
It is most unprofitable to build any doctrine upon a human interpretation of the language of symbols used in parables; and certainly such speculation is never necessary in order to prove any truth. All doctrinal truth has its first basis in the plain statements of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught very plainly that no man’s Christian experience is a through ticket to heaven. The first seven verses of the fifteenth chapter of the gospel of John should settle such a question: “If we abide,” then we remain; but “If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”
At the time of the advent of the Lord, these “foolish virgins” had lost their “first love,” and had become satisfied with only a “withered” experience.
The letter to the church at Ephesus contains this warning: “Thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent” (Rev. 2:4,5). The judgment indicated here would be that the Lord would take away their light. “When thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness” (Luke 11:34,35).
Too many people are satisfied with a “free” salvation: i.e., one that costs nothing; that requests nothing of the believer; that does not interfere in any way with the plans and the program of its adherents. Only a “foolish virgin” is thus satisfied; the “wise” will “follow on to know the Lord,” and these are they who discover that complete salvation means complete devotion to God. People who walk close to the Saviour have light, for they have a goodly supply of oil. Jesus said: “He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). However, those who do not follow Him soon lose their light, for they will run out of oil.
Divine oil is a commodity that must be purchased. It cannot be “borrowed,” neither can it be received as a free gift. This kind of oil comes from the “olive tree” (the true believer), and it is obtained by a painful process. In the holy place of the tabernacle in the wilderness, the golden lamps were kept burning by oil that was obtained by beating the fruit of the olive tree (Lev. 24:2).
The coin which will purchase this divine oil is a consecrated heart, and the soul which possesses it will not “wither away” under the “sun” of tribulation or persecution. Man’s money never has been the medium of exchange in the kingdom of God; but men are implored to buy from God those things that are essential to man’s own salvation. “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire” (Rev. 3:18); and in the same verse, the people of the latter-day Laodicean church are also admonished to buy “white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed.”
“White robes” are given to those “that were slain for the word of God” (Rev. 6:9-11), but the living, who are still able to obtain them, must purchase them. Many worth-while things that help make up Christian character require time and effort to complete the purchasing transaction. Paul said: “Great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus” is a thing that is purchased” (I Tim. 3:13).
From the parable of the ten virgins there is no mistaking the fact that the “foolish virgins” were rejected believers “outside the door” because they failed to make preparation. On the other hand, those “who were ready” went in to the feast with their Lord because they were prepared.
There are numbers of places in the gospels where all Christians are warned to watch; be alert; be ready. A house is “broken up” because the good man did not watch (Matt. 24:43). A servant is “cut asunder” because he thought his Lord had delayed his coming (Matt. 24:51). Servants are warned not to be caught “sleeping,” for the Lord has given to “every man his work,” and has commanded “the porter to watch” (Mark 13:34). “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching” (Luke 12:35-37).
THE POWER OF PRAISE
Marjorie Hidley
“Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord” (Psalm 150:6).
“Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee” (Psalm 67:3).
“Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8.15.21.31)
“For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9).
Friends, the Great God of the universe inspired the psalmist David to write these words. Why has God thus pled with man and commanded us to praise Him? Surely, God is not impoverished that He needs anything from creatures of the dust. No, it is the welfare of His children that concerns our God. There is a purpose behind these words. Something good is wrought in us as we follow out the instructions of the Almighty. He is ever faithful in aiding His children in their walk with Him. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised” (Psalm 145:3).
Praise is a most powerful weapon in fighting the attacks of the enemy, and when practiced, it has a therapeutic value in the life of the Christian. How do we overcome? It is by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Rev. 12:11). “O give thanks unto the Lord…Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy” (Psalm 107:1,2). “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me” (Psalm 50:23). Worship and praise is something we can give to God personally. It is sacred and holy, a sacrifice to the Almighty from His creatures of dust. There is no other, anywhere, who is worthy to receive this expression of the soul.
If we praised Him continually, surely it would not be sufficient to honor and extol our Holy Lord, the Creator of all mankind. Not only our lips, our words, and our actions must bend to the will of God, but also all we have, all we are, and all we ever hope to be. Our hearts, our wills, even our thoughts must be brought into subjection to the Lord, for He has called for our body, soul, and spirit. These must be laid on the altar of sacrifice. This is real devotion put into action. For we are called to worship God in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
We mortals are unable to give God the glory that truly is due His name. Many times the Holy Spirit comes to our assistance, helping us to praise God in the Spirit. Strength from the heavenly courts fills our being, for it is written, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10), and “In Thy presence is fulness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). And, thus, the Lord inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).
In II Chronicles 20:1-25 we read a very stirring account which reveals great victory through praise. God delivered Israel when their enemies were about to sweep down upon them. Obedience, singing, and praise to the Lord brought triumph over the enemy. We are told how the children of Moab, and of Ammon, and others came against King Jehoshaphat to battle. The greatness of the multitude caused fear to grip the king’s heart, so he set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. His heart was humble as he sought God; and with sincerity of soul he cried out to the Lord, “Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee” (verse 12).
God is always merciful and full of compassion for His children. “Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him” is the promise of Psalm 91:14. The prayers of this king were heard. God spoke to the king, through His prophet, with words of instruction and encouragement. Then, upon the prophet Jahaziel came the Spirit of God, “Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s…ye shall not need to fight in this battle, set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (verses 15-17).
King Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and Jerusalem fell down and worshipped the Lord. Some “stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high” (verse 19). Rising early in the morning, they went forth to battle. King Jehoshaphat “appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the Beauty of Holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for His mercy endureth forever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (verses 21,22). God had worked another miracle for His people Israel. Their enemies turned on each other until all were smitten, for “every one helped to destroy another” (verse 23). It took Jehoshaphat and his people three days to gather up the spoil.
Another glorious account showing the effect of praise is given in II Chronicles 5:13,14. King Solomon and his workers had just completed the building of the temple of God. Instructions, given by the Spirit of God, had been followed explicitly. The building was finished, and the time had arrived for the dedication of this work of splendor. A very unusual condition prevailed among those who had assembled in honor of this occasion. The unity of the Spirit was present among these people! How rare is this condition today! We are told “As the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice…and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever: that then the house was filled with a cloud…so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.”
And now we turn to a New Testament example, found in Acts the 16th chapter, verses 16-34. During the ministry of Paul and Silas, “a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination…which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying” followed Paul, and the others, with the testimony, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” This continued many days. “But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour” (verse 18). God does not need the testimony of demons. It is the testimony from the hearts of those who love Him that brings honor to His name.
Now, when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they were exceeding wroth and laid hold of Paul and Silas, delivering them to the magistrates, who in turn beat them with many stripes and cast them into prison. It was there that the “sacrifice of praise” became a reality in the lives of these saints of God.
Friends, we are commanded to “Rejoice evermore” (I Thess. 5:16), and “In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thess. 5:18). Paul and Silas were not cast down by the circumstances they were now in. They did not even consider the adverse conditions around them, nor blame anyone for the unjust treatment they were now receiving. Instead, their hearts were full of praise to God. With bleeding backs and feet made fast in the stocks…“At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25). These most sincere praises came from the hearts of two servants who loved their Lord. These were accepted by the God of glory, who heard and brought forth mighty victory for His faithful servants. “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed” (verse 26). The keeper of the prison was brought to his knees, and “he and all his” were converted and baptized that very night. What a glorious reward for their faithfulness and praise to God!
“Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 15:57).
“I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).
“Serve the Lord with gladness” (Psalm 100:2).
“The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:17).
“Be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God” (Eph. 5:18-20).
“LET EVERY MAN BE FULLY PERSUADED IN HIS OWN MIND”
Romans 14:5
This particular text is the final refuge of every opponent to the observance of the fourth commandment. To many people, this portion of Scripture seems to mean that men are obligated to God only as they think they are obligated. In other words, whatever a man thinks is truth, that is truth! Surely nothing else could so effectively repeal God’s law as such a doctrine. Many Mormons are fully persuaded that it is right before God to have more than one wife, and the only thing that prevents many from building a harem is the civil law of our country. If Paul were teaching that all God requires of men is that they be “fully persuaded in their own minds,” then the seventh commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” need not apply to them, any more than the fourth one.
Since in certain nations Christians are now taught that it is right for them to take up arms and fight for their country, according to this doctrine they are free to go forth and kill the Christians of other countries, for they are fully persuaded in their own minds that it is right to do so. Thus, the sixth commandment: “Thou shalt not kill,” is made null and void merely because men are fully persuaded that it is perfectly all right for them to break the law of God.
According to the philosophy of those who take this ridiculous doctrinal position, moral law is not based upon principle. It has become a victim of belief. Paul said that one man esteemed one day, and another man esteemed another day, and there were even those who esteemed every day. Those who resist the law of God attempt to tell us that Paul is stating that every man is right if he is fully persuaded of his own beliefs. But this is not what the apostle is teaching. It is preposterous to think that the great apostle should make void the law of God by teaching that the mere beliefs of a fully-persuaded person justify that person’s belief!
It stands to reason that all of these conflicting beliefs cannot be truth. That which is not truth is error, and no man’s relationship with God is right if he walks in error. But even the fact that a man walks in error is no excuse for his brethren to ostracize him. This is actually what Paul is bringing out in these passages. The chapter begins with an exhortation for Christians to “receive” those who are “weak in the faith.” Doctrinal viewpoints were not to be the standards of Christian fellowship. It is wicked to judge our brethren and cast them out of fellowship because they do not agree with us doctrinally. “Let us not therefore judge one another anymore,” admonishes the great apostle.
For the Christian brotherhood there is but one Scriptural basis of fellowship, and that basis is Christian conduct, not doctrinal perception. The disciplinary measures used by the apostles in the early church prove conclusively that Christian conduct had standards that must be practiced by all of the saints. But a standard of doctrinal perception was never demanded, nor was any man cast out of the church because of his doctrinal beliefs.
In the early church, the diversified ministry of a number of ministers created a healthy belief-refining process in the assembly of saints. Each member in due process of time was “fully persuaded” regarding true doctrinal concepts, and by the love of Christ among brethren, true doctrinal perception was formed in the saints.
It was only after the church created sectarian molds that men were forced by various means to accept the unity of opinion idea. Creed became the idol that took the place of conscience, and the letter of the “articles of faith” was made a substitute for the spirit of truth. This condition has resulted in multitudinous sectarianism and complete apostasy.
TIME TO GIVE THANKS
Alfred King
Every year when we come to the month of November, we begin to prepare for Thanksgiving day. We look forward to this yearly occasion when family and friends gather together for fellowship and to share the past year’s experiences and changes. And, of course, we anticipate the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, pecan pie, along with the other delicacies which our wives and others have labored so tirelessly to prepare. As we sit down to enjoy this time of blessing, we want especially to give thanks to God for the many, many riches He has bestowed upon us. We give thanks to Him from Whom all blessings flow. We are thankful for family, friends, our church fellowship, our health, and, most important of all: We give thanks to God for Jesus Christ, Who so loved mankind, that He was willing to pay that tremendously great price for our salvation. His love reached down into the depths of our depravity and lifted us up, placing us in His kingdom, and adopting us as His sons and daughters. What greater blessing can man experience? To be picked up out of the dung hill and placed in the courts of God’s kingdom! And what a tremendous tragedy that anyone would miss so great salvation!
When Jesus comes into one’s life, He does not just save him and then leave, but He sends the Holy Spirit to abide within, to guide, strengthen, teach, and comfort him for the remainder of his life. No matter what befalls the believer, he has the blessed Holy Spirit with him to help him through difficult times and make those happy times even more joyful.
For those of us who live in America, we still have freedoms and blessings others in the world can only dream of. And, all too often, we take our abundance and our liberties for granted. God has truly blessed America because this country was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. While we do not know what the future for this nation holds, we have God’s word that He never will leave us and will go through every future circumstance with us. Such promises are blessings for which we must be forever grateful, not only at this time of year, but always. Therefore, let us remember God’s promises and let them be that which stirs within our hearts praise and thanksgiving to Him Whose blessing overtake us.
Maybe there are those who, at this time, are going through hard times. Maybe there are some who are afflicted in their bodies; maybe there are some who are facing family problems; maybe there are some who have recently lost a loved one; maybe there are some who are confronting financial difficulties; whatever we face in this life, God is with us and is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He remembers that we are dust and are daily attacked by that great enemy of all that is holy and just. I don’t intend here to be disrespectful or hard-hearted, nor to lessen the seriousness nor the reality of one’s pain, disappointments, discouragements, or tragedy. I desire to help you remember where help is found. It is in Jesus Christ. I wish you to see how it was when Paul and Silas began to sing praises to God, after being falsely accused, beaten, and bound in stocks in the worst prison, that God worked a miracle (Acts 16). They were thankful that they were accounted worthy to suffer for Christ. I realize this is much easier to write than to practice. However, many Christians have found peace in the valley, comfort in the storm, and strength in weakness when they found it in their hearts to praise and worship God.
As Stephen was being stoned, it is recorded that he “looked up stedfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right of God” (Acts 7:55). And take special notice of Stephen’s final words, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” When he had said this, he passed on. What a testimony of a man who was able, in the midst of persecution, to glorify God. This, friends, is the power of praise and worship.
So, as we come to this time of year, let us give thanks to Him, Who is worthy of all praise and glory. His mercies are new every morning, His love is everlasting, His grace is sufficient, His strength is made perfect in weakness, and His power is released in praise. We have a few days before Thanksgiving day, so let all of us begin now to count our blessings so on that day, as we fellowship and feast, we cannot not help but praise Him and have very grateful and thankful hearts.