GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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Our Purpose and Mission

The purpose of this ministry "Grace and the Truth" is to be a positive force in winning lost souls to Christ; and to enhance fellowship, to encourage, to strengthen, and to establish Christians who are committed to the truths in the Word of God. It is not the purpose of this ministry to rule over any local church or to establish a denomination, to be sectarian, or to be competitive with any organization. We promote personal Bible study for faith practice, and fellowship.

As we go forward with this purpose, We want to encourage you to study the Word, for help in this area subscribe to our in-depth daily devotions.   They are sure to "enhance fellowship," "encourage," "strengthen" and help "establish" us as Christians. We love you and our hope is in Christ.

(Col 1:27  ......... which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.)

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~REASSURANCE~

Scripture Reading: II Thessalonians 2: 1-5

Paul now specifically aims at assuring his readers that they will not go through the day of the Lord. He had taught them, when personally with them, about this day from the Old Testament (vs. 5). Meanwhile false prophets claiming to speak "by the Spirit" (vs. 2) had entered in teaching that the day of the Lord had already come. A spurious letter, or letters, had arrived claiming Pauline authorship asserting that the Tribulation. was upon the Thessalonians. Had the Lord failed to come for His own?

It would be easy for the Thessalonians to conclude that the persecutions they were experiencing were what the prophets of old had predicted. This certainly disturbed their calmness. So much so, that many had even quit their daily occupations (3:10-12). Their lives had certainly been disrupted by eschatological teaching. Paul says that "that day shall not come except there come a falling away first" (KJV). "That day" refers back to the "day of the Lord" of verse two. All texts read "day of the Lord" not "day of Christ."  The exact translation of verse three reads "for that day will not be except there come the apostasy first." What apostasy is Paul referring to that must precede the day of the Lord? If it is a general departure from the faith, how does that assure the Thessalonians (and us) that Christians will not go through the day of the Lord? How would we know when the apostasy begins? The basic and simple meaning of the word "apostasy" (verb, aphistemi) is simply departure. (Lk. 2:37; 4:13; 13:27; Acts 12:10; II Cor. 12:8; II Tim. 2:19 etc.). What "departure" had Paul previously taught the Thessalonians about? What departure guarantees them, and us, that believers will not go through the day of the Lord? The answer is in I Thessalonians 4:13-18. The departure of the church from the world satisfies our inquiry. So once again Paul is asserting a
pre-tribulational rapture. We can be sure of our safety in this regard.

by - Amazing Grace

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ROMANS 7:15-2O
A Profound Revelation


I believe our failure to recognize sin, the power is because Satan always seeks to camouflage the English word sin to us as a verb rather than as a noun. They both look the same and sound the same in the English language. A Greek speaking culture, such as that of the churches in the New Testament, would never be confused about differentiating between sin, the noun hamartia (person, place, or thing) and sin, the verb hamartano. Someone has said that if English is a Chevy, Greek is a Cadillac. The English language plays right into the Deceiver's hands here.

A Profound Revelation

In the mid '70s, one of my counselees was a beautiful young woman whom I'll call Mary. Although she had the cheerleader, popular-girl-on-campus pedigree, she was a troubled young woman. I'll never forget the day I received the call that Mary had taken her life.

I agonized over the loss of this Christian. I loved her. Such a waste. I stayed before the Lord for weeks, asking Him to reveal to me how Satan had influenced her to commit this act. And God showed it to me. Once you embrace it, this truth will be a fantastically powerful weapon against Satan. The power of sin "talked" Mary into taking her own life, just as it had deceived Cain in Genesis!  This agent of the deceiver, called "sin" wages war against both sinners and saints. And the seventh chapter Romans gives us the details of how he goes about it.

Count the actors in Romans 7:15: "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate." How many actors do you see in the verse? One: "I." However, "verses 17 and 20 both indicate that there are two actors in this scenario: "I," plus the power called "sin."

"So now no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me" (verse 17). Notice the two actors: "I" and "sin."

"But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me [is doing it" (verse 20). There they are again: "I" and "sin."

l am not moving toward teaching "the-devil-made-me- do-it" nonsense. I am pointing out that there are now two actors in the scenario: "I" plus sin." These verses indicate that I am not flying solo when I embrace a sinful thought or commit a sinful act. This power called "sin" is flying copilot. I want to make it very clear that I believe that I am totally, accountable when I commit a sinful act or embrace a sinful thought. I am not teaching the false idea that I can blame my sins on my mythical, nonexistent sinful nature. That would be a cop-out, The person who takes that unbiblical position projects the blame for his sins on the nonexistent old man who died in Christ (Romans 6:2-8 ). That is denial. That cannot be documented in the text of Romans chapters 6 through 8.  This error promotes the false notion that it's normal for (Christians to sin dozens of times a day in our thought-life, plus overtly. That deception is from the father of lies. God says that a second actor has entered the scene here who is involved in my sinning: it's the noun called "sin," that same power which God showed us in Genesis.

I'll reprint Romans 7:15 for easy reference, and then I want to make two points: "For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate."

Point Number 1. When God says something once, we had best pay attention. When He repeats Himself, we had best post it on the door of the fridge! It's mega-important. The second actor in Romans 7:17 and 20 is that noun "sin." I said, "Lord, there is only one actor in verse 15, but there are two in verses 17 and 20. I know that sin was in this man in verse 15 because it came into man at the fall. Sin, however, doesn't surface until verse 17. How did sin go underground in verse 15?" Thoughts came to me which I believe were from the Holy Spirit:

· The power of sin keeps a low profile by injecting thoughts into the mind with first-person-singular pronouns: I, me, my, myself, mine, etc.

· In our battle against the power of sin, these "thought-bullets" are triggered into the mind through the old flesh patterns in the brain.

· A Christian who does not understand that the old man was crucified will naively receive these thoughts, believing that they originated in his own mind!

There is Satan's secret! God has blown away the smoke and dust camouflaging Satan's "rubber tanks and canvas ships." This is such a powerful revelation from God! Do you see that it is imperative for me to know that my old man was literally crucified in Christ (Romans 6:6) and that I am literally a brand-new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) who longs to walk uprightly with God (Hebrews 10:16)? If I do not claim this, I leave myself wide open to the devil's lie that I have two spiritual natures: a righteous one and a sinful one who constantly fight against one another! That's the view from 30,000 feet! The old "good dog, bad dog" teaching that we all cut our spiritual teeth on is the devil's smoke-and-mirrors baloney. It's not biblical. The Bible teaches unequivocally that the old man died in Christ and was buried with Him (Romans 6:2-8 ). Although my counselee Mary had been taught about her crucifixion and rebirth as a new creation, I had not yet received the revelation to teach her about the power of sin and how it operated. Consequently, she was deceived into taking her own life.

Folks, the old you was crucified in Christ before the new you was reborn, Because of this fact, we can believe that:

· A dead man cannot wage war against the new man in Christ.

· A dead man cannot resurrect himself, as we hear some imply: "You've got to keep that old man on the cross." Hey, since when do you have to keep a man on the cross?

· If the old man didn't die, then Jesus didn't die because they were both crucified on the same cross, and the Bible states categorically that they died simultaneously (see Romans 6:2-8 ).

· Satan does not have the power to bring the old man back to life.

· It would be theologically pointless for God to crucify the old man only to bring him back to life again. Why kill him if you're going to bring him back?

· It makes perfect theological sense for God to crucify the old man in Christ's death and then re-create the new man in Christ's resurrection, which is precisely what the Bible says happened (Romans 7:4).

· The old man is history! Gone!

· I'll use the dreaded e word which many theologians rail against---the sin nature is extinct! It's a dinosaur for Christians! Write it in the sky in smoke! Shout it from the housetops! Hold a street dance! The "wicked old witch" is dead! Christians do not have a sinful nature!

· Christians have only one nature---a holy) righteous new nature. "He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). That's us! That describes our nature!

Although, based upon our experience, our thought--life, and our feelings, it certainly seems illogical to believe that the old man was literally crucified, God's Word teaches that a new creature in Christ has no sin nature, due to our having been crucified in Christ (Romans 6:6, et al.). Please don't write to me and quote the New International Version to "prove" me wrong. The well-meaning theologians who translated the NIV Bible took unbiblical liberty by translating the Greek word sarx as "sinful nature" (see Romans 7:18, et al., NIV). Folks, that's not translation-that's religious tradition; that's human opinion. They made an honest mistake. One of them is a good friend of mine. I hasten to credit them for all of the good things about this translation. But I don't recommend that you use it to exegete Romans 6-8 because you'll see the old man portrayed as having the miraculous ability to survive the crucifixion. It's absurd to believe that we must "keep him on the cross." He's deader than a hammer! That old man took one trip to the cross. Then God buried him! We regularly celebrate the reality of this truth via believer's baptism-a one-act depiction of our death as the old man, our burial, and as we burst up out of the water, our new birth in Christ's resurrection.

By Bill Gillman

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OUR VICTORIOUS WARFARE
- BY LEON TUCKER

   'Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.' EPHESIANS 6:11

   Speaking strictly within the Scriptures, the Church is not even on the earth. It is viewed by God as seated in the heavenlies. Positionally it is there, conditionally it is here: but spiritually it must reckon itself dead, buried, raised and seated with Christ in heavenly places. If the conflict of the Church is not against 'flesh and blood,' against who is it?

   'Against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.'

   Four times 'against.' Four things, 'against,' --- 'principalities,' 'powers,' 'rulers of darkness' and' spiritual wickedness'.

   Let us ponder and consider these persons and powers of the underworld now holding possession and position in the upper world. Who are they? Where are they? Why are they?

   They are wicked spiritual hosts in military organization camped and entrenched in the heavenlies. They are invisible agents of wickedness in an organized spirit world. They are the rulers of the darkness of this age. They actually exercise rule over this world in this age-time of darkness and delusion. They direct the energy of the age. They are unquestionably organized in military order. Militarism not only prevails on the earth, but maintains in the heavenlies. Intimations and allusions to this organization may be found in Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 2:15. The Book of Revelation seems to open unto this very sphere and describes a future struggle (see Revelation 12:7-9). The leaders of these hosts alone are mentioned.

   When Christ was raised up from the dead and exalted to the highest point in the universe, He passed through these organized ranks who were powerless to prevent Him passing through and up. Says Ephesians 1:21: 'Far above all principalities and power and might and dominion.'  Christ has been raised infinitely above them and they wait beneath His feet for their future humiliation and casting down.

   Having failed to defeat Christ, the head of the Church, they now turn their attention to the Church, the Body of Christ. God has purposed that the 'heavenlies' will be the sphere of the future service of the Church (see Eph. 3:10). Its calling is heavenly, its ministry will be heavenly, therefore its conflict is 'heavenly.' The place now occupied by 'wicked hosts' will be then occupied by the Church. The Church must realize the character of this conflict and be properly armored. 'Put on the whole armour of God,' says the Apostle, 'that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.' The word wile is 'stratagem,' cunning art of a spiritual foe. Not a flesh and blood conflict where human wit must meet human wit, but a warfare issuing for the secret counsels of a world of darkness and demons. This is the one and only sphere of the conflict and contest of the Church. All other enmity to the Church is created and promoted from this seat of antagonism.

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~THE RESTRAINER~



Scripture Reading: II Thessalonians 2:6-12


In these verses Paul continues his correction of the Thess. misapprehensions concerning the day of the Lord. He now speaks about the man of lawlessness and the removal of the one who restrains him. Something or someone now restrains the man of sin. The "mystery of iniquity" is the Satanic opposition or movement against divine law. This has been operative since the beginning of Satan's career, but is now being restrained. What supernatural power would be capable of restraining Satan's activities? Only a member of the Godhead is capable of this. Probably the Holy Spirit is being referred to here.

Some object to this interpretation on the grounds that the neuter is used in vs. 6 ("what"). But the neuter gender is used in other places to refer to the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-14). In vs. 7 the words are masculine to describe this restraining power. It will be the removal of this restrainer at the time of the rapture that will free up this Satanic force. Since this removal occurs before the day of the Lord, Paul's argument here once again asserts a pre-tribulational rapture. After the Holy Spirit's restraining power is removed the world will plunge headlong into lawlessness (vs. 8 ). The Lord will destroy this "man of sin" with the breath of His mouth (vs. 8 ). The career of this lawless leader is described in verses 9-12 (cf. Rev. 13:3).

Those who will be deceived by this man of sin are the perishing ones (vs. 10), Why? Because they received not the truth. They had pleasure in unrighteousness (see John 3:19). Those who reject God's grace before the rapture will believe the lie after the rapture. God will send them strong delusion (vs. 11). Now is the day of salvation (II Cor. 6:2).

Amazing Grace

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SHOULD CHRIST'S BODY WORK?
Part 1 of 3


Have you ever come across some item in your home which doesn't work any more? We have - ever so often! We usually make one of two decisions: either save it with the idea of repairing it so it will work, or discard it as 'junk.'

Should the saved people of this dispensation of the grace of God work? In the words of the above caption, 'Should Christ's Body work?'  'What do you mean?' you ask. After an individual becomes truly saved and thereby becomes a member of the Church, which is Christ's Body, is it necessary for that individual to do 'good works'? How do you answer that question? If you say 'Yes', can you prove it by the Word of God 'rightly divided'? If you say 'No,' can you do likewise?

What saith the Scriptures? Realizing that our glorified Lord has made the Apostle Paul God's revelator to the Church, which is Christ's Body (as Moses was God's revelator to Israel), we turn first to his writings to answer this question. 'For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto (for the purpose of) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared before-hand) that we should walk them' (Ephesians 2:10). 'That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge (full knowledge) of God' (Colossians 1:10), 'For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do (work) of (for) His good pleasure' (Philippians 2:13). 'Who gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity (lawlessness). that he might purify unto himself a people of his own, zealous of good works' (Titus 2:14). ''This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men' (Titus 3:8 ), 'As we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith' (Galatians 6:10). 'This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of bishop (overseer), he desireth a good work' (1 Timothy :3:1)'.

These are but seven of many more exhortations of God in the Pauline epistles to point out that the members of Christ's Body should engage in 'good works' as a result of being a 'new creation in Christ.'

The Pauline Scriptures especially make it perfectly clear that the believer's forgiveness, justification, and standing in Christ are not matters of humanly produced works. Our standing in Christ is based wholly and totally upon Christ's work which is finished for us upon His death and resurrection. 'This is why our salvation is all of grace through faith: '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.'  'And if by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace, But if it be of works, then is it no more grace, otherwise work is no more work' (Romans 11:6). 'But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justified the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness' (Romans 4:5). See also Titus 3:5-7.

Since works (good or otherwise) cannot affect our standing in Christ, are they necessary at all in the Christian walk? What saith the Scriptures? God's maintenance program for each member of Christ's Church is stated in Titus 3:8 (which we have previously
quoted). Read it again and think about it. Tomorrow, Lord willing, we'll say more about 'Should Christ's Body ?' In  the meantime let's ask ourselves,

'Are we doing HIS good pleasure?'
Grace, Peace and Love,
Pastor P.  Hume

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SHOULD CHRIST'S BODY WORK?
(Part 2 of 3)
By Pastor  P.  Hume



We saw in part one how our salvation in Christ Jesus is a pure gift from God, 'not of works, lest any man should boast.' As a poet has put it:

     

'I'll not work my soul to save,
      For that my God has done;
      But I'll work like any slave,
      For love to God's dear Son.'

On the other hand, the Scriptures (especially the Pauline epistles) make it equally clear that God does have a 'maintenance program' for believers in this age of grace, spoken of in this way: 'This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.' A few verses later, Paul says nearly the same thing: 'And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful' (Titus 3:8 and 14).

Mr. Kenneth S. Wuest renders Titus 3:8 more closely to the Greek text in this manner: '. . . and concerning these things I desire you to be strongly assertive, in order that those who have believed God may take careful thought to go forward in good works.' The idea conveyed here is that the one who has been saved without human works of any kind be now occupied with 'good works' in his daily life.

Commenting on this important theme, in his remarks on Eph.2:8-10, Mr. Charles Welch, in his excellent commentary, 'In Heavenly Places', states:    'There are some teachers, who, because       they have recognized the utter impossibility of good works ever being admitted as a procuring or a qualifying cause of our acceptance, seem to have developed an antipathy to good works altogether, as though Paul had not continued 'not of works . . . unto good works.' Works are the visible  fruit on the tree, making it evident that the invisible root is alive and active. (Emphasis ours.) 'By their      fruits ye shall know them' is a principle true for all time. Just as balance is exhibited in the epistle as  a whole, so is it in its parts. To emphasize the complete exclusion of works as the cause of salvation is right; to omit reference to the need to produce good works after salvation is wrong. The only thing that is true is proportionate emphasis upon both doctrines.' ( P. 220 )

I think that it is important here to define what 'good works' are. Very evidently they are connected with the believer's walk in Christ, and therefore relate to 'fruit' in the believer's life. Note the prayer of Paul for the believers in Colossae: '. . . that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge (full knowledge, lit.) of God' (Col. 1:10). If 'good works' are related to 'being fruitful,' and these in turn relate to our daily 'walk,' do we not find a key in the words of Paul to the believers in Thessalonica? 'Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and your labor of love. . . in our Lord Jesus Christ.' (l Thessalonians 1:3.)

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul affirms that it is 'faith which worketh by love' (Galatians 5:6). We are also told that 'it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure' (Philippians 2:13). Can we say then that the 'good works' which each one of us who are in Christ should be 'careful to maintain' are the expressions of God's faith and love in our character and our conduct? Think about it!

Grace, Peace and Love

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SHOULD CHRIST'S BODY WORK?
(Part 3 of 3)



Someone has well said, 'A 'Christian should be like a watch: well regulated and full of good works!' In the light of the Word of God, this is true. 'Good works' are God's 'maintenance program' for every member of the Body of Christ in this present dispensation of the grace of God. (Remember again Titus 2:11-14, 3:8, 14, as well as Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 1:9-12, Galatians 6: 9-10, and Philippians 2:12-16.)

We have also observed that there is a real connection between 'the fruit of the spirit' (Galatians 5:22-23), 'faith which worketh by love' (Galatians 5:6), and 'being fruitful in every good work' (Colossians 1:10). Hence, we can construct a sort of equation like this:

THE INDWELLING SPIRIT + FAITH = LOVE
AND GOOD WORKS

What are these 'good works'? Are they several activities in which we can engage, like going to church, singing in the choir, teaching a Sunday School class, visiting the sick, serving at a church dinner, or helping a needy neighbor? These are all good, but they are not necessarily 'good works'. We know that 'he that desireth the office of a bishop (overseer), desireth a good work' (I Timothy 3:1). Yet not all spiritual leaders in local churches are performing 'good works'; because they are not in right relation with God.

Now Paul, for example, gives no list of 'good works' because they are not in his epistles. He does mention 'the work of ministering (serving)' in Ephesians 4:12, which every believer in Christ should engage in. He also makes it clear that each member of the Body of Christ has a specific function (Ephesians 4:7-16). He speaks of praying for one another (Ephesians 6:18 ), performing with our hands what is good (Ephesians 4:28 ), 'contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality' (Romans 12:13), and bearing 'one another's burdens' (Galatians 6:2). These are all 'good,' and they are 'works' in the sense that it takes activity to engage in them.

What makes a 'work' good? The best answer we can give is this: a 'good work' is any activity which a believer in Christ does in the name of Christ and in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Thus  Paul exhorts: 'And whatsoever ye do in word or deed (work), do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him' (Colossians 3:17). He also encourages us by saying: 'Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as-much as ye know that your labor is not in vain (fruitless) in the Lord' (I Corinthians 15:58 ).

     

'If I can do some good today,
      If I can serve along life's way,
      If I can something helpful say,
         Lord, show me how.
      If I can right a human wrong,
      If I can help to make one strong,
      If I can cheer with smile or song,
         Lord, show me how.
      If I can aid one in distress,
      If I can make a burden less,
      If I can spread more happiness,
    Lord, show me how. '
                  (GRENVillE KlEISER)

Beloved, let us seek to 'maintain good works' for the glory of God!
Grace, Peace and Love,
Pastor  Paul Hume

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AFFLICTION'S EFFECT
By Miles Stanford


"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ" (Phil. 3:7).

Our Father has many reasons for administering trial --- all good. Trial teaches us the futility of the old life, and the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus --- our new life.

"The Christian suffers the same calamities as others, perhaps even worse; he faces difficulties and losses in the things of this life; he has to be prepared to meet death itself.  In all these circumstances he is calm and trustful; he is not only sure of ultimately going to heaven, but already abides there and enjoys something of it in his own heart.

"God is real to him and ever near. He knows a peace which passes all understanding, and he experiences a joy which no man can take from him. This, surely, should be our testimony in the world, but it can only be as the Lord Jesus Himself lives out this life in us."-H.F.

"The world is divided into two things---pleasures and afflictions; I am more afraid of the pleasures than the afflictions. In afflictions you turn to the Lord. The danger is of being carried away by the very favors God has given to man."

"Those who suffer from chastening ought to be before the Father, owning His hand; and He who has wounded will heal. The Lord Jesus did not take the cup which He had to drink from us, from man, nor from Satan; but from His Father's hand."

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord" (Phil. 3:8 ).

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CREATION AND REDEMPTION
by C. R. Stam


In Romans 1:18 the Apostle Paul declares that ungodly men are “without excuse” because they are surrounded by the evidence of the Creator’s “eternal power and Godhead.”

Our Authorized Version calls the creation, in this passage, “the things that are made,” but in the Greek it is called literally, “the poyeema,” from which we get our word poem.

The Apostle refers, of course, to the harmony of God’s creation. And is it not indeed amazing how billions of heavenly bodies can continually revolve in the vastness of space and never collide! And are not the flowers, the seasons, and the sunsets all part of a harmonious creation, which God alone could have conceived and set to music?

But very interestingly, this word poyeema is used just once more in Scripture. We find it in Ephesians 2:10, where it is translated “workmanship.” Let’s consider this passage in its context:

“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. “For we are His workmanship [Greek, poyeema], created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph.2:8-10).

The Epistle to the Romans speaks of the poem of creation, the Epistle to the Ephesians, of the poem of redemption, and the latter is the more wonderful. An old hymn says: “Twas great to speak a world from naught; ‘tis greater to redeem.”

In this poem of redemption which God has composed, we believers too often want to change some word or phrase. We would like this or that in our circumstances to be different. Ah, but this would destroy the meter and the meaning of God’s new creation.

Thank God, when we who trust Christ some day go to be with Him, we will see the beauty and glory of the poem of redemption. Then we will rejoice that He did indeed “work all things together for good” for us.

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~A GOOD SOLDIER~
By DICK WARE, Pastor,



Scripture Reading: II Timothy 2:3, 4


The true Christian has three enemies: "the course of this world", "the prince of the power of the air", and "the lusts of our flesh" (Ephesians 2:2,3). None of these will ever give in to the new life or the new divine nature that the Christian has in Christ Jesus. We are in a war with these enemies as long as we are in these physical bodies. Many dear believers don't even know there is a battle going on (Galatians 5:17). What a shame! If there are no battles and no war, what do we need soldiers for?

Saul of Tarsus went from being the persecutor of the "Church of God", to being the persecuted Apostle Paul. The switch came about because of his salvation, and because of the "program of God's Grace" committed to him. The switch from the persecution of the Jerusalem Church and the Twelve Apostles, to the Apostle Paul and the Body of Christ, proves God's program of salvation was being changed. Members of the Body of Christ are in a warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil. That is why Paul wrote to Timothy to "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (II Timothy 2:3). Satan apposes the Gospel of Grace, but he doesn't have much of a problem with you, if you are already being conformed to this world system (Romans 12:2), and being defeated by your fleshly desires (Gal. 5:19-21). In fact, you are probably a good advertisement for Satan's cause. God's message to Timothy is also His message to you who are saved today. "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus!" "Be a good soldier of Jesus Christ!" "Don't be entangled with the affairs of this life!" Why? Because, the furtherance of the Gospel of Grace is at stake involving eternal souls being saved, and Christians being established in the Truth. By God's grace, may you not be found AWOL!

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~WHO SHALL SEPARATE US?~
by C. R. Stam



"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Rom. 8:35).

True Christians have been saved from the penalty of sin for one reason alone: because of "the love of God, which is [manifested] in Christ Jesus our Lord."

St. John wrote by divine inspiration: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sin.
"We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:10,19).

Let us understand this clearly and remember it always. It is not our love to Him, but His love to us, that saves us -- and it is His love to us that keeps us saved. This is where we must begin the Christian life.

A wayward husband returned to his grieving wife one day, after many months of living in sin. Sobbing his heart out in remorse and shame, he told her how often he had longed to be home again with the wife he knew to be so true to him. Asked why, then, he had not returned sooner, he explained that he was ashamed; to which his wife replied: "John, I want you to know something and never forget it: I love you." John sobbed in response: "Who wouldn't want to live for a woman like this!"

Just so it is the knowledge that Christ loves us no matter what; that nothing shall ever separate us from His love; it is this that makes the sincere believer determine, by God’s grace, to be always true to Him.

Thus the Scripture doctrine of the believer’s eternal security in Christ by no means leads to careless living. On the contrary, it affords the greatest possible motivation to "live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world" (Tit. 2:11,12).

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PATH TO PROXIMITY
By Miles Stanford




"God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency, may abound to every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8 ).

Suffering takes us in condition where truth has us in position.

"We will never learn any truth in experience excepting in the deepening knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the lack of this which is the cause of weakness among believers; bare doctrine is not personal fellowship with Him. We have that which is lovely and full of blessing in Him; but if we are to know it as such; to prove its truth, to enjoy it always, it must be in taking these things as connected with Him." -J.N.D.

"The passive power of faith needs for its sustenance closer communion with the Father than its active energy. Action, as it were, nerves us to the conflict; but quiet endurance of wrong, or suffering of any kind, which neither friend nor foe sees, but only God, this indeed needs divine power, and without God's support none would bear the strain. Many a saint has shown the courage of faith before his enemies, as Elijah when he faced Ahab, but who, like him, quails and flees, where there is nothing to do, but quietly trust in God."

"There is but one thought with our Father in disciplining us, namely, to make our trials an opportunity for our heart to learn and discover more of His love, and the resources which are in Him as He has revealed them to us in His Son," -J .B.S.

"There is no way of learning faith except by trial. It is God's school of faith, and it is far better for us to learn to trust our Father than to enjoy life."

"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things" (2 Cor. 6:10).

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'TIS A CHARMING SOUND
By Paul Hume



Scripture Reading: Psa. 89:15; Acts 18:25-28

"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound," declared the inspired Psalmist of Israel. This "joyful sound" related to the blowing of the silver trumpet for various holy day assemblies (Num. 10:10). However, there, is a sweet spiritual application for us here. Could not "the joyful sound" be what Phillip Doddridge and Augustus Toplady wrote of in their hymn "Grace! 'Tis A Charming Sound?"

"Grace! 'Tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heav'n with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
'Twas grace that wrote my name
In life's eternal book;
'Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took."

What a gem of truth lies in Acts 18:27, often never observed. Stop and look at it with me: ".. .who, when he, (that is, Apollos) was come, helped them much which had believed through grace" Dr. Bullinger states concerning the little preposition "through" (dia in the Greek) that "it includes the idea of proceeding from and passing out." This would mean, then, that the grace which came out from God in Christ and had passed out to their hearing the Word of God, had caused them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we, like they, "believe through grace." Blessed grace of God!

You probably have run in to someone who confessed "I just can't believe the Bible!" That person is partially right. Of himself, he cannot generate the right kind of faith by which alone God saves people. It is all of the grace--the unmerited favor of God. And everyone who is honest at heart CAN become a recipient of this enabling grace to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

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How can we be at peace amid all of this conflict and trouble?
By John Walker

As we look at the world around us, our country's financial situation, the conflict in the Middle East, the war on terror, crime, drugs, gangs, and anything else you may want to add to the list, what in the world is the Christian to do or think? How can we be at peace amid all of this conflict and trouble?

Recently, as I was teaching in Paul's letter to the Philippians, it really stuck out to me where we are to find real peace. In Chapter 4 it says, "and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (v. 7) and "and the God of peace shall be with you." (v. 9)

In verse 7, we will have God's peace after we do something. That something is stated in verse 6 which says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." The phrase "Be anxious for nothing" can also be translated "Do not care or be concerned about one single thing." Then Paul uses the strong adversative, but, to point us toward what we should be doing.

We should be praying and supplicating or petitioning God with thanksgiving and requesting or asking God to take care of these things. How many times have I prayed to God and let my requests be made known to Him and then I keep on being anxious or worrying about it? It seems to me that I have failed on two points. First, I am disobedient in that I continue to "be anxious or am concerned" about what I just prayed about to God. Second, I have a lack of faith in God that He can handle it. I demonstrate this by continuing to "be anxious" as if that is really going to help the situation.

Only when we truly release our cares and concerns to God for Him to take care of and resolve, then we will truly have God's peace that surpasses, that goes out beyond all understanding, or literally, every mind. This peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. When we are in Christ Jesus, when we are part of His Body, this is the place of safety. This is the place where He guards our hearts and minds. It is key for us to be in Christ Jesus.

In verse 9b, Paul mentions that the God of peace will be with us. In verses 8-9a, Paul, inspired by God, tell us how to bring that about. People often quote verse 8 without connecting it to verse 9. Verse 8 lists many positive and wonderful things for us to consider or think about. Most people talk about the list of things in verse 8 in very general terms. Paul, however, has some very specific in mind.

He states in the beginning of verse 9, "which things you learned and received and heard and saw in me, practice these things." What were the "things" the Philippians learned, received, heard, and saw in Paul? I believe it was the message and truth God revealed to and through the apostle Paul for the Church. Just as Paul was taught by God, received truth from God, heard the truth, and then lived that truth to be seen by the Philippians, they are to follow the pattern they saw in Paul. Paul, again, has put himself forward as the example for the Church to emulate.

My conclusion is that only when we consider and put into practice the truth for the church as given to us through the apostle Paul, then the God of peace will be with us. If we try to live under the Law or the truth for the coming Kingdom for Israel, we will never know the full extent of God's peaceful presence with us.

My prayer is for you to realize the full extent of God's peace in your life. May God bless you as you live for Him who died for you (2 Cor. 5:15).
In Christ's Service,

SCRIPTURE

Phi 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Phi 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Phi 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.
Phi 4:9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.