GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Christ the Anchor
By Steve McVey

A few years ago Melanie and I were sailing alone when we came to a small island where we wanted to spend the night. Normally we would pick up a mooring ball, where we would tie off our boat to secure it for the night. These mooring balls are set in concrete which are securely anchored at the bottom of the ocean. When a boat is tied off to one of them, nothing can move it.

It was late enough in the day that we couldn’t find a mooring ball because too many other boats had arrived ahead of us. Because of the hour I was hesitant to start out for another place to spend the night, so we decided to set anchor where we were. In the few years we had been sailing, we hadn’t gained confidence that we were able to successfully set the anchor so that it would hold firmly. We had been taught how to do so when we took our certification classes, but still lacked confidence.

My fears caused me to imagine what would happen if the anchor pulled loose during the middle of the night. We could drift and bump into other boats around us. I wasn’t worried so much about doing damage to ours or another boat as much as I didn’t want to look like I didn’t know what I was doing (which wasn’t totally without truth). Another possibility was that we might drift from where we were to the water’s edge and find ourselves on the nearby reef.

We set the anchor. Then for awhile I sat in one spot on deck, lining up a point on the boat with an object on land to make sure that we weren’t drifting. Everything appeared to be okay, but I still wasn’t easy about it. We took our dinghy ashore to have dinner, but throughout the whole meal I kept watching our boat to make sure she was still in the same place.

That night when we went below to sleep, I jerked awake almost every time I felt any movement on the boat that seemed unusual. I even got up and went up on deck four or five times during the night and checked the anchor to make sure it was still secure. It was a long night with brief moments of sleep.

When the sun came up the next day, I checked the anchor again. It hadn’t moved at all. Everything had been fine. My fears and apprehension had been unfounded.

I thought about that experience later and began to see how much that experience reflected my attitude in life at times. There we were, in a beautiful Carribean setting, but I didn’t really enjoy it that evening or night. I can’t even remember what I ate at the restaurant where we had dinner. I don’t remember the sunset that evening. I didn’t enjoy the gentle sway of the boat in the water, rocking me to sleep. I was too worried, focused on what might happen if the anchor didn’t hold.

Hebrews 6:19 teaches that our hope in Christ is an “anchor for the soul” to those who believe in Him. Despite that promise, there have been times in my life when I couldn’t fully enjoy being where God had put me because of fears – fears of drifting out of His will, fears about dangers I thought I could see on the horizon, fears about looking like I didn’t know what I was doing. Fear robs us of the joy of the journey known as “the Christian life.” It causes us to believe that our own safety is up to us, not God. It will make us act like we are the ones who must be in control.

Jesus Christ is the anchor of your soul. Don’t needlessly fret about the details of life. You belong to God and there is nothing that can force you to crash on the rocks. You are secure because He is secure. Trust Christ in every circumstance. Then relax. Enjoy the sunset. Savor the flavor of life. Rest, knowing that “in every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.”

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Do You Understand?
by Pastor C. R. Stam


      This was the question Philip asked of the Ethiopian prince as he sat reading from Isaiah’s prophecy (Acts 8:30), and it is a question which we should continually keep asking ourselves as we read the holy Scriptures.

There are always those among God’s people who do not much care whether or not they understand what they read if only it warms their hearts! To them the Bible is little more than a fetish. Taking only those Scriptures which appeal to them, and leaving the rest, they actually feel themselves quite spiritual and often talk about believing the Bible whetheror not they understand it!

But such “spirituality” is far from genuine, and such“faith” is blind and super stitious at best. While it is true that the Bible teaches many truths which we believe, although they are beyond our comprehension (such as its opening verse!), yet how can we believe what the Bible says unless we understand what it says? God would have us understand what we read and believe it intelligently.

Indeed, true faith will want to know and understand more and more of God’s Word. One who does not care whether or not he understands what God has said is not truly interested in knowing what God has said. His faith is based on his own will rather than on God’s Word, for regardless of the meaning of Scripture, he will take any passage that suits his fancy and use it as he wishes. How great an emphasis God Himself places upon the importance of understanding His Word!

On one occasion, when our Lord saw the multitudes, He “was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34). And now that the secret of God’s “eternal purpose” has been made known, how much more reason there is to study the Scriptures, with a view to understanding them! How Paul, by the Spirit, emphasizes this, as he writes of his prayers for the saints:


“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye mayknow what is the hope of His calling…” (Eph. 1:17,18 ).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE GRACE MOUNTAINS - Part 1 of 3
EPHESIANS 2:1-22
By Evangelist S. Lee Homoki


In the second chapter of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul is addressing believers but is talking about their past sinful condition as unbelievers (vs. 2a). They were described as being: " .. .filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful" (Rom. 1:29-31). It was terrible! It would be like coming upon a horrifying train wreck! Your first thoughts and words to describe the scene would be, "Death, destruction and devastation everywhere." Everything is in disarray and disorder and the stench of death hangs heavy in the air. Even the skilled eyes of a trained medical emergency team, sent to the scene, would conclude that there is "no hope." Such a sad evaluation! There are no sadder words to fall on human ears! Here, the Apostle Paul, looking over the great wreck of Gentile humanity, inspired of God the Holy Spirit, declares them as "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12)!

Wreckage at the Foot of the Mountain (vss. 1-3)

The crash happened when Adam disobeyed God and promptly died - and all of humanity with him! God had given Adam a solemn warning about the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" saying, "Thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen 2:17).

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22).
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom 5:12).   "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom 6:23).

It is important for us to look carefully and honestly at this pile of human rubble of which we are all a part. We will never fully appreciate or understand God's saving grace if we don't! There is nothing savable! We must be convinced that the destruction is so complete and so total that only the divine application of God's great grace and power could ever restore what has been lost! When the Apostle Paul surveys the debris field, he identifies at least three reasons for his discouraging assessment:

1. All the victims are spiritually dead (vs. 1). Adam was living in a perfect environment. Adam had no knowledge of what death was he should have listened and obeyed but he didn't and guilt swept over both Adam and Eve. They learned the consequences of sin by personal experience. They died spiritually and will eventually die physically! Externally nothing had changed but inwardly Adam's spirit died.

There are several kinds of death mentioned in the Bible and none of them are very appealing or exciting. If death means anything, it means the cessation of life or the inability to do anything! The worst would not be the cessation of physical life but, rather, spiritual death. Spiritual death means that the unsaved have no capacity to know God, love God, appreciate God or serve God. They are "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18 ) and their destination is ultimately to the "lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 21 :8 ).

The root cause of this death was "trespass and sins " (Eph2:1; Col. 2:13; 2 Cor. 5:14). "Sin" means that man has no ability to hit the "bulls-eye" of God's righteous demands. And "trespass" means that man is outside the boundary of God's law. Mankind is guilty of both sin and trespass. We are sinners because, by the inherited nature of Adam, we have gone our own way - the way that "seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 16:25). And, we are trespassers because we have violated the boundaries of what we knew by nature was the will of God (Rom. 2:14). The "victims" are thus declared to be spiritually dead.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE GRACE MOUNTAINS - Part 2 of 3
EPHESIANS 2:1-22
By Evangelist S. Lee Homoki



2. All the victims are children of disobedience and wrath and are under the rulership of Satan (vs.2). The unsaved are dead to God. However, they are physically alive and animated in sin as indicated by the verb "walked." These living dead are energized according to the dictates of the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4) - "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2).

"Walking" is not without thinking. A person lives the way he thinks (Prov. 23:7). The Apostle Paul, twice in this verse, uses the preposition "KATA" = ACCORDING TO - meaning, in this case, a pattern of thinking. Disobedience does not happen in a vacuum. The Devil, the father of all lies, dictates the "course of this world" to his disobedient children. He is aided by the political and theological liberals of this world who are the "mouthpiece" or "ministers" for him. Their damnable work is to blind the poor, lost victims as to their real condition. They are what the Apostle Paul called, "false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Christ told the Pharisee of His day, "Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it" (Jn. 8:44). The Apostle Peter says that the Gentiles, "walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatry. "

These wretched victims are not corrupt, evil and immoral because of their environment or lack of education, but because they have bad hearts (Jer. 17:9; Mk. 7:21-23), controlled by a personal Devil who makes them hostile to the will of God. That is why these "children of wrath" think it " ... strange that [believers in Christ] run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of believers" (1 Pet. 4:2-4).

3. All victims are under the control of the "flesh" (vs. 3). When Adam sinned, his whole manner of life ("conversation ") crashed in a heap. Instead of enjoying the luxury and blessings of the Garden of Eden and the grace and presence of God, he, and all of unregenerate humanity with him, are now under the harsh rule of Satan where they exist fulfilling the desires of the "flesh" and the "mind." They subsist on what can be seen, felt, touched, smelled and tasted. The human race looks at their existence in this world, having a "seared conscience" (1 Tim. 4:2) that is independent of the indwelling influence of God the Holy Spirit and the revealed Word of God. But God looks on their heart and sees the wreckage and finds nothing good in it. We can train and educate the "flesh" so that it does not murder and steal, etc. We can cover it up with a lovely false front and a lot of human good, but that does not make it good or acceptable to God (Rom. 7:18; 8:8 ).

The Bible teaches that we are to: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1 Jn. 2:15-16).

This wasting wreckage of humanity is now identified as the "natural man" - "the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).

Take a good look (verses 11 and 12)! There is no possibility for the recovery or reconstruction from the ruins without what the Bible calls "regeneration." Gaze long and hard at the wreckage here and try to understand! Picture if you will how the carnage is described. (1) The human wreckage was godless and unclean - no better than a pack of wild dogs called "the uncircumcision. " This was an uncomplimentary term that might be used to describe some disgusting piece of garbage - no recommendation for salvation here! (2) The human wreckage was separated from Christ- "without Christ" - no means of salvation here! (3) The human wreckage was excluded from the nation ("the commonwealth ") of Israel. They were illegal aliens - salvation was of the Jews Jn. 4:22) - no agency of salvation here! (4) The human wreckage had no special racial or tribal connections. They were "strangers of the covenant" that was made with Abraham the Jew - no covenant of salvation here!

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE GRACE MOUNTAINS - Part 3 of 3
EPHESIANS 2:1-22
By Evangelist S. Lee Homoki



Resurrected to the Top of the Grace Mountains (vss. 4-12)

What marvel! What mystery! How do we explain it? How do we describe it? How do we fully appreciate the change of scenery that takes place within the space of one verse? It cannot be so except God is introduced into the picture! God's remedy for death is another death - meaning Christ's death on the cross! Christ was the divine substitute for dead sinners. His death was our death. His death paid our penalty in full! His resurrection is our resurrection! This is great news for the hopeless! Because He lives, we shall live also (Jn. 11 :25; Gal. 2:20)!

Look now! A resurrection! See what God has done! "But God! Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:4-6)!

God has resurrected the dead! God is in the soul-saving business. What He has done is not unlike what He has promised to do someday for the nation of Israel. He made them a promise about the national rebirth in a future dispensation, wherein God will gather the dead, dry bones of Israel. He said, "Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezek. 37:4-6). Some day, all Israel will be resurrected to a national hope (Rom. 11:25), whereas, by the same power God raised the Body of Christ to "heavenly places, " thus denying death its victory (Phil. 3:10; Eph 1:19-20)!

Our text (vss. 4-6) uses words like "love," "mercy," "kindness," "riches" and "grace" to describe how God was able to accomplish this great regeneration (PALING-GHEN-ES-EE-AH = back again to the beginning); the great work of taking fallen humanity back to before Adam's fall (Titus 3:5)! How do you put a definition and limits on the greatness of God's love? You can't! That is why God recommends His love (Rom. 5:5; Titus 3:3-4) - because it has no equal or limit! Of course, the same is true of all the other adjectives, mentioned above, that are used to explain His work of saving sinners who deserve nothing but His wrath. "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift" (2 Cor. 9:15).

It's a gift! Of course, to be lifted from the valley of destruction, despair and death and elevated to the very heights of God's Grace Mountains and made to sit together in heavenly places with Christ throughout all "the ages to come" is a gift! How hard is it for the sinner, who is "dead" and "without strength" to receive a gift? It is easy! It was effortless because the "gift" was available for the taking. It's a simple matter of believing God's Word (Eph. 2:7-9). That is what faith is:

Faith is just believing
What God says He will do.
He will never fail us
His promises are true;
If we but believe Him,
His children we become.
Faith is just believing
This wondrous thing is done!

Saved sinners are God's "workmanship "! Salvation is His work! Sinners receive it by faith!

Salvation, however, was not cheap! God the Father exhausted the treasure vaults of Heaven to give His Son for the sins of the world (Rom. 8:32; Jn. 3:16). And, the personal cost to Jesus Christ was immense! He was made "sin "! He was numbered among the "transgressors," and "though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). The precious "blood of Christ" was the "cash on the barrel head" to "reconcile" sinners unto God. Be careful to give praise and glory!

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE GRACE MOUNTAINS - Conclusion
EPHESIANS 2:1-22
By Evangelist S. Lee Homoki



Peace was Preached in the Valley (V ss. 13-18 )


"But now" indicates a definite and great change in God's way of dealing with the Jews and Gentiles. The Jews, like the Gentiles, being the sons of fallen Adam, must be counted with the wreckage in the valley of death, despair and destruction at the foot of the mountain. In the previous dispensation of Law and Commandments, the Jews occupied a place of preeminence and privilege among humanity (Rom 3:1-2; 9:4). No people were ever so blessed! The covenant that God had made with the Jews, however, excluded the Gentiles and it bred severe animosity between them. Now, the plan of God changes because Christ came "preaching peace." Since Christ never preached to Gentiles while He was here on earth (Mt. 15:24), we take this to mean that Christ spoke through the Apostle Paul, who was the apostle to the Gentiles, preaching the "Gospel of Peace " (Rom. 10:15; Eph. 6:15 and cf. Rom. 15:18; 1 Cor. 14:37; 2 Cor. 13:3; 1 Thess. 4:2,15; 1 Tim. 6:3).

Here the Apostle Paul teaches that the finished work of Christ, by the blood of the cross, removes the barrier of "hatred." In doing so, God creates "in himself of twain one new man," bringing "peace" and a new dispensation, thus causing the warfare to cease (Eph 2:13-18; Col. 3:10-11). Please note: Reconciliation implies that there was an alienation that needed healing. Reconciliation is a grace doctrine and is at the heart and soul of what is called the "revelation of the Mystery" (Eph. 1:9; 3:3-4; 3:9; Col. 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3). This reconciliation was not said to be accomplished at the cross but, rather, "by" the cross. By reconciliation, both believing Jew and Gentile are "made nigh" to each other and the "one new man" is "made nigh" to God! "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? " (Rom 8:31-32).

Grace and Glory on the Top of the Grace Mountains

Look! The death, darkness and dread are gone! The storm is over and the bright sunshine of grace and glory is shining (Eph. 2:7; 3:10)! (1) The dead sinners are resurrected from the graveyard and transformed into living "saints" and "citizens" of the "household of God. " (2) Those who were once the children of the Devil are reborn as the children of God and elevated to a place of privilege, being "made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"! (3) The hopeless now have an eternal hope and home being "fitly framed together" into a "temple" to be occupied by the family of God! God's great building project - a "habitation of God" (vss. 18-22). Note: The work, role and dwelling place of the "Godhead" in this building project - God the "Father" - God the Son ("Him") - God the "Holy Spirit"!

What a change in dwelling places for God! What an adjustment from God's habitation in the Dispensation of Israel where God dwelt in the Tabernacle in the wilderness and then in the Temple in Jerusalem. And now, He has chosen to build on the mountain tops of grace, a home for Himself in this Dispensation of Grace! Bless God and give Him glory! (See my Bible Brief Study - "Building with Paul" - sent free upon request.)

A personal message: My dear reader, if you have never trusted Christ, you stand in dreadful danger! If your heart were to stop beating, in an instant you would end up in the lake of eternal fire! I have a great concern for your eternal soul. The Bible says, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you will, this moment, turn your heart from your unbelief and trust the fact that Christ was your substitute and that he died for you. He is alive and paid your penalty with His blood. The moment you trust Him, your soul will be saved, your heart changed and your sins all forgiven. You become a child of God! I beg you, in Jesus' name, make that decision now. Will you do it? Why will you perish? If you will take Christ, this moment, as your Savior, write me a note and share your decision with me. If you do, I will write you a letter of encouragement and send some literature that will help give you assurance of salvation. Write to: Lee Homoki, PO Box 564, Comstock Park, Michigan 49321.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE GOSPEL PRODUCES ASSURANCE
by Russell S. Miller


 "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake" (I Thes. 1:5).

 Many people do not have assurance in these days in which we live. They base their salvation upon what some man has said, or upon some church doctrine, rather than God's Word. Even their so-called "good works" cannot please God because they have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and refused to believe Paul's God-given "gospel" of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

 "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph.1:7).

 The Lord has told us that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). If God's "gift" is eternal life, and we are "justified by [Christ's] blood" (Rom. 5:9), should we not believe what God has said? He is well able to perform that which He has said He will do.

 "BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING, THAT HE WHICH HATH BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST" (Phil. 1:6).

 The "performance", here, also goes beyond our salvation to include our daily walk with Him. It is true that "we are HIS workmanship" (Eph. 2:10), but it is equally true that we are to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2,12). "Shall we continue in sin [then], that grace may abound?" (Rom.6:1). Paul answers this with an emphatic: "God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom.6:2). This lifestyle does not produce assurance; it rather produces guilt as we can readily see from the world about us! It therefore behooves every child of God to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, THAT YE MAY PROVE WHAT IS THAT GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT WILL OF GOD (Rom. 12:1,2).

 There is more. To the yielded believer, "God works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Indeed our wonderful Saviour desires greater things yet --- "That our hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment [full knowledge] of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ" (Col. 2:2).

 This is the "gospel" that "established" the believers at Thessalonica and also produces assurance in us today. Listen to what the Apostle wrote in his first letter to them:

 "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance...." When we believe Paul's gospel, we have that assurance of being true "followers of the Lord" (I Thess. 1:5,6).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST
By Pastor Floyd Baker

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:39

In our pre-marital counseling we spend a great deal of time in Ephesians chapter five looking at the responsibility of the wife and the husband to each other in the marriage. One of the most difficult instructions we find is when the wife is told "submit yourself unto your own husband, as unto the Lord." What we point out to the husband to be, is that the wife "needs" the security of his love. That is why we see that the husband is "to love his wife as Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it." There is security in love!

What blessed security the child of God has in God's love. This is why Paul could write, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE OF GOD which is IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD" (Romans 8:38, 39). How needful it is for us to realize that God has our welfare in mind in all that He does and allows in our lives. This is the reality of Romans 8:28.

We have the confidence that in death, absent from the body is at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8 ). But what about life, when things appear to go wrong? Yes, Paul declares that not even life with all of its problems and difficulties will remove us out of God's love. This love as we note is "in Christ Jesus," and we are in Him for time and eternity. How wonderful for us to rest in that love, and to enjoy it each day. May we too be "persuaded" of the wonderful love of God.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Saved, Settled, and Sure
By Ike T. Sidebottom

Is it possible for us to know that we are saved and that we never can be lost?

Is every saved person complete in Christ without membership in any Church organization and without the practice of any of the Church ordinances?

Do we go immediately to Heaven or Hell when we leave this world?

If there ever was a time the Church needed to give a positive, clear ringing testimony in answer to these questions, that time is today. The world is in confusion because of "Wars and rumors of wars." The Church is hopelessly divided in "mind and judgment," because of denominationalism; and desperately sick because of the improper diet prescribed by Church leaders and rationed out to the multitudes by hirelings.

The individual sinner has a desire to be saved, but he doesn't often hear the plain scriptural plan of salvation given from the pulpit, over the air, or from the printed page. The babe in Christ has a desire to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, but when he goes to the meeting place for food from the precious Word of God, he usually gets a sermonette on churchanity and must return home with a hungry heart.

We May Know

that we are saved, because God has said so in His infallible Word.

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:11)

This is God's record that all who have His Son are in possession of His own eternal life. He wrote these things in order that those who "believe" may "know."

Dear Reader, If you are in doubt about your salvation or if you feel that you are now saved, but fear that some day you may lose your salvation, will you not get your Bible and read the above passage on your knees before the God of glory. Read and re-read this, His own testimony, which He has borne concerning His Son and the eternal life given through Him.

If you are among those who "believe on the name of the Son of God," you have the scriptural right to know that you have eternal life.

In connection with this comforting certainty, I suggest that you read and meditate upon the following kindred passages—Ecclesiastes 3:14; John 3:16-18; 10:27-29; Colossians 3:3; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:35-39 and 2 Timothy 1:12.

In these closing days of the Church Age, things are terribly unsettled. The unsaved man looks about him for something that is substantial and sure. All he can see in the world is change and decay. Oh, that we who are really saved might bear a sound, solid, positive testimony concerning the eternal life which God has given to us in His Son. How refreshing it is to hear a believer say, "I know I'm saved."

Remember, my dear friends, when we testify to the fact that we are saved and sure of our salvation, we are not bragging on ourselves but we are boasting in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who saved us! He is the One who keeps us! He is the One who will carry us safely through to glory, without the loss of one! To Him belongeth all the praise.

Church Joining

is a very popular movement in these days, spoken of by the Apostle Paul as "perilous times." The idea of forming church organizations and promoting church-joining programs originated with man and not with God. The proud flesh of churchmen cries out for manpower when the real need of the church is God-power.

The children of Noah said, "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name" (Genesis 11:4). The modern church program of today is built on this same foundation, hence the confusion and scattering of the church members into more than four hundred different sects and creeds. Just as the organized effort at the Tower of Babel failed (Genesis 11:5-9), so the organized efforts of churchanity are doomed to confusion and failure.

Paul describes the conditions in the professing Church at the close of this age in 2 Timothy 3:1-5:

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

It is very easy for the majority of God's faithful children to see that the above quotation applies directly to organized churches. However, it is painfully difficult and extremely hard on the flesh for us to apply the last four words of verse five in a practical way. If every child of God would obey this imperative command—"From such turn away"—the religious system would be forced to cease their commercialism in the name of Jesus Christ.

Independent Churches

are springing up everywhere. Just as the conscientious Protestants in the days of Martin Luther organized themselves into churches like unto the Catholic system from whence they came, so are the independent Fundamentalists of today organizing themselves after the fashion of denominational systems. It seems that preachers and church leaders refuse to be satisfied with the church and its doctrine, as set forth by the Holy Spirit through the writings of Paul. They insist upon enlisting the members of the body of Christ in a competitive work of building churches.

The moment a group of believers give themselves any other name than that which designates them as an assembly at a given address, they mark themselves as another sectarian group. Usually a second step is taken immediately after the church name is selected. This second step is a doctrinal statement including a part of the Bible and emphasizing one Biblical doctrine above that of another. A third step usually follows, which binds the members of the assembly into an organization with voting power to control the policies of the said organization. Such doctrines of men can never be fitted in to the order of God as laid down in Ephesians 4:11-16.

The Biblical Church

of this dispensation is spoken of in Ephesians 1:22-23 as "The church, which is the body of Christ." Christ is the one head of this church, and every saved person on the face of the earth is included in its membership. "We are all baptized by one spirit into one body." The baptism here referred to is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The body is the "Body of Christ."

"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)

If you are a member of the church which is Christ's body, you are "complete in Him" (Colossians 2:10). It is just as unscriptural for a believer to be dissatisfied with the church membership which God gives him as it is for him to be dissatisfied with the salvation which God offers. We do not need man's work added to God's plan of salvation; neither do we need the touch of man-made organizations for everyday service in God's church. If you are satisfied with your salvation, you should be satisfied with your position in Christ.

Our Hope of Glory

will be realized when our Saviour returns from heaven to "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21). If we who are members of the body of Christ die before He returns for His church, we are immediately "Absent from the body, and present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8 ). The body goes back to dust, but the spirit goes to be with the Lord. We may expect the return of the Lord for His church at any moment, and at His coming the bodies of those who have fallen asleep in Christ will be raised and joined with their spirits that are now present with the Lord, and the living saints will be changed and caught up into glory with the resurrected ones. At this time the church which is the body of Christ, will be presented to Christ, the Head, according to Ephesians 5:25-27.

All who die without the Lord Jesus Christ go immediately into the flames of torment. This truth is illustrated in Luke 16:19-31. The rich man of this passage actually lived on the earth, died as other men die, and then lifted up his eyes, "being in torments," and recognized his terrible condition.

All Unbelievers

must either meet the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross of Calvary and accept Him as their personal Saviour, or else they must take their place in the flames of torment when this life is over.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36)

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE HOPE OF CREATION
By RALPH F. BALOG,



Scripture Reading: Romans 8:20, 21

Tornadoes - Hurricanes - Floods - Raging fires - Drought - Famine. What do these things have in common? They are symptoms of a creation "groaning and travailing in pain until now."

Is it always going to be this way on earth? Things appear to be on the downswing weather wise, worldwide. Scientists bemoaning the loss of something called the ozone layer, etc.

Sin has brought a curse upon God's perfect original creation. Just as Adam's sin brought physical death upon all men (Rom. 5:12), so too, it brought creation under the curse. Genesis 3:17-18: ".....cursed is the ground for thy sake...thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee......"

Disobedience to God was calamitous in consequences to man and creation. Is it to be this way forever? What is the "hope of creation"?

The deliverance in verse 21 of Romans 9 comes after members of the Body of Christ have been taken into His presence. Verse 23 states it is the redemption of our bodies that will trigger future earthly condition changes. While we, members of the Body of Christ, are physically on this planet earth in our mortal bodies, creation too, must wait for its hope. First, the members of the Body are changed and then creation.

The phrase in verse 21 "bondage of corruption" is sobering. It states why the earth is in such turmoil. Sin has caused the "bondage or corruption" and we abhor such humanistic signs as: "Love your mother - earth." The ungodly do not know this is a present evil age and that fervent heat awaits this sinful earth as described in II Peter 3:10. As 2 Peter 3:13 states there will be: "........a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness."

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

A HEAVENLY HOPE
By JOHN McKAY, Pastor



Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:5


If you are trusting the Lord Jesus with His death and resurrection, for your salvation, you have a wonderful future ahead of you. Your future will be significantly different from Israel's future. The Hope of Israel involved an eternal king - the Messiah - ruling the world in the eternal kingdom. The resurrection of the dead would provide the realization of Israel's hope. See Isaiah 26:19 and Daniel 12:2, also Luke 1:32-33, 67-79.

Our Hope is somewhat different. We are already seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Our future will give us the realization of what we already have spiritually. We will have a resurrection body, joint ownership of all things, fellowship with our Lord eternally without interruption, rewards, deliverance from Satan, sin, and frustration.

What a wonderful future! The certain expectation of these things in the believer's life is the result of Christ IN us. If the Lord Jesus is in us, and we have been placed in Him by the Holy Spirit baptizing us into His Body, we can be certain that glory will be ours. "God...hath called you unto His kingdom and glory...to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." In Romans 8:18, we read about the "glory which shall be revealed in us."

Is it surprising that the Apostle Paul thanks God for what we have? "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..for the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven..." (Colossians 1:3, 5). Let's study to show ourselves approved of God concerning the content and the difference of our hope. Grace Bible Church,  Ohio

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

ARE BELIEVERS ABOVE THE LAW?
by Russell S. Miller


Some people understand the grace principal to mean that living "under grace" we may do as we please, but grace is, by no means, a license to sin. However, it is argued that because the covenant of the law was made with Israel, Gentiles were not under the law, and Romans 3:19 is cited in support of this thinking:

"Now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."

The covenant of the law was, indeed, made with God’s chosen nation, Israel, and no such covenant was ever made with any other nation, but that did not exclude Gentiles from God’s law. The law was given, we read, "that every mouth might be stopped, and all the world might become guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19). So, Israel represented the righteous and holy standards of the Law of God in the world. And "when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves" (Rom. 2:14). This bears witness that Gentiles had "the law written in their hearts" (Rom. 2:15). It is no wonder that we have such a lawless society today when believers feel themselves to be above the law.

In this dispensation of grace it is blessedly true of us, that "sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). "Free from the Law" does not mean that we are above the law, although we are to produce that fruit which is spiritual (Col. 3:1-4), and heavenly (Eph. 1:20,21; 2:6), in character. In so doing we shall, by His grace, accomplish what the law could never do.

Therefore as members of the Body of Christ the Apostle Paul exhorts us:

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22,23).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY & THE COMING DAYS
By Paul Hume


Scripture Reading: 2 Thes. 2:1-12; Rev. 1:1-8; 9:20-21

Since I love to dabble with the weather, I remember several things in the past connected thereunto. I remember when I still lived in Minneapolis, Minn. how I was caught out in the open in the worst windstorm ever to strike that city. I knew that something radical was approaching that evening. My barometer was falling rapidly; hot, heavy, humid air was upon us; dark thunder-heads were piling up in the southwest; and the air was still as death. After several sharp thundershowers, a "burst" came from the northwest. Winds of above 100 miles per hour hit, blowing from between 80 and 11O miles per hour for almost a half an hour. Rains lashed the city, and great bolts of lightning struck here and there. Wires were down all over; store-fronts were sucked out (an evidence of tornadic conditions); huge trees were uprooted in every block; and streets were washed out in places. What a mess the city was in! Yet, there had been ample warnings!

The "barometer" of time is telling us that terrible, unprecedented days lie ahead. The Word of God amply warns us, and even the secular leaders of our society are warning that civilization is on the brink of a world-wide catastrophe. The "barometer" is dropping. The huge storm clouds are gathering; and thunder is rumbling; and the air is deathly still (with not only its "air pollution;" but its antichrist poisons and lawlessness of every shade and hue). The "things which must speedily come to pass" (Rev. 1:1), (lit. are about to take place). The "consummation of the age" is upon us! Great and terrible days are at hand! What days are these in which to be living--days of great opportunities for the Gospel of the Grace of God!

What should we do? Be terrified? That would be human! But no, for us, we should "take courage" and "redeem the time, for the days are evil." We should "be looking [with expectancy) for that blessed hope," and bless the One Who is still on the throne, and Who is very much in control of things--even the Devil and evil men!

Great days are these, we say again; but greater is our Savior-God who is able "to guard you from stumbling" until that day!"

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Are You a Pauline Epistle?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth



"Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men" (II Cor. 3:2).

Since the Corinthians were saved by Paul's gospel (I Cor. 15:1-4), the apostle calls them his epistles. Webster said that an epistle is "a writing" communicating intelligence to a distant person. Surely the intelligence, i.e., the information that the Corinthians communicated to the world was that even the most sinful of men could be justified by God's grace (I Cor. 6:9-11).

But if Paul could say to the Corinthians, "ye are our epistle," why does he go on to say that they were "manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ" (3:3) Ah, a letter written by an apostle under the inspiration of the Spirit was a letter from Christ! And since everyone who is saved today is also saved as a result of having believed Paul's gospel, you too are a Pauline epistle! And so the debate over whether Paul wrote 14 or just 13 epistles is over! The apostle penned millions of letters over the past many centuries.

It has often been said that you are the only Bible that some people will ever read, and this is sadly so. What a responsibility this places on us to live lives worthy of the Lord! Handwriting experts can tell who a letter is from by the way the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, etc. Can men tell who sent you, Christian friend? Are you dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's when it comes to godliness? Many Christians who wouldn't dream of corrupting the written word of God found in Paul's epistles (II Cor. 2:17) carelessly corrupt the living epistles of their lives by inconsistent godliness. Remember, letters don't get time off! They read the same today as they did yesterday, and we too should be as consistent in our Christian testimony. If you are holy on Sunday and a holy terror the rest of the week, this is unacceptable to God (Rom. 12:1,2).

Since the epistle of our life is "known and read of all men" (II Cor. 3:2), we want to make sure we don't give men a faulty reading of Christ. All men understand by the stars that God exists, as the stars too are known and read of all men (Psa. 19:1-3). But while all men understand by the stars that God exists, all men understand by us what kind of God He is. When we live "soberly, righteously, and godly" (Titus 2:12), we prove to others what is acceptable to the Lord (Eph. 5:8-10).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

ANALYSIS OF PHILEMON
By REV. ARTHUR T. PIERSON, D.D.


THE KEY WORD: RECEIVE (Intercession)
THE KEY VERSE: 17

If "Ephesians IS the Lyric," Philemon is "the Idyll of the New Testament," combining beauty with brevity. Onesimus was a slave who had stolen, and then run away, from Philemon. Converted and cherished by Paul, he was by him sent back to his master, whom the Apostle besought to receive him no longer as a slave, but a brother, and to put to Paul's account any wrong he had done him as master.

Philemon seems to have been affluent in circumstances, and hospitable toward saints. Onesimus means PROFITABLE. Paul plays on the name, acknowledging that he had been very unprofitable, but was now profitable to them both, as a renewed man, and had, by ministering to Paul in his bonds, endeared himself to him so as to become as his own vital organs. He therefore becomes intercessor for the slave and thief, and beseeches Philemon for his sake to receive him, counting him no longer either a bondservant or a transgressor; and the Epistle is especially rich in expression of PAUL'S IDENTIFICATION with this converted slave, who was to him his SON, his own bowels, his brother beloved, his second self.

No epistle is richer in TYPICAL TEACHING. We have here In profile an illustration of the WHOLE SCHEME OF REDEMPTION: "I BESEECH THEE RECEIVE HIM." Roman law gave the slave no right of asylum, but conceded one right, that of appeal. He might flee to his master's friend, not for concealment, but for intercession. The owner was absolute, but might be BESOUGHT through a friend whom he counted as a PARTNER, and the slave who fled thus to an intercessor did not incur the guilt and penalty of a fugitive. Again, the Roman law provided for a slave's MANUMISSION: he might be adopted by his master as a son and so be freed. This short Epistle is full of references to these facts which conditioned Roman slaves.

The illustration becomes almost an analogy when applied to the sinner. He is God's property, but he has not only run away from his Master, but robbed Him. The Law affords him no right of asylum, but grace concedes him the right of appeal. He flees for refuge to Christ, whom God counts a partner. IN HIM he is begotten anew as a son, and finds both PRECATOR, an intercessor, and GENITOR, a begetting father; FROM HIM he returns to God, and is received not as a runaway slave and thief, but as a brother beloved, as Christ himself, and all the debt that he owes to God is put to Christ's account. Here is both intercession and manumission.