GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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BEING THANKFUL
By C.R. Stam



God’s verdict upon the pagan world is that "they are without excuse, because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful..." (Rom. 1:20,21). The Psalmist, on the other hand, declares:

"IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, AND TO SING PRAISES UNTO THY NAME, O MOST HIGH:

"TO SHOW FORTH THY LOVING KINDNESS IN THE MORNING. AND THY FAITHFULNESS EVERY NIGHT" (Psa. 92:1,2).

Believers today have even more to be thankful for than did the Psalmist, for we can rejoice in what God has done for us through Christ and His redeeming work. Thus Paul, by divine inspiration, speaks of...

"GIVING THANKS UNTO THE FATHER, WHO HATH MADE US MEET [FIT] TO BE PARTAKERS OF THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN LIGHT:

"WHO HATH DELIVERED US FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS, AND HATH TRANSLATED US INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS DEAR SON" (Col. 1:12,13).

It is because of this "deliverance" that the humblest believer can cry with Paul: "Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ!" (II Cor. 2:14) and "Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (I Cor. 15:57). How appropriate, then, are the following exhortations:

"In everything give thanks" (I Thes. 5:18 ) and "By [Christ], therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise... giving thanks to His name" (Heb. 13:15).

"For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God" (II Cor. 4:15).

Most of all, "THANKS BE UNTO GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT," our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! (II Cor. 9:15).

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THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
AND
THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHRIST
PART ONE
By Fred Bachand


There is much confusion today, people concerning our Lord's return. This confusion is largely the result seeing no distinction between the return of our Lord to earth and His coming to catch away His Body, the Church, into heaven. That is, very little distinction, if any, is being made between COMING OF CHRIST AND THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHURCH.

There are two passages of scripture which are generally linked together as to the same event, and then we hear all kinds of "explanations" and theories concerning the Second Coming of Christ and the "Rapture" of the Church, the Tribulation, the "Millennium," and the "end of the World." The two passages of scripture are:

John 14:1-3, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would told  you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

and I Thess. 4:16-18, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

The truth is that these two passages of scripture refer to two entirely different events and are related to each other only in that they both mark the ending of one age and the beginning of another. Here again the perfection and the precision which mark God's Word, the Bible, as being distinct from all other writings is seen by applying the principles He Himself has laid down for studying His Word. In Phil. 1:10, we read the words, " ... approve things that are excellent ... " In the Greek, from which this is translated, it means to prove, by testing, things differing; or to test the things that differ. Then what are we to do? II Tim. 2:15, says that we are to rightly divide the word of truth. With these two principles in mind, and knowing that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God ... " (II Tim. 3:16), let us examine the foregoing scriptures and see what our Lord would have us to know about THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHURCH.

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

Let us first consider John 14:1-3. Here our Lord is NOT speaking about the "Rapture" of the Church. In fact, He is NOT speaking here about "The Church, which is His Body," at all. Any believer today who is looking forward to this event as his Blessed Hope is living under a misapprehension and is going to be surprised, pleasantly surprised, to find that he has no direct connection with this event.

Let us compare two words. In John 14:3, we find the word "receive." This word is translated from the Greek word paralabano, which means to receive alongside of. Here our Lord, speaking to His disciples of that time, said He would receive them alongside of, or unto, Himself. Now let us look at the word used in I Thess. 4:17, translated "caught up." This word in the Greek is harpazo, which means to seize by force. Turn in your Bible to John 10:28, and see how this same Greek word is used where it is translated "pluck." So we see that already we have a definite distinction between these two passages, John 14:1-3, and I Thess. 4:16-18, in reference to our Lord's method in gathering His saints. We could stop right here and say that these two passages could not be referring to the same event because the gathering of the saints in each passage is to be done in a different way. Now we know that God is not the author of confusion and when we find things differing in His Word we are exhorted to test them and rightly divide them in order to be approved unto God, needing not to be ashamed (ll Tim. 2:15). Therefore let us proceed further into God's Word.

There are some who claim that the most important words in the Bible are those of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is true! Yet those who make this claim have limited His words to those spoken by Him during His short stay on earth. Let us not forget, beloved, that Jesus Christ is God personified, and that ALL scripture is "given by inspiration of God," literally (in the Greek) God breathed. Therefore the whole Bible, from "Genesis" through "The Revelation," is the Word or breath of God and in it we find, from cover to cover, the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In Heb. 12:25, we read, "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escape not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven."

In Matt. 24, our Lord is speaking to the same disciples as in John 14, and concerning the same event, His Second Coming. And in verse 31, we read, " ... He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect ... " He will receive unto Himself those who are gathered by the angels. This will take place on the EARTH, for the Lord must return to the earth to establish His kingdom and reign for one thousand years ON THE EARTH. Notice also that this Second Coming will be after the tribulation. In verses 29 and 30, we read, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

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THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
AND
THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHRIST
PART TWO
By Fred Bachand


THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHURCH

Now let us look at I Thess. 4:16,17. Here our Lord is speaking to a different group of believers, members of the Church which is "His Body" (Eph. 1:23), through Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13). In verse 15, of I Thess. 4, Paul writes, "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord ... " These then are the words of "Him that speaketh from heaven." And in verse 16, we find that " ... The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." Notice these words: "the Lord himself," and "the voice of the archangel" (only the voice of one angel, not "His angels" as in Matt. 24:31). In verse 17, Paul writes that we shall all, the raised dead in Christ and those who are living and are in Christ, be caught up, or seized away by force, from the earth to meet the Lord IN THE AIR. This will take place before the tribulation for in the fifth chapter, verses 1-11, Paul is writing about the coming tribulation and comparing it to a day of darkness, and he says, in verse 5, "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of the darkness." Now notice particularly verses 9-11: For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."

In I Cor. 15:51, this same apostle Paul, writing to the same body of believers, members of "The Church which is His (Christ's) Body," says, "Behold, I show you a mystery (a secret)." Now if this was a secret that Paul was telling, it certainly could not have been that which was revealed before by our Lord when He was on earth. But what is this secret that Paul is here revealing to the Corinthians? Let us find out by reading verses 51 and 52: "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. "

Paul is here referring to the same event as in I Thess. 4, the coming of our Lord in the air to catch away His Body, the Church, before the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth.

Now let us make a quick summary of what we have found out thus far:

John 14:1-3 --
1.    Concerns Christ's Second Coming.
2.    After the tribulation He will send His angels to gather His elect.
3.    These elect He will receive unto Himself (Greek -- paralambano).
4.    This gathering will take place ON THE EARTH.

I Thess. 4:16-18 --
1.    Concerns Christ's Secret Coming.
2.    Before the tribulation the trumpet shall sound, and we shall all be changed.
3.    He will seize away His Body from the earth (Greek -- harpazo).
4.    This gathering will take place IN THE AIR.

This is our Blessed Hope! This is what we should be looking forward to! We should be patiently waiting, and anxiously looking for our Lord's coming IN THE AIR to catch away ("Rapture") His Body, " ... and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:17).

"MY FATHER'S HOUSE"

But what about John 14:1-3? For a better understanding of this passage let us examine our Lord's words more closely. First we shall notice the words, "In my Father's house." In Matt. 21:12,13, we find our Lord in the temple casting out the merchandisers, and we read, "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." Here our Lord uses a compound quotation from two scriptures in the Old Testament:

Isa. 56:7, " ... For my house shall be called an house of prayer for all people," and

Jer. 7:11, "Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes?"

So we see that the temple is called by Jehovah, "My House." In John 14, Jesus, speaking of His corning again to earth, tells His disciples about His Father's house. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can only be referring to Jehovah's house, His Father's house, which is the temple. Not the temple then standing, which was to be destroyed, but that future temple which will be established in connection with His Second Coming. In the book of Ezekiel, chapters 40 through 48, there is a vivid description of the temple that will stand during the one thousand years of our Lord's reign on this earth.

"MANY MANSIONS "

The next words we come to are the "many mansions" that are to be found in Jehovah's house. These are not to be "mansions" according to our present meaning of the English word. This word is a translation of the Greek word mone, which means nothing more nor less than abodes: living quarters. The priests who minister the duties of the temple reside on the premises. Therefore we see that John 14:1-3 refers to the Second Coming of Christ to earth to reign for one thousand years, and that it is particularly connected with the Priesthood of the Nation Israel.

In Exodus 19:5,6, after the Lord had led Israel out of Egypt He tells them, "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation ... " When Christ returns to establish His kingdom, and Israel becomes a kingdom of priests, then they who minister the duties of the priesthood will abide in the Father's house, the temple.

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THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
AND
THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHRIST
PART THREE
By Fred Bachand


THE FIRST RESURRECTION

The apostle John, one of the twelve apostles to the nation Israel, writes by revelation in the book of The Revelation concerning Christ's second coming to earth after the tribulation: Rev. 20:4 "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

Now let us pay particular attention to the next two verses: Rev. 20: 5,6 -"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

Let us not forget, beloved, that we who are members of Christ's Body, the Church, will have been in heaven with the Lord for at least seven years before this "first resurrection" takes place on the earth. The first and second comings of our Lord and the first and second resurrections are the subject of prophecy, which deals with God's earthly purpose for Israel and the nations. But Christ's coming in the air and the catching away ("Rapture") of the Church which is His Body before the tribulation is the subject of the Mystery, God's Secret, Heavenly purpose, which concerns us; the members of the Church, His Body.

"THAT WHERE I AM"

Looking back now at John 14:3, Jesus told His disciples, " ... I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." In our Lord's prayer to the Father concerning His disciples, He said, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24). Notice the glory spoken of here. This glory was given to Him by the Father. It is not His essential glory which He had with the Father "before the world was" (John 17:5), nor is it His inherited glory which He acquired through His sacrificial work on Calvary (Heb. 1:3,4). This glory has a direct reference to the Melchisedec priesthood spoken of in the book of Hebrews. The only way the Lord Jesus Christ could be made a high priest was by the gift of grace given Him in resurrection, since, being of the tribe of Judah according to the flesh, He had no part in the Levitical priesthood (see Hebrews, chapter 7).

Back again now to John 14:3. Our Lord said to His disciples, " ... that where I am, there ye may be also." Where is Christ going to be at this time? An accurate study of God's Word will show that He will be seated on David's throne reigning over the Nations on the earth. Where will we be at this time? An accurate study of God's Word will show that we who are in Christ, members of His Church today, will be seated in the heavens reigning over Principalities and Powers in the heavenly places (Ephesians).

GOD'S SECRET

As we have seen, the "Rapture" of the Church was a secret until it was revealed to and through the apostle Paul. The Second Coming of Christ, on the other hand, was NOT a secret. The Old Testament prophets spoke often of both the first coming and the second coming of Christ, both the sufferings and the glory that should follow. One such passage is found in Isa. 53:10-12. This was no mystery or secret to the Jews, it was misunderstood by them. They could not see that the suffering Saviour was also their glorious king. They looked only for the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel. They were concerned only with the blessings promised them in the flesh and did not learn the lesson of John 3:1-8, that they must first receive the spiritual blessing before they could realize their fleshly blessings. This lesson is that they, as a Nation, must be born again (from above) before they could enjoy the blessings of the earthly kingdom which were promised to them in their Messiah.

What basically is the gospel which we find being proclaimed in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Basically it is " ... Repent ... for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2) .

The Kingdom of Heaven was:
1.    PROMISED in the Old Testament,
2.    PREACHED in Matt. through John,
3.    PRESENTED in the book of Acts.

Israel rejected the Kingdom because of pride. They would not, as a nation, repent of having crucified Jesus of Nazareth, and admit that He was their Messiah. Therefore God rejected Israel, nationally, and the Kingdom of Heaven, which was promised to them, was thereby postponed and was replaced by the Dispensation of the Grace of God, God's Secret Purpose, the Mystery (Eph. 3).

It was in this present dispensation, the Dispensation of the Grace of God, that Christ revealed to Paul the truth concerning the Church which is called the Body of Christ; with its Heavenly Hope and Spiritual blessings. The doctrine concerning this Church; its calling, its proper walk in this age, and its Blessed Hope, which is Christ's coming in the air to catch away His Body (the "Rapture"), can be found only in the Church Epistles, those written to us by the apostle Paul.

This Church is NOT "Spiritual Israel." This Church is NOT going to reign on the earth. This Church is NOT the subject of prophecy. Israel is a nation, both physically and spiritually, a political organization, called by God to manifest His glory on the earth. But the Church is a Body, both physically and spiritually, a living organism, called by God to manifest His glory throughout all the heavens. In Phil. 3:20, we find that our "conversation" (Greek -- Homeland) is in the heavens. In Eph. 1:3, we find that our blessings are all spiritual and in the heavens.

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THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
AND
THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHRIST
PART FOUR  --CONCLUSION
By Fred Bachand


Again let us "test things that differ" in connection with Christ's Second Coming to earth and the "Rapture" of the Church into heaven:

THE SECOND COMING
Christ's reign on the earth
Israel and Nations
The visible manifestation of our Lord to all
That which was prophesied.

THE RAPTURE
Christ's reign in the heavens
The Body of Christ
The secret appearing of our Lord to the saints only
That which was kept secret.

Seeing, therefore, that there are so many distinctions between these two passages of scripture, John 14:1-3, and I Thess. 4:16-18 (and there are many more), is it any wonder that there is so much confusion among our brothers in Christ as to the Second Corning of Christ and the "Rapture" of the Church? Is it any wonder that most Christians do not really know whether they are actually going to be in heaven or if heaven will be merely a renewed earth when Christ returns to it? Some believe that Christ will not literally return to the earth to reign for a thousand years. They believe that He is reigning today in the hearts of men. This they believe in spite of scriptures such as Heb. 2:8, which says, " ... We see not yet all things put under him," and Jer. 17: 9, which says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Some go on blindly claiming that the world is getting better and better through the work of the many missionaries all over the world. But the scriptures claim the world is getting worse and worse, and will continue to do so until Christ returns and assumes ALL POWER and rules the world with a rod of iron (Psalm 2).

Why is it that many of us who claim the Bible to be the Word of God can not see that to deny that Christ will literally come again to earth to reign is to deny that He literally came to earth the first time to literally suffer and literally die on a literal cross for our sins, and that He literally rose again from the dead in order to make all these other things literally possible? For if we claim that God's Word does not mean what it says in one part, how can we depend on it meaning what it says in any part?

Let us resolve from this moment on, never to doubt the words of our Lord. If there seems to be confusion between any passages of scripture, let us "test things that differ" and "rightly divide" these passages and acknowledge that the confusion is in our understanding, NOT in God's Word. And let us who are in Christ acknowledge the fact that we are justified by faith, and that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17) .

Therefore let us have faith in God's word. Let us study our Bibles so that we may know God's Word. And let us meditate on His Word in order to have a better understanding of our wonderful Lord and thereby learn to love Him more, knowing that whatever He has promised He is also able to perform. As it is written in II Pet. 3:18, " ... Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. "

* * * * * * *
We pray that this has been helpful in establishing you in the faith, and that in all things Christ may receive the glory, knowing that when He Who is our life shall appear, then we also shall appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4).

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Creation
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler,



Scripture Reading:

"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.  And the evening and the morning were the first day."
 -- Genesis 1:3-5

I am a creationist.  I personally believe that God created all things in heaven and earth in six literal 24-hour days.  A proper understanding of creation is essential, since it is the foundation upon which all the doctrines of God rest.  Sadly, some in Christendom have sought to erect an elaborate system known as the day-age theory to accommodate the geologic timetable of billions of years.  But does this position pass the Berean test?

Those who subscribe to the day-age theory believe that the Hebrew word "day" (yom) can refer to a 24-hour day or a long period of time.  This is true!  For example, the day of the Lord is an extended period of time which covers well over one thousand years.  Consequently, the context must always be consulted to ascertain the duration of time under consideration.  Of course, those who defend this position teach that the days of the Genesis record quite literally cover millions and millions of years, which conveniently accommodates evolution.

Interestingly, when the Hebrew word yom is used with a number, it always refers to a 24-hour day, without exception.  In regard to the Passover God instructed Moses, "Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel" (Ex. 12:15).

Would we conclude otherwise that the "first day" here is anything other than a normal day?  Furthermore, when perimeters are set on the term yom, such as "the evening and the morning," as found in Genesis 1:4, this limits the day to 24 hours.

But perhaps the most conclusive evidence that each day was 24 hours is found in Exodus 20:11: "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."  Here Moses uses the term yamin, the Hebrew plural for "days," which exclusively speaks of 24-hour cycles.

If the Holy Spirit had intended to convey that the days of creation were "eras," He would have used the used the Hebrew olam, which is defined as "indefinite time."  We accept by faith that God is sovereign and all-powerful; therefore, it was a small matter for Him to speak all things into existence in six days (Psa. 33:6-9).

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THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY
By IVAN L. BURGENER  PASTOR

Scripture Reading: II Thessalonians 2:7

Two things are working energetically during this present time. Paul wrote in our text "the mystery of iniquity doth already work (i.e., works energetically)." But "the Word of God ... worketh effectually in you that believe (works energetically)" (I Thess. 2:13). Thus God's Word on the one hand and the "secret of lawlessness" on the other hand are both at work.

Thru the preaching of the cross, God's Word rightly divided in all its glory and clarity, souls are saved and established in eternal truth. God's Word is His power unto salvation in the believer. This message works mightily, effectively and wonderfully in those that respond in faith.

But how does the "secret of lawlessness" work now? We expect all manner of evil and calamity to break out when the man of sin, the antichrist, is finally revealed. Our very text goes into detail about that. The Wicked [one] will come forth with satanic "power and signs and lying wonders." That his full-blown program will have its effect upon many is not surprising. But what is the present working of "the secret of lawlessness"?

Today "Satan transforms himself into an angel of light" and his servants are "also ... transformed as the ministers of righteousness" (II Cor. 11:14-15). Satan is in the business of saying seemingly "right things." For example: Do not many teach that the Gospel will convert the world before Christ will return? In our very text Paul shows that the restraining force preventing the full-blown prophesied satanic deception is the presence of the Church, Christ's Body! But our catching away [apostasy] must come first---Rapture, Wrath, and Revelation in that order!

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A Compelling Reason
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


 “I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing” (II Cor. 12:11).

 The Apostle Paul did not like to “glory” or boast about his apostleship. He would much rather spend his time teaching the great truths of the Mystery, and the Word of God, rightly divided. However, the immaturity of the Corinthians “compelled” him to such boasting. They were so impressed with the boasting of the “false apostles” (11:13) that Paul was forced to speak to them in the only language they seemed to understand—that of boasting.

 Grace believers are often accused of boasting too much about the apostleship of Paul, and to this we plead guilty. We too would much rather spend our time teaching the great truths of the Word of God, rightly divided. However, the sorry state of modern Christianity is such that we too are “compelled” to boast about Paul’s apostleship. The immaturity of contemporary Christianity has caused them to over look Paul as “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13), and presents us with a compelling reason to emphasize his apostleship.

 Paul found the Corinthian situation especially disappointing, since as he told them, “I ought to have been commended of you.” As the one who had begotten them in the gospel (I Cor. 4:15), they should have been singing the praises of his apostleship, instead of forcing him to defend it. And so it is today. All who are saved in the dispensation of Grace are saved by grace through faith apart from works (Eph. 2:8,9), a gospel that is exclusive to the Apostle Paul. And so in a very real sense, all who are saved today are begotten of the Apostle Paul, and should be singing the praises of his apostleship, instead of forcing us to defend it.

 The false apostles in Corinth were probably protesting, “Why, Paul isn’t even one of the twelve apostles! We have as much authority as he has!” This forced Paul to declare that he was “not a whit behind” the very chiefest apostles, i.e., James, Peter and John. But if Paul only claimed he wasn’t “behind” the twelve apostles, why do we insist on emphasizing his epistles ahead of the epistles of James, Peter and John?

 Ah, Paul’s apostleship was equal to theirs, but he was the apostle of a different group of people. As he told the Galatians, “He that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles” (2:8 ). All state governors are equal in authority; no governor is a whit behind any other. However, if I am wise, I must recognize the authority of the governor of my state. And if we are wise as Christians, we must like wise recognize the authority of “the apostle of the Gentiles.”

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LIVING TO THE GLORY OF GOD
by C. R. Stam


"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I Cor. 10:31).

This is the great guiding principle of the Christian life.

The Apostle Paul points out in the preceding context that what may be perfectly right for one person to do may trouble another’s conscience. The sincere and gracious believer, therefore, will not carelessly violate his brother’s conscientious scruples, offending him by indulging in that which he considers wrong. In Paul’s day, this particularly involved the foods of which men partook, but from both Romans 14 and I Corinthians 10 it is evident that Christian conduct in general is involved.

If, in my daily conduct, I consider not only my own, but also my brother’s conscience, it does not follow from this that I am disobeying Gal. 5:1, failing to "stand fast... in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." True, I have no right to give up my blood-bought liberty, but I do have liberty to give up my rights. This the world about us is slow to do, but it is one of the signs of true regeneration.

My aim in life should not be to gratify my own desires, much less to show up my brother’s weaknesses by vaunting my liberty in Christ. My one aim should rather be to glorify God in all I say and do.

All this, of course, has to do only with the conduct of believers in Christ. The unbeliever can do nothing to the glory of God. His very rejection of Christ is a continual offense to God who, in love, gave His Son to die in our place. The only way in which the unbeliever can honor God is to turn from his unbelief and trust Christ as Savior and Lord.

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY
By Pastor Robert Hanna,


Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:19

Any attempt of the finite intellect to comprehend the mystery of the triune Person of God would be pure folly. God is Father, Son and Holy Ghost. All three share the same characteristics: omnipotence,  omnipresence and omniscience. Though the three operate separately at various times, there is always present the aspect of one person in triune concert, with never any cross-purpose or conflicting action. Our apostle's benediction in his second letter to the Corinthians beautifully illustrates the perfect coordination of the divine identities. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14). In promising to send the Holy Spirit after His departure, the Lord said to His disciples, "The Comforter, which is THE HOLY GHOST, whom THE FATHER will send in MY [the son's) name, He shall teach you all things..." (John 14:26).

"For through HIM [Christ) we both (Jew & Gentile) have access by one SPIRIT unto the FATHER" (Ephesians 2:18 ). "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the LORD [the Son), and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; GOD also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the HOLY GHOST, according to His own will?" (Hebrews 2:3, 4).

All three members of the Godhead are identified as the source of life: FATHER (Ephesians 2:5); SON (John 5:21); HOLY GHOST (Romans 8:10), and as indwelling the believer: (2 Corinthians 6:16); (Colossians 1:27); (I Corinthians 6:19).

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WHEN TROUBLE COMES
Part One of Five
BY RICHARD JORDAN




   The first word of Romans 5 is "therefore." It has often been said that "therefore" is always "there for a purpose." This occurrence is no exception, for it opens the door from the past into the wonderful present and glorious future given to us in Christ.

   "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"
   "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:1,2).

   Notice the formula: "being ... we have." It is because of who we are in Christ that we possess wonderful assets. In Christ we have a new identity, a new standing which has provided us a whole sheaf of spiritual blessings: justification, peace with God, access into grace, the hope of the glory of God--to mention just a few. To demonstrate that these blessings are more than theological rhetoric with no impact on the daily details of our lives, Paul goes on to declare:

   "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
   "And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
   "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (vs.3-5).

Because we have been given eternal life we look forward even now to its glories--we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." But this is not simply "pie in the sky by-and-by." No. We have eternal life as a present possession--we do not have to wait until we die to obtain it. It is a present reality in our lives and enables us to ''glory in tribulations also." In other words, the life we have in Christ is also adequate for the "nasty now-and.now."

   In Christ we have been made part of a total victory program. We are "more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37) and are made to always "triumph in Christ" (II Cor. 2:14). This is the reality of our new standing in Christ. Yet too often we look about us and wonder if this victory program has really penetrated our lives; has it reached as far as us?

   We need to understand that the victory program of which members of the Body of Christ are a part is not the Pentecostal program of time past. Our program is not the deliverance program God gave the nation Israel in the past nor is it the program He will have for Israel when Christ comes back to restore His authority over this planet through the kingdom promised to that favored nation.

In that long-awaited kingdom, God will deliver His chosen people from their enemies and establish them in their land. Jerusalem will be "the city of the great King" (Matt. 5:35) and the whole "creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21).

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WHEN TROUBLE COMES
Part Two of Five
BY RICHARD JORDAN


   The deliverance awaiting Israel--and, through her, the world---in her kingdom is not the same ministry and victory that God has for members of the Body of Christ. If we do not rightly divide the Word of truth at this point, we are going to be brought into despair. God's Word is going to become a burden rather than the blessing it is designed to be. It is going to actually become destructive rather than constructive in our lives because we are trying to claim promises and blessings God never made to us. The old adage, "all the promises in the Book are mine," is simply not true. To base our lives on such an unscriptural viewpoint is not only wrong; it is absolutely dangerous. Not one of us--nor all of us together--is, or ever will be, able to force Almighty God to do something He has not promised us He will do. To claim promises made to others is to invite discouragement and disaster into our lives.

   Take a test for yourself: look at Gal. 5:22,23, where Paul lists the "fruit of the Spirit" in the dispensation of grace. The life that comes from the Spirit of God produces fruit in the believer. Paul lists those nine fruit--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Notice that there is no "deliverance" in the list. There is no "I will deliver you from your problems;" no "I will perform a miracle and you will have no more difficulties in your life." There is none of this In fact, there is just the opposite.

   One of the Spirit's fruit is longsuffering--the capacity to endure, to "suffer-long." In the present dispensation God makes no promise to miraculously eliminate our problems. There is no promise that He will manipulate circumstances so things will be easier for us. Rather, His promise is that we will be "strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16) and thus enabled to cope with any extremity of life. Patience and endurance are hallmarks of the Spirit's empowering under grace. Col. 1:11 puts it this way:

   "Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness."

   It is not "strengthened with might unto signs, wonders and mighty deliverances." We could quote verses all day long about the delivering power of God and how He promised to do things for Israel in her program. But what God promises members of the Body of Christ is quite different. Our promises are just as real, just as dynamic, just as victorious--they are just different.

   When we take verses out of the Bible that are not directed to us, that are not about us; when we begin to read someone else's mail and claim someone else's promises, do we not commit spiritual larceny? The better course--the proper course--would simply be to take what God has given to us in Christ and let that be what is real in our lives.

   Now when Paul says we can "glory in tribulation also " it is because we know some things .. "knowing that tribulation worketh patience." Tribulations--the troubles, pressures and difficulties that come our way--are actually productive in our lives. As we have "access by faith into this grace wherein we stand," the problems of life become productive .. rather than destructive--by providing a context for our spiritual growth and maturity in the application of grace to the details of life. Thus these spiritual qualities become active realities in our lives as we face problems by faith in God's provisions for us in Christ.

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WHEN TROUBLE COMES
Part Three of Five
BY RICHARD JORDAN



THE TRUE SOURCE OF TROUBLE



   It is important to understand where tribulations come from and why they find their way into our lives. The problem can be a seeming blessing or an apparent threat. Whatever the difficulty--pain or prosperity, poverty or abundance, whether we "abase or abound."-- we must learn to respond properly. If we are to do so, understanding their true source is essential.

   There are basically three sources from which troubles arise. We need to be clear about these things so as to be in the "know" in this important area of life. First, however, we need to establish a basic truth:

   "THERE HATH NO TEMPTATION TAKEN YOU BUT SUCH AS IS COMMON TO MAN ... " (I Cor. 10:13).

   Think about this. No trouble comes into our lives except that which is "common to man." Thus we know something: there are no "special testings" from God going on in our lives. God has not singled us out for some special trial (or punishment) in order to teach us lessons which we would not learn unless He inflicted those things on us.

   While the idea of "special testing" is often used to make believers feel "special" to God in the midst of trials, the Bible is very clear that this is simply not correct. We are very special to God and that fact has been abundantly demonstrated in tangible terms at Calvary. Reread Rom. 5:8 and see where it is that God demonstrated His great love for us. He points to the cross of Christ--not to our troubles--as proof of His love and care for us.

   When we consider the problems we face, we must remember that God says what is happening in our lives is the common lot of all mankind. What is happening has happened (and no doubt is happening) to countless others.

   One other point: We have all experienced the phenomenon of trouble causing things to look really big in our perception. When we are having a wonderful time, time passes quickly. On the other hand, if we are having problems, time seems to pass ever so slowly. Trouble has the effect of magnifying events and making things seem large--thus making our perception of them go in slow motion.

   This can be an advantage. If we have sound doctrine in our heart, that doctrine gets magnified too! So if we put in our heart an understanding of trouble's source and how we have been equipped to deal with it in a way that builds us up, then that knowledge is also enhanced when trouble comes. Thus what human viewpoint sees as destructive turns into something that becomes productive. Then,

   "... OUR LIGHT AFFLICTION, WHICH IS BUT FOR A MOMENT, WORKETH FOR US A FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY" (II Cor. 4:17).

   With this in mind, lets look briefly at the three sources of trouble in our lives.

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WHEN TROUBLE COMES
Part Four of Five
BY RICHARD JORDAN


A FALLEN CREATION


   Romans 8: 19·22 gives an insight into something that by our own experience "we know" to be accurate:

   "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
   "For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.
   "Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
   "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."

   The history of creation can be set forth in three parts: first, God said it was good. Then, because of the fall of man, He cursed it and it has been groaning ever since. One day it will be glorious, having been delivered from the bondage of corruption by the return of Jesus Christ. We currently live in the groaning stage.

   We know by experience that "the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." And what of the claim made by some that believers are exempt from this common lot of creation? Paul answers in the next verse of Romans 8:

   "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23).

   Far from being exempt from the "pain and travail" of life in a fallen creation, we "which have the frrstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves." And what are we waiting for? A deliverance from pain and suffering when we claim it aright? A healing program available if only we believe enough? No! We have something far better. You see, the healing program for our "vile bodies" is "the adoption" --the "redemption of our body." It is at the Rapture that the healing program for the Body of Christ will be accomplished. It is then that our Savior:

   " ... shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. 3:21).

   At present we live in a fallen creation, a creation cursed by sin. This explains why, as the hymn writer says, "change and decay all about I see." The reason there is decay and death in the world is because there is sin in the world. The world is held in "the bondage of corruption" because of Adam's sin (Rom. 8:20, Gen. 3: 17-19). This is the reason there are calamities and unexplained horrors about us.

   There are many things that are going to happen simply because we live in a world cursed by the corruption of sin. Because of this fact and based on Rom. 8:22,23, we can make a prediction: If the Lord tarries, we are going to get sick, suffer pain and eventually die. Why? Because God does not love us or have our best interest at heart? Far from it. Rather this is the common lot of all creation "until" Christ returns to deliver creation into His Kingdom glory.

   Notice Paul's explanation that this groaning is "until now." The time when "sorrow and sighing shall flee away" and creation will be delivered into "the glorious liberty of the children of God" is the kingdom reign of Christ (e.g., Isa. 35). In order for the present dispensation of grace to be extended, He must postpone that day of deliverance.

   Thus we continue to live in a sin-cursed world, not because God does not love us but because His dispensational purposes are being carried out. Because He continues to extend His grace to a needy world, we are going to have problems and ultimately be overtaken by sickness and death. But that grace has transformed our infirmities in to "light afflictions " which "work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

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WHEN TROUBLE COMES
Part Five of Five
BY RICHARD JORDAN


BAD CHOICES


A second reason we experience problems is the simple fact that we--and others--often make bad choices. Most of us do not think we do--but we too often do! And our choices have consequences.

God is often blamed for evil things that happen to people when the fact is we have this inherent drive to do things our own way. Prov. 14:12 records the repercussions:

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

But why doesn't God stop these calamities brought on by our bad choices? Well, how would we have Him do so? Should he kill everyone .. for "all have sinned"? Should He take away the free will of man .. making us mere automatons?

God allows bad things to happen because He allows free will to be exercised. The only option would be for people to be robots--which, of course, would destroy His purpose of having made us in His likeness and image. There are all kinds of hardships brought about by the exercise of free will. The fact is we too often make bad choices!

Gal. 6:7-8 makes our responsibility for our choices quite clear:

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

My friend, no one is going to mock God. "Fools make a mock at sin," the Book says (Prov. 14:9). To think we can live in sin, pleasing ourself and ignoring what God's Word says, and have no consequences to face is to play the fool indeed. Sin will get you every time. The law of the harvest is always the same: We reap what we sow. The Word of God declares, "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:23) for "they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same" (Job 4:8 ).

"He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption." And this is written to believers .. not lost folk. The plain fact of life is that if we sow to the self· life, our lives are going to fall apart, disintegrating about us in tragedies and hardships.

If we face what really happened, we will be forced to admit that there are many problems in our lives caused by bad choices--sinful, uninformed, bad decisions. Whether made by us or others, there they are, and by God's grace we can face them honestly, set matters aright and proceed on with a "walk in wisdom."