GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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Help In Time Of Need
by Pastor C. R. Stam


Our Chicago papers, recently, carried two interesting front page items; one about Timothy Nolan, a Chicago policeman who pleaded in vain for help while he battled two toughs. Sixty people stood about, watching him fight for his life, but not one of them helped him or even bothered to call another policeman. They just stood and watched.

The other item was about a twelve-year-old girl, named Susan Benedict,who had come from Clinton, Wisconsin, to visit Chicago. As Susan sat in the Greyhound Bus Station at Clark and Randolph, a thief grabbed her purse and ran. Perhaps it was because she was a sweet, defenseless twelve-year-old, but in any case, about a dozen people who witnessed the incident, followed the thief until one got a policeman, who caught the thief and returned the purse to the little girl.

It is a very frightening thing not to be able to find help when it is desperately needed — and just as wonderful to have help when it is needed.

Thank God, He is always ready to help us in our deepest need — the salvation of our souls. Are you afraid that your many sins have placed you in a position beyond help — that you have sinned too greatly for God to forgive you? Then listen to Eph. 1:7, where the Apostle Paul says, by divine inspiration:


“We have redemption through [Christ's] blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE.”


Rom. 5:20,21 will give further encouragement along this line:

“…WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND, THAT AS SIN HATH REIGNED UNTO DEATH, EVEN SO MIGHT GRACE REIGN,through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Paul knew this by experience, for he was the leader of the world’s rebellion against Christ, but he was saved in one moment by the grace of God. This is why he says:

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15).

If God saved the “chief of sinners,” He is surely willing to save you, “for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

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COUNTER-BALANCED
By Miles Stanford

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19).

Personal knowledge of and fellowship with our risen Lord Jesus is counter-balanced by personal knowledge of and fellowship in the death of the Cross. The principle of balance prevents our slipping past the Cross and pushing into His presence.

"Where do you dwell? 'Come and see. They came ... and abode with Him' (John 1:39). The highest satisfaction He can have is that we should be at home with Himself. He has removed the distance from His own side.

"If you believe that, you say, I will approach Him. That is one thing. The next thing is, His love is so great He delights to have your company. It is not that you will feel yourself out of place there--- you will be there in all the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ."

"Our Father delights in having us with Himself. Love yearns to satisfy itself about me. It is not only that I can go in, but a much greater thing--- my Father, in all His majesty and glory, can come out! All is equipoised. Not only have I entree, but I am shaped to the grandeur of the scene, conformed to the glory of God. Not admitted like a stranger, but changed into the same image; not to equality but similarity; transformed into moral correspondence."
-J.B.S.

"If we are not with Him where He is, we cannot be for Him where He is not. We must be inside the veil to be outside the camp."

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22).

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Our Grace Commission
Part 1 of 2
By Gregg Bing


One of the reasons many assume that Mark 16 is our "Great Commission" today is because they believe these were Jesus' last words. While these may have been some of the last words Jesus spoke while here on earth, they were not the last words He ever spoke to men. Jesus' ministry was not limited to the time He spent here on earth.

With Israel's rejection of the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the twelve apostles during the Acts period, the Lord Jesus spoke again, this time from heaven, this time to Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-16). Saul, who became known as Paul, was called to be "an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God" (Eph. 1:1), but his commission was distinct from that of the Twelve. Paul was chosen to be the apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13) and entrusted with a different gospel, "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). Though Paul often referred to it as "my gospel" (2 Tim. 2:8.), it consisted of "the words of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Tim. 6:3) for he received it by direct revelation from Him (Gal. 1:12).

Christ also revealed to Paul a new plan and purpose of God for this present age, the dispensation of the grace of God (Eph. 3:2). This truth was a mystery kept secret from men of other ages until made known to Paul. Today, God is no longer dealing with a nation (Israel) but with individuals without distinction as to nationality, race, religion, or social status. All men who put their trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are added to a new body of believers, the Church, the Body of Christ. As members of the Church, we have a new commission from God, distinct from the commission Jesus gave to the Twelve.

Our commission as believers in the dispensation of grace is found in the writings of the apostle Paul whom God established as the steward of this present age. As we examine the letters he wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we find that our commission consists of two different ministries, ministries that are brought into focus by the fact that God, according to 1 Timothy 2:4, desires two things for all men: (1) that they be saved and (2) that they come to the knowledge of the truth. Our commission is to reach out to "all men" in the area of these two needs. The first part of our commission is to

Preach the Gospel

Grace believers (those who recognize the distinct ministry of Paul for this present age) are often accused of focusing too much on doctrine (teaching) and not enough on evangelism (preaching the gospel). Some of these detractors seem to think that "preaching Jesus Christ" should be our only concern. What they don't seem to realize is that doctrine and evangelism cannot be separated. Doctrine is, in fact, vital, especially in the area of evangelism. It answers critical questions such as: "What are we to preach about Jesus Christ?" and "What is required for a person to be saved?"

The twelve apostles preached Jesus Christ, but in accordance with the gospel of the kingdom. He was proclaimed as the Son of God, but the emphasis was on the fact that He was Israel's Messiah (Christ), the One anointed by God to be their King. If you carefully examine Peter's preaching in Acts, chapters 2 and 3, you find that he never mentions that "Christ died for our sins." When the Jews asked Peter what they must do, he responded:

"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38.)

In Acts 3:19-21, Peter further proclaimed the good news that if Israel, as a nation, would repent, then "times of refreshing" would come from "the presence of the Lord," and He would "send Jesus Christ" back to earth to establish His kingdom and bring about the "restoration of all things" spoken by God's holy prophets.

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Our Grace Commission
Part 2 of 2
By Gregg Bing



This is not the gospel we are to preach today! This is not the message by which a person can be saved today. During this present age of grace, we are to preach Jesus Christ, but in accordance with the revelation of the mystery, the truth entrusted to us through the Apostle Paul (Rom. 16:25).

What are we to preach or proclaim about Jesus Christ? What do people need to hear and believe about Him in order to be saved? Paul describes our gospel commission in 2 Corinthians 5, verses 14-21, a passage which focuses on reconciliation. The basic meaning of "reconciliation" is the idea of change or exchange. The word was used to describe the business of money changers who exchanged coins for others of equivalent value. Reconciliation also speaks of the adjustment of a difference. Reconciliation is the means by which sinful men are brought into a relationship with a holy God. For this to occur, a change has to take place. God does not need to change, but we do. In order to be reconciled to God, we must be made new creations in Christ (vs. 17). In this passage, Paul addresses three aspects of reconciliation.

The Work of Reconciliation The work of reconciliation is accomplished by God Himself, "who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ." Paul declares that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them." The essence of this work is seen in verse 21:

"For He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Here we find what some call "the great exchange." Christ took our sins upon Himself, paying the penalty for us, so that we might have His righteousness imparted to us. This makes it possible for us to have peace with God (Rom. 5:1).

What does it mean that Christ reconciled "the world" to Himself? It does not imply universal reconciliation—that everyone will eventually be saved. It simply means that Christ has paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). While everyone's sins have been judged at Calvary, not everyone will be saved. This is evident when Paul speaks of the need to implore people "to be reconciled to God." The reconciliation Christ accomplished for us on the cross is a gift of God's grace, a gift that each person must receive (Rom. 5:11) by faith (Eph. 2:8-9). As servants of the Lord, we are commissioned to have a part in the process of reconciliation, for God has given us:

The Ministry of Reconciliation "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God." (2 Cor. 5:20)

Our commission is to be ambassadors for Christ, His representatives here on this earth. As the Body of Christ, we are the instruments God uses to reach out to all men with the gospel of Jesus Christ. God uses us to plead with lost sinners and implore them, on Christ's behalf, to be reconciled to God by faith.

The love of Christ compels us to fulfill this commission (vs. 14)—love for the Lord who has given us such a wonderful salvation and love for those outside of Christ, knowing that God loves them (1 John 4:7-11).

The key to fulfilling this ministry is the message God has entrusted to us:

The Word of Reconciliation we are to implore people to receive, by faith, the reconciliation Christ provided. For this to happen, they must hear the Word of God, since "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). But, what part of the Word should we preach? What is the gospel we are to proclaim today? We are to preach the gospel entrusted to Paul, God's steward for this present dispensation. Paul declares what this gospel is quite clearly in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4,

"For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

This gospel that Paul preached is the same gospel we are to proclaim today—that Christ died as a substitute for our sins, was buried, and rose again that we might have eternal life. This is the gospel that people must believe to be saved from their sins. It is the only gospel by which a person can stand before God "holy, blameless, and above reproach" (Col. 1:22).

What a great commission has been entrusted to us today! May we be faithful to carry out this charge that precious souls may be brought to Christ.

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TWO APPEARINGS
By Pastor Bob Hanna


A common misunderstanding of Scriptural revelation is the difference between the catching away of the church (the Body of Christ) and the coming of Jesus Christ to establish His promised millennial kingdom according to Israel's prophetic program.

The Dispensation of the grace of God is the present era in which we live today. This is the age of the church the body of Christ which was formed under the ministry of the apostle Paul "according to the revelation of the mystery." This dispensation interrupted the prophetic program of the nation of Israel and will end when God has completed His plan and purpose prior to Israel's restoration. Paul, addressing Gentile believers, writes, "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25). The event that will bring about this occurrence ("the fulness of the Gentiles") we call "the rapture."

The other happening under consideration is the second advent--- the return to earth of Jesus Christ to reign as Israel's king. Contrasts between these two appearings are clear. The rapture is thus described by Paul: "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 in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16,17).

By contrast the second advent brings Christ physically to earth. "His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east and the mount of olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west" (Zechariah 14:4): When the Lord ascended to heaven, the apostles were watching. Two angels appeared to them and explained, "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Those who are saved in this present dispensation of the Grace of God are assured by our apostle, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:4). Blessed assurance!

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QUIETNESS AND CONFIDENCE
By Miles Stanford

"In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength" (Isa. 30:15).

Time is a prime factor in one's assurance of the Father's leading. Rush and agitation are the prime factors in the Enemy's leading. God will give us time to watch and make sure; Satan demands action, right now!

"There is a way to distinguish between the Father's leading and Satan's 'angel of light' leadings. The Father's promptings never nag, or worry, or harass. Satan's do just that. If one has a seeming 'leading' to do something that in itself is good, yet with the impulse there is a sense of nagging disquiet, and being driven in a certain direction, that is the Enemy's trademark; and his false leading is to be immediately recognized and rejected. The Holy Spirit's leadings come with a sense of peace and quiet, even if they point in a really difficult direction which only the grace of the Father can enable one to follow." -C.G.T.

"Be careful who takes you up into the high mountain! When the devil takes you into the heights, he always shows you the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them; when the Lord Jesus takes you up, He is always transformed before you."

"It is because our life is hid with Christ in God that it is beyond the reach of Satan. The Enemy cannot touch our life in its source, for the Father is its Source and he cannot touch Him. He cannot touch our life in its channel, for the risen Lord Jesus is its channel, and he cannot touch Him. He cannot touch our life in its power, for the Holy Spirit is its power, and he cannot touch the Spirit. He cannot touch our life in its duration, for eternity is its duration, and he cannot touch eternity. The child of God is eternally safe." -J.E.C.


"The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever" (Isa. 32:17).

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FREE FROM THE LAW
Living Under Grace
Part 1 of 4
By Richard Jordan



Much of Christianity could be included in Paul's description of the believers at Galatia when he writes:

"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?" (Gal. 3:1).

The Galatians had begun with a clear understanding of the issues of grace--of all that Christ had done for them at Calvary and the position God had given them in Christ. But they had become foolish--they allowed their thinking to wander from their completeness in Christ and thus had been bewitched into thinking their adherence to a set of external rules would enable them to please God. Thus Paul seeks to reason with them:

"This only would I learn of you, RECEIVED YE THE SPIRIT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, OR BY THE HEARING OF FAITH?

"Are ye so foolish? HAVING BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT, ARE YE NOW MADE PERFECT BY THE FLESH?" (vs. 2,3).

Is the entrance into salvation by faith but the fullness of the Christian life by the works of the law? Hardly! It is vital to realize that grace is not only the way of salvation but it is also the key to the sustaining and successful Christian life. The alternative is for our lives to be "vain"---empty, fruitless and barren:

"Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain" (v 4).

One of the major roadblocks on the road to spiritual growth is the unrealistic notion that the Christian life consists simply of mastering certain "principles," that if we successfully follow a list of steps and standards we will achieve spirituality.

Many honest souls cannot believe that obedience to God can be secured in any other way than by the law-principle---by adherence to a set of external rules by which to obey and seek to please God.

The truth is, however, that no believer will be effective who sees his life as slavish servitude to a list of rules and regulations. Rather, we will be motivated to godly living and faithful service when we see ourselves not as serving the law but responding to grace.

Rom. 6:14 is an important verse here. Although it is familiar and often quoted, it is amazing how little genuine understanding exists as to its real meaning:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."

The first "for" states the fact that sin's lordship over us is ended. The second reveals the basis on which this release is realized in our lives: We are not under the law---not under a performance system that first demands duty and then offers blessing. Rather we are under grace---which freely bestows the blessing first, knowing that the blessing will cause fruit to follow naturally.

It is important to understand that grace frees us from both sin and the law.

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FREE FROM THE LAW
Living Under Grace
Part 2 of 4
By Richard Jordan


Gal. 4:1,2 demonstrates the twofold use of the law:

"Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

"But IS UNDER TUTORS AND GOVERNORS until the time appointed of the father."

A "tutor" is one who teaches, while a "governor" is one who controls, restricts and restrains. These are the two basic functions of the law: to stop or control sin and/or to teach how to bring forth fruit that would be acceptable to the justice of God.

To thus use the law, however, only demonstrates our own inadequacy, for the problem with the law is really the problem with us---it points out our inability. As Rom. 8:3 reminds us:

" .. WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO, IN THAT IT WAS WEAK THROUGH THE FLESH... "

The only answer to the condemnation of the law is to deal with sin by some other means.

The law can never stop sin in our lives simply because sin is there. Rather the law makes sin active and alive for "by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). Thus Rom. 7 tells us:

"For when we were in the flesh, THE MOTIONS OF SINS, WHICH WERE BY THE LAW, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death."

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I HAD NOT KNOWN SIN, BUT BY THE LAW: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

"But SIN, TAKING OCCASION BY THE COMMANDMENT, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. FOR WITHOUT THE LAW SIN WAS DEAD.

"For I WAS ALIVE WITHOUT THE LAW ONCE: BUT WHEN THE COMMANDMENT CAME,SIN REVIVED, AND I DIED.

"And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

"For SIN, TAKING OCCASION BY THE COMMANDMENT, DECEIVED ME, AND BY IT SLEW ME."

"For we know that THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL: BUT I, AM CARNAL, SOLD UNDER SIN" (Rom.7:5,7-11,14).

It is our identification with Christ at Calvary that frees us from sin. In Rom. 6 our freedom from sin is based squarely on the fact that we have been crucified with Christ:

"Knowing this, that OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM [CHRIST], THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DESTROYED, THAT HENCEFORTH WE SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN.

"FOR HE THAT IS DEAD IS FREED FROM SIN" (vs.6,7).

In Rom. 7 we learn that this same identification with Christ at Calvary has also made us free from the law:

"Wherefore, my brethren, YE ALSO ARE BECOME DEAD TO THE LAW by the body of Christ. .. "

"BUT NOW WE ARE DELIVERED FROM THE LAW, THAT BEING DEAD WHEREIN WE WERE HELD; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter" (vs. 4,6).

To be "free from the law" means that Christ has delivered us from trying to "be good" in order to be accepted by God. No longer is it necessary to be under external enactments, under conditions of performance and duty. "In Christ" we already have an eternal standing in grace---have already secured Divine favor, by a sovereign act of God which has not only reckoned to us Christ's redeeming work but has  placed us fully in His present acceptance with God!

This deliverance from the law gives us liberty from sin's dominion in the details of our lives. The relationship between sin and the law is explained in I Cor. 15:56,

" ... THE STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW."

Our problem all along has been sin---and the law points out sin on its every occurrence, thus condemning us. Having been made free from sin through the cross-work of Christ, however, the law has lost its job, as it were. Thus the cross also makes us free from the law:

"BLOTTING OUT THE HANDWRITING OF ORDINANCES THAT WAS AGAINST US, WHICH WAS CONTRARY TO US, AND TOOK IT OUT OF THE WAY, NAILING IT TO HIS CROSS" (Col. 2:14).

Since the cross has so effectively dealt with sin, should we then use the law for its other purpose---to motivate us to live in a godly manner? Let's see.

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FREE FROM THE LAW
Living Under Grace
Part 3 of 4
By Richard Jordan



LIVING UNDER GRACE



Paul declares that it is grace that teaches and motivates the believer today to "maintain good works."

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, "TEACHING US THAT, DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS, WE SHOULD LIVE SOBERLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY, in this present world" (Tit.2:11,12).

Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness---to stop sin in our lives---and to live soberly, righteously and godly---to bring forth fruit that will please God.

Paul says, "By the grace of God I am what I am" (I Cor. 15:10), and we need to discover in our lives what this means. It is grace that produces results, whereas law-keeping makes only for frustration. The gospel of the grace of God liberates us into a life of service for Christ and if it were truly understood it would electrify present-day Christianity. The problem of our present time is that the Church preaches a message that is little more than warmed-over Judaism rather than the liberty that comes from faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Let's understand this clearly: The Christian life is not earning credits and blessings from the Lord. Instead it is the grateful response to what He has already done for us in that He has given us everything in Christ. Rom. 8:32 sets forth our confidence:

"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?"

The little word "for" in the middle of Rom. 6:14 is intriguing. We believe both parts of the verse---but why this "for"? The answer is the key to the Christian life: for the believer, being under grace brings  about what all his legal efforts could never attain. Thus it is all important to discern what it means to be "under grace."

The answer is repeated over and over in Paul's epistles: it is discovering that we have everything in Christ, believing it and resting in it.

We must never believe that these truths are merely abstract doctrines that have no relevance to our lives. The motivation for the marvelous ministry committed to our trust grows out of the great joy that comes when the truths of grace grip the heart. A clear understanding of and confidence in the grace of God is the only way to success.

GRACE WORKS

Grace is not against good works! It simply does not bless on the basis of good works. We receive blessing from God based solely on the merits of His Son---blessings freely given to us in Christ and nowhere else. The completeness that is in Christ means deliverance from trying to "be good" and "do right" in order to be accepted by God.

Never think for a moment, however, that good works are not important to grace. We must learn that grace is God's way both in salvation and the Christian life. It is the modus operandi for the Christian life. The good works the law demanded, grace produces.

The law demands good works and uses its terror---rejection, shame, fear of punishment, unanswered prayer, personal tragedy, etc.---as motivation. Here performance is a necessity to secure the blessings and avoid the curses.

Grace, on the other hand, allows us to serve on a different basis---not from fear but on the basis of love and gratitude, from appreciation and gladness for blessings freely given and freely received.

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FREE FROM THE LAW
Living Under Grace
Part 4 of 4
By Richard Jordan



This is the fundamental difference between the way law and grace produce results: the reason for doing the good works under law is different from the reason for doing them under grace. Two familiar passages well illustrate this:

Consider first, Matt. 6:14,15.

"For IF YE FORGIVE men their trespasses, YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE YOU:

"But IF YE FORGIVE NOT men their trespasses, NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES."

The motivation to perform the good work of forgiving others is quite clear: If a person forgives others, then they will also be forgiven. If not---then there is no forgiveness for them. This is the law principle and its motivation.

Now contrast this with Eph. 4:31-32:

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and damour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

"And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, EVEN AS GOD FOR CHRIST'S SAKE HATH FORGIVEN YOU."

This is the program of grace---we do the same good work but for a different reason. Rather than being against good works, grace motivates and produces good works---but it produces them for a different reason than the law does.

Under grace we serve simply as the natural response of who we are in Christ. Are we to forgive one another because they perform up to our expectations---because they confess their wrong or make restitution? No. We forgive because by faith we are free to live consistently with who we are in Christ, simply out of gratitude.

As we rejoice in an understanding of how God values and esteems us in Christ, that understanding will motivate us to serve one another. Gal. 5:13,14 instructs us:

"For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not Liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but BY LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER.

"FOR ALL THE LAW IS FULFILLED IN ONE WORD, EVEN IN THIS; THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF"

Thus as we live "under grace" we are able to produce the very good works that the law demanded ---but which we were not able to accomplish under that system (Gal. 3:10).

A knowledge of the love of God so clearly demonstrated for us in Christ is His powerful motivation to encourage us to godly living and faithful service. It is the love of Christ which constrains us---not our love for Him, but His love for us. This is the motive of gratitude and appreciation. Our lives are lived simply as a "thank you" in response to God's unspeakable gift.

Sometime ago the writer witnessed an illustration of the power of love to motivate which all can understand: On the TV screen was a burning house. A young mother was in the front yard while her two small children were on the second floor, which was consumed with fire and smoke. Two big firemen were trying to restrain the little mother as she struggled to break free from them.

Finally, in a burst of energy, she escaped their grip and ran into the flaming house to her death. While newsmen asked the TV camera, "Why did she do such a thing?" everyone viewing knew the answer.

Was it some city ordinance requiring parents to care for their children that sent that mother into the flames? Hardly! Rather it was a motivation that simply would not be denied---a mother's love. There is no other motivation like it---except the love of Christ. Thus Paul declares that "the love of Christ constraineth us" (II Cor. 5:14).

Knowledge of God's love for us in Christ is His powerful motivation to encourage us to present our bodies as living sacrifices. To view Rom. 12:1,2 as a command is utterly wrong. It is to make a law of grace. Paul beseeches by the "the mercies of God, " which will bring about a submissive heart. Vows cannot obtain this. Even if they could, the sacrifice would not be acceptable to God, for "though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. "

How can this powerful motivation of love be produced in our lives? Paul has told us, "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5). The Holy Spirit and the Word of God always go together. It is as we look into the Word of God and learn the details of all that has been accomplished in Christ that we can rest by faith in God's amazing grace. It is our faith resting in the facts of Calvary that allows the Holy Spirit to empower those truths to transform our lives----thus the word of God "works effectually in you that believe. "

The Church will realize the greatness of its potential when it discovers not new methods but the message it professes to believe. It is grace that sets us free from the frustration of the performance system of the law.

We are made capable in our service for Christ in our own right when we see ourselves as children of God, set free from the bondage of the law and brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God---this by understanding His grace.

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A Day of Small Things
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


      When Zerubbabel laid the foundation of the second temple after the Babylonian Captivity, many of his countrymen viewed the effort with contempt, believing it would never amount to anything. The prophet Zechariah responded to these critics in the following manner: “For who hath despised the day of small things?” (Zech. 4:8-10). Zechariah reminded the people that even though the work seemed, in their eyes, to be insignificant, they were not to despise it because the hand of the Lord was with Zerubbabel.

When Gideon amassed a large army to do battle with the Midianites, who were said to be like grasshoppers upon the land, the Lord whittled the number of Gideon’s forces down to a mere three hundred. Throughout the Scriptures there is a recurring theme that God is far more interested in quality than He is in quantity. The smaller the number, the greater the glory and honor and adoration He receives, which is clearly demonstrated in the story of Gideon’s three hundred.

As we move down the corridor of time, although it may appear that the Grace Movement is small and insignificant in the eyes of our denominational critics, they should take great care not to despise the day of small things. It is true that we are small by comparison to the mega-churches of our day that often consider us second class citizens of heaven. However, just the opposite is true if we apply the above principle from time past. For those who never took the Grace Message seriously, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Lord may well acknowledge all those who willingly stood for Paul’s apostleship and message to the praise of His glory.

So we must never become disheartened that we are small in number, for God has honored us with an understanding of the Word, rightly divided. But this does not mean that we should think too highly of ourselves, seeing that we have a God-given responsibility to make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mystery. And it is essential that we carry out this charge by speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

While we rejoice that Christ is preached in denominational circles, for the most part, they have turned aside from the truth of the Grace Message. With this in mind, may I call upon you to unite together with us in prayer that there might be one last great awakening of our denominational brethren to Paul’s gospel before we are called into glory? Remember, God is able“to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

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FREE-BORN
By Miles Stanford


"For I through the law died unto the law, that I might live unto God" (Gal. 2:19, ASV).

No true believer expects the Law to give life, yet many expect it to govern life. Too few realize that their death on the Cross separated them from the entire principle of law, and that their resurrection united them to the Lord Jesus, "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

"All of the Lord's commands to me are according to the new nature I already have. He is my life, and all His words are the expression of that life. Therefore when His words are given to me, they only give me the authority to do what my new nature likes to do. 'A new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you" (1 John 2:8.). -J.N.D.

"Does our Father mock us by bidding us do what He knows we are unable to do? No! He gives commands we cannot perform in our strength, that we may know what we ought to request from Him."

"Legalism is an effort to shape oneself to given laws or rules. Seeking to urge oneself into conformity to law, the old man is before the eye, and satisfaction is felt according as there is conformity to a given standard.

"The moment legality is sanctioned, it must be with reference to that which needs to be made subject. This is not Christian, because as believers we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, against which there is no law."

"Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1).

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"IMPUTED" AND "IMPUTED FOR"
By  Pastor Ivan Burgener


In Abraham's case, "his faith was counted for righteousness" by God (Rom. 4:5). The word for "count" is used throughout the Bible. Its principle is universal and its usage is both ancient and modern.

The Greek word for "counted" is logizomai. It appears 41 times in the NT. Of these, 35 are from the pen of Paul and 19 are in Romans, 11 of which are found in chapter 4! Yet this word is almost impossible to trace in our English Bible because twelve different English words are used in the KJV translation. Of these twelve our chapter uses three; reckon, impute, and count.

To understand this point, these uses must be put into two groups: "imputing" is charging or putting something upon one's account. Wages are reckoned in 4:4, righteousness in 4:6, 11, 23, 24, and sin in 4:8, and these are all actualities.

Whereas when something is "Imputed for," it is imputed for something which it is not. Faith is not righteousness, but it is reckoned for it by God!

A modern illustration with paper money will serve to explain this difference. Thinking back to days of gold coinage, we realize that the worth of a gold coin is intrinsic, that is, worth is not "Imputed for" gold because gold has the worth in itself. But paper money is another matter, for it is worth nothing more than waste paper unless worth has been imputed for it. A fire will quickly prove that it gives no more heat when burned nor is its ash of any greater value. But If worth "is imputed for that paper, then, and only then might its purchasing power equal that of gold. Yet it would be a mistake to say that a paper note was actually of the same value as gold!

Worth "imputed for" paper money depends solely upon the resources of the backing government. History records the worthlessness of paper money upon the collapse of governments.

So with faith! Faith is not righteousness, but faith is reckoned for (imputed for) righteousness. Righteousness is only in the Lord. True merit is found in "the faith of Christ," and because of His faith (fidelity) my faith may be reckoned by God for righteousness. If Christ's faith and righteousness did not exist, my faith would have no value. There, in the Bank of Heaven, is the gold of perfect righteousness, wrought by Another on our behalf, which alone makes our faith of any value.

"What does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to one who works the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to one who does not work, but believes on Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness..." (Romans 4:3-5)

"And therefore it was Imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4:22-25)

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THE DAY OF THE LORD
Richard Mazek,



1 THESSALONIANS 5:2,3
"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail up a woman with child; and they shall not escape."

There are four key days that are proclaimed in the Word of God .  These days do not refer to literal twenty- four days, but rather to varying periods of time. Let us take a look at these four days in their proper order.

First of all, THE DAY OF MAN (1 Cor. 4:3)-- This Day began (we believe) with the fall of man ~ continues to be in effect even to the present day. It is marked by the government of man as it progressively becomes more ripe for judgment. This Day will culminate with ....

THE DAY OF CHRIST (1 Cor. 15:51, 52)-- This Day refers to the Rapture or home-coming of the Body of Christ. The judgment Seat of Christ is also included in this Day. The transpiring of this Day will usher in....

THE DAY OF THE LORD (1 THESS. 5:2,3)-- This Day speaks to us of God's Judgment and Justice being dispensed, first upon Israel, and then upon the Gentiles. This day begins immediately after the Rapture and continues on through the seventieth week of Daniel (the Tribulation). During this time we find Jehovah-God dealing basically with Israel (Jacob's Trouble) under Judgment until the Revelation (Second Coming) of her Messiah.

THE DAY OF THE LORD does not end here but rather continues on through the Millennium (2 Peter 3:10) as God deals with mankind as a whole, under the rod of justice and judgment. With this in mind it would seem that the Day of the Lord would also include the "Great White Throne Judgment. "

Finally we come to THE DAY OF GOD (2 Peter 3:12,13) -- This Blessed Day coincides with the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times (Eph 1:10) and has to do with the New Heavens and the New Earth, or the eternal state.

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SUBDUED, SERVANT
By M. Stanford

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4).


The true servant is finally subdued, but not stultified; prepared but not deprived of individuality. All that is rendered inoperative is the old man - and thank God for that!

"When we are finally prepared, our Lord says: 'When I died, you died. When I went to the Cross I not only took your sins, but I took you. I not only took you as a sinner, but I took you as being all that you are by nature; your good as well as your bad; your abilities as well as your disabilities; yes, every resource of yours. I took you as a worker, a preacher, and organizer. My Cross means that not even for Me can you be or do anything out from yourself; but if there is to be anything at all it must be out from Me, and that means a life of absolute dependence and faith.' " -T. A-S.

"How little does one know of the antagonism of our nature to the will of the Father, who thinks that service can be undertaken without that self-renunciation which can only be learned by experiential knowledge of the superiority of His ways and counsels! We never surrender what we value until we find a better, and man is so full of himself and his own will that until he finds out the sovereignty of his Father's will he can be neither an obedient nor a suitable servant.

"And this is usually learned through varied and painful processes. The disciplined servant always finds a way to do his work however difficult it may appear. The greater the difficulties the greater must be the evidence that our resources are of a different order and character from those arrayed against us, and this will be found true in very small matters as well as in great ones."

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).