GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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The Ministry of the Church - Part 1 of 2
By Charles W. Wages

There is more confusion concerning the mission and message of the local assembly today than ever in history. Such Satanic issues as social and financial support for extremist groups occupies the concern of many large religious bodies. Others are expounding political views of the far right or left or philosophizing as to man's origin and destiny. All of these keep God's people from really fulfilling the eternal purpose of our Lord.

Among "enlightened" believers there must be a distinction between the church which is Christ's Body and the churches or local gathering places of the saints. It should be noted that the apostle Paul addressed his epistles to the saints of the various areas of the then known world. He taught the truth concerning the Body of Christ, but never addressed a message in this manner.

In 2 Corinthians 11:28, Paul is led of the Lord to state, among his many tribulations, this, "Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches." It must be emphasized that God will take care of His church. We can't run God's business in heaven from the earth, but He surely can control heaven and earth as He desires. In God's great plan, He does instruct His children in their worship here on earth. Believers are given ample instruction in carrying on God's work in the local assembly.

Redeemed people should distinguish between preaching and teaching. Granted, there is much overlapping of these two important functions, yet they serve the cause of Christ in different ways to fulfill God's purpose. Many people think the manner in which a message is delivered distinguishes between preaching and teaching. It is not the manner, but the matter that is important. Preaching is simply announcing a joyful message. It has to do primarily with evangelizing or proclaiming the gospel to the lost. In 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, we have a clear exposition and explanation of the purpose of preaching, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." The message is Christ, and Him crucified.

Teaching tends toward perfection or maturity. It seeks an end or ultimate for the individual believer. In Colossians 1:28, we are shown that Christ is preached ("whom we preach"), and then that "every man" is taught in wisdom, and "every man" presented perfect in Christ Jesus. The latter part of the verse is the purpose of teaching. 2 Timothy 2:15 and 3:16 are familiar but important verses in regard to teaching.

Really interested believers will make an honest effort to distinguish between order and organization. It is often said that the Body of Christ is an organism and not an organization. This is true, but it must also be remembered that an organism has organization. Take for example, the human body. It is truly an organism, yet it has structure and function. In 1 Corinthians 12, God compares the human body to the Body of Christ. Religious bodies that pay too much attention to their organization are like people who pay too much attention to their physical bodies. They become selfish, and neglect the real purpose of life—to honor and love the Lord and not self. We are instructed "to let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40).

Those who are saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ have such a wonderful opportunity today to serve the risen Saviour and Head. God has given us the means; He has given us the message. Let us pray for a real mind to follow His will in this dispensation of the Grace of God.

It has been stated that there is more confusion and lack of understanding about the ministry of the local assembly today than ever in history. Many "churches" are becoming entertainment centers as they copy the world. While others are trying to fight the world system in the flesh. We all need to constantly evaluate the work God has charged us with in the light of His Word.

The Ministry and Message of the Church Must be Positive

In 2 Corinthians 1:17-20, the apostle informs us that he did not desire to purpose "according to the flesh," that with him there should be "yea, yea, and nay nay." Contrariwise, he said, "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." Anytime Christ is preached it is a positive message. Anytime Christ is preached in a positive manner, it will be a personal message. The ministry of the church must be involved in telling individuals about (1) God's love, (2) God's forgiveness, and (3) God's future. It must be understood and believed that all people have needs. The familiar story of one shoe salesman who went to Africa and reported back that the people didn't need shoes because they all went barefooted while another salesman went and announced that "everyone needs shoes" because the people were barefooted, vividly points up that we all should see the need in a positive and personal way.

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The Ministry of the Church - Part 2 of 2
By Charles W. Wages

The Ministry of the Church Must be Purposeful

In 1 Timothy 2:3-4, it is stated, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." This double purpose is at once evident. We must fit our ministry into this holy purpose. We must preach the Word that lost souls will be saved, and teach the Word that all may "grow in grace and knowledge" of our Lord and Head, Jesus Christ.

The Ministry of the Church Must be Practical

Ephesians 2:10 states, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." To become and remain strong and vigorous, we must all work in some capacity for the Lord. Physical work was given to man for a reason. Surely we can see that spiritual work was also intended of God. The local assembly should be a place where people have an opportunity to give and serve. It is said that Socrates would hold his students heads underwater when he wanted to teach about living and breathing. The only way God's people will learn about working for the Lord is by actually giving and serving. The book of Titus, chapter three, teaches us that we are "to be ready for every good work" (verse one), "to maintain good works" (verse eight), and "to learn to maintain good works for necessary uses" (verse 14).

The church should offer the opportunity for redeemed people to serve the Lord. Everyone should know "that the fields are white unto harvest," therefore let us pray and provide that the laborers will not be too few.

The Prime Purpose of the Church Must be for Worship

The first five verses of Psalm 105 are very appropriate to read and study in regard to worship. They teach us that worship should be active and not passive. Too many people are just spectators in the service and often times not very interested spectators. Someone has succinctly said, "Many are on the salvation train, but too many are in the sleeping car." At least nine things could be enumerated from Psalm 105:1-6 that speak of an active worship: (1) give thanks, (2) call upon His name, (3) make known His deeds, (4) sing unto Him, (5) talk of His works, (6) glory in His name, (7) let the heart rejoice, (8.) seek the Lord, and (9) remember His works.

Out of the above thoughts, we can gather the fact that the mind should be involved in worship. We are constantly told, in God's Word, to remember. We are instructed to remember His words ("judgments of His mouth," verse 5). When we hear the Word preached, we should have active minds thinking of the meaning and how it can be applied in our lives. Don't let the preacher do all your thinking.

It should be acknowledged that the heart be active in worship. Words brought out in Psalm 105, such as sing, rejoice, glory, and give thanks, all speak of an emotional response. We should be moved by the Word, especially when it speaks of God's great love for us through Jesus Christ. The Word can bring conviction and it can bring comfort. The Word can stir us and it can quieten us. We should never be afraid of the emotional responses that worship brings to us.

It must be realized that the will is involved in worship. The word "seek" implies that we need to search for right decisions. Sometimes decisions in God's work and worship are optional. God wants us to seek and search what is best. The closer we get to the Lord and His Word, the more likely we are to make the right or best decision. Man is a responsible creation of God. He is responsible first to God, then to other persons, and then to himself.

The ministry of the church in the above matters is of greatest importance. The local assembly must be tuned and turned to God and His will. The church must honor our Lord in everything (Colossians 3:17) and fulfill its mission to the people it serves.

It must constantly be kept in mind that the ministry and message of every assembly should be to "people" about the Person of Jesus Christ.

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour: Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." (1 Tim. 2:3-6)

When we see that God desires "all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth," how can anyone of us do less than present the glorious gospel of God's grace to the unsaved and His Word "rightly divided" to the saved. We must plant and water the seed, but God will give the increase.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:8-10)

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GROW TO SHARE
By Miles Stanford

"For they disciplined us only a short time, as it seemed proper to them; but He does it for our good, in order that we may share His holy character" (Heb. 12:10, Wms.).

It is only natural to feel that our need requires immediate victory, but the truth is that we cannot come to maturity apart from the Holy Spirit's processing and development of our life, day by day. A quick and easy victory would cripple our usefulness in these two ways: we would not understand the all-important principle of processing; we would not appreciate the needs of others.  'If we are unable to share, we abide alone like the grain of wheat that does not die.

So often in the battle we go to the Lord, and pray, and plead, and appeal for victory, for ascendancy, for mastery over the forces of evil and death, and our thought is that in some way the Lord is going to come in with a mighty exercise of power and put us into a place of spiritual maturity as in an act. We must have this mentality corrected. What the Lord does is to enlarge us to possess. He takes us through some exercise, through some experience, takes us by some way which means our spiritual expansion, an increase of spirituality so we occupy the larger place spontaneously because of our growth. 'I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased' (Exod. 23:29,30)." -T. A-S.

"Now for the time being no discipline [ child-training] seems to be pleasant; it is painful; later on, however, to those who are trained by it, it yields the fruit of peace which grows from upright character" (Heb. 12:11, Wms.).

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My Job Is God's Will?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth



“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters… doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:5,6).



Surely what was true of servants and their masters applies equally to employees and their employers. Thus our text suggests that Christians involved in secular labor are “doing the will of God.” Of course, Paul says that we are to labor and work with our hands “the thing which is good” (Eph. 4:28.). So unless you are an abortion doctor or some such thing, when you go to work, you are doing the will of God, and your work clothes are just as holy in the eyes of God as the vestments that Aaron wore when he entered the presence of the Lord, whether you wear a white collar or a blue collar.

Is it possible then that secular employment will earn rewards for Christians at the Judgment seat of Christ? The Apostle Paul says yes! If such labor is done “not with eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart,” and if it is done “as to the Lord, and not unto men,” then Paul unequivocally asserts “that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance” (Col. 3:22-24).

There is even evidence to suggest that those involved in secular labor who then faithfully support the ministry can look forward to rewards equal to those given to Christians directly engaged in the Lord’s work. God instructed Moses:

“And divide the prey into two parts; between them that took the war upon them, who went out to the battle, and between all the congregation” (Num. 31:27).

When “wicked men” tried to ignore this plain command of God (I Sam. 30:22), David insisted:

“…as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff; they shall part alike” (v.23-25).

Secular labor constitutes half of the fourth commandment (Ex. 20:9,10), and is also a commandment of grace. When the Thessalonians got so excited about the Rapture that they quit their jobs in eager anticipation, Paul twice reminded them that he had “commanded” them not to do this (I Thes. 4:11; II Thes. 3:10). He then re-issued the command (II Thes. 3:12) and further commanded them to “withdraw” from any who wouldn’t obey these commands (II Thes. 3:6-10). Thus we see that working for a living is a commandment of God given to members of the Body of Christ through the Apostle Paul.

Finally, if you are considering entering the Lord’s work, you should know that throughout Scripture, God called to His service men who were already demonstrating their faithfulness and dependability in secular employment. God called Moses when he was tending his father-in-law’s sheep, Gideon as he was threshing wheat, David as he was shepherding his father’s flock and several of the apostles as they were fishing or mending their nets.

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What it Means to be Free From the Law
by Dr. Bill Gillham

When I was a kid, "Mr. Stone" owned two, new dream cars: a black Packard with white walls (like the bad guys drove in the 30s and a Lincoln Zephyr, the prototype of the Lincoln Town Car. Those babies could lay their ears back and fly. There were no highway speed limits. If we'd driven our old Chevy wide open it might have reached 40 mph for a few miles, and then it would have sounded like the pistons were swapping holes. Mr. Stone would blow by us doing 70! He might even strike his match on our car to light his cigar. Nah.

Was Mr. Stone a speeder? No, because there was no speed law, no baseline by which to differentiate between Mr. Stone and the rest of us oil-stained wretches. In God's time, the legislature passed a new law: Speed Limit 50 mph. After this, when Mr. Stone aired out his wheels at 70 mph, was he a speeder? Yes. Why? Law made the difference. "What shall we say then? Is the speed Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, Mr. Stone would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for he would not have known about speeding if the Law had not said, 'You shall not speed'" (Rom. 7:7, with minor changes). God's Law is a wake up call for sinners to convince them that they desperately need a Savior—Jesus (Gal. 3:23-26). Law was never designed to keep Christians in line (Rom. 6:14).

My friend Lee LeFebre grew up reciting the Ten Commandments in church every Sunday. You'd think this would be a deterrent against sinning. But, it will produce the opposite results. What if you began each day by repeating, "Keep off the grass" ten times? This would tempt you to walk on grass that you'd hardly noticed before! Hammering away with "you oughts" and "you ought nots" is not God's plan for stimulating Christians to good works. Grace is to accomplish this desirable goal (Rom. 6:14).

Have you ever seen a bird dog that tucks its tail and cowers at your approach? Law likely produced that. Its master crushed its "spirit" by intimidating or perhaps beating it into submission. This animal has no joy. Its purpose for experiencing its created role (hunting) has been quenched by a hard taskmaster's abusive law. Were it possible to give it a personality inventory test this dog would register very low on self-worth. It may even feel unworthy to eat its master's food or feel guilty for breathing "his" air!

Consider, on the other hand, a bird dog that is owned by an agape master who has its best interest at heart. It was first taught the master's will through rules (law), reward and discipline, then trained how to best experience the role for which it was created (hunting). It "lives in vital union with its master" as they work and play together (Col. 2:6, LB). Its greatest delight becomes to simply please its master who's been careful not to crush its "spirit" like that of the first dog, but to bring its will into line with his own for the dog's best good as well as for his own pleasure.

This dog manifests a zest for living. He has a sparkle in his eye as he ranges out in a grid-like pattern according to his master's will. He is not restrained by a leash (law), but by the law of love for his master. He yearns to submit to his master's will. Obedience has become the joy of his life. This demonstrates "the law of love" which controls Christians (Rom. 8:2). This animal does not perceive himself as being controlled by a burdensome taskmaster, but as cooperating with his life-companion, the love of his life. Sure, at times he needs correction and because it's administered to him properly, he is the better for it. He delights all the more to please his master. Our relationship with our Spiritual Dad is very similar to this. Such obedience and love bring much joy to us and to Him as well. We were recreated in Christ to experience this on earth.

Can you identify with one of these dogs? Is the evil one beating you down with law, deceiving you into believing that an angry God, not Satan, is behind this? Or are you constrained by the invisible leash of Christ's boundless grace and love for you? The later is what you were recreated in Christ to experience. "For the love of Christ controls us…" (2 Cor. 5:14). Understanding this will be a fresh breeze to your spirit. Christians are motivated to live up to (or down to!) what they believe to be God's opinion of them. Believe the lie that you are a sorry, no-good, worthless sinner saved by grace and you'll act like it. Believe the truth that through Jesus you are the holy, pure, righteous, accepted, BODY OF CHRIST and you'll be highly motivated to live like it.

As I grew in Christ, I saw teaching about the Law that confused me. "God made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter (Law), but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6). Does that say that Law "kills"? Yes. Look at the next verse: "But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones…" (2 Cor. 3:8.). "Ministry of death?" Yes! Just to be sure we get it, God says it a third time, "For if the ministry of condemnation has glory…" (2 Cor. 3:9). God says the Law kills, and has the "ministries" of death and condemnation! How do we explain this?

"For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ" (Jn. 1:17). Notice, grace and truth were not imparted to man via Law—and it will never be so. Condemnation and death were imparted to man via Law—and it will always be so (Rom. 3:20-21). Many well-meaning mentors teach that keeping God's law is our means of attaining or retaining His acceptance. In fact, if you removed law from their sermon barrel, it might be a big step toward solving our paper shortage. Using law to motivate Christians not only fails to inhibit sin, it actually fuels sin's engine, and makes it stronger! Remember the "Keep off the grass" illustration. I realize that it may be difficult to accept this if it's is a new concept to you. This new concept, however, is as old as the New Testament. God wishes that mentors understood that grace, not law, motivates Christians to obedience. God designed it this way. Have you not noticed that the preacher who rails the loudest against sexual sin is often the one who runs off with his secretary?

Now, I'm not teaching that since we are "not under Law" (Rom. 6:14), we can violate God's Law with abandon while He smiles at our antics like an indulgent Grandpa—Boys will be boys. Absolutely not! We're like a sparrow in the prison exercise yard that is governed by a higher law (aerodynamics) than the inmates (gravity). The new creature in Christ is governed by "the law of love (agape)," which is written on his heart (Heb. 10:16)—and this includes a passion to do the will of God. Christians wish they could overcome their sin (Rom. 7:15). That's a ten! Paul verbalizes our desire, "For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man" (Rom. 7:22). Does that sound like we crave sin? Ridiculous! The reason that God can trust us by taking us out from under the Law is because He has "written [the desire to obey Him] on our heart and mind" (Heb. 10:16). You might say we're on a love tether. Love motivates us to obey.

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Oneness With Christ
by Pastor C. R. Stam



“I am [have been] crucified with Christ” (Gal.2:20).



What is salvation? It is actually coming into oneness with the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The wages of sin is death” and “the soul that sinneth it shall die,” but Christ was not a sinner. Even Pontius Pilate, after having examined Him carefully, said: “I find no fault in Him” and “I find no cause of death in Him.”

It was therefore not His death that He died at Calvary. It was ours. He had come from heaven to be born into the human race as one of us in order to die our death.

It is when we view that death at Calvary and say: “This is not His death He is dying. It is mine;” it is then that, by an act of faith,we become one with Him. His death was ours; the penalty for our sins, but it is not applied to us until by faith we accept it as ours. Thus the Apostle Paul declares by divine inspiration:

“I have been crucified with Christ” and he adds: “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith [the fidelity] of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal.2:20).

Since the believer has been united with Christ in death, he is united with Him in resurrection life also. Col 2:12 says that believers are “buried with Him in baptism.” This is not baptism by water. This is a divine baptism, the work of the Holy Spirit, for he goes on to say: “wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God.”

Little wonder the Apostle begins this lesson for believers with the declaration:

“For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily, and ye are complete in Him” (Col. 2:9,10).

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What the Resurrection of Christ Means to Us
Part One of Two
by Pastor R. Jordan

"Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was
raised from the dead according to my gospel."
-II Tim. 2:8



When the Apostle of the Gentiles declared that Jesus Christ was "raised from the dead according to my gospel" he made it imperative that we understand just what this tremendous event means to us.

Because of limited space, we offer the following brief (and admittedly incomplete) outline, and trust our readers will use it as a springboard to look further into this important truth. The resurrection of Jesus Christ.

REPRESENTS A FACT TO BE BELIEVED

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how 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" (I Cor. 15:3,4).

The resurrection of Christ is not fiction--His body was not stolen by His followers, nor did He somehow revive from a death-like coma and walk away by Himself. Further, the resurrection of Christ is not a fable--the modernist claim that He "lives on" in the "continuation of the spiritual principles He taught" is the real "religion myth"!

No, the resurrection of Christ is a fact of history to be accepted and believed. The "many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3) of His resurrection make it an event as thoroughly and historically validated as any in past history.

Our faith does not rest on a coffin lid! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fact to be believed. It also

PRESENTS A FAITH TO BE EMBRACED

     "...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9).

Our faith is to rest in the fact of the resurrection of Christ-not simply in the historic reality but also in the divinely revealed meaning of this event:

"[Christ] was delivered for our offences, and was RAISED AGAIN FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION" (Rom. 4:25).

The reality of Christ's resurrection declares the finality of the work of Calvary. When "Christ died for our sins, "He thoroughly put away sin, paying its penalty in full. Thus, the debt of sin having been paid, death could not hold Him. His resurrection is, as it were, the receipt that declares: "Paid in full!"

It is because the shed blood of Christ fully and completely paid for sin that Jesus Christ could be raised from the dead--and thus, with a perfect redemption accomplished and attested to, we can be declared righteous in Him.

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What the Resurrection of Christ Means to Us
Part Two of Two
by Pastor R. Jordan




The import of the resurrection does not end with our justification, however, for it also

OFFERS A FORCE TO BE EXPERIENCED

     ".. .like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, EVEN SO WE ALSO SHOULD WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE" (Rom. 6:4).

This is the practical impact in the believer's life of the reality of Christ's resurrection. Rom. 8:10,11 declare:

"And if CHRIST BE IN YOU, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

    "But IF THE SPIRIT OF HIM THAT RAISED UP JESUS FROM THE DEAD DWELL IN YOU, HE THAT RAISED UP CHRIST FROM THE DEAD SHALL ALSO QUICKEN YOUR MORTAL BODIES BY HIS SPIRIT THAT DWELLETH IN YOU."

The resurrection life of Christ is a power, a force, to be experienced by every believer. The "newness of life" received from Christ means that He lives His life in us.

Christianity is not a religion--it is a life. It is Christ in us living His life through us. This is the essence of Christianity.

Have you ever found the Christian life difficult to live? If not, you will!  In fact, it is not only difficult, it is impossible. Only Jesus Christ can live His life--and He does just that as we simply walk by faith in His marvelous grace to us.

Experiencing this glorious freedom and power is the goal Paul set before himself and us:

"That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death:
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (Phil. 3:10,11).

There is something else, too, which Christ's resurrection does for us. It

ASSURES A FUTURE THAT IS GLORIOUS

"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him" (I Thess. 4:14).

The future of many things may be very uncertain, but for the believer it is only glorious. No matter how difficult things may be for us now, one day it will only be ''glory for me!"

One day soon our ever-living Savior will return for us and in that day He "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).

May God help us to rejoice in the reality of the resurrection of Christ and all God has made it mean to us.

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SET FREE TO LIVE
BY STEVE MC VEY


The greatest gift you ever have or ever will receive is the life you have been given in Jesus Christ. Receiving forgiveness for our sins is the secondary issue in the life of a Christian. God's purpose in forgiving us was so that He could give us His life. Divine life resides within you - think about that for a moment. Divine life resides inside you!

Do you see the possibilities that fact opens up for you? Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." He got the point. Do we? Do we really understand the truth that God places desires in our hearts and then empowers us to see those desires realized?

I challenge you to make only one resolution each year. Resolve to experience life in Christ to the fullest. After all, that's exactly why He came. (See John 10:10)

Charge into the remaining months of 2008 with a new boldness that you've not appropriated before now. Determine to identify the God-given dreams that may be buried in your heart and bring them back out into the light of day. Jesus wants to do some unique things through you in this world. Submit yourself to Him and cooperate with His Spirit and watch miracles unfold in your life!

Cast off old mind sets that hold you back in life. Renounce the lies that bind you. Ask your Father to stretch you in your ability to see things that are not visible in your life yet as though they are real. After all, "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) I don't mean empty positive thinking. I'm talking about breaking free from a negative mind set about God, about yourself and about life.

Let your assumptions about 2008 be based on the viewpoint that your Heavenly Father gushes with love for you. He "longs to be gracious to you" and is just waiting for the chance to "have compassion on you." (See Isaiah 30:18.) It thrills Him to pour out His goodness on you!

Let's stop waiting "for the other shoe to drop." Don't appropriate bad things. Life is full of disappointment and heartache, but you have divine life residing in you! The life of Christ will overshadow anything that may strike you in 2008.

Don't limp through life. Instead, run or skip. For that matter, dance your way through the coming months! God's kingdom really is a party. It's all about "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Laugh with Jesus this year.

You have been set free to live. The world is full of dead men walking, but you don't fit that category. You have been made alive with Christ (see Ephesians 2:5) and now have the ability to live in His resurrection power. (Phil. 3:10)

What are you going to do with the rest of this year? Your Father invites you to join Him on a days journey where He intends to show you some things you don't expect. He plans to work in you and through you. He plans to reveal more about Himself to you and to show you every day how much He loves you.

Relax. Be yourself. You have nothing to prove. Just live. Know that you are accepted by God and that, with that truth in mind, there's nothing left to prove. Enjoy the remaining 2008 by letting Jesus live through you each day. That's all He wants and all we need.

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LIBERTY -- HOW PRECIOUS!
by C. R. Stam


We were interested to read, recently, about the man in California who ran short of grazing land for his herd of 13 buffalo. To solve this problem he put them on a barge and took them over to a large island in Lake Berryessa where there was lots of pasture. But what did the buffalo do? They jumped back into the lake, swam to shore and began charging fishermen and chasing automobiles -- so enraged were they at being imprisoned on an island!

After all, neither man nor beast enjoys bondage, though many of us are in fact enslaved.

Our Lord said in John 8:32: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." To this the religious leaders replied: "We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest Thou, Ye shall be made free?" But our Lord answered: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (Ver. 34). St. Paul says the same thing in Rom. 6:16:

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

Sad to say, many sincere religious people think that they can free themselves from sin by putting themselves in bondage to the Law, the Ten Commandments. This never works, for the Law can only condemn the sinner. Rom. 3:19,20 declares that the Law was given "that every mouth may be stopped and that all the world may be brought in guilty before God... for by the law is the knowledge of sin."Again we have to turn to Christ for salvation and true liberty. He "died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3) and has "redeemed us from the curse of the law" (Gal. 3:13).

Having believed this and trusted Christ as Savior, true Christians serve the Lord, not from fear, or to gain favor, but out of sheer love and gratitude. This is true liberty and this service is the only kind that God desires from us. Probably no man ever served the Lord more sincerely or tirelessly than the Apostle Paul. In II Cor. 5:14 he gives us the secret: "The love of Christ constraineth us..."

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SUSTAINED
By M. Stanford



"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Ps. 55:22).

Our Father's living waters flow both in summer and winter (Zech. 14:8.). He provides the barrenness of winter in order to cut us off from every other supply, and teach us to draw from His ever-flowing water of life.

"The Father passes us through all the seasons here; and the winter, the most trying one, is the most helpful, if we are really cast on Him in it. Then the real measure of our dependence on Him is ascertained, and also the extent of our resources in Him; and we make acquisitions in Him which we never make at any other time. All our growth and fruit depend on our winters, or rather on how we pass through them.

"The more we can rest in Him the more we are independent of everything outside of Him at such a time, the more vigor we really possess; and the better we get over the winter, be it ever so severe. If I am independent of the winter, it is evident that I have mastered it, and not it me; and if I have done so, through the strength of the Lord Jesus, I am relieved though in no human way. Peter is delivered from prison in a superhuman way; but first he, though enduring a very trying winter, could lay him down and sleep - take his rest, because the Lord sustained him." -J.B.S.

"It is a wonderful thing to be so satisfied with the Lord Jesus' company, that we can be tranquil about everything. I remember when I used to think that I should be happy beyond conception if I were able to say, 'I will fear no evil; my heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.' In order to reach this, you must find Him enough, with-out anything else. You can never prove the worth of anyone, until you are absolutely dependent upon him." --J.B.S.

"I laid down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me" (Ps. 3:5).

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WHAT GOD IS DOING TODAY
by Russell S. Miller



"...For to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace" (Eph. 2:15).

It is a shame that so many in the Body of Christ do not see what it is that God is doing today, in this dispensation of His grace committed to Paul. The error of some is a failure to come unto perfection in the Pauline revelation, for they labor under the so-called Great Commission. Others go to extremes with agendas that are used of the devil to cause "divisions" in the Church and "blind [even] the minds" (II Cor. 4:4) of believers from knowing the truth. Consequently such teachings are used by Satan to deceive both saint and sinner alike. Thus men walk in darkness. When lies are substituted for truth, the devil gets a foothold in the Church to wreak "havoc".

God, however, will not be mocked of men, for "the Judgment Seat of Christ" (II Cor. 5:10) awaits those who make merchandise of "the Word of God" (II Cor. 2:14-17; Titus 3:10) and there shall be a great loss of rewards (I Cor. 3:15). And when the devil "blinds the minds of them that believe not", souls that could have been saved will be cast into hell and the Lake of Fire at the "great white throne" judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).

In this endeavor to discover what it is that God is doing today, several passages of Scripture come to mind. Along with Romans 16:25 and I Corinthians 12:13 are two very similar verses in Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians:

"Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace" (Eph. 2:15).

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:9).

God is in the business of building the Body of Christ today, and He is looking for "faithful" men and women in the ministry of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (I Cor. 4:1,2). He appointed Paul, "the Apostle of the Gentiles" (Rom. 11:13), giving him the blueprints (I Cor. 3:9-15) for the Church today. Paul and Timothy were faithful in proclaiming "this Mystery among the Gentiles" (I Cor. 4:15-17). Will you "follow" in their footsteps or be drawn into an extreme teaching?

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Conduct Worthy of the Gospel
(Part 1 of 4)
By Gregg Bing



The saints at Philippi were well acquainted with the concept of citizenship. Philippi, named for Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great's father, was made a Roman colony by Caesar Augustus around 42 B.C. Roman citizenship was a valuable possession. Some, such as the Apostle Paul, were fortunate enough to be born Roman citizens; others paid large sums of money to purchase this valuable title (Acts 22:28.). Roman citizenship entitled a person to specific rights and privileges that non-citizens could not claim. For example, after being wrongfully imprisoned in Philippi, Paul announced he was a Roman citizen. Upon hearing this, the city magistrates, were afraid, for they knew they had violated his rights (Acts 16:37-38.).

In his letter to these Philippian saints, Paul makes use of their familiarity with the concept of Roman citizenship to teach them an important spiritual truth.

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (Phil. 3:20-21)

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, our citizenship is in heaven. The Philippians, though over 600 miles from Rome, still enjoyed all the privileges of Roman citizenship. As believers we, too, enjoy all the wonderful privileges of our heavenly citizenship, though we presently live here on the earth. This world is not our home; heaven is. We are merely strangers and pilgrims here on earth, living for and serving the Lord as His "ambassadors" (2 Cor. 5:20) until He comes to take us home to be with Him. The opportunity to be an "ambassador for Christ" is a great privilege, but it is also a great responsibility.

An ambassador is sent to represent someone else. In our case, we are here on earth to represent our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are here to serve Him in "the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18.); to share His message with the world, "the word of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:19); to implore people, on His behalf, to "be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). As ambassadors, our words are very important, for we are presenting the truth of Christ to others, but our conduct, our behavior, is equally important. Paul addresses the issue of our "conduct" as heavenly citizens in the opening chapter of Philippians.

"Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me." (Phil. 1:27-30)

The word "conduct" ("conversation" in the KJV) is the Greek word "politeuo" from which we get our English words: politics, political, police, and the suffix -polis (i.e. metropolis, Indianapolis, etc.). The word means "to be a citizen" or "to live as a citizen." Wuest, in his Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, says it refers to "the duties devolving upon a man as a member of a body" (i.e. as a citizen).

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Conduct Worthy of the Gospel
(Part 2 of 4)
By Gregg Bing


Our conduct here on earth should be proper or fitting for heavenly citizens, but how do we measure what is proper? Paul says that our conduct is to be "worthy of the gospel." The word "worthy" is the Greek word "axios." You can readily see the English words that derive from this word: axis, axiom, axle, etc. Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament defines the word as: "weighing, having weight, having the weight of (weighing as much as) another thing, of like value, worth as much." The picture we get is that of a scale that measures by placing items of equal weight on each side. As heavenly citizens, our conduct should have equal weight or value as "the gospel." That is, our conduct should be fitting and proper in relation to the wonderful "gospel" message that has been entrusted to us by our Lord (1 Thess 2:4). What a glorious privilege is ours! Yet, what a tremendous responsibility is laid upon us!

How can our conduct be "worthy" or balance with the gospel? Consider the following three facts. First, our gospel is "the gospel of Christ" (Rom. 1:16); the "good news" that Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Just as the focus of our message is Jesus Christ, so the focus of our conduct should be as well. Paul told the Philippians, "to me, to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). Paul's whole purpose for living was Jesus Christ; that He might be given the pre-eminence in Paul's life (Col. 1:18.). Paul instructed the Colossian saints to "walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him" (Col. 1:10). Conduct worthy of the gospel is conduct that glorifies and honors the Lord Jesus Christ and seeks to please Him in all things.

Second, our gospel is "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24); the "good news" is that "by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). Colossians 2:6 tells us,

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him."

We received Christ Jesus all because of God's grace. Our salvation was "not of ourselves" and "not of works," there is therefore nothing for us to glory in; it was a wonderful gift from God. Conduct worthy of the gospel is conduct that is dependent upon the grace of God for all our needs (2 Cor. 9:8.); conduct that, therefore, gives God all the glory and boasts only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14).

Third, our gospel is a message of faith. Paul speaks in this very verse (Phil. 1:27) of "the faith of the gospel." Salvation comes through faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross for our sins. We trust in Him and Him alone. We rely upon Him and His faithfulness toward us. This is true in regard to our salvation, but it should also be true in regard to our daily walk, or behavior. Conduct worthy of the gospel is conduct lived by the faith of the Son of God and by our faith in Him (Gal. 2:20); conduct that trusts in Him in all situations (Prov. 3:5-6).

How important is this admonition to let our conduct be "worthy of the gospel?" Paul prefixes this admonition with the word "only," a word that emphasizes that as believers, our "only" concern, the single focus of our lives, should be that our conduct is "worthy of the gospel." Is this true in your life? I encourage you to carefully examine your own heart and life and answer this question honestly, and then seek to ensure that your conduct is, indeed, "worthy of the gospel" each and every day.

Next month we will look at three specific areas of the believer's conduct that Paul was concerned with as mentioned in verses 27-30.

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Conduct Worthy of the Gospel
(Part 3 of 4)
By Gregg Bing



"Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me." (Phil. 1:27-30)

As believers in Christ, we are declared to be heavenly citizens (Phil. 3:20-21). While this citizenship affords us wonderful rights and privileges, it also carries with it great responsibility as well. Though citizens of heaven, we are left here on earth by God as "ambassadors for Christ" (2 Cor. 5:20). We have been entrusted with the Word and ministry of reconciliation, imploring the lost to be reconciled to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is important that we conduct ourselves in a manner fitting that of heavenly citizens. Paul admonishes us, "Only let your conduct (i.e. as citizens) be worthy of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27).

We looked last month at the fact that the measure of "proper" conduct is the gospel of Christ. Our conduct is to be "worthy" of the gospel, or, more literally, to "balance" or have equal weight as this wonderful gospel message entrusted to us; a gospel message that focuses on the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross of Calvary; a gospel message that is based on the grace of God; a gospel message that is received by faith in God.

In this lesson, we want to look at three specific areas of the believer's conduct that Paul stresses in Philippians 1:27-30.

Stand Fast in One Spirit

As believers it is important that we "stand fast." The expression means to take a firm stand and then to keep one's standing, to persist, to be unmoved. What are we to stand firm for, and why is it such an important part of our conduct? Paul admonished the Galatian believers to "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free" (Gal. 5:1). These saints had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, been saved by God's grace, and been freed from the law, the "yoke of bondage" which held them in sin and death. Yet, they were allowing false teachers to turn them away from this wonderful freedom to a system of religious and legal works (Gal. 1:6-9). We see the same types of false teachers today, seeking to keep men under the bondage of one legal system or another, teaching that men must do "good works" to be saved. Thus, a vital part of our conduct as heavenly citizens, is to stand fast in the grace of God that saved us.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers and encouraged them to "stand fast in the faith" (1 Cor. 16:13). The Corinthians were a spiritually immature group of believers (1 Cor. 3:1-3). As a result, they were carnal (fleshly minded), and their church was beset with a number of serious problems: envy, strife, division, sexual immorality, marriage problems, etc. The solution to all these problems is found in God's Word. This is why Paul instructed them to "stand fast in the faith." The expression "the faith" refers to the truth of God's Word which they had believed. Once we are saved, we need to grow, and spiritual growth comes through reading, studying, and living God's Word. The Corinthians did not hold firm to the truth of the Word, and so they did not grow spiritually. Sadly, this is a problem in many churches and in the lives of more and more believers today. Paul warned Timothy that this would be the case. "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Paul experienced this in his own life and ministry. "This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes" (2 Tim. 1:15). It's possible they turned away from him because he was in prison, but more likely, they turned away from him because of the message he was then proclaiming, the truth of the mystery that God had entrusted to him for this present age of grace (2 Tim. 1:13-14, Eph. 3:1-9). How we need believers today who will take a faithful stand for the truth of God's Word, particularly for the truth of the mystery committed to Paul. Paul instructed Timothy of the need to "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1:14).

Paul stressed that these believers in Philippi were to "stand fast in one spirit." It was not just as individuals that they were to stand fast, but as a local church as well. Certainly they were to take their stand in the power of the Holy Spirit, but they were each to have the same spirit, the same spiritual resolve in their stand for the Lord. A local church that takes a firm stand for the Lord, for the truth of His Word, and for the wonderful message of God's grace is one that can truly be used of God to reach people for Christ and to enable believers to grow and mature in the things of the Lord.