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Behold, I Come Quickly
by Pastor Kevin Sadler


(An excerpt from our newly released Revelation, Volume 4)

    "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book" (Rev. 22:7).

"A new preacher had just begun his sermon. He was a little nervous, and about ten minutes into the talk his mind went blank. He remembered what they had taught him in seminary to do when a situation like this would arise: repeat your last point. Often this would help you remember what was coming next. So he thought he would give it a try.

"'Behold, I come quickly,' he said. Still his mind was blank. He thought he would try it again, 'Behold, I come quickly.' Still nothing. He tried it one more time with such force that he fell forward, knocking the pulpit to one side, tripping over a flowerpot, and falling into the lap of a little old lady in the front row. The young preacher apologized and tried to explain what happened.

"'That's alright, young man,' said the little old lady. 'It was my fault. I should have gotten out of the way. You told me three times that you were coming.'" [Bob Phillips and Jonny Hawkins, The Hilarious Book of Heavenly Humor (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2011), p. 172.]

In the final verses of the Apocalypse, three times the Lord says that He is coming to the nation Israel (vv. 7,12,20). Terminology meant for the Second Coming of Christ to Israel, such as "Behold, I come quickly" or "thief in the night" is often mistakenly used for the Rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ. This confuses many people regarding these two future comings of Christ. When Christ says, "Behold, I come quickly," He is not speaking of coming before the Tribulation to catch the Church away to heaven. He is speaking of His coming to Israel at the end of the Tribulation at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19:11-21).

All mentions of the coming of Christ outside the letters of the Apostle Paul refer either to the first or second coming of Christ to Israel. As a result of not rightly dividing the Word of truth, words, phrases, and verses are often misused and misapplied to the Rapture of the Church.

When a preacher or teacher uses the words, "Behold, I come quickly," and without qualification applies it to the Rapture, that is error. When a preacher or teacher says that the Rapture and Second Coming are the same thing, that is unsound doctrine. When a preacher or teacher says that the Church, the Body of Christ, will go through any part of the coming Tribulation period, that is not the truth of the Word, rightly divided.

When the events of the Book of Revelation begin to unfold, the Lord's words, "Behold, I come quickly," will be a comfort and source of strength to believers during the Tribulation. By faith and knowledge of the Word, they will know that they have a deliverance coming. They will long for Him to come quickly, and these words of reassurance will help them overcome and endure to the end of the worst seven years ever.

As for the Body of Christ, we are taught to be "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Every day is a day that the Lord might come to catch us, His Church, away to heaven. We are taught to be "looking" for our Savior at all times. Knowing that we might stand before Him today or any day is to move the Church to "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:12).

Is Christ coming quickly? Perhaps, and perhaps today! However, to use, "Behold, I come quickly," for the hope of the Rapture is incorrect. That is confusing the two future comings of Christ and what that phrase really means to whom it was written. "Behold, I come quickly" is said by the Lord and was recorded by John for the saints who will be alive during the Tribulation. That is most definitely not us. We, the Body of Christ, will have been "delivered...from the wrath to come" (1 Thes. 1:10). Praise the Lord!

After Christ catches the Body of Christ up in the Rapture, the prophetic program will resume. God will pick up right where He left off in the timeline of prophecy. The next thing on that timeline is the 70th week of Daniel, the seven-year Tribulation period. It is at this point that all the events of the Book of Revelation will unfold exactly as they have been written. The people alive in that day will be able to use Revelation as a guidebook to help them navigate those horrendous days when God's wrath is poured out on this world. The hope for believers in that day is what Christ has told them in this Book: "Behold, I come quickly!"

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It's a Matter of the Heart
by Pastor John Fredericksen


In recent months, my wife's father has had a series of issues with his heart that required different pacemakers to be implanted. After two previous by-pass operations, there have been justifiable reasons to be concerned about him. So, when we see or call him, we frequently ask, "How is your heart today?"

The condition of one's heart is just as important in the spiritual realm as it is in the physical realm. It is for this reason the Scriptures say so much about the heart and why Solomon wrote, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). The spiritual condition of one's heart will determine how one responds to the Lord and, ultimately, it will have a huge impact on each of us in eternity.

Since God is "not willing that any should perish" (II Pet. 3:9) and "lighteth [or draws to Himself] every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9), everyone has the option to be saved from eternal punishment. The Lord seeks with every individual to do what He did with Lydia, "whose heart the Lord opened" (Acts 16:14): drawing him or her to a personal decision of saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, because many resist and refuse this internal wooing of the Lord, they remain as some to whom Paul wrote in the Roman epistle: "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and… righteous judgment of God" (Rom. 2:5).

Thankfully, many choose to open their hearts to the salvation God offers. Countless numbers of people have "call[ed] on the Lord out of a pure heart" (II Tim. 2:22). Hosts of believers today seek to leave behind the regular practice of sin because they "have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you" (Rom. 6:17). On a daily basis, most believers pursue a walk that will please the Lord because "in singleness of heart, fearing God…[they choose to] serve the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:22-24). Many believers are "doing the will of God from the heart" (Eph. 6:6). Those who choose such a path do so because they are choosing to "keep their heart with all diligence." They do so by regularly taking in the Word of God and applying proper truth to the way they live each day.

It is, of course, possible for a believer to choose a path of sinful living. Every believer can choose to allow his heart to grow cold to the things of the Lord. For those who do, the Apostle Paul warned that, while still saved, they could reach a spiritual condition of "having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God… because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18). Such a condition is the spiritual equivalent of a blockage to the heart. Knowing that as believers "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ… [and] every one of us shall give an account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:10,12), it behooves every believer to maintain a soft, responsive heart to the Lord.

Dear believer, how is your heart today, in a spiritual sense? If you have made past decisions of sinfulness that have hardened your heart, you can choose to open the door of your heart and begin to live for the Lord again. You can begin today. You can begin to read the Scriptures again, talk to the Lord in prayer, and seek a church where the truths of God's Word are faithfully taught. If your heart has been faithfully following the Lord, "Praise His Name." May we all seek to apply the wise counsel from Solomon to "keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

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Does Your Heart Murmur?
by Pastor John Frederickson


After high school, I worked in a huge plant that employed thousands. Four gals from my high school worked there also, so we began sharing lunch breaks. However, one of them was constantly negative. Nearly everything out of her mouth was a complaint about something or someone, and it had a negative effect on the others in the group. It was depressing just listening to it all. After nearly a week, I decided I simply wouldn't be around them any more.

God's children of faith are not immune to a complaining spirit. When Moses was sent back to Egypt to deliver Israel out of cruel slavery, the Israelites repeatedly complained. Even a chance at freedom should have brought appreciation. But after finally being miraculously released, Israel murmured (meaning "to grumble") against Moses when Pharaoh's armies pursued them. Later "the people murmured against Moses" over a lack of water (Ex. 15:24). Then while in "the wilderness of Sin," they murmured over a lack of food (16:1-4). It had become a pattern of life.

When God promised victory over the inhabitants in Canaan, they once again murmured in disbelief that God would give the victory (Num. 14). God's anger was so kindled that an entire generation, except for Joshua and Caleb, perished without seeing the Promised Land. Paul refers to this in 1 Corinthians 10:10 warning the believers: "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer."

Complaining is a dangerous, negative habit. It embitters the soul, sours the spirit, ignores the rich blessings of God, and robs one of the joy of life. It also unnecessarily makes life miserable for those around us, becomes a poor testimony to the lost, and poisons our outlook on life. Perhaps, worst of all, it spreads like an outbreak of the flu to others, who, in turn, mirror this negativity.

Simply put, God hates a complaining spirit. Paul warns the saints at Philippi saying, "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked...nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:14-15). It is not possible for us to be blameless before the Lord nor man if we have a complaining spirit. Ask someone today to hold you accountable any time you are being negative, then purposely practice being positive in your speech and outlook.

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Is Revival Possible?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


We have received responses from several friends who conclude from such passages as II Tim. 3:1-13 that there cannot possibly be a revival before the Lord comes for His own.

We have never concurred in this view. Verses 2-7 of this passage describe the condition of the ungodly about us. These have “a form of godliness” but not the reality and it is these who will “wax worse and worse” (Vers. 5,13). “From such” the Spirit exhorts us to “turn away” (Ver. 5).

But why, in the midst of these “perilous times” should the Church not be strong and united? The Word of God often shines brightest when the days are darkest.

It is true that our Lord said about the coming “tribulation,” that “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12), but this was a prediction concerning a particular situation, and while similar causes often produce similar effects, this is not always so. Not infrequently the wickedness of the world has driven saints to their knees and to the Word, with blessed results.

True spiritual revival takes place in the blood-bought Church of God not in the wicked world about it. That which is dead cannot be revived but that which has life can and should be. We know of no Scripture that should deter us from praying for a true spiritual awakening among God’s people. Indeed we must be careful lest we cease praying and toiling for a revival on the grounds that “times are getting worse and worse and there’s not going to be, a revival.”

It seems to us that one of the surest ways to grow spiritually indifferent ourselves is to conclude that God will not grant us a spiritual awakening no matter what we do.

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Paul, the Pattern -- His Conversion
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


No conversion in sacred history is given so much attention as that of St. Paul. Besides the many references to it, we find three detailed accounts of it in the book of Acts. As Saul of Tarsus, the learned Pharisee, he had led his nation and the world in rebellion against God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Luke says: “As for Saul, he made havock of the church” (Acts 8:3). The believers at Damascus feared Saul’s presence among them, saying: “Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem?” (Acts 9:21). Paul himself later testified: “Many of the saints did I shut up in prison…and when they were put to death, I gave my voice [vote] against them” (Acts 26:10). “…beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it [laid it waste]” (Gal. 1:13).

There must have been an important reason why God saved this rebel leader. Clearly it was that He might make Paul, not only the herald, but the living example of “the exceeding riches of His grace” to sinners. Paul himself said:

    “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord…for…putting me into the ministry; who was before A BLASPHEMER, AND A PERSECUTOR, AND INJURIOUS: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. AND THE GRACE OF OUR LORD WAS EXCEEDING ABUNDANT….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. HOWBEIT FOR THIS CAUSE I OBTAINED MERCY, THAT IN ME FIRST JESUS CHRIST MIGHT SHOW FORTH ALL LONGSUFFERING, FOR A PATTERN TO THEM WHICH SHOULD HEREAFTER BELIEVE ON HIM TO LIFE EVERLASTING” (I Tim. 1:12-16).

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A Clear Conscience
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


With the knowledge of good and evil man came into the possession of conscience. A sense of blameworthiness smote him when he committed, or even contemplated committing, evil. This has been so ever since. The Bible tells us that even the most ungodly and benighted heathen “show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another” (Rom. 2:15).

It is true that man’s conscience can be violated so often that it becomes calloused or, as St. Paul puts it: “seared with a hot iron” (I Tim. 4:2), but events or incidents can take place which suddenly awaken the conscience and make it sensitive again. Many a person has indulged in “the pleasures of sin” more and more freely until, suddenly, his sin has found him out and his conscience has caught up with him to condemn him day and night and make life itself unbearable.

The Bible teaches that all men outside of Christ are, to some degree, troubled by guilty consciences and certainly most are “through fear of death… all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2:15). But it also teaches that “Christ died for our sins” so that, our penalty having been paid, we might be delivered from a guilty conscience.

The works and ceremonies of the Mosaic Law could never accomplish this, but sincere and intelligent believers in Christ, having been “once purged,” have “no more conscience of sins” (Heb. 9:14; 10:1,2). They are, to be sure, conscious of their sins, but they are no longer tortured by a forever-condemning conscience, for they know that the penalty for all their sins, from the cradle to the coffin, was fully met by Christ at Calvary.

This is not to imply that even a sincere believer may not be troubled about offending the One who paid for his sins, but he knows that the judgment for these sins is past. Thus he earnestly seeks, like Paul, “to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man” (Acts 24:16).

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Buy the Truth and Sell It Not
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Every true Christian should understand that the truth costs. If you don’t think so, make it your own, value it, defend it, stand for it, and see if it doesn’t cost. Before you are through it may cost you far more than you had thought — hours of ease and pleasure, friends and money. Yes, the truth costs. Salvation is gloriously free but the truth costs — that is, if you want it for yourself. Many who know the truth won’t buy it. They won’t pay what it costs to say: “This is what I believe. This is my conviction.” The truth isn’t worth that much to them.

But in Prov. 23:23 God’s Word urges us: “Buy the truth”! Not, “Buy it if you can get it at a bargain; if the price is not too great.” No, “Buy the truth”! Buy it at any price. It is worth far more than anything you can give in exchange for it.

And when you have bought it: “sell it not.” How many, alas, have bought the truth only to sell out again! For a while they valued and defended some God-given light from His Word, but presently they sold it again for something that seemed more valuable. Perhaps it was peace with others, or position, or popularity or some other temporal gain. They still gave mental assent to it but it formed no part of them. It was no longer a conviction.

Such should read again the Spirit’s counsel: “Buy the truth, and sell it not.” He does not say: “Don’t sell it unless you can get a very good price for it.” He says: “Sell it not.” Sell it not at any price. Buy it, no matter what it costs and when it is yours do not sell it for any price or under any consideration.

It is because the truth is so little valued in this indifferent age, that many of God’s people have become so spiritually powerless. They hold opinions instead of convictions, because they have given the infallible, unchangeable Word of God little place in their lives. God blesses and uses those who “buy the truth and sell it not.”

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God's Waiting Room
by Pastor Kevin Sadler


    "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord" (Psa. 27:14).

The half-joking prayer, "Lord, I need patience, and I need it RIGHT NOW," isn't too far removed from how we approach matters of spiritual growth and living out the will of God in our life. Life is full of waiting: waiting for your phone to charge; waiting in line at the grocery store; waiting in a traffic jam; waiting for a job; waiting for the right spouse; waiting for test results; waiting to be old enough to drive. Steve Farrar of Men's Leadership Ministries says, "Waiting is like eating gravel. Nobody in their right mind wants or likes to do it." Waiting is difficult.

The culture we live in is one that doesn't like to wait. We like instant and fast everything--instant downloads, instant messaging, instant coffee, instant prints, fast-food restaurants, faster internet, fast phones. However, there are many times along our journey through life when God says, "Wait here." And what looks like 15 minutes turns out to be 15 months, or even 15 years.

The Bible provides numerous examples of people who waited on the Lord. Abraham waited for decades to have the son that God promised him. Joseph had to wait in prison. Moses waited for 40 years on the backside of the desert, tending sheep, before leading the children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt. The Israelites then had to wait 40 years to enter the Promised Land. Simeon waited for the birth of the Messiah. Paul waited during his time of preparation in Arabia.

Waiting is a part of God's plan and purpose in our lives, and resisting God's timing and trying to get ahead of the Lord can have serious consequences. Abraham and Sarah found this out when they ran ahead of God, with Hagar bearing Ishmael instead of waiting on God's promise (Gen. 16).

God works while His people are waiting. Time is not wasted in God's waiting room. Waiting on the Lord renews our strength (Isa. 40:31). God often uses these times of waiting to prepare us for what lies ahead. Oswald Chambers writes, "We are apt to think that everything that happens to us is to be turned into useful teaching…We shall find that the spheres God brings us into are not meant to teach us something but to make us something." In those waiting times, God both teaches and makes us something; in us He cultivates patience, Christlike character, and hope as we trust Him through those times. As we read in Romans 5:3-5a,

    "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed."

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Paul's Claims
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Paul’s Spirit-inspired claims for the distinctive character of his apostleship leave no room for doubt. Consider a sampling of these.

    Romans 11:13: “For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I AM THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES: I MAGNIFY MINE OFFICE”.

    Galatians 1:11,12: “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is NOT AFTER MAN.

    “FOR I NEITHER RECEIVED IT OF MAN, NEITHER WAS I TAUGHT IT, BUT BY THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.”

    Ephesians 3:1-3: “For this cause, I PAUL, THE PRISONER OF JESUS CHRIST FOR YOU GENTILES,

    “If ye have heard of THE DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD, WHICH IS GIVEN ME TO YOU-WARD:

    “How that BY REVELATION HE MADE KNOWN UNTO ME THE MYSTERY….”

    Colossians 1:25: “…I am made a minister, according to THE DISPENSATION OF GOD WHICH IS GIVEN TO ME FOR YOU, to fulfill [fill full, or complete] the Word of God”.

    I Timothy 2:5-7: “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.

    “WHEREUNTO I AM ORDAINED A PREACHER, AND AN APOSTLE (I SPEAK THE TRUTH IN CHRIST, AND LIE NOT); A TEACHER OF THE GENTILES IN FAITH AND VERITY.”

    Titus 1:2,3: “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie; promised before the world began;

    “But hath in due times manifested His Word THROUGH PREACHING WHICH IS COMMITTED UNTO ME, according to the commandment of God our Saviour.”

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The Commandments of the Lord
by Pastor Kevin Sadler


    "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37).

Many Christians have a fuzzy idea that when Christ ascended up from the Mount of Olives to heaven, He stopped speaking. But nothing could be further from the truth! Paul says that the things he wrote to the Corinthians, and to the Body of Christ as a whole, were the "commandments of the Lord"! Similarly, in his epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul says, "For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus" (1 Thes. 4:2).

After Christ ascended to heaven, Israel continued in her rebellion against God by rejecting the Holy Spirit's ministry through the twelve. Thus, Israel was temporarily set aside by God (Acts 7). God then raised up a new apostle, and gave Him a message which had never before been revealed (Acts 9; Gal. 1:11,12). Christ spoke again!

From heaven the glorified Christ gave to the Apostle Paul a new revelation concerning His heavenly ministry to the Church, the Body of Christ. To Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13), was given the commandments of Christ for the Body of Christ today. In Paul's epistles, we have the will of God for our Christian lives during the dispensation of the grace of God. In Paul's letters, we find the doctrines of grace that the Church is built upon and is to live by and share with the world.

Notice that Paul's words, as revealed to Him by Christ, are spoken of as "commandments." This is not a take-it-or-leave-it word. When a commandment is given by God, He expects us to obey and conform our wills to His will. In past dispensations, other commands were given which were valid at the time given, but are not for today, and are not for our obedience.

Take food for example (a topic close to my heart). The Bible commands man to eat only vegetables and fruit, then it allows for eating meat with fruit and veggies, then it commands only certain foods to be eaten, then it commands that all food can be eaten. It is impossible to obey all of these different commands at the same time.

There are many other issues in Scripture like this, so it's imperative to determine which commands God would have us obey today. The answer is that Paul's letters are the commandments of the Lord which are valid for today under grace. And Paul says we can eat all things (1 Tim. 4:3-5). It's great to live under grace!

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God's Word To Us
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In charging Timothy to “preach the Word,” the Apostle does not mean, as some have supposed, that the pastor should draw his sermon material equally from all parts of the Bible. True, “all Scripture” is given so that the “man of God” may be fully equipped for his ministry. But in this same letter the Apostle Paul indicates that the Scriptures must be “rightly divided” (II Tim. 2:15) and that his own God-given message is the Word of God in particular for the present dispensation of grace (See II Tim. 1:7-14; 2:7-9). Thus the Apostle declares by inspiration that believers are established by “my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery” (Rom. 16:25).

How often the Apostle insists that his message is the Word of God! To the Thessalonian believers he writes with joy:

    “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God…” (I Thes. 2:13).

Thus the Apostle writes to Timothy, in this his last letter:

    “Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me…” (II Tim. 1:13).

    “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men…” (2:2).

    “Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel” (2:8).

The charge to “preach the Word,” therefore, refers to “all Scripture” in general, but to Paul’s God-given message in particular. This is obvious, for it is in urging Timothy to faithfully carry on in his place that the Apostle charges him to “preach the Word.”

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'Faith of Christ' and 'Faith in Christ'
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    "I was wondering what the distinction is, if any, between the 'faith of Christ' and 'faith in Christ' found in Galatians 2:16? The modern translations seem to suggest that both phrases are one and the same."

    "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16).

We believe that the King James Version of the Scriptures best conveys the sense of the original language. The modern versions change the phrase "faith of Christ" to "faith in Christ" throughout, which overwhelms the passage with redundancy. Paul never intended the emphasis to be upon what man has achieved, but instead what the Savior has accomplished on his behalf. The apostle here is clearly contrasting these two phrases.

We are not justified by keeping the law, rather we are declared eternally righteous by the faith of Christ. It was Christ's faithfulness that is the basis of our justification. He faithfully carried out the will of the Father to provide redemption through His finished work at Calvary (Heb. 10:5-10). While salvation is a free gift given to all who place their "faith in" what Christ has done, He being the object of our faith, it was at great cost. The payment to rescue us from the eternal consequences of sin is the precious blood of Christ. Only those, however, who place their faith in Him have the forgiveness of their sins (Eph. 1:7).

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Heaven -- And Who Will Go There
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Most people are surprised when they learn that the Old Testament, though three times as large as the New, does not contain one single promise about going to heaven. God’s people, in Old Testament times, looked forward to a glorified earth, with Messiah as its Ruler.

This was so even when our Lord was on earth and continued to be so through Pentecost. Peter, addressing his kinsmen just after Pentecost, said in essence: “Repent, and God will send Jesus down here” (See Acts 3:19-20), but Paul, in his epistles, says by divine inspiration: “Believe, and God will take you up there.”

This apostle of grace teaches us that God has already given believers in Christ a position and “all spiritual blessings” in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2:4-6; 1:3). And he teaches further that at the close of this dispensation of grace “the dead in Christ shall rise” and “we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together …to meet the Lord… and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thes. 4:16,17).

Thus it is that Paul, God’s special apostle for our day, declares that “our conversation [or citizenship] is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20) and writes of “the hope which is laid up for you in heaven” (Col. 1:5). Thus it is that he encourages persecuted saints, saying: “Ye…took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing…that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance” (Heb. 10:34). And thus he writes even of death:

    “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dis- solved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (II Cor. 5:1).

    “…to die is gain….to depart and to be with Christ…is far better” (Phil. 1:21,23).

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Pray About Everything
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6).

God would have us pray about everything, whether it is of a spiritual or physical nature. In view of the fact that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings today, we certainly agree that our prayer life should primarily center on spiritual things, such as praying for lost souls, a fuller understanding of the Scriptures, a knowledge of God's will, wisdom, etc. Here again, however, we must keep in mind the importance of balance in the things of the Lord. God would also have us make known our physical requests.

Paul prayed about his physical infirmity, not once, but three times (2 Cor. 12:7-9). Prior to his incarceration in Caesarea, the apostle requested that he might have a prosperous journey to Rome; that is, free from hardship (Rom. 1:9,10). We are to pray for earthly rulers that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life to further the cause of Christ (1 Tim. 2:1-3). Paul instructs us not to be an ungrateful people, as Israel was in time past; consequently, we are to return thanks at every meal for God's bountiful blessings (1 Tim. 4:4,5). We are also to pray about the circumstances in which we might find ourselves. As we have noted, Paul coveted the prayers of those at Philippi that he would soon be delivered from his prison cell in Rome. The apostle writes to Philemon along these same lines: "But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you" (Phile. 1:22).

[nChrist]

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Romans 13 -- Civil Government or Church Government?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "Is Romans 13 about obeying civil government or church government, as some are saying?"

In the context, it is true that Paul just finished speaking about "he that ruleth" in the local church (12:8). But the "rulers" in Chapter 13 bear a "sword" (v. 4) that cannot refer to "the sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17) borne by church rulers, for he that bears it is called "a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil" (13:4). That doesn't fit the role of rulers in a grace church, but it is an apt description of civil rulers. In the more immediate context, Paul has just finished quoting God as saying, "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay" (12:19). So when Paul then goes on to call the bearer of the sword "a revenger," he is explaining that God takes vengeance on evil doers in the dispensation of grace by the sword of civil government.

In return for their civil service, we are told to pay these rulers "tribute," something paid to kings (Matt. 17:24,25; 22:17), not rulers in grace churches. The Jews paid tribute to Israel's religious leaders (Num. 31:37-41) because they were a theocracy, a government ruled by God, and so paying tribute was just giving God His due. But the word "due" (Rom. 13:7) speaks of what is owed as a debt, and so "tribute" is a word that cannot be used of giving in the local church. Under grace, our giving is not done "of necessity" (2 Cor. 9:7).