“For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; e the Son quickeneth whom [H]e will.”  (John 5:21)

 

The Holy Ghost inspired Scriptures are very clear on the doctrine of election or predestination. The Bible does not make election a mysterious or difficult doctrine at all.

In Paul’s epistle to the church at Ephesus he declares, “[H]e hath chosen us in [H]im before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before [H]im in love. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to [H]imself, according to the good pleasure of [H]is will.”  Many of today’s preachers try to hide from this doctrine or they purposefully wrest it to make it easier to digest. This is not true of Paul for he opens his epistle with the doctrine. Paul teaches election in Romans 8-11; 2 Thessalonians ch.2; Peter teaches election in his first epistle and he opens with it also. Take a look at Peter’s teaching in his 2nd epistle Ch.2 V.12.

The Lord Jesus teaches election as well, read John 6 and John 10 and then “think on these things” God, in the Old Testament, chose Israel over all the other nations to be His own. David understood this dynamic, see Psalm 65.

So in light of all the Scriptural support why do so many have such a problem with this doctrine? I will list some possibilities.

• So many do not read nor study their Bibles thus they do not know God in a deep intimate way so when they hear of election they deem it unfair and unjust and “their” god (lower case g is on purpose) would not act in this fashion.
• So many equate the doctrine of election with one John Calvin and they, being uniformed, do not like Calvin so they cast off election as his idea.
• So many simply do not understand the doctrine. This lack of understanding may be due to their preacher avoiding the doctrine or misrepresenting the doctrine or it may be that they themselves avoid the doctrine or have been taught to ignore the doctrine.
• So many equate it with lost family members and friends having no hope. This goes to their misunderstanding. There is always hope as we do not know who is amongst the number of the elect. This doctrine does not void the sharing of our faith nor does it cancel out anyone’s responsibility to repent and believe.
• So many avoid this doctrine because it makes them feel anger towards the God they love. If this is you, talk to Him about it. Be honest about your feelings because He knows your heart anyway. Speak with Him with boldness AND deep reverence. Ask Him to help you understand this truth.
• So many have been taught differently for so long a time. We would counsel you to take out or purchase a concordance ( I prefer Young’s Analytical). Prayerfully look up the words Election, Elect, Chosen, Predestinate(ed). Do not simply read these verses but prayerfully read these verses and passages. Prayerfully study them and meditate upon them. Once you are clear on the doctrine try to argue against it. This method is sound and should be helpful to the open hearted seeking God’s truth.
• So many detractors are simply lost and they would rather side with sinner’s “free will” than God’s free choice.
• So many think that this doctrine promotes pride in the chosen when, in fact, it promotes a lifelong spirit of humility and thankfulness to the Elector.
• So many despise election because they believe it removes them and their “soul winning” from the equation of Salvation. Election, when rightly understood, will ignite a desire to share one’s faith as we know from election that there are people who will respond to God’s call.

We are sure that there are other reasons so many kick against election but the above is a representation of reasons so many do so.

Without the proper understanding of election one cannot understand other doctrines like adoption, or the term “In Christ”, or verses like John 1:12 or Galatians 4:6. So many miss out on a deeper more intimate relationship with God by their denial of this doctrine. So many misunderstand many Biblical teachings because of their denial of this doctrine. However, so much can be gained by so many that will come to embrace the great doctrine of election. They will come to view God as Sovereign for He is sovereign. He is sovereign over all things and a proper grasp of election will help so many understand life better when they know that Sovereign God chose them, called them, justified them, is sanctifying them and has already glorified them though that day has yet to arrive.

Hallelujah!!! God be praised.

“…[B]y the grace of God I am what I am.”  (Romans 15:10)

For those of a certain age they might remember that quote that we use in the title of this post. “I  Yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam” is a quote made famous by one sailor man named Popeye. The meaning of the quote is rather clear. Popeye knew that he was who he was and there was no point in trying to alter that. The culture that grew up watching Popeye grew up being comfortable in their own skin. This is something that many in our own culture does not understand and that includes our Christian culture.

This quote did not exactly originate with Popeye. If you take note to our Biblical text at the top you will see that Paul said it first and he credits the grace of God for it’s truth. However, due to a lack of Bible study by today’s “Christian” they may not know or benefit from Paul’s teaching. Even those that are familiar with this inspired teaching may still struggle with it in a experiential way.

So often we believers are not satisfied with who we are and we attempt to be someone or something else. I other words we are not satisfied with who or what God has made us to be. When a believer tries to be someone/thing different we are , in fact, saying to the Potter, “Why hast Thou made me this way.”

We are not saying that we should never try to grow and be better Christians but what we are saying is that at our core we are who God has made us and this cannot be improved upon.

I speak from sad experience. We worked different companies and We recall this one in particular. This companies “culture” was one of positivity even if it had to be forced and faked. I knew a number of employees at this company from working with them prior. I knew these employees and they were really trying to be someone they weren’t. It was sad and trying as they tried to be these fake people even when we were alone and they tried to help me become someone I wasn’t. To my sorrow I fell for it. I attempted to be someone and something I wasn’t and boy did I fit in. I was given many opportunities and fit in with many of the top guys. What was the problem then, you may ask. The problem was me and my misery. I thought I had to be this ultra positive person for my job security and forgot that God was in charge and that He made me a certain way and my entire attitude was offensive to Him.

Things changed…I changed. I decided to embrace the person God wired me to be. I through the forced positivity out and embraced my true self. It was a shock to those I worked with. No more did I agree with their bad decisions; no more did I sit quietly by when people lied and took God’s Name in vein. No more did I allow self professed believers to get away with things. No more did I let the owner of the company offend God. I once found a Bible in the owner’s trash. I withdrew the Bible and put it in a viewable spot on my desk as a rebuke to this man. This man comes fro a long line of reformed ministers and this is what he thinks of Scripture. He saw the Book and understood the open rebuke. I did not keep my job much longer as my position was eliminated due to costs. I learned later from a source still employed that I was fired due to the Bible incident. I lost my job and negative things have been said about me since then but I am what I am by the grace of God. It is better to be disliked by man but pleasing to God. Prior to my termination and after I embraced my divine wiring I gained the respect by many of the men I worked with and that meant more than the respect of upper management for being someone I was not. And knowing God is pleased is infinitely better than both!!!

It is far better to be yourself up front than to be someone you are not only to show your divine wiring later.

We have seen lost men trying to portray themselves as saved; we have seen saved men compromising the faith; we have seen saved men living like saved men and willing to pay the costs thereof. The third type is happiest of all and the most fulfilled of all.

Paul states that we are who we are and this is by the grace of God. This then means that absent the grace of God we were who we were. Do you remember those days? Do you remember the days when there was no sin in your life? or at least you weren’t aware of it or concerned with it? Do you remember the day when “Jesus” meant no more to you than a word or an expletive? Remember the day when Christianity was code for annoying people? Do you remember the time when the Bible was just the bible? This is not the memories of the lost man but the characteristics of his life without the grace of God.

The grace of God has changed all of life for the believer. God’s grace has made the Name of the Lord Jesus to be the most important Name in all the world to us. His Name has become music to our spiritual ear.We recognize that there is no other name whereby a man may be saved. This Name opens the door to the throne of grace and allows us entrance and gives us boldness within that room. The Bible is not just the bible but it is the very Word(s) of Almighty God. It is the sole authority on this earth for believers. The word Christianity means family and deep spiritual bonds. And sin affects us greatly and causes us to run to God in the spirit of confession and the promise of forgiveness.

Application:

If you are an extrovert or an introvert embrace it. If you are a loner by divine wiring embrace it but remember others have a right to your time. You will need to find a balance…see the life of Lord Jesus for an example of balance. If you are of the talkative sort embrace it but be careful not to over share and to be slow to speak as this will give you time to think things through. If you are of the quiet and thoughtful sort embrace it and while you are embracing your divine wiring be quick to hear and listen and speak when afterward. If you are quick to rebuke embrace it as long as you always examine yourself first and rebuke in and with love and tenderness until your rebuke is ignored.

 

Prescription:

-Seek to balance all of your characteristics. – Look to God in Prayer for His guidance in this matter. -Study the characteristics of men and women in Scripture. Acknowledge God as your Maker and thank Him for making you you. Repent for times of unhappiness with who you are at your core. If you are unhappy with your core self seek repent and seek God’s help. Thank God for His grace and request grace to be a better you for God’s sake, pleasure, and purpose.

 

For Meditation

“…[D]o I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men,  I should not be the servant of Christ.”  (Galatians 1:10)

“For they (the lost) loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”  (John 12:43)

 

“The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day”  (Proverbs 4:8)

This is the season of graduations and promotions. Many young people are facing their graduations from high school and college as are many middle school students being promoted to high school. However, every day many of the righteous are graduating to their eternal abode.

Unlike graduation from one level of schooling to the next which is based upon performance the graduation day to Heaven is based upon the merits of Another. There is, to be sure the Scriptural doctrine of the perseverance of the saints but without the merits of Christ there would be no perseverance of the saints.

This post (DV) will be focused upon the graduates from one grade to another and on the graduates that will graduate from college to the rest of their lives. We would like to take some of the life lessons we have gleaned as well as wisdom from the Word of God. We will use a list format to make it easier to reference.

• God knows what you do not. He knows the why and the how of all things. This should bring peace that passes all understanding; God knows how you feel at all times for God became man as is able to identify. These truths will grant you hope, maintain and grow your hope.
• Be thankful…Be thankful…Be thankful…never cease being thankful.  Be thankful in all things and for all things. Nothing will dry up the blessings of God quicker than an unthankful spirit  nor is there a quicker way to the life of sin for a believer than the unthankful spirit.
• Acknowledge Him in all thy ways and for all He does.
• Use perspective.
• Do not fall for the world’s deceptions. -Learn the difference between an acquaintance and a friend. -Do not fall for the work place lie, “We’re family here,” – You will never find solace in the world. – You will not find love in the world. – You must not befriend the world as friendship with the world is enmity with God.
• Pray…pray…pray….pray ceaselessly, continuously, continually, in faith and without doubt. Pray…pray…pray…pray………….
• All gifts are from God and they are good and perfect. God’s gifts are without recall.
• Love God above all else and everyone else…no exceptions…none.
• You will always have a home with family and your church.
• God expects your love, your obedience, your faith(fulness). The world will challenge these on a daily basis if not moment by moment.
• Do not forsake your parents instructions.
• Do not talk too much. -Be slow to speak as this will provide you time to think. -Others will be more likely to pay attention to your words. -This will save you a lot of unnecessary trouble. -Christ said a man is justified or condemned by his words. -Even a fool is thought wise when he keeps his tongue.
• Never forsake the Word of God.
• There is the school you have experienced and the school of hard knocks and the school of Christ. Know the difference.
• There is no such thing as a grown up. We are always learning new things and are always growing thereby.
• Learn the difference between an acquaintance and a friend. Knowing this difference will save you a lot of trouble and heart ache.
• Always let your Christianity be known up front.
•  Seek ye first the kingdom of God, that is to say, God’s sovereign rule over all things in your life, and He will provide all things that are needed.
• Do right.

We trust these truths will be of aid to you in all of your future endevours. May God add His blessing to these words.

 

“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

“Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servant of men.” (1 Corinthians 7:23)

 

A man of God once asked me, “Son, Who owns you?” My answer was and is Lord Jesus. That is quite a question is it not? It is a searching question and a revealing question. It will also answer the question of your salvation. Does Christ Jesus own you as His blessed own or are you an “independent agent?” If you ” man up” and say, ” I am my own man and no one owns me.”  If you really believe that and you also “kinda” trust the Bible you will be confounded to learn that the devil takes you captive at his will (2 Timothy 2:26).

Christ draws the line clearly. He said that you are either with Him ….completely in;  no looking back and willing to forsake all or you are against Him.

Please understand there is no middle or neutral ground. One belongs to Christ and has blessed liberty or one is taken captive by the devil at his will.

What was the price of our salvation? The Blood of God’s Son; our Elder Brother paid the price for our sin, our iniquities, our trespasses, our crimes, our rebellion against righteousness.

If the question of who owns you is bothersome then the question has an answer to your salvation. You are lost.

 

 

 

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love [H]im.” (James 1:12)

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ…”

 

Our faith was made to be tried. Paul said it this way to the Romans; “…we glory in tribulations (notice the plural) also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience and experience, hope and hope maketh not ashamed… (Romans 5:3-5). Paul is telling us that tribulations or trials of our faith will teach us to be patient or to endure the hardships of life. With this endurance experience will come and with experience hope. What all that means is that the more your faith is tried by fire or daily life the stronger you will become and the less fear you will have.

In the world there is an understanding amongst the children of disobedience and this understanding is forced upon the brethren. This understanding is “Perception is reality.” Anyone with half a brain knows that this is not true but it is what the world and business runs with. While we disdain this lie we do hold to the importance of perspective.

Perspective upholds logic and truth as perception is reality does not. perspective is useful because it allows one to look at a circumstance or situation from differing angles. This is how the Gospels work. The Gospels are a kind of set of biographies from the differing perspectives of men who knew Him or by men who knew men who knew Him. the Gospel of Matthew portrays Christ as King, Mark shows Him to be Servant, In the Gospel of Luke He is seen as the perfect Man and John show Him to be God. We see differing perspectives but all uphold the Truth that is God’s Son.

How can the believer use perspective to his or her advantage?  Recently my eldest daughter went to New York. This was her senior high trip. There were (5) five teenagers and (2) two adults in a mini van. As any traveler knows irritation and annoyance are traveling companions. In this situation one could be irritated at the normal travel annoyances or one could use perspective and look at any problem as the exercising of longsuffering which is a fruit of the Spirit. One could pray and ask God to use this to one’s spiritual growth and to His Glory.

Whenever we are faced with any difficulty we could use perspective and look upon the difficulty as a trial or the testing or the strengthening of our faith.

To be Christ-like should be painful as becoming Flesh brought great pain to Him.

“Yea, hath God said?”  (Gen 3:1)

A sad day it is when we can quote satan (I do not cap the s on principle) and it be fitting. So much that is taught today in the local churches, the television churches and radio ministries are questionable. We, with the serpent, ask, “Hath God said” We are in no way shape or form aligning ourself with the enemy.We are using this conceit to demonstrate how far down the church of man….err, God has come.

I suppose as it is now it has always been but it is now to a greater degree. To the church and to the Christ-ian the Bible is our sole authority on earth. Of course Christ is head of the church and being so He does not go contrary to the inspired Word of God. One cannot separate Christ, the Word from the Word of God.

It is a sad day, indeed when the so called people of God put their likes and dislikes as well as their emotions ahead of the God-inspired; God given authority (2 Timothy 3:16) that is meet to all our daily spiritual needs. The doctrines taught in the Bible are now subject to the human and his/her feeling.  Whether this charge is owned up to or not it is true. We, as a Bible preacher/teacher/prophet, have sat down with individuals and with groups to show them from Scripture, using the Socratic method, the soundness of a particular doctrine and they still walk away unwilling submit to God’s truth.

It is a sad day, indeed when a person will take the word of a preacher or pope over the clear teaching of God’s in His Word.  We have been in discussions that went a little like this,

” Well doctor or brother or father so and so said this……” to which we would respond, ” I understand that but God said this in His Word…..To which of these two will you submit?” and usually it ends with the person saying either, “Who knows” or “Well, I just don’t know anymore.”

It is a sad day, indeed when a sweet lady will keep to her religious upbringing when she knows otherwise. We knew a sweet, sweet lady many years ago that understood the Gospel and even believed it cognitively but refused to go to Christ by faith. The reason she gave was her upbringing. She told us that her parents raised her Catholic, she went to Catholic school, taught in Catholic school and will die a Catholic like her parents. As we have grown in our faith we admit to not knowing this ladies destiny as denominational words get in the way. She may very well have known Christ as her Lord and Saviour but saw the intent of our discussion as being to convert her to “our religion” Putting her destiny aside, many people do view “religion” in this way. We have however, met many Catholics that claim to know Christ and their fruit (works) and words back them up. We have also seen Baptists and Presbyterians, etc. that are lost and their fruit and words back that up. Let us get back on track.

It is a sad day, indeed when a person likes their denomination’s idea of god rather than loving the God of Holy Writ. If one would, with spiritual and intellectual honesty, compare the God of Holy Writ with a god of the denominations one would see a remarkable difference. The last statement is a general statement and does not and is not meant as a blanket statement of all local churches. If one were to compare the teaching of some churches…orthodox mainstream churches and the teachings of Scripture one would find a remarkable difference.  What was once known as classical Christ-ian teaching is now thought wrong if not heretical.

It is a sad day, indeed when the teachings of classic Christ-ianity are belittled and when the teachings of the Reformers, the Puritans, and men like C.H. Spurgeon,  J. Edwards, A.W. Pink, J.C. Ryle, J. Wesley and others are forgotten or even worse edited by publishers. It is a sad day because that which these men taught and now teach in books are the very teachings of Christ and His Apostles!

The reader may have asked him/herself, “What teachings is he talking about?”  To which we would answer:

• Does the Bible teach that God loves everyone?
• For whom did Christ die and rise again? or in other words did He die for everyone?
• Does the Bible teach about a literal Hell?
• Is repentance necessary for one to be saved?
• Is the invitation system of the church a sound practice?
• Should the church still excommunicate individuals today?
• How should the Lord’s Supper be kept and should this ordinance be disallowed to certain persons?
• Is the church government scriptural?
• Does the Christ-ian have authority in society?
• What is the proper definition of Christ-ian humility?
• What does a Biblical Christ-ian look like and sound like?

There are many more however, if we, as the Church of Christ, had these questions answered Scripturally we would be a much stronger entity with a much more pronounced presence in today’s society.

It is a sad day, indeed when any teaching or anything is put above Scripture. Scripture does not suffer when this happens…we do.

“…ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

 

It has been said by many that taking marriage advice from a Catholic priest is ridiculous because they are not married and do not or cannot understand the intricacies of marriage. While this makes sense in a natural way, it does not make sense in a spiritual way. Whether a priest is married or not, his advice comes from the Word of God, and not marriage. However, they may have a different kind of experience that a married man may not, as he has gained experience through the lives of those he has counceled.

This negative view cannot be held against a man who is a parent of a child or children, though the same thing can be said as above concerning a man without being a parent himself.

The present writer is a very proud father of (3) three terrific daughters. These girls have been on the A honour role from their kindergarten days and (2) two of them will be entering High school (DV,) and their older sister will be entering college (DV). They all are multiple winners of a “Christian Character” award as well as many other awards. They are all on the volleyball team as well as two of them on the basketball team. Two of them play on both the JV and the varsity teams. If It sounds like I’m bragging, I am. Let me add one caveat to the above…to God be the glory!!!

We said the above to simply demonstrate that we know of what we speak.  Having said all of the above, allow us to get to the point of this post.

One of the things that we see on a very regular basis that frustrates us, if not downright angers us, is a parent that treats their child, or better said, God’s child, in a way that displeases God as in provoking their child(ren) to wrath. We are dumbfounded to see what we see in so-called Christ-ian homes by so-called Christ-ian parents. It matters not to us how “successful”a man is if he does not treat his offspring in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. God forgive me, but there have been times we have wanted to handle the parents ourselves and treat them with the same disrespect they treat their kids. With that last statement we shall move on (DV).

For the rest of this post we will seek to lay down some very, very simple ideas on raising a and relating to your kids.

• Remember you are a sinner and have been longer than your kids. When your kids manifest their sinner-hood and you must deal with it, stop and ask yourself this, “How can I come down hard on my kid when I am a bigger sinner than he/she is?” Confess your sinner-hood to your child and tell them you understand sin’s draw. Go on to explain to them that God requires discipline, however, and then discipline them as God directs. Then hug you child, cry with them, ask them to pray for you as you will pray for them.
• Remember what it was like to be a kid and relate to them in that way. Goof around with them, go out and have fun with them, as well as with their friends. Do not act the fool or sin to fit in, but hold a high standard that can be respected.
• This one is of the utmost importance, especially if your kids are younger. Never, ever leave a room or the house without telling each other, “I love you”, even if there is anger present. This point and its importance cannot be stressed enough.
• Treat them in a way you want them to treat you…this one should be basic.
• Always be honest with them. This may mean a Santa-less Xmas and an Easter-bunny less Easter as well as no Tooth Fairy. This will cause the ire of family members but that is acceptable. If you start this practice from the beginning of your child’s life they will not miss it.
• Keep your word to them and they will keep theirs to you. If you tell them that they  can stay out until a certain time, allow them to do so without unnecessarily stalking them via cell phone. Ask them to check in at an agreed upon time and wait.
• Be careful not to speak ill of other parents but use grace to show the difference between their family dynamic and yours.
• Use grace to correct your children if formal discipline is not required.
• Formal discipline is not always required.
• Let them see love and affection between you and your spouse.
• Be affectionate with the kids. Hug them and kiss them as often as they will allow it.
• Be aware and accept that at some point your child will pull away from you for a period of time… especially if they are of the 11-16 year old female variety. Give them their space, feel the pain and heart ache quietly, but continue to tell them how proud you are of them and how very much you love them.
• Do not force your mistakes upon your kids. If you have made your life difficult by disobeying God’s righteous standards, do not naturally assume your kids will do the same and then punish them for what you did to yourself!!! Your life and the choices you have made and continue to make are warnings enough without you strangling them.

Much of the above is Bible 101, my experience and unfortunately some of it is gleaned from parental failures we have observed other parents make.  We have seen the affects it has and has had ( at this point I write with tears running down my face) and will have on these great kids. We have desired so many times to sit down with the parents of these kids and tell them how much pain they cause their own or rather God’s own. We want to tell them how much damages they are causing. We want to tell them that God will stand for it only so long. We want want to tell them how terrific their kids are and how terrible they are. Then we want to, lovingly,  take them outside and knock some sense into their foolish heads…God forgive me.

We would like to name names but that probably would not be helpful besides if these parents read this they will know of whom we write. To the kids of whom I write, “You guys are kids to be proud of and to be held up as examples of honourable your Christ-ian men and women. I for one am very proud of you all and am so glad to know you and feel free to share this with your parents.

To the parents that do well by their children,  God bless you and thank you. You are raising the next Christ-ian generation. You may look forward to Christ’s “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

To the parents that mistreat their/God’s offspring,  In Scripture…that’s the Bible..It is the Book that is usually leather bound.  You know which one I refer to; it’s the one you drag out from under the dirty magazines around Xmas and Easter if you pull it out at all.

Now that we are on the same page, In Scripture we/ you are told that Children are an heritage of the LORD. That means that the children you are raising or not raising is/are a gift(s) from God Himself. I council thee, do not mishandle the gifts of God. The manner in which you raise your children will either be a witness for you or against you on your day of judgement. There is not anything more important in your life than your walk with God and your family…nothing…not work, not church, not health, nothing.

If some take this post the wrong way they will have proven themselves to be Proverb’s fool however, if they take it as a loving rebuke and sound instruction they will prove themselves to be Proverb’s wise man.

Oh God, my God, please add Thine favour and Thine blessings to these words. Amen.

“And [H]e shall send [H]is angels with a great sound of a trumpet…”

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the [W]ord of {T]ruth…”

 

Before we go to far let us define what we mean by sound exposition. The sound exposition of any

thing refers to the proper explaining of anything written or stated. In our case we refer to the proper explaining of Scripture or the wholesome unpacking of the inspired authors intent and meaning of what he has written and recorded for the believers of his day and for those that “would believe through their words.”

In our title it is written that sound exposition is a revealing. Unsound exposition reveals the expositors character, Understanding of text, dedication to Holy Writ, the Holy Spirit, the inspired writers, and to those he is teaching as well as a laziness. The sound exposition reveals the opposite to be true.One must be careful not to label a preacher or writer as unsound after hearing or reading him only once or even twice especially if there has been time after hearing him the first and second times. If however you find him expounding Writ on a regular basis it is best to avoid him.

We have chosen the two verses above as our text verse because the first has been used recently in an unsound manner and the second is usually misused on a very regular basis.We have seen the first one being used to teach that Donald Trump is the anti christ and that it was Christ Himself to reveal it in this passage. We are far from believing that Trump is or is not the prophesied enemy of Christ and the church and we are equally from disbelieving it. Logic dictates that when one is unsure on a topic one should remain neutral and so we are. We are certain on this point however, Christ did not use this text to reveal the identity of the anti Christ. Even if Trump is exposed to be the anti Christ this verse was still not used to reveal his doomed person.

In our second text we use 2 Timothy 2:15 as it is often used incorrectly it has been used incorrectly far more time than correctly. It is used to teach believers that by studying Scripture they would show themselves to God as being worthy of his approbation. While we are far from disapproving of anyone teaching other to study the Scripture we are far from approving of improperly misusing the Bible to do so. First of all believers need to know that if they are in Christ God already approves of them personally as He sees them in Christ.If one avoids and skips on reading and studying their Bible God may be displeased of this action but still approves of their person. The passage if rightly taught and understood simply teaches that one should diligently seek to please God with all they do and do not do. This verse could be set along side of “Be sure to make your calling and election sure.” As this verse also teaches that one should make their calling and election obvious and sure footed by their good works and their attempt to deny themselves by taking up their cross and following Christ. As 2 Timothy 2:15 continues Paul states that by doing so we will rightly divide the Word of Truth. This means that we will by diligently seeking to do what is right we show our proper understanding of Holy Scripture.

The first verse has been used by legalistic preachers and other preachers alike to instill in their hearers and students to be faithful to study their Bibles. Again while we are very far from disagreeing with their intend we are far from approving of their method of misusing and misapplying the inspired writers intent and meaning. If one is to look closely at this picture what you would see is the unsound expositor misapplying Scripture to teach others the importance and necessity of studying and rightly understanding the meaning and intent of Holy Writ. It would be comical if it weren’t so sad.  This unsound exposition is dangerous because it teaches that the love between Christ and Christ-ian is based on good works and not the love and faith to begin with.

May God bless your diligence in seeking a deeper relationship with Christ.

“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

The subject of “soul winning” or “witnessing” can be a controversial one.  Many questions could be asked concerning this subject. Depending on what denomination one is a part of one will find themselves in a world of trouble if one questions soul winning.

We will (DV) establish our teaching on the subject to begin with. Some of the stands we take are very unpopular but we believe that Scripture will support them.

We do not believe that every believer is called to be a soul winner in the same sense as the apostles. We are familiar with Mt 28, or what is called  “the great commission”. To get a proper understanding of this verse one simply must look at the other tasks given. The tasks given by Christ are as follows; teach all nations, baptizing them, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever things I have commanded you. Before the Scripturally honest preacher applies this great commission to all Christ-ians, he must be prepared to transfer his authority to baptize to every believer. In other words, we ask you reader, Do you have the spiritual God given authority to baptize? If your answer is no then the great commission is not directed to every believer.

Having said the above, do we believe that some Christ-ians should not witness? Our answer is yes and no. If a believer is not prepared to faithfully declare Scripture, the believer should wait lest they do more harm than good as many have done. The effects of unprepared believers presenting unfaithful and unscriptural truths can be seen in the visible church today. Our second answer of no is due to that fact that while not all believers are prepared to witness to the lost, all believers are able to be witnesses… and there is a big difference.

The point of this post is not to debate the issue of “soul winning”, “witnessing”, or “being a witness.” The point to our post is to demonstrate everyday ways to be a witness and to witness to others. These are not plastic or rehearsed methods, but practical ways.

 Ways to witness to the Saving God:

• Invite others to church. This may sound overly simple but in inviting others to church you have defined yourself as a Christ-ian.
• Tracts – find some that are Scripturally sound and distribute them to others or leave them in places like a doctors/dentist office or other places that people will read while waiting. If you want to give tracts to people personally, simply ask them, “May I give this to you?”
• Live your Christ-ian life outwardly and out loud. By doing this you are demonstrating to others that you are approachable and open to questions concerning the faith.
• Quote Bible verses or passages in the hearing of others.
• Have a Bible or Christ-ian book present at your desk.
• Invite others to Christ-ian movies.

If you are comfortable with your preparedness to share the Gospel with others you might try these:

• Speak to others as if they are already believers even when you know they are not. This will demonstrate and manifest to themselves that they are not saved and do not know God.
• Ask the person if they would allow you a certain amount of time to share your faith with them. Begin with the law and their lost condition before expounding the Gospel.
• Make the Gospel part of you everyday conversation.

 

It is always best when the Gospel is organic and the holy Spirit is opening all the right doors for one’s faithful utterance.

“Then Pashur [a priest and chief governor in the house of the LORD who heard Jeremiah] smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.”  (Jeremiah 20:2)

“They took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon…And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.”  (Jeremiah 38:6)

 

There are some careers that guarantee rejection and trouble. A customer service worker is a job or career that was invented for abuse. A salesperson must accept at the beginning of this career that he or she will see rejection more than success. Those who choose the arts for a career must also make up their mind to persevere through rejection after rejection after rejection.

A calling that guarantees rejection and trouble is the call of God. Whether God calls one to the office of preacher, pastor, evangelist, prophet, Christ-ian school teacher, etc. God’s call is a call to holiness, upright public living, blessedness, oneness with Him, excitement, and to be sure, Trouble with a capital T. So often acceptance by God equates to rejection by man. Paul said one cannot please God and man at the same time. Christ tells us the cold truth that one cannot serve God and mammon. The man of God, like Noah, is called to condemn the world by his holy lifestyle. So you can see that a man of God is called to a life of trouble 24/7. However, a life spent with God is worth it all (as the hymn says) and those that live their life in God’s Prescence will tell you.

There are other ways a man of God will get himself into trouble. The number one way a man of God gets into trouble is by telling the Bible truth to the mixed multitude in the church of man.

This writer has gotten himself into trouble with the church of man and believes he remains in trouble by teaching a basic Bible truth. What Bible truth would that be? The truth that God does not love everyone…the truth that God does not love everyone. We repeated this truth as to make the point that we mean what we say or write. There is not a single passage that declares God’s love to every single person. While it is true that rain and sunshine falls upon the gardens of the just and unjust it does not mean God loves everyone, but that the unjust are benefited greatly by God’s love for His own.

One might think that John 3:16 is a deathblow to the Biblical truth of God’s exclusive love. It is not. To understand John 3:16 one should compare 1 John 2:2,Galatians 2:9, and Revelation 5:9.

In John 3:16 we read, “For God so loved the world…”                                                                           In 1 John 2:2 it is stated, “Christ died not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole world.”

After reading words like this how could anyone say that God does not love everyone? The only person that would still say “God does not love everyone” is the person that understands how to study Scripture, and who is open to God’s truth; even to the point of being forsaken by others.

Before one takes a stand upon a perceived Biblical truth one must ask certain questions.

1. Who is speaking?
2. Who is being spoken to?

The answers to the above questions are as follows: In John 3:26 we see our Lord speaking to Nicodemus, a Jew. In 1 John 2:2 John is speaking to Jews. In Galatians 2:9 we find a key. Here we find that there is an agreement made. Peter, James, and John would minister to the Circumcision or the Jews and Paul would minister to the Gentiles.

With the above being laid out, one can see that The Lord is telling Nicodemus that God loves the Gentile world as well as the Jewish world, as the Jews thought that God was their God alone. Then in 1 John 2:2 we see John, an apostle to the….Jews saying to the Jews that Christ did not die for the Jew only, but for the whole non-Jewish world. If these facts are not enough, let me give you Scriptures definition of world. In Revelation 5:9, “…for [T]hou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by [T]hy [B]lood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Let us now look at some verses. Turn your Bible to Psalm 5:5, as I want you to see this for yourself.

Psalm 5:5 “…[T]hou hatest all workers of iniquity.”  Many teach that God hates the sin yet loves the sinner, but does Scripture support that teaching?

John 17:9, “I (the Lord Jesus) pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which [T]hou hast given [M]e; for they are [T]hine.”

Proverbs 8:17,” I love them that love [M]e… ”     So if one does not love God one is not loved of God.

1 John 4:19, “We love [H]im, because [H]e first loved us.”  Think of the negative side of this truth. If a person loves not God it is because God did not love him first.

Another passage that those who are” untaught” turn to in order to support their “God loves everyone” false teaching is 2 Peter 3:9; “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  Again, how could someone disagree with the teaching that God loves everyone if God is not willing that any should perish? One that could still disagree with this all-inclusive teaching is one that is honest and reads the whole verse. Read the first part of 2 Peter 3:9;” The Lord is not slack concerning [H]is promises, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any [of us] should perish but that all of [us] should come to repentance.” The same questions from above that define a truth are applicable here. Who is speaking and to whom is he speaking? In 2 Peter 3:9 Peter is speaking to those who are already saved. Therefore, the teaching is that God was not willing that any of us (believers) should perish but that all of us would come to repentance. This deals with God’s elect that are still in the world. This world will not end until each and every person, for Whom Christ died, comes to Christ.

The Scriptural teaching on God’s exclusive love does not diminish His capacity to love. It exalts and give context to the exacting nature that God has for you, the individual Christ-ian. This exclusive love supports the truth that if you were the only person on earth Christ would have died for you. This Scriptural teaching gives greater power (in our eyes) to the promises of God to us-ward. This teaching tells each and every Christ-ian that God loves YOU in a special way.

Those that vehemently oppose or hate the Scriptural teaching on God’s exclusive love will say that those who  know the exclusive love of God are prideful. This will prove my next point. They suffer from a coldness that is between themselves and God. They, of course, would violently disagree with that statement, but that is because they do not know any better. Those who have experienced and do experience God’s exclusive love are humbled and made eternally thankful for His love and the knowledge thereof.

Christ-ian, God does not love everyone but He does love you; He did not die and rise again for everyone, but He did for you….rejoice evermore and again I say rejoice.