The Word, the power to save

By WAYNE STEWART

Sit through any church service and a lot is said about, “the word.”

Now to be sure, “the word” can mean many different things. Put a capital “W” in front of it and you get another name for Jesus Christ, as can be found in John 1:1, but mostly when we see “the word” written in the Bible it concerns the revelation of God to his people — which of course had its ultimate manifestation in Jesus Christ and his finished work upon the cross of Calvary.

From the time of Moses to the apostle John on the isle of Patmos, God chose to bless the generations with the spoken word.

A preacher once said, “God could have chosen to bless us with golden jelly beans laid by pigeons, but instead God chose to bless us with the word, and aren’t we the better for it?”

The simple answer to the posit is, yes, because it is through the word of God, something Christians call the Holy Bible, we can actually learn about God and his plan for mankind and his path for our salvation.

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it — not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it — they will be blessed in what they do.” — James 1:21-25

James, the half-brother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ makes it known the “word” planted in you can save you.

Notice the word “planted.”  A person can read the Bible all day long, but unless the Holy Spirit plants it in the reader’s heart then the word will never take root, but on the other hand the Holy Spirit can urge a person toward the word, but until they read and receive the word there is no seed to plant.

In other words, the word of God, when combined with the Spirit of God, is a believer’s source of life.

“The Word of God is a living seed containing within itself God’s own life, which, when it is received into our hearts, springs up within us and ‘brings forth fruit after its kind;’” R.A. Torrey wrote, “for Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God, is the living germ hidden in his written word… Of no other book could such things as these be said. Hence we say, the Word of God is the instrument in His hand to work in us and for us regeneration and salvation.”

Through the word God has not only revealed himself to us, but has involved us in his work.

This should be wonderful news to any believer, but especially to those who are lost and trying to find some truth in this world. Sadly, though, there aren’t enough Christians out there willing to turn off the TV and open the word of God and experience the life that is within it for all who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you — they are full of the Spirit and life.” — John 6:63

In Ephesians 6:10-17 Paul tells the church in Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God in order for believers to take a stand against Satan. Paul sums up his analogy by saying, “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

We know the word of God points us to our salvation, which is faith in Jesus Christ, but the word of God also protects us from the evils of Satan, and also acts as an offensive weapon against the enemies of God. Try as it might, the world cannot overcome the word of God, though many rail at its teachings, they only roar because in their hardened hearts they know the Bible contains the words of truth.

When a believer is immersed in the word of God, the body may be destroyed, but there is nothing Satan can muster that will separate the believer from their destiny with Christ.

No other words, but the Word of God, can give, or even promise life. The word of God is the believer’s sustenance in a time of drought and dearth. The word of God, the Holy Bible, to borrow the words of Dave Hunt, is God’s love letter to mankind.

So, instead of using God’s holy words as a paper weight, or as a dust collector on a shelf, open the pages and look inside limitlessness of a God who wants you to come to him through His son, Jesus Christ. Read the words, because there is no other conclusion to be made.

What Tastes As Sweet As Honey But Turns Your Stomach Sour?

By JACK KELLEY
Grace Through Faith

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. (Rev. 10:9-10)

For years now Christian commentators have warned that the USA is due for judgment. We’ve pointed to the redefining of homosexuality as  merely an alternative lifestyle and the murder of  50 million pre-born children in the name of responsible family planning as major indicators that Americans are in the final stages of rebellion against God. Even Billy Graham, who is not noted for inflammatory rhetoric has been quoted as saying, “If God doesn’t judge America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
We who study prophecy have regularly warned that the US stands in the way of the fulfillment of a major End Times sign, the ascendancy of a European Super State to world dominance. Whether it’s seen as a form of the European Union or an Islamic caliphate, everyone agrees something has to happen to get the US out of the way before it can take center stage.  (With conditions in Western Europe being what they are, it’s looking more and more  like the Islamic option will prevail, but that’s a discussion for a different day.)
Lately the combination of social, economic, and political woes in the US make it seem like our time of judgment is arriving, as a growing number of experts are predicting even darker days ahead for America.  There’s a feeling that our government isn’t being exactly honest with us about things like unemployment rates, borrowing costs, the declining dollar, etc. and the “man in the street” is beginning to wonder if the situation is worse than we’ve been led to believe.

What’s That Got To Do With Me?

Pre-trib scholars often teach that the church will be snatched away before any serious judgment happens.  But the millions who can’t find work and have lost their homes or seen their savings wiped out can tell you it seems to be getting pretty serious already.  (And let’s not forget believers in other parts of the world who are facing even worse conditions, with hundreds being martyred for their faith every day.)   Nowhere does the Bible ever promise that we’ll disappear quietly from the lap of Earth’s luxury into the eternal bliss that awaits us without ever suffering a moment’s uncertainty.  On the contrary, Jesus said we’d have trouble in this world (John 16:33).
We all know the US is officially in open rebellion against God.  There are many areas of our national life that don’t pass muster. I mentioned abortion and homosexuality above, but the list also includes dozens of other things like governmental corruption, sexual depravity as entertainment, a broken judicial system, etc.  And how about our appeasement strategy toward Islam? It’s nothing short of the kind of flirtation the Jews conducted with Greek philosophy and religion during the reign of the Selucids 2200 years ago. It led to complete subjugation by the Greeks. Do you think this will turn out any differently? They’ve already publicly stated their goal is subjugation as well.
As long as the coming judgment remained out in some undefined future, it was easy to agree with those who say it’s what we deserve. But as news reports and Bible prophecy converge, telling us that the time for judgment might be a lot closer than we thought, it becomes a different matter. Suddenly it’s not so exciting any more, and that’s what John meant by saying the scroll was sweet as honey in his mouth but turned his stomach sour. He knew that the judgment he was told to prophesy about was just and righteous (sweet as honey) but watching it take place made him sick to his stomach.
We all love the idea of being the generation that sees the Lord’s return, and it is the most exciting time in all of human history. But it’s also a very unsettling time to be around, one that places us way out of our comfort zone and requires the kind of faith most of us have never had to muster up before.

So What Can We Do?

I’m not a financial adviser so I won’t offer any advice in that department.  The kind of advice I can give you is spiritual, and that’s good because this is a spiritual matter.  If you haven’t already done so, study the promises of God, especially Matt. 6:24-34. I don’t mean just read them.  Really study them.
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
To help make these promises come true for you, seek to honor God in all that you do. Take care to avoid behavior that will disappoint, embarrass, or offend Him. Sure you’re saved by grace, but that doesn’t give you a license to sin. Show some gratitude.  You shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you, after all.  When you do sin, confess early and often, confident that you’ll be forgiven.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)  Give generously with a grateful heart. And remember, your tithe is not a measure of your generosity.  No one, having enjoyed a great dinner, would be considered generous for leaving a 10% tip.  It’s what you voluntarily do beyond your tithe that makes you generous. And remember this as well.  Through your generosity on Earth, which is your temporary home,  you’re storing up treasure in Heaven, which is your permanent home (Matt. 6:19-21, 2 Cor. 4:18). Would you rather be well off for a little while longer here, or well off forever there?
In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (Ephes. 4:26-27).  Don’t let your anger over some offense, no matter how justified, put you out of fellowship with God.  It’s not worth it.  Forgive those who’ve wronged you and seek forgiveness from those you’ve wronged. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18).   When our ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even our enemies live at peace with us (Proverbs 16:7).
Maintain an attitude of gratitude. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.(Phil. 4:6-7) Worry about nothing, pray about everything, be thankful for anything. It’s true, Jesus said we’d have trouble in this world.  But He also said,  “Take Heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  Because He has, we will too.  Keep things in their proper perspective.  In just a little while this will be all over and we’ll be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.
This is just a beginning, but it’s a good one. Assuming that the course has already been set, and powerful nations will be reluctant to change their strategies, we can expect things to become more and more unsettled.  A growing number of experts from across the spectrum are predicting that life will likely become noticeably more difficult very soon.
And for those of you who’ve already written this article off as just more religious fluff when what you need is some real world advice, I’ll say this.  The fact that you think you can survive whatever is coming in your own strength just shows how far you have to go in rebuilding your faith in the only One who can see you through.  Following the advice of Matt. 6:24-34 is the one sure way to keep your bearings in the days ahead.  Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and let Him take care of the rest, like He said He would.  Selah 07-02-11

Please send Bible questions to:
questions@gracethrufaith.com

Judge them Lord, but leave me out of it

By WAYNE STEWART

In Jeremiah 12, we see a complaint made by the prophet to God.

It is a complaint we all make when we see bad people with no regard to God in powerful positions. We utter this complaint when we think things aren’t going our way. We utter this complaint when we don’t think God is doing his job as he should.

Now, let’s get to the complaint.

“You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Who do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.

“Yet you know me, Lord; you see me and test my thoughts about you. Drag them off like sheep to be butchered! Set them apart for the day of slaughter! How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered? Because those who live in it are wicked, the animals and the birds have perished. Moreover, the people are saying, ‘He will not see what happens to us.’” — Jeremiah 12:1-4

Like a chorus line, it seems Jeremiah stole the words out of our collective mouths. We cry out, “Lord, why don’t you take care of these awful people. They are messing everything up.”

Those of the lost could easily stand up and offer their reproach for believers, “They never talk to us about you Lord, so I don’t really know if you are real. They say we are going to hell, but we don’t even know the charges against us. These people who say they call upon your name act just as bad as we do, so why should they get special treatment?”

The reproach, I’m afraid, is well founded.

A true believer has an inherent sense of the evil that surrounds the world. Some believers act on that sense and call upon God to shine a light on the evil, then they go forth in the name of Jesus Christ to rescue people from a world held in the clutches of Satan.

Still, there are other believers who do nothing but hide in their homes and churches, hoping the outside world will go away, yet they do nothing. As Jesus said, they hide the light of God under a bushel while they wonder why the world is in the state it currently finds itself, wanting God to bring about his judgment on the world.

The sad part is, there are very few of us, even true Christians, ready to see the Day of the Lord; so instead of us wishing people to be punished, why don’t we work to save people, because as Peter told us, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” — 2 Peter 3:9-10

Judgment is coming, just as sure as the sun rises, but until that time those who take the name of Jesus Christ have a job to do — live the gospel so that others may see Jesus in us.

Let’s look at Jesus’ prayer for believers in John 17:20-26, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Jesus prayed this prayer just a few hours before he had to endure the cross, he knew what was coming, but he still had all of us on his heart and was interceding for all believers for all time.

Jesus could have easily said, “These ungrateful people are not worth it, I will render my judgment now and all will enter unto damnation.”

Aren’t you glad Jesus chose the path of the cross? That cross is our path to life, as Paul wrote; “even while we were still sinners Jesus laid down his life for us.”

It wasn’t righteous people he went to the cross for, he went to the cross so that we could be righteous.

If we truly are to be called followers of Christ, we must allow the Holy Spirit to create a Christ-like heart inside of us; also we must pray for courage so that we can enter into the fray and bring the message of the gospel to a world that would rather see us dead.

That should be the hope and privilege for every Christian.