Christian Nobles

Christian Nobles

Meekness does not mean weakness. Humility does not mean timidity. As Christians we need to remember that we have been adopted into a (the) royal family. We are children of the King. We are nobles!

nobles king

Are you living a life of nobility?

Every Christian should live in such a way that their nobility is evident to the entire world. Timothy was “well reported of by the brethren” (Acts 16:2). In Philippi Paul and Silas conducted themselves with nobility. The Bereans “were more noble” then those in Thessalonica. And Paul stood proudly upon Mars’ Hill and proclaimed to the Athenians the one true and living God.

Are we living lives of nobility? Are we conducting ourselves as children of the King? How do we live noble lives? Believe on the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31) and on His word (Acts 16:32). Study the word (Acts 17:11) and stand boldly for the truth. Be good stewards of our lives and our blessings. Love the Lord, the kingdom, our neighbors, and our enemies. Teach others. Worship and fellow-ship. Be faithful and proud as a noble Christian!

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What is Essential?

What is Essential?

There are many today who will tell you that all you have to do is believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you will be saved. While those two things are indeed absolutely essential to being saved (Romans 10:9-10), the all-important question is, are they indeed the only two essential requirements in order to be saved like so many claim? If you are someone who believes that they are, and your eternal destination is at all important to you, then please take the time to consider each of the following statements and the Scriptures which accompany them (Acts 17:11).

Essential

Flour is not all that is essential for pancakes. Belief is not all that is essential for salvation.

·       Satan believes in God, for he speaks of Him as existing (Genesis 3:1-5).

·       Satan also believes God is powerful – far more powerful than he is (Job 1:6-10).

·       Satan’s demonic servants believe in God as well – and tremble (James 2:19).

·       Satan’s demonic servants also believe, – yes KNOW – that God is all-powerful (Mark 5:1-13).

·       Satan’s demonic servants not only believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but also confessed the same on numerous occasions (Matthew 8:28-29, Luke 4:33-35, 40-41).

While confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart that Jesus is Lord are both essential to being saved, they are certainly not the only two items that are essential to salvation as these Biblical examples undeniably prove. If they were, then both Satan and his demons would be headed for heaven for all eternity – which they are not (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). We see this same Biblical pattern of those who confessed Jesus as Lord and obviously believed in their hearts, but still were not saved simply by those two essential elements alone, in several other Scriptures as well. For example:

  • The highly devout and zealously religious folks listed in Matthew 7:21-23 called Jesus “Lord.” They obviously believed – look at the list of good works they did in His name! But what did Jesus say to them in vs. 23? “I never knew you; depart from Me.” Why? Because even though they had believed in and confessed Him as Lord, they still hadn’t done the other things that were just as essential to their salvation as those two were (Vss. 21, 24-27).
  • Saul of Tarsus, on his way into Damascus, both called Jesus “Lord,” and showed his deeply heart-felt faith/belief by his very obediently following Jesus’ instructions (Acts 9:1-8; See Hebrews, chapter 11). If those two things alone were all that were necessary in order to be saved, then at that point he would have been. However; we know he wasn’t, because even after doing those two things – plus praying hard over the course of three days without food or drink (Vss. 9-11) – he was still in his sins (Acts 22:12-16), not yet being forgiven, or hence saved.
  • Even though King Agrippa knew all about Jesus and believed all that the prophets had written about Him, both the Apostle Paul as well as Agrippa himself knew that those things alone did not make him a Christian (Acts 26:1-28).

Belief and confession can be likened to an engine and a transmission. It is safe to say that he who has an engine and a transmission can drive his car to his intended destination. This is because without both an engine and a transmission, the car will certainly not get him where he intends to go. However, while those two items are absolutely essential to driving his car there, they are certainly not the only two essential elements that are. Tires, framework, and fuel are all just as necessary to his intended travel and destination arrival.

Yes, belief and confession are salvation-essential just as the Bible says (Romans 10:9-10). However, there are several other just as salvation-essential items which cannot be left out, neglected, or overlooked if one is to be truly saved, instead of tragically surprised, when they come before the Lord Jesus on Judgement Day (Matthew 7:21-23).

If you are serious about the safe arrival of your eternal soul to its intended heavenly destination on that day, then please come, and see, and study, and worship with us this coming Lord’s Day. Ask questions. Get full Biblical answers!

For a free and further Bible Study on this subject, please go to https://godswordistruth.org/bible-studies and click on the study entitled: “Complete List Of Biblical Components Necessary For Salvation” in the fourth set of studies in that section. Also, for much more information and Biblical insight, please listen to the full length audio sermon from which the above article was actually taken, at: https://soundcloud.com/user-640047687/044-is-satan-a-christian-4-28-19-am.

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Things Old and Things New

Things Old and Things New

That transformation which occurs when one becomes a Christian is so remarkable. The apostle Paul emphasized this to those new Christians in Corinth. In his second letter to that church he spoke of all he was in Judaism before becoming a follower of Jesus. No one excelled his credentials, yet he gave it all up. He reminded them of this truth and then applied this transformation to all Christians. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Have you transformed from the old to the new?

Have you transformed from the old to the new?

What Was Old and Passed Away?

In Judaism, there were those who boasted in their appearance and lived for themselves (2 Cor. 5:12, 14). All that mattered to them was the fleshly honors they had attained (v. 16), but Paul said that having become a Christian none of these mattered at all.

The old guilt of sin had passed away. Under that Old Testament law, every year there was that Day of Atonement (modern Jews call it Yom Kippur) when God remembered the nation’s sins, and His displeasure was “satisfied” by the offering of animal sacrifices. It was a religion which easily created guilt for there was no real forgiveness. When one becomes a Christian God “remembers their sins no more” (Jer. 31:34).

The old system of being God’s chosen people had passed away. God have given the Old Testament, but it was only to the Jews (Rom. 3:1-2), and the rest of mankind were thereby separated from the promises and blessings of that system. Paul turned his back on all that when he learned of God’s new religion where there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks (Gal. 3:28). Under that old covenant one was born into a relationship with God (whether one wanted it or not), but in God’s new plan one makes his own choice to be born again into God’s family (John 3:3-5).

What Has Become New?

Under the New Testament all of this had changed. There is now freedom of choice. The old law was a yoke of bondage (Acts 15:10), but Jesus’ new law is easy and light (Matt. 11:30). There is now eternal forgiveness—God no longer remembers our sins because Christ has become our eternal, atoning sacrifice. There is now a new relationship with God—Jesus’ model prayer begins, “Our Father who is in heaven.” John said it this way, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1).

What has become new? Paul’s answer is “all things have become new.” Paul gave up everything to embrace Christianity. Consider this question. What have you given up to become a follower of Jesus?

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Don’t Ignore the Lost

Don’t Ignore the Lost

“You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. . . And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it” (Deuteronomy 22:1-3).

Let us look to find what is lost.

Let us look to find what is lost.

We are familiar with the concept of the lost and found. When we lose a jacket, piece of jewelry, sunglasses, or some other article, it is often placed in a common spot where people may go look for their lost item. We don’t ignore lost items because when we lose something, we want it returned to us. Does it surprise you that this concept goes all the way back to the Mosaic Law? If an Israelite saw someone’s livestock roaming free, he was to take charge of it and return it. If it wasn’t convenient to return it, he was supposed to store it until the owner came looking for it. What God specifically prohibited was ignoring the problem. They were obliged to do something about the lost.

There is a spiritual lesson in this. Today, God has many people that are lost. Jesus said that he came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). He did not ignore the problem of lost people. What do we do about it? Are we paying attention to the lost around us? Or are we ignoring the problem. God doesn’t want us to ignore the lost. Let’s resolve to do something about it and bring back to God that which is lost to Him.

 

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Holistic Approach to Spiritual Life

Holistic Approach to Spiritual Life

Holistic medicine is all the rage in certain circles: the theory that you need to treat the whole of a person, and not just the individual parts. There is a certain kind of sense to the idea. The whole body knit together, is affected by each part and the healthiness of that part. Stub your toe, your eyes tear up and your head begins to pound.

There is One who holds all things together.

There is One who holds all things together.

More important than physical health is spiritual health. We are reminded, “bodily exercise has some profit, but righteousness is profitable for all things, having promise both for this life and the life to come(1 Timothy 4:8).”

When it comes to spiritual health, the Bible is all in on the concept of a holistic approach.

Concerning the health of the body of Christ, the church, the Bible says that it is to grow through the working of each member of the church doing their part (cf. Ephesians 4:16). Likewise, we read, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it(1 Corinthians 12:26).”

If we want a strong, spiritually-healthy church, then we must work on developing strong, spiritually-healthy members in that church.

The Bible has some insights into how we can each achieve this.

Solomon, writing instructions for spiritual health, advised, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh(Proverbs 4:20-22; NKJV).

Notice the holistic approach Solomon advises for learning spiritual wisdom. The ear, the eye and the heart must all play a part. The ear must be attentive when godly teachers are speaking. The eye must be fixed on the printed words of God’s Message to man, and the heart must treasure these words beyond measure. The importance of this total approach to learning God’s word cannot be overstated.

The psalmist declares that the righteous man, blessed by God in all that he does, meditates on God’s word day and night (Psalms 1:2-3).

Solomon has more to say about a holistic righteousness: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you (Proverbs 4:23-24; NKJV).” Jesus echoed these exact words a thousand years later saying, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:34-36; NKJV). Else-when, Jesus reminded His followers: “those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man(Matthew 15:18; NKJV).”

You can’t be spiritually healthy if your heart is full of sin and corruption. Likewise, spiritual health requires sound speech that cannot be condemned. (cf. Titus 2:8)

Finally, Solomon addresses the importance of your feet in an all-around plan of spiritual health: “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.(Proverbs 4:25-27; NKJV)”

Again, we see the importance of focusing the eye properly, using the head wisely, but all so that the feet may walk the right path. Jesus said that there were only two paths. One path led to life; the other path led to destruction(cf. Matthew 7:13-14). It’s no good to claim that your heart is on the right path while your feet are busy running down the wrong path. The whole of your spiritual life needs to be working together to make sure that your feet are leading you in the right direction, at the end of which is life eternal.

 

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