Blessed Blessings

Blessed Blessings

Sometimes the best way to define a word is to look at the word which stands in opposition to it. We use the words “blessed” or “blessing” so often and in so many ways that we lose track of their exact meaning. Take a moment and look at the words that are the opposite words—cursed and cursing.

Think of the emphasis the Bible gives to those who fail to find His favor and blessings and come under judgment. “The Lord is angry with the wicked every day” (Psa. 7:11).  “Even his prayer is an abomination” (Prov. 28:9). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). “A certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Heb. 10:27). This is the opposite of being blessed by God and finding favor in His sight. A simple definition of the word “blessed” is that it means “happy.” But, that word is too “simple” to see how magnificently blessed it is when we find His blessed favor.

The words of the song, “Blessed Assurance,” were first published 150 years ago. The fact that is so often sung today is evidence of how so many have rejoiced in the fact that we live under His favor and find great hope in Him. It was written by Fanny J. Crosby, who was blind from six weeks old. Mrs. Crosby wrote at least 4,000 hymns, possibly 8,000.

The first stanza of “Blessed Assurance” describes how wonderful it is to be His child. “Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine!” It then looks at specific ways we are blessed—“heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.” Read these phrases again and think soberly about how they express the blessing of having His favor.

The second stanza speaks of the perfect delight which we have when we submit to Him and His control of our lives. It looks upward to see the rapturous blessings of vision depicted as angels descending from heaven to bring them. Two specific blessings are mentioned— “echoes of mercy” and “whispers of love.”

The third stanza turns our hearts to the peace we have. “Perfect submission, all is at rest.” In Christ, we are “happy and blest, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with His goodness, lost in His love.”

Is there any wonder why the chorus speaks of this blessed assurance being our story and our song? We are “praising my Savior all the day long.”

There is so much depth in the meaning of songs which for centuries have stirred the hearts of others. They have become part of the “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” today. Think of the words of these songs, and let them lift you upward toward heaven.

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Six Ways Satan Attacks Your Children

Six Ways Satan Attacks Your Children

We don’t need to rehearse with you how Satan is winning the battle with too many young people. You can see it all around you. So exactly how is he winning this battle? There are at least six areas Satan is focused on that parents need to be proactive against: Satan has packaged lethargy and apathy in an appealing way, and as a result many Christian families lack proper knowledge.

Many parents do not make the time to inform themselves properly about what is the Truth. They do not review what their children are learning in the classroom. They long ago stopped monitoring the media their children are consuming. The prophet Hosea warned that “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

Satan has conned Christian families into believing there is no reason to arm ourselves for combat.

Individuals who would never consider sending young men into battle without proper training and equipment will freely send their own children off to battle without any armor. When Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, he admonished them:

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”” (Eph. 6:13-17, KJV).

Ask yourself: Are my children and grandchildren adequately armed?

Satan has also blinded parents from the need to protect the hearts and minds of our children.

In Matthew 22:36 a lawyer asks Jesus: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”  Jesus responds “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matt. 22:37-38, KJV).

We believe most individuals who identify themselves as Christians love God with their heart and soul. But what about their minds? How can we expect our children to love God with all of their mind when it is being filled up with anti-God sentiment?

Satan has attacked Christian families by convincing them that spiritual training should only take place within the confines of the church building.

This is a dangerous approach to training up your children and grandchildren. Nothing can compare to consistent biblical learning within the home.

The fifth area in which Satan has succeeded in attacking Christian families is in casting an incomplete portrait of God.

Many individuals today believe in God—but He has been recast to simply a God of “love and grace.” They view Him as a grandfatherly like figure who would never rebuke, chasten, or judge. They have discounted the wrath and righteousness of God. Many have forgotten or dismissed the fact that He will not tolerate sin and that sin separates us from God (Isa. 59:2). Many generations have not learned a healthy fear of God.

The sixth way in which Satan is attacking Christian families is by confusing our priorities.

When we look at the mammoth homes we are now building to live in we must ask the question, which is more important: Haven or Heaven? In Matthew 6:24 Jesus observed “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” In fact, the Bible condemns covetousness as idolatry (Col. 3:5). But, year after year, society reinforces the idea of materialism and “getting to the top.”

Satan has mounted his attack. Now is the time for Christian families to choose whom they will serve. May we all have the strength and determination to stand up and declare, as Joshua did “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Jos. 24:15).

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Kuriakon – What is the Church?

Kuriakon – What is the Church?

The English word “church” derives from the Greek word kuriakon and means “the Lord’s house.” The Greek word for church is ekklesia and means “assembly” (Acts 19:32, 39, 41; Hebrews 12:23). The church is called by many names in the scriptures. It is called the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27), the bride (Revelation 22:17), the temple (Ephesians 2:21), the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15), husbandry and building (1 Corinthians 3:9), the kingdom (Matthew 16:19), and much more.

The church belongs to Jesus. He is its builder and owner (Matthew 16:18). He is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-12). Jesus Christ died and shed his blood for the church (Acts 20:28). He is the savior of the church (Ephesians 5:23) and the King of the kingdom (Revelation 5:9-10). He is the good shepherd and the church are the sheep (John 10:11). Jesus is the foundation of the building (1 Corinthians 3:11) and the chief cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6-7).

The church is not a building, though, the English word is commonly used that way. The church is not a denomination (1 Corinthians 1:10-13); it is composed of members and members are people (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). The church may be organized in a local congregation (Hebrews 2:12) at a particular location (1 Corinthians 1:2). The Bible also teaches the church to be all saints from all times (Ephesians 1:22-23, Hebrews 12:23).

To become a member of the church, one must be baptized (1 Corinthians 12:13). This is the same as being born of the water and of the spirit (John 3:5). A person cannot be saved without being cleansed by the blood of Christ (Revelation 1:5). A person cannot be cleansed by the blood of Christ without being a member of the church (Acts 20:28, Ephesians 5:23). A person cannot be saved without being a member of the church.

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The Death of Orthodoxy

The Death of Orthodoxy

The word “orthodoxy” means correct belief in the original sense of the word. That a belief can be correct or incorrect is not very popular today as many have adopted a multicultural perspective. This popular way of thinking says, “You have your beliefs and they are right for you, and I have my beliefs and they are right for me, but there are no right or wrong beliefs.” To have orthodox beliefs means that they are supported by the teaching of Jesus and the Bible, that is, that they are true. To have unorthodox beliefs means that they are very different from what Jesus and the Bible taught. Today, orthodoxy is ridiculed as being an outmoded way of thinking. It has been replaced by contemporary culture’s social agenda of rejecting just about every teaching of scripture. Nothing is sacred.

God, however, is still on His throne. Jesus Christ reigns supreme. The truth has not changed from when it was given centuries ago. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever,” (Hebrews 13:8). This means that while the world around us may guffaw at the right doctrines of Christianity, God is not amused, and the time is coming when the world will realize its grave error. What do we do in the meantime? We must continue to be faithful to the word of the Lord; we must be a bastion of truth and right belief. We must not compromise God’s holy word in an attempt to placate an implacable culture, but continue to sound it forth boldly before all. For it is the only way that men may come to know Him, and some will.

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Super-spreaders

Super-spreaders

“Super-spreader” is one of the new vocabulary terms that we acquired during the pandemic. A super-spreader is a person who has a virus and spreads it to many other people. He could be doing this knowingly or unknowingly. Many feared being labeled a super-spreader. They feared the idea of infecting other people. The feared being labeled by society. They feared becoming a pariah, someone to be ostracized and rejected. They feared that others would think that they had no sympathy and did not care about the health of others. To be a super-spreader was equivalent to being cursed.super-spreader

There is something much worse than being a super-spreader of a virus: being a super-spreader of sin. One spreads sin by committing sin and teaching others to do so (Deuteronomy 20:18). Others see the sin and want to commit sin too (Galatians 5:9). Among many, there does not appear to be a great fear of being a super-spreader of sin. Fewer and fewer people fear being labeled a sinner. They do not fear the idea of causing another to commit sin (Matthew 18:6). Instead of being pariahs, people who commit sin are embraced and welcomed as brave and heroic. Many who commit sin are not afraid that they will be considered uncaring or unsympathetic, but that is what they actually are (Romans 1:31, 2 Timothy 3:3). To be a super-spreader of sin is actually equivalent to being cursed (Hebrews 6:8).

Only Jesus can save us from sin. He saves us by giving us the truth (John 8:31-32). He saves us by taking the curse of sin on Himself (Galatians 3:13). He saves us by giving us His perfect example (1 Peter 2:22) and being our standard of righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). Don’t be a super-spreader of sin! Follow Jesus!

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