Where is the Baptist Church?

Where in the Word is the Baptist Church?

All over our little town in front of certain homes, there are nice, neat little signs that read: “We Are First Baptist Cleveland.” In fact, there are not only several that I see daily on my drive home from the church building office, but even our neighbors more or less across the street from the parsonage where we live have one proudly displayed out on their front lawn.

And as I am constantly seeing those signs on display, I can’t help but remember some similar signs back in my home state of Maine, posted by another Baptist Church which I’m sure must have preached and promoted doctrines very similar in scope to the four Baptist Churches that share our little town here. Their roadside signs proudly proclaimed to people not only who they were, but in some cases, what they believed and based their theology and hope of salvation on as well. The only problem was, those signs’ messages were completely and utterly untrue – intentionally misleading or not is not mine to say – but utterly untrue they surely were! And this, not according to me, but according to almighty God Himself in His holy and eternally perfect word (Psalms 19 and 119)! So please don’t blame or judge me for pointing this out, for I’m just following orders (Eph. 5:11). Instead, just simply go ahead and examine these statements for yourself.

For example, one sign of theirs I will never forget reading sometime after my being biblically and therefore truly converted to Christ, was the one that they had set out on the front lawn of a home just past the exit ramp from the interstate, and just before the intersection where the traffic light was, which, of course, being a tractor-trailer driver at the time, I had to see every day when I passed through there on my way back to the terminal – sometimes even as I sat in traffic waiting for the light to change. It read, in part: “Bible Believing Baptist Church.” With all due respect, that simply could not be true. That phrase was a complete contradiction in terms biblically speaking… and here’s why.

The Bible unequivocally states that baptism is specifically FOR the forgiveness of sins and that it absolutely precedes salvation – and there’s no legitimately getting around that (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-41). But what Baptist Church do you know of which believes, practices, preaches and teaches that though? Additionally, the Bible unquestionably says that “baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21). And once again I would ask, where is the “bible-believing” Baptist Church anywhere on this earth which preaches and teaches exactly what that passage says – that baptism is the precise process through which, and the precise point at which, an alien sinner is summarily cleansed, forgiven, and subsequently saved? Peter certainly said it was; read it again. The bible repeatedly and emphatically emphasizes that baptism is where one calls on the name of the Lord to have their sins washed away (forgiven) and to be saved (Acts 2:38, 22:16), as well as the exact point in time at which one becomes a child of God by accepting God’s grace through their faith in the first place (Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:12). What Baptist Church teaches the biblical doctrine of baptism as seen therein, instead of adamantly and militantly denying this very critical, biblical, and divinely-inspired doctrine through insistence upon a sinner’s reciting the so-called “sinner’s prayer” – a practice never even once seen amid the thousands of documented New Testament conversions to Christ – in order to be saved?

Do the research yourself – PLEASE. Look up any Baptist Church on the web. Explore their teachings at length on this. How could any one of them be considered truly “Bible believing,” when they deny the biblical doctrine of the absolute essentiality of baptism for salvation? Oh sure, some pay lip service to following God’s word… and many of them make it sound really good (Jesus dealt with some folks in His day who did the same thing: Mark 7:5-13; and so did the Apostle Paul: 2 Corinthians 11:3-15). But dig deep enough into this doctrine and you will find they don’t believe the bible enough to follow it at all.

For instance, just for research sake, I recently googled “First Baptist doctrine baptism” or some such, and found the following statement on some First Baptist Church website (very representative of so many Baptist Churches) under their heading, The Baptist Distinctives:

Baptist Churches are modeled after the New Testament Churches. Other denominations believe some of the basic New Testament doctrines; however, for the most part Baptists are the only ones who have held to all of the basic New Testament doctrines down through the years.

Really? I mean… it sounds really good… except for the fact that it’s blatantly, biblically, and unbelievably untrue. Ask yourself: If Baptist Churches are truly modeled after New Testament churches, then why don’t they refer to themselves by one of the New Testament terms which God authorized and utilized for His churches in divine writ – terms such as “the church of God” (I Cor. 1:1), or, “the churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16) – and not with a term of recognition completely contrary and foreign to what that New Testament they claim to be modeled after uses? For, “There is salvation in none other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And certainly the term “Baptist Church” never occurs in the New Testament – if so, where so? And after all, why should it? The Baptist Church wasn’t even in existence until 1607 when John Smyth finally founded it in Holland. It wasn’t even established until some 1574 years after Christ purchased (Acts 20:28) and established His church – the church of Christ, the one that carries His name by virtue of being His bride – in 33 A.D. in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 2.

In Christ’s one, New Testament church (Eph. 1:22-23; 4:1-6) congregations – or “churches of Christ” as God divinely inspired the Apostle Paul to refer to them in Romans 16:16 – we would also note that their “pastors” were not simply their “preachers,” but were their shepherds, or elders (which is what the Greek word translated “pastors” that one time in Ephesians 4:11 actually means); and that as such, these elders/shepherds/pastors absolutely had to meet a very specific list of God-given requirements in order to serve as such. Do Baptist preachers (“pastors” as they call them) meet those God-insisted-upon requirements for “pastors?” After all, is that not one of the “basic New Testament doctrines” they claim to follow?

We never see instrumental music in the New Testament churches either – but we sure do see it in Baptist Churches (as well as apostate, although once faithful, but now fallen away congregations of even some “churches of Christ” tragically)!

But once again: the New Testament doctrine on baptism is that baptism is the exact point at which one’s sins are forgiven (Acts 2:38), and that “baptism now saves you” (I Ptr. 3:21) – get that; look it up in your own New Testament: “baptism now saves you” according to 1 Peter 3:21! But the very same website that insists that the Baptist Church follows the doctrines of the New Testament, proudly proclaims of the First Baptist Church denomination and its doctrine on baptism:

Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper are the ordinances of the local church…. Baptism by immersion of believers only pictures our union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection… Neither ordinance has any saving merit…  (Emphasis added).

How on earth can it possibly even remotely be considered as following New Testament doctrine, to deny everything the New Testament emphatically states about baptism being the very point at which one is saved, and either insolently, arrogantly, or even ignorantly insisting instead, that baptism does not save you, and that it’s only purpose is symbolic and not saving?!?!?

And it’s not only when it comes to baptism’s essentiality for salvation that Baptist Churches can’t possibly be considered completely bible-believing. What Baptist Church is there that believes the God of the Bible enough, so as to teach and preach the full council of God on such eternal truths as the fact that… believers can fall from grace (Gal. 5:4); that “faith only” or “faith alone” will save absolutely nobody (Jms. 2:19-24) – ever; or, that teach that denominations such as themselves are somehow okay in the sight of that same God who divinely dictated the entire Bible, and in His New Testament, insisted on no divisions (denominations) in the church (1 Cor. 1:10; Jn. 17:20-21; Eph. 4:1-6; Phil. 1:27-2:2)?!?

No, I am not First Baptist anything, nor am I any other deceived denominationalist diligently paying lip service to, but only following maybe a very few select parts of God’s all-authoritative New Testament doctrine (including on baptism – Matt. 28:18-20). I am a humble, grateful, and biblically-studied member of the Lord Jesus Christ’s one, undenominated New Testament church, just as seen promised, purchased, established by, and belonging to, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; the one church opened up by Peter on the Day of Pentecost just as Jesus had prophesied (Matt. 16:18-19; Acts 20:28; Acts 2), instead of some man-made division never seen in Scripture, but established many centuries later by sinful men, insisting on doctrines other than Christ’s (1 Tim. 4:1-4; 2 Tim. 4:1-4) such as the “sinner’s prayer” for salvation sake, which suddenly surfaced as “official church doctrine” in the relatively recent mid-17th century as an edict arising not from Christ’s divinely inspired apostles, but from the uninspired attendees of the Westminster Assembly in England!

I am – we are – the Lord’s church as seen in Scripture (Romans 16:16). Who are you? And who’s church do you want to be found in when you come face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ (who bled and died only for His church), come Judgment Day? John Smyth’s? The Baptist’s? The Pope’s? Martin Luther’s? Or the Christ’s? It’s up to you. “But as for me and my house…” (Josh. 24:15), we shall choose to be found “in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (I Tim. 3:15). And any biblically-informed person can’t possibly be in some church that doesn’t even appear or exist anywhere in God’s truth, and yet at the same time, be in the one church which both appears in, exists in, and upholds only His truth… can they? If so, how so? In other words, “Bible Believing Baptist Church” is a complete contradiction in terms. Because if they truly believed in and went by the bible – wherein the Baptist Church and many of its doctrines (such as the ‘Sinner’s Prayer’ for salvation sake which is never found in any New Testament conversion to Christ) – then they wouldn’t honestly, and couldn’t possibly, be a Baptist Church, but would have to be a “church of God”/”church of Christ” (Acts 20:28/Romans 16:16)!

And so again I ask… Who (and who’s) are you? Can you find the church you attend in existence in the word of God or not? If so, in where is it’s “book, chapter, and verse” reference found? And wouldn’t you feel safer and more pleasing to God in the church that actually is in His word and is shown be the only one for which He bled and died? “The churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16). And if we can help you in any way to truly become a New Testament Christian, and therefore a member of Christ’s one, New Testament, blood-bought and undenominated church which has been in existence for the past 2,000 years or so now, since 33 AD (Acts 2), then we stand both ready, willing, able, and anxious to study the Scriptures with you!

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Babylonian Captivity

Lessons from Babylonian Captivity

In studying the great book of Isaiah, one of the things that we learn from this rich study is the impending Babylonian Captivity that would come upon the people of God. As a means of summary, there are several lessons to learn from this major historical event.

* When Hezekiah, king of Judah, was in trouble (Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was threatening to invade Judah), he turned to the prophet, Isaiah (Isa. 36-37), but unfortunately, he forgot about doing so when Babylon later visited him in Isaiah 39, which opened the door for the forthcoming Babylonian Captivity.

* God intended for the nation of Israel to be a light to the rest of the world, but they failed in that. Yet, when they went into captivity, the remnant of the nation carried with them monotheism—the wor – ship of one true and living God. Pagan nations (i.e., Babylon) worshipped idols, but when the remnant of the nation went into captivity, they carried with them the one true and living God, which the book of Daniel emphasizes. Therefore, the remnant accomplished in exile what God wanted them to do all the while!

* The exile emphasized the importance of the individual (a lesson reinforced by Ezekiel). Within the nation, only the remnant would become vital and impor – tant, and the reason for this is because of the individual (cf. Isa. 27:12). Therefore, though they went into exile as a na – tion, they would come out as individual believers (such as Ezra and Nehemiah describe).

* The exile separated the political from the spiritual. When the nation desired a king to be as the other nations (cf. 1 Sam. 8), as time passed, the nation be – came more and more political, and they became less and less spiritual. The more that they emphasized the king; the less they appreciated the prophets and the importance of spiritual things. However, the remnant in exile will understand the difference. Their cities, temple and king were all gone; was God gone, too? Oh, no! Daniel still prays toward Jerusalem, although it has burned and was destroyed, but they knew that God still lives! This was a demonstration of his faith and that God still lives, although the city and temple were destroyed. Is their worship gone, too? No, their religion was just note in the ritual of temple sacrifices (cf. Isa. 1:11-15).

* Captivity taught them that the temple that God desired was their heart (Isa. 57:15; 66:1-2), not the one that Solomon built. Do we remember what God said to Da – vid when David proposed the idea of a temple (2 Sam. 7:4-16)? He essentially began His response to David through the prophet, Nathan, by stating that He never at any time complained about the current situation of meeting them in fellowship through the tabernacle. Unfortunately, through the years that would follow, the temple became a symbol of ritual and had no relationship to life at all. God only dwelt in the temple as a symbolic manner. This same principle is true today—God desires to dwell in our hearts, and because He is high and holy, He does so in the hearts of those who are contrite, humble and obedient (Acts 7:45-50; 1 Cor. 3:16- 17). In fact, Isaiah 1 and Isaiah 66 are in direct contrast as proper bookends of this book—the rituals of the first chapter by those whose lives were impure and unholy (1:11-15) are contrasted with what Isaiah says that God wants in the last chapter—hearts that are clean, pure, holy and upright (66:1-2), which is still true today!

* The exile gave meaning to their mission – ary purpose. In exile, they became what God wanted them to be. Some thought that without Jerusalem, the temple and their earthly king, that there would be no testimony or witness to the true and living God, but this was not true. Even in captivity, this is why there were prophets, such as Ezekiel and Daniel. They were a testimony to the missionary purpose of God’s people and were a witness to the world!

* Moreover, they were to learn once again in captivity of their relationship with other people—they were to be separate from them, yet they were to influence them. They were not to live as other people, but they were to be a godly, life- changing influence upon them. Such is true of Christians today!

* In captivity, the only advantage they had over Babylon was the revelation of God and the truth onto which they held. That is what made the difference! Therefore, the pagans met true religion and revelation when they were in captivity (cf. Ps. 102).

Therefore, here are some of the things that the exile accomplished, prepared by the prophet, Isaiah. The captivity did not thwart the divine purpose that God had with His people! May we learn much from our study of the Old Testament to the point that we may see principles of truth and righteousness that we may apply today (cf. Rom. 15:4)!

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Pope Peter?

Was Peter the First Pope?

With all of the recent news regarding the Catholic Church many have heard stated as fact by news media and others that Peter was the first pope. This is, of course, official Catholic doctrine. But what does the Bible say about Peter’s popehood? Is there one scripture that plainly declares that Peter was the first pope? There’s not one. In fact, the evidence in scripture is against Peter being the first pope. Let’s take a look at a few things in this regard.

is there any bibilical authority for a pope

Is there any Biblical authority for a pope?

Those who claim that Peter was the first pope state that Matthew 16:18 proves that Peter was given this title by Jesus himself. What does this verse say, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” These say that Peter is the rock upon which Jesus was going to build his church. However, the rest of scripture state otherwise. Jesus said that He was the rock in Matthew 21:42, when he said, “The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes”. To this, Peter himself agreed! Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:6, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” Who is the chief corner stone? Peter or Jesus? It is Jesus. Inspired by the same Holy Spirit as Matthew, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:11 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” The scriptures teach that Jesus was and is the foundation of the church, not Peter. Who then was the “rock” in Matthew 21:42? It was Jesus himself. It was upon the rock of Peter’s confession upon which Jesus would build His church, not upon Peter himself.

There are, however, other inconsistencies with the claim that Peter was the first pope. Peter, unlike the popes of our day, had a mother-in-law according to Matthew 8:14, Mark 1:30 and Luke 4:38. This meant that Peter (Cephas) was married. In 1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul calls our attention to this fact when he says, “Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?” This is entirely inconsistent with what the Catholic Church requires in a “pope” today. The Catholic Encyclopedia states, “Virginity is consequently the special prerogative of the Christian priesthood.” By and large, one must come up through the ranks of Catholic priesthood in order to become the pope. This would require celibacy for the pope. Too bad Peter didn’t know this.

Another inconsistency is that Peter didn’t allow anyone to bow down before him and worship him as those who fawn over the pope do today. In Acts 10:25,26 we have these words regarding Cornelius, “And when it came to pass that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.” The word “worship” in this verse refers as much to a position as to an attitude. It means to bow the knee toward or kiss toward another. The action of Cornelius’ bowing down to Peter was understood as an action of worship. Unlike the popes of modern day who accept such worship, Peter refused it. He told this man to stand up because he, Peter, was also a man. Strange behavior indeed, from a pope! Why don’t the popes of today follow Peter’s example in this regard, if he TRULY was the first pope. Hypocrisy comes to mind as at least one of the reasons. Another reason is simply that Peter wasn’t the first pope.

Perhaps the clincher is the situation in which Peter found himself at the church in Antioch. He had traveled there to visit and have fellowship with the brethren, but when his fellow Jews arrived, Peter stopped engaging in that fellowship and refused to eat with them. Paul called Peter down on this point. He states in Galatians 2:11 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I resisted him to the face, because he stood condemned.” This is strange behavior toward someone who was the first pope. Didn’t Paul know about Peter’s elevated status? Didn’t Paul know that the pope is beyond reproach? Didn’t Paul know that the pope makes the doctrine of the church? Who among the Catholics today would so act toward the pope if he were found to be in sin? Not any of them would so act. Yet, Paul treats Peter not as if he were someone special, but as if he were merely a brother who needed correction.

The fact of such matters is that Peter was never the first pope. Peter was not so elevated above the other apostles as to have a greater measure of authority than any of the others. Peter was a leader, of that there is no doubt. Peter was also a shepherd, but acknowledged that there were others who were on equal footing with him in this role (1 Peter 5:1). The Catholic Church would have us believe that Peter was the chief Shepherd of the whole church. They say, ” The title pope, once used with far greater latitude (see below, section V), is at present employed solely to denote the Bishop of Rome, who, in virtue of his position as successor of St. Peter, is the chief pastor of the whole Church, the Vicar of Christ upon earth” (The Pope). They also state regarding John 21:15-17, “�here [Jesus] makes [Peter] the shepherd of God’s flock to take the place of Himself, the Good Shepherd.” But to Peter, there was but ONE Chief Shepherd and that was Jesus himself. He makes this abundantly clear in 1 Peter 5:4 where Peter says, “And when the chief Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of glory that fadeth not away.” Again, the Catholic Church would do well to listen to their “first pope.” Yet, sadly, they do not.

The scriptures plainly teach that Peter held no such role of prominence for which the Catholic Church argues. They argue this not based upon the facts of the scriptures, but merely upon their own traditions. And the traditions of men never outweigh the word of God (Mark 7:13). In fact, traditions have no authority whatsoever when it comes to doctrinal matters (Mark 7:13). Only the scriptures can provide the man of God with everything that he needs for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16,17). Our plea is for unity, not based upon the traditions of men, but upon the authority of the word of God. If we take that as the standard, then we will avoid such folly as attempting to twist the scriptures into confirming Peter as the first pope.

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The Science is Infallible

The Science is Infallible

Almost every congregation has them. Some are very vocal and do all they can to teach their views and recruit more “disciples.” Others rarely share their true beliefs, occasionally keeping their real feelings from their family members. They are theistic evolutionists—individuals who believe in God, but they also embrace the evolutionary theory.

Do you trust the bible as proven by science or man's theories

Do you Trust the Bible as proven by Science? Or man’s theories?

I have met literally dozens of these individuals on my weekend seminars. Normally, they will approach me after a lesson and they will say something like, “I heard what you said about creation, but don’t you think it could have also happened like this….” And then they go on to share how they get millions of years into God’s Word.

Some prefer the Gap Theory, squeezing millions of years between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Most individual who hold to the Gap Theory believe there was a previous creation and that Genesis 1:2 begins with a recreation. However, as I point out to these individuals, there is no mention of this alleged previous creation in God’s Word. (Additionally, if the first creation resulted in total destruction doesn’t it make sense that God would have included that in His Word, especially given the record we have of the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Tower of Babel, etc. ) Additionally, it would call into question if Adam was truly the first man as Paul indicated in 1 Corinthians 15:45.

Others cling to the Day Age Theory, essentially stretching millions of years into each one of the days of creation. This theory is problematic as Genesis records each day as an evening and a morning (see Genesis 1:5,8,13,19) and then Moses adds a numerical adjective. Additionally, the creation account in the Bible indicates plants were present before any heavenly bodies (stars, sun, moon, Genesis 1:14). Consider also that most plants require flying insects to be pollinated. Flying creatures were not created until Day 5. If each “day” was a million years that would mean God created the plants on Day 3 and they have to wait two million years before they were pollinated.

The problem is that many Christians have bought into “Intellectual Elitism”—that all smart people believe in evolution. Wanting to be considered intellectual these individuals compromise God’s Word in order to squeeze in evolution. On one particular occasion I asked a man who identified himself as a Christian if he believe the Bible was inspired. His answer was that, yes, he did believe the Bible was infallible. I then asked him what happened when science came in that contradicted God’s Word. His response blew my mind. He said: “Well, the science is infallible, because most is based on mathematics and the numbers can’t be wrong. Therefore it would be our interpretation of God’s Word that was wrong.”

Okay, so let me get this straight: A God who can create the Universe can’t communicate His Word in a way that man can understand?

On another occasion I had a “pillar of the congregation” argue with me during the question and answer session. He had studied Isaac Newton and just couldn’t believe that “science” could be wrong. When I pressed him about whether the Bible was inspired he responded, “I don’t know about the Bible, but I know Newton wasn’t wrong.”

When I hear these kinds of statements (and I’ve heard lots of them), I always feel bad for the individuals—because it is obvious they have placed their allegiance in man and they are comfortable compromising God’s Word. As I’ve said on many occasions, if you can’t trust the first verse of the Bible, why would you trust anything that followed?

Or to put it another way, if you don’t think the Bible is accurate on the creation account, then what would make you think it is accurate on redemption and salvation?

It’s time we stop compromising. Time to stop buying into the intellectual elite argument.  It’s time we remove the blinders of evolutionary science and realize true scientific evidence points toward a Creator. It’s time we consider where we have placed our allegiance.

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What God Desires

The Man with Six “I”s

Perhaps, if you didn’t see how “I’s” was spelled in the sub-title of this article, you might consider this to be the beginning of a scary tale.  Sometimes things are not what they seem, for this is the beginning of a scary tale.  Many times a scary tale is simply the working of words in fantasy made to indulge the senses, however, a scary tale can also be made to convey realities which bring more horror than the story itself.

what man desires and god desires should be the same

What man desires and God desires should be the same.

The basics of the tale begin with a parable of Jesus.  It is found in Luke 12:16-21.  A parable is a story which is made up to convey a truth, principle, or lesson.  The parable reads as follows:

Luke 12:16-21 – And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

The parable is often referred to as “The man with six I’s”, because of the six “I” statements made within it.  The principle set forth is that a man is foolish who focuses on getting ahead in life instead of focusing on God.  The horror of the story is that despite all the man’s riches, all the man’s plans, all of his preparation to make it through his physical life, he did not do the same for the preparation of his soul.  Thus, the day came when he died and would have no more time to prepare for the moment he stood before God.

I will be the first to admit, that often when I hear of terrible things happening to folks, it is not often I break down into tears for them.  I know folks who do.  I actually wish I would.  Still, for whatever reason, my upbringing, my experiences, or perhaps simply because of how I am wired, I am not often shook by the tragedies of others.  To be clear, I never wish tragedy on anyone.  I try to help them where I can.  Yet, for me to feel their pain, I often mentally have to put myself in their position.  This is really the situation with the parable of “the man with six I’s”.  I try to put myself in his situation to understand the horror of the circumstance.

So here is the tale of horror, put yourself into the story.  You are a simple, average person (I Thess. 4:11).  You work to provide for your family as you should (I Tim. 5:8).  You try to save and plan for the future.  You try to fill your extra time focusing on your family.  You take small trips on the weekends to reward the family or you have friends over to BBQ.  You involve the kids in sports.  You take a few hours each Sunday to watch the football games after church.  You have invested in a few toys, but not too extravagant (the neighbors have more).  You understand that you are reaching those slowing down years and you still haven’t focused much on God – but you plan on it.  You just don’t seem to have much spare time and you are getting tired.  Then, one day, you experience major pains in the chest.  You holler for help, but the family is off to the store.  You dial 911, but before anyone gets there, it is too late.   You are dead.  Your time is up.  You realize the afterlife is a reality.  It is more than just some moral lessons on a Sunday morning.  Will you panic?  Will you be prepared?   Will you realize your life was spent as a “fool”.

No man has an excuse for not having a knowledge of God (Romans 1:18-21)  Some have made use of that knowledge and look forward with peace to their last day on earth.  Others as Hebrews 10:31 states, find “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  This is the horror that awaited the man with the 6 I’s.  His focus had not been God.  It was not his priority.  Yet, Matthew 6:33 tell us “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…”  Be certain, God does not owe anyone salvation.  Man does not earn it.   However, God does expect certain things of man.  You can win a prize from a radio contest, but if you don’t go and pick it up, you won’t get it.   They expect you to drive down and visit.   So, how do you not end up like the man with 6 I’s, fearful, and unprepared?  What is it that God wants?

Yes, there is a full Bible full of 66 books explaining the behavior God desires of mankind.  However, I believe I can sum them up with a few key points.

First, God desires you to put Him first in your life.

Matthew 22:37 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. God knows you have time you must work and provide for your family.  He knows there must be times of rest (Mark 6:31-32).  He understands you must pay attention to your spouse (I Corinthians 7:32-25, Eph. 5:28).  There is an understanding you must direct and raise your children (Eph. 6:1-4).  So what does putting God first mean?  Colossians 3:17 –   tells us, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”.  This means everything you do, must have God’s blessing, his authority.   Indeed, 2 Pet. 1:3 states he has given us all we need for life and godliness.  So we are not without direction (see the Bible).  When we love Him, we do so by keeping his commandments John 14:15.  These are not a burden to those that love God (Mat. 11:30).

Second God desires you to love your neighbor (James. 2:8).

Your neighbor is mankind.  This means you have his best interests at heart.  It means you are kind and good to them.  It requires you to be not only concerned for their physical well being, but their spiritual well being.  This means you must share God’s Word with them (2 Tim. 2:24).  The only way you can do that is to study it (2 Tim. 2:15).  At times, you must be able to defend what you believe and protect them from false teaching (I Pet. 3:15, Jude 1:20-23).  Above all, you must live the proper example to keep them from stumbling away from what God wants them to do (I Cor. 10:23-24).

Third God desires you to live a life of purity.

Eph 4:17-24, directs we give up the pride, lusts, and greediness.  Romans 13:13-14 points us to giving up the sexual sins (those outside the sexual relationship between man and wife) and to put away drinking and partying.  Our behaviors and surroundings should be those of wholesomeness, purity, and virtue (Phil. 4:8).  Our speech should not be that which corrupts, but that which builds up (Ephesians 4:29).  Your life should be one that when people say something bad about you, it will only bring them shame, because there is nothing to sinfulness to convict you (I Pet. 3:16).

Fourth God desires you to worship Him.

What is worship?  It is “kissing toward” or showing respect to God.  In John 4:24, Jesus establishes that worship is something that must be done by worshippers with a focus on God in your heart and with actions he has commanded.   Some folks wonder if it is an ego thing that makes God want you to worship Him.  I think it is a common sense thing.  He has given you a brain in your head that should make you say, “Wow!  God cares about me.  He provides for me.   He blesses me every single day.  How can I not show my love for Him!”  This is not something that is pointed out in only one verse of the Bible but is stated over and over throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament (I Sam. 12:24, I Kings 2:4, 3:6, II Kings 20:3, Josh. 24:14, Ps. 86:11, Is. 38:3).  It’s seriousness is demonstrated by historical examples of God’s direct punishment upon men due to their disobedience of his commands.  God wants what he has stated, not what man dreams up or thinks God wants.  Man has been commanded to assemble together on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7) and at that time engage in worship.  Elements of worship can and do occur at other times as well, but the first day of the week has been identified as a time of assembly which man is not allowed to skip based on their earthly desires.

Following these points, you do not have to feel horror at the day of your death as did the man with six “I’s”.  Do these four points tell you all you need to know?  In general yes, in specific no, this is why it is mentioned that we must study.  We must put God as our focus and learn of his ways.  God knows we all have varying obligations in our lives.  However, he does not excuse us from sharing His word.  He knows if we have put him first in our lives or put other things first (Matthew 25:14-30, I John 3:18-20, James 4:17).  He knows if we have applied the fruit of the spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).  He knows if we have lived lives serving others or ourselves.  That was the tragedy of the man with the six “I’s”, it was all about him and no one else.  Let us not make his horrible tale our own, but find peace and salvation in God (John 6:68, 2 Peter 1:2).

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