Forgive and Forget

Three people say, “I’ll forgive, but I’ll never forget.” The first person (with an honest heart) means that the offense was so troubling that he is sure there will be a daily reminder of it.  The second person (with an honest heart) means that he is confident that there will be times when something will jog his memory of the offense.  The third person (with a bitter heart) means that he is not willing to fully pardon the offender.

The expression “ forgive and forget ” is not found in the Bible, however the concept is: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Heb. 8: 12).  This was accomplished through Christ (10:1-2; 8:6).  Compare to a criminal who is guilty of a crime; yet based on his repentance the judge (according to his mercy) pardons him.  This is what God does for us based on our repentance.  When we are forgiven He doesn’t hold that crime against us anymore. Jesus commanded that His disciples do likewise: “If your brother sins against you….seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” (Lk. 17:3-4).  Know this, friends, ”…judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy…” (Jas. 2:13).

Posted in Aaron Veyon | Tagged , | Comments Off on Forgive and Forget

Is the Bible Your Problem?

God’s Not Dead, And Neither is His Word

Over the weekend I took some time to hit the theaters for the new “God’s Not Dead” movie so I could see what the hype was about and so I could inform other Christians what they should know before deciding whether or not they should see it. The movie had some good points, including an emphasis on our need to turn to God and the importance of standing up for your faith and knowing how to do so. Many are saying that for these reasons, Christians should support the movie and show Hollywood that we appreciate efforts made to bring the Bible into the spotlight. On the other hand, there were negative aspects in the movie, including a concession on theistic evolution and a strong push for “ask Jesus into your heart”/sinner’s prayer salvation. For these reasons others are saying that Christians should avoid the movie because the false teaching outweighs the positive content.

While I’m not here to endorse or condemn the movie, I would encourage those who decide to go to make sure to address those issues as a group with those they take to see the movie. What I really want to focus on, though, is the problem so many in the “Christian” world have with the Bible today. 2,000 years after Jesus walked the earth, it’s safe to say that the Bible is what it is, and it’s not going to change. We know what it says, and any new or contradictory teaching is to be rejected (Galatians 1:8-9). That’s why ideas such as a sinner’s prayer or theistic evolution are so frustrating. So much of the “Christian” world clings to ideas that simply aren’t in the Bible.

I’m reminded of the classic “desert island” illustration, which lays out the scenario where you’re stranded alone with your family, removed from society, books, religious leaders, television, etc. All you have to go on is the Bible. Is there any way that you would come up with the idea that God used the Big Bang or that the days of creation were actually millions of years? Would it be possible to believe in a sinner’s prayer as God’s means for administering salvation? Of course not, because those ideas just aren’t in there. It is only under the influence of men who have fashioned their own creeds and doctrines that the Bible has become something that it was never meant to be.

On the other hand, it’s very easy for us to look at those who have twisted the Bible into meaning what they want it to and call them out for their error while overlooking the ways we’ve made our own departures from the text. That’s not to say that denominational leaders are excused, but rather that we all have the responsibility of examining our teachings and beliefs by the Scriptures and the “desert island” scenario of removing all external influence. Do we handle our relationships with others the way God would want us to? Does our church resemble what God intended for it to be, or have we watered it down with man’s wisdom by adding dozens of programs in some congregations? What about the family – can we fall into the trap of letting busyness drive our family lives rather than discipleship? Even the commonly held doctrines we have in the church should be tested and questioned by the Scriptures. We can’t point out the error of those who believe the sinner’s prayer or theistic evolution if we ourselves simply blindly follow what our preacher teaches or what the culture expects us to do. Our faith has to be our own, and it has to come from the inspired Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21).

Bottom line, it doesn’t matter if you’re the average church member sitting in the pew each week or if you’re making a major movie that will go out to potentially millions of people. We’re all constrained to teach the Bible as it is, not how we want it to be or how someone tells us it should be. Let’s continue to study (2 Timothy 2:15) and continue to grow in our faith, knowledge, and understanding.

Posted in Brad Harrub | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Is the Bible Your Problem?

The By-Products of Salvation

I was watching a television show the other day in which an experienced chef was training a kitchen staff in preparing a new menu item. The menu item would call for half a chicken (in which two orders could be prepared) but they would also use the by-products from that those orders to create two other items: a stock for chicken soup and shredded chicken for a salad.

The author of Hebrews speaks of our great salvation in chapter two and verse three and the fact that there is no escape if we neglect the salvation that comes through the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ. But in Hebrews 6:9 the inspired writer speaks of things that accompany our salvation, by-products if you will. Three things come to mind that, while we know intellectually, we sometimes forget to apply the applications.

  • A Transformation of Character and Personality. The Apostle Paul said, “ if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And he knew what he was talking about. What a profound transformation took place in this man’s life. There have been many times that I thanked God that I am not the man I used to be. But how many Christians really allow themselves to be transformed? Many continue to be rebellious, prideful, arrogant, disobedient, inconsiderate, inhospitable, and unkind. The new man will be transformed into the image of His Dear Son and his existence will become a life, his house a home, and his eternity life unending.
  • A New Kind of Influence. The fact is we all hold sway over others. Sometimes this persuasion is for good while often times it is not.  What we hold dear in our hearts, the kind of men we are, will express itself to those around us. The sobering thing is we are influencing not just those closest to us that we are trying to influence but to many who are standing at a distance watching what we say and what we do. Jesus, in the greatest sermon ever preached said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14–16).
  • A Peace That Passes Understanding. Salvation brings peace, serenity, and contentment into the hearts and minds that the world can neither give nor take away. Philippians 4:7 says that the Christian, in addition to salvation and in conjunction with it, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” and that it, “will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We, like Paul and Silas, can sings songs at midnight, even in our darkest hours.

When you take an honest appraisal of your life can you truly say that it has been transformed by and into the image of Jesus? Do you and I bear the “brand marks” (Galatians 6:7) of being His disciples? The journey starts with hearing and understanding the will of the Lord (Ephesians 5:17); believing that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God (John 8:24); repenting of all our past sins (Acts 17:30–31); Confessing our faith in Christ (Matthew 10:32–33); and being baptized for the remission of those sins in order to be added to the body of Christ (Acts 2:38–47). Have you done these things? Why not? Do it now while there is still time!

You have? Be faithful!

Article Adapted[1]

[1] Holdcraft, Paul E. “The By-Products of Salvation.” Page 95 in 440 More Snappy Sermon Starters. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1954.

Posted in Tim Dooley | Tagged , | Comments Off on The By-Products of Salvation

Leader from Youth

Youth Can Be Leaders Too!

Although adults have the responsibility of leading, young people can be leaders, too. I cringe whenever I hear various ones pray for our youth and refer to them as “the church of tomorrow,” because while I realize the sentiments of the prayer, we ought never to forget that young people can shine as leaders in the church of today. Notice a few Biblical examples of godly youth who were leaders in their youth.

David was a leader among adults. When he obeyed his father to visit his brothers who were in the Israelite army, he witnessed a tragic situation. The enemy was ridiculing not only the Israelites themselves, but Jehovah God as well. Sure, their champion was more than nine feet tall and was a ferocious bully, whose spear head alone weighed about 125 pounds. However, no one, not even King Saul (who was not near as tall as Goliath, but was taller than any of the other Israelites [1 Sam. 9:2]), took the bully’s challenge. They cowardly let Goliath blaspheme Jehovah in fear. Just a youth at this time, David had enough faith in God, apparently more than any of the adults who should have been seasoned in their faith, to take Goliath’s challenge. Through the help of Almighty God, David was victorious.

Joseph was a leader among strangers. As a young lad, his brothers sold him as a slave, and he became a servant in the house of Potiphar in Egypt. When the wife of Potiphar tempted Joseph to do wrong, his conviction in God helped to withstand the temptations. When she pressured, he ran! He did exactly what the Bible tells us to do as well: “Flee fornication…Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry…But thou, O man of God, flee these things…Flee also youthful lusts” (1 Cor. 6:18, 10:14, 1 Tim. 6:11, 2 Tim. 2:22). As a youth, Joseph could have reasoned that he was in a place with strangers and that no one would find out. Nevertheless, he knew that God would know who was watching and caring for him.

Josiah was a leader in the kingdom. He was just eight years old when he became king of Judah. His father and grandfather, both kings before him, were evil kings. However, “he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left” (2 Chron. 34:2). When he was sixteen, he began to seek the Lord faithfully. When he was twenty, he began to exterminate idolatry that had plagued the country for many years. When he was twenty-six, he began to repair the temple of God. During the construction, the Law of Moses was found. He began to read the law of God, even doing so before the elders of the country. He did what was right spiritually, and he turned the kingdom of God around with a spirited reformation. He is an example for youth to search for the truth and put it into practice, even as a young person in the church today.

We could notice many other examples: Vashti, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Esther, Jonathan, Timothy, Miriam and Samuel. All these were leaders as youth. Young people, you can be a leader too! “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Posted in Sam Willcut | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Leader from Youth

Seeing the Church of Christ

Looking at the Church through the Eyes of Jesus

Before the world began, God knew that someday He would establish the church. Paul described this mystery of God’s plan as having been hidden in Him from the beginning of the ages (Eph. 3:9). He planned for all men to be brought together into one body, the church (Eph. 3:6; 1:22-23).

Modern America seems to have no regard for God and even less for the church. It is true that denominationalism, religious divisions and actions done by those who claim to be Christians but fail to honor the Lord and His original plan have contributed to this disrespect. However, think of the contrast in the view America has for the church and the way Jesus looks at the true church He established.

The world despises the church because the church believes in an absolute standard for right and wrong. It is not culture or society which determines what is moral or immoral. His people are often seen as “pests” whose influence must be eradicated from our land. Freedom in America means that every person should do what is “right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6) and no one has the right to criticize anyone’s choices.

Christians in the first century were seen as ignorant, unlearned, uneducated and untrained (Acts 4:13), and twenty centuries later they are often seen in the same way. The world refuses to look at the evidence for the deity of Jesus and the work He did, and they mockingly describe Christians as having blind faith in a myth which has no more basis for reality than the blind faith children have in Santa Claus.

Now contrast this with how Jesus sees the church. His regard for the church can be seen in the agony of Gethsemane and the cruelty of Calvary. Why would Jesus, God in the flesh, endure such things? The answer is found in the reality that the blood the Lord shed was that which purchased the church (Acts 20:28). He sees the church as those people who have been washed in His blood (Acts 22:16) and have been sanctified, cleansed and therefore are without blemish (Eph. 5:26-27).

Because the church as been cleansed “with the washing of water by the word,” His people are “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” The church is His beautiful bride and He loved His bride so much that He gave Himself to purchase her (Eph. 5:23-27).

So the question to be determined is which view is the right view of the church? Once we understand the answer, we must never share the world’s view of the body of Jesus. Someday those who have mocked the church and denigrated His bride will stand before God. You will also stand there. Which view do you have of the church? Which view will you have when you stand before the Lord? Think about it!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Seeing the Church of Christ