The Heart

Can You Locate Your Heart?

Everybody knows that their heart is on the left side of the body, for when the National Anthem is heard, our hand is placed over the heart as a sign of devotion to this land. It is likely that few have heard of dextrocardia situs inversus, but about one person in 10,000 suffers from this medical situation where the heart is located in the right side of the body. It is not often fatal to have the heart located in the wrong place, but there is another fatal condition called spiritualitus cardia situs inversus. Having the spiritual heart in the wrong place is always fatal.

The Bible uses the word “heart” 837 times and almost never uses it to refer to the muscle which pumps our blood. It uses the word to refer to our inner being, our souls and our emotions. Who has not heard of the greatest commandment, to love the Lord with all our heart?  Our love is tied to our hearts.

Jesus indicated this when He said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). The context in which He said this is preceded by two commands:
(1)  Do NOT lay up treasures for yourself on earth.
(2)  Do lay up treasures for yourself in heaven.

Notice how vividly the Lord described the two options where our treasures, and therefore, our hearts, will be focused. Far too many are so focused on physical matters that their hearts are not heaven centered. There is no middle ground, for the verses that follow show that it is impossible for one to serve God and riches (mammon).

Now all of this is tied to the heart. Those in the world, and sadly many Christians, have their hearts located in the wrong place. There is no way anyone can live focused on the physical pleasures which money enables and stay focused on spiritual matters. Why? Because “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , | Comments Off on The Heart

Time Passes Swiftly

In the world in which we live; the passing of time comes very fast. I speak of the relative short time that we are here upon this earth. As the time passes we grow from infant to adult without giving much thought to the fact; four sojourns here is very short in the scheme of things; the Bible addresses this concept in …

James 4:14 – Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Hebrews 2:1-3 – 1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; KJV

1 Peter 1:17 – And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: KJV

Yes; time does pass very fast; I have been blessed to have lived upon this earth  77+ years, I have seen the good and the bad of life as I have lived most of my life for God and His precious word as a gospel preacher. In all that time I have come to understand that the shortness of human life is nor really so short; perhaps we consider that life here in the world is short compared to eternity. If that is why many people are neglecting in their lives regarding God’s Will for their life; far to many are lingering in the garden of SIN without serious consideration of the eventual outcome if they should suddenly be called away from this earth to lay in the earth until the final trumpet of God sounds {cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. KJV}

God is patient with us and often allows some of us to live to a full and fruitful life in His Service; yet; others do not linger here very long due to illness, crime, or other worldly malady. To such ones I seriously encourage you to consider your life and even greater consider your death. Someday. Indeed; we will someday pass away from this present world  to be laid in the earth. One of the serious flaws in the reasoning of many people is the lack of consideration for their eternal soul’s finally abode. Perhaps you have not considered your soul’s eternal home, therefore let me give you some Bible information about that eternal soul that you possess. In the first place your soul is an eternal part of you even while you live in the body of clay {cf. Genesis 2:7 – And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. KJV

Matthew 16:24-26 – 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul KJV

Romans 2:9-13 – 9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God. 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 13(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. KJV

CONSIDER THIS FACT:

Jesus Christ came to earth to make it possible for you to be forgiven of sins committed here in this world – John 7:16-18 – 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him. KJV

John 7:28-29 – 28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. 29 But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me. KJV

1 Peter 1:11-19 – 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: KJV

Since you know that your life here will end someday; don’t you think it is time for you to seriously consider this fact and look to God and follow His Book {i.e. the BIBLE}.

Consider this passage :

John 8:32-36 – 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. KJV

Indeed; we all have a desire to please God {or we ought to have that desire; therefore we must search God’s Holy Word {i.e. the Bible}; which will guide us to learn, believe, and obey the Lord in order that we might be made free from sin.

Because all have sinned; Romans 3:22-24 – 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: KJV

Posted in Garreth L. Clair | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Time Passes Swiftly

Preacher 101

If your preacher were to stand before you one day and ask for a show of hands as to how many people know and understand completely, everything there is to know and understand correctly, about the bible in its entirety, I doubt seriously that one, single, solitary hand would go up – and certainly no sincerely honest person (including your preacher) would dare raise one. And so, what does that mean? It means that none of us completely and correctly understand everything there is to know both within, and about, the holy and sacred, God-given scripture. (Please file that point away in your mind for just a moment.)

Secondly; it is that evangelist’s God-given duty, directive, and divinely-delivered responsibility to also study endlessly (because he doesn’t know it all either!) – to: “Be diligent to present [him]self approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15) – and then to deliver that full word of God faithfully to God’s faithful people (2 Tim. 2:2) – to: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2).

So what should these two points put together reveal to us? That sooner or later, because no one knows or understands absolutely everything in the bible, absolutely and completely correctly, that if, by the grace of God, any preacher is blessed to stay in one congregation long enough, sooner or later he is going to challenge every single saint in that assembly, no matter who they are or how long they’ve been there, in one area of their biblical understanding or another. It can simply be no other way if he is truly and faithfully preaching the “full counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), as God requires His faithful servant must do. And again, if a preacher is faithfully studying, seeking to understand, and then truly preaching the word of God which he has delved into on a deep and daily basis, sooner or later he is going to challenge every saint’s conclusions and/or convictions in one area or another, in order to help them to learn something new and grow on into the God-required maturity that we all must (Eph. 4:11-16). That is his job (2 Tim. 4:1-5)! As I have heard appropriately observed in the immediate aftermath of an occasionally hard-hitting sermon or two in the past by a good brother: “If he (the preacher) stepped on your toes with that sermon, it’s only because he’s a bad shot. He was aiming for your heart.” Amen!

If a preacher has been blessed enough to be in the same location for a period of years, and has not at the very least, slightly offended, upset, corrected, rebuked, or otherwise challenged each individual saint in some area or another of their biblical knowledge, understanding, and/or convictions (study John 6:60-69), then he should probably apologize because he’s not truly doing his job. He should humbly ask the saints’ forgiveness for apparently slacking in his duties as theirs’ and God’s evangelist and promise to seek to do better from now on to fulfill his God-given commission to more aptly assist the congregation’s God-required growth in Christ.

One reason some preachers fail to preach the full council of God on such a constant and continual basis is because they fear the potential reprisals of their biblically-offended brethren. Let’s face it… many saints brotherhood-wide – not all, but a sizable amount nonetheless – have their own dearly beloved “pet projects,” agendas, and/or understandings and perspectives of particular religious ideas, which NO ONE had better challenge or mess with “if they know what’s good for them.” These understandings and perspectives may have come from “dear old mom and dad,” a beloved Christian teacher or preacher who has long since passed on to their reward, or some other treasured and “protected at all cost” source… And therefore, “God help the Christian preacher or teacher who even dares suggest re-examining and/or re-assessing those conclusions.” But if those pet perspectives are even remotely biblically faulty, or even somewhat scripturally errant, then they need to be biblically challenged and re-examined for the soul’s sake. And this is what preachers, teachers, and true Christian disciples who truly love their Lord, His word and His people, will ultimately and unendingly do – despite whatever the cost or consequences. And mark my words; sometimes the consequences can be pretty severe. Better yet, mark His. One need look no further than the story of Jesus near the end of the gospel accounts; the story of Stephen as recorded in Acts 7; or the story of the apostle Paul as seen throughout the book of Acts to encounter this. In all three of these biblical accounts, deeply pious and religious people with centuries-old convictions and conclusions that could not stand in the light of true biblical scrutiny, both sought to, and then eventually successfully, silenced those who dared challenge them to re-examine their convictions in the all-authoritative light of God’s word (Psalm 119).

While no elder, preacher, or teacher in the Lord’s church today (at least in America) will likely be crucified as was Jesus, stoned as was Stephen, or beheaded as the apostle Paul is believed to have been, all for merely seeking to get people to examine, acknowledge, and dispose of some of their biblically faulty, previously held religious convictions and conclusions so that they might spiritually mature, grow closer to, and get right with almighty God, still, consequences for challenging somewhat popular but yet biblically erroneous conclusions today do still exist. It is unfortunately but yet not uncommonly known today, for some preachers to have to move on because they dared teach the biblical truth regarding such things as “marriage, divorce, and remarriage,” disfellowship, so-called “social drinking,” and/or a whole plethora of other biblical truths even on ‘lesser’ topics, to those few power-and-influence-wielding brethren who did not wish to have their self-justified but biblically-unsupportable conclusions challenged in the light of God’s word and it’s common-sense application.

Let us determine as a congregation to always remain totally determined to be the kind of faithful Christians who want to continue to have our convictions and conclusions constantly biblically challenged, in order that we might become the mature children our heavenly Father desires (II Cor. 3:17-18). As long as our leaders present the black and white, “book, chapter, and verse” biblical truth, let us determine to always be ready to re-examine our personal opinions and beliefs, not relax our guard, and to remain a Hebrews 13:17 people who: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

Posted in Doug Dingley | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Preacher 101

Fear Not

Fear NOT

In a portion of First Peter 2:17, Peter simply said, “Fear God.” God has demanded reverential, godly fear throughout the ceaseless ages of time (Deut. 10:12; Eccl. 12:13). Fear is a very powerful, motivating force. It has caused many to run and hide from God, including Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8), Jonah (Jonah 1:9-10) and all who sin against the divine will of God (Heb. 10:27). It has also caused many to obey Him, including Noah (Heb. 11:7), Abraham (Gen. 22:12), the midwives of Egypt (Ex. 1:17-19), the early church (Acts 5:11) and all who are mindful of the coming judgment (2 Cor. 5:10-11).

While we are commanded to fear God, we are also encouraged in numerous passages not to be afraid. In fact, we find the expression, “Fear not,” more than sixty times in the Bible. Therefore, let us notice more carefully these words of encouragement: “Fear not.”

We should not fear because God promises to bless us through our journey in life. God appeared to Abraham in a vision and told him not to fear, promising to bless him and his generations to follow (Gen. 26:24). While the Israelites battled with King Og at the battle of Edrei, God comforted Moses with the words, “Fear not” (Num. 21:33-35).

We should not fear because God will protect us when in peril. God said in Genesis 15:1, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield.” Elisha told his servant, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16).

We should not fear because God strengthens us when we are weak. Moses encouraged the Israelites and Joshua with words, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not” (Deut. 31:6-8). God reiterates to Isaiah several times, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee” (Isa. 41:10).

We should not fear because God is our companion in our trials. David charged his son Solomon, “Fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord” (1 Chron. 28:20). Isaiah prophesies of the church’s promise by God, “Fear not: for I am with thee” (Isa. 43:1-7).

We should not fear because God cares for his children. Jesus said in Matthew 10:31, “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” He also said in Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

We should not fear because God has given life beyond the grave. Jesus told John in Revelation 1:17-18, “Fear not…I am he that liveth, and was dead.” The angel told the women at the tomb, “Fear not ye…for he is risen” (Matt. 28:5-6).

What a great comfort for God to say to his children, “[Fear not], for I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Heb. 13:5-6).

While we give reverential, godly fear to God, let us put our complete trust and faith in Him so that we “Fear not!”

Posted in Sam Willcut | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Fear Not

Grace and an Umbrella

The New Testament is replete with references to God’s grace and mercy.  The word “grace” in this sense means, “unmerited (unearned) divine favor or kindness.”  Accordingly, the word “mercy” means, “divine compassion or forbearance.”  The two terms are relative.  When used together they reflect God’s kindness toward man joined by a willingness to help him.  Hebrews 4:16 conveys this well: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The apostle Paul reveals to the Christian that they are in a saved condition because of God’s grace and mercy (Eph. 2:4-5).  But can one who has been born again fall out of favor with God?  According to Paul he can.  To some Christians in Galatia he said, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4).

God’s grace is like an umbrella.  The only way it will benefit you is if you get under it and stay under it. Likewise, if you want to be saved, you must both be in Christ and abide in Him.  If you will not abide in Him you will fall from His grace and be lost (2 John9).  Are you using your umbrella?

Posted in Aaron Veyon | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Grace and an Umbrella