The Glorious Church

In Ephesians 5:25-27, Paul declared, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” In this thoughtful text, Paul references the “glorious church,” and we ought to remember that it indeed is glorious! If we are not careful, we may look at all of the negative things that we are facing today, bemoan such with an attitude of “Woe is me!” and fail to remember that despite all of the evil and suffering ongoing in this world, we are still blessed to be a part of the glorious church! Why is the church so glorious?

The church is glorious because we have a glorious Father. The psalmist praised God when he exalted, “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things, and blessed be his glorious name forever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen” (Psa. 72:18-19). Stephen preached that “the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham” (Acts 7:2). As members of the church of our Lord, all that we do should give the proper glory to our Heavenly Father (cf. John 15:8; Rom. 15:6)! In the superb Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that disciples are to display their distinctive lives in such a way that God would receive glory (Matt. 5:16).

The church is glorious because it presents a glorious faith. Hebrews 11 paints such a vivid portrait of the great men and women of faith, and we may meditate and dream upon such for long periods of time. To consider the great faith that they displayed, we realize that they serve as wonderful examples for us, even today. Remember the great statement that Jesus told doubting Thomas: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Many of us may know wonderful seasoned saints who truly are the “salt-of-the-earth” people—those whose faith we not only admire, but we also emulate! The church is glorious because as members of the church, we are able to present a glorious faith!

The church is glorious because we are a part of a glorious family. Indeed, the church is described as a wonderful family—“the house of God” (1 Tim. 3:15). As brethren—sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father (cf. 2 Cor. 6:18)—we shower one another with love and compassion. We provide special attention to those who are “of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Where would we be without our church family? For this reason, is not the church glorious?

The church is glorious because we have a glorious future. The hope of the resurrection inspires us, as well as comforts us (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13-18). Thus, we set our aims, affections and aspirations to the skies above (Col. 3:1-2; Heb. 12:1-2), waiting for heaven to be a reality. Then, we may be able to dream of our future:

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. [Rev. 21:23-26]

Therefore, when times may get tough, we are able to set such aside and realize the glorious future for the church (1 Cor. 15:22-26, 51-58).

The church is glorious because we are marrying a glorious husband. The context of our beginning text of this article shows the relationship of the church with Jesus providing lessons for the relationship between husbands and wives. As we view the church as the bride of Christ, we see the beautiful imagery of a wedding taking place, emphasized also in Revelation 21:2-9. When we consider the glory of Jesus Christ, it literally may take our breath away and bring tears to our eyes (cf. Rev. 5:4-5). The apostle John declared of Jesus, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (1:14). Let those words sink in—“we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” He prayed for glory from His Father (John 17:5), and one day, He will be returning in His glory—the same glory of His Father (Luke 9:26; cf. Matt. 16:27; Mark 8:38). The church is glorious because Jesus Christ, the head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23), is glorious!

Therefore, we ought never to lose sight of the fact that no matter how gloomy our future may perceive, we may look through the dark clouds that hover about us to see the many manifestations of the glory associated with the church! This sparks hope—hope that those who are hopeless in the world need to know and hear from us! May we ever be optimistic carriers of good news—we serve a glorious God who rules over a glorious church!

Posted in Sam Willcut | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Glorious Church

Salvation by the Law?

Is Salvation by obedience to the Gospel more difficult than Salvation by the Law of Moses?

I would not say that obedience to the Gospel is more difficult than salvation by the law.  First of all, there was no salvation by the law of Moses which is why Christ came, suffered, bled and died on the cross for us (Acts 4:12).  Second, under the New Law, Christ made it possible for us to be redeemed (Galatians 3:13) whereas, under the Old Law, the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).  This is why the Old Law has been abolished and why Jesus made a New Covenant with mankind (Ephesians 2:15; Hebrews 8:13).

Now, I know there are some who believe that Jesus’s law is more strict than the law of Moses and that it is not fair since we are under grace.  Well personally, it is not for me to say if I think that the requirements under Christ are more stringent than those that were proclaimed by Moses.  I mean, you think about an unruly child, under the law of Moses, they were executed, no questions asked.  Imagine if that was carried out today.  Most of America would be without children.  So, I do not reason from my own reasoning.  Jesus said keep my commandments, to do his will and I try to do that.

But as to obedience, are we to assume that we do not need to be obedient to God?  When we further look into the Scriptures, we find that nature obeys God (Matthew 8:27), unclean spirits obey Him (Mark 1:27) and we are told to obey God (Acts 5:29).  So, since we are to obey God, then, how are we to know what exactly to obey?  Because we cannot just say that we believe and obey, or just think that we are saved by grace alone and nothing we do matters.  That would defeat the purpose of the command to obey God.  And so, we find from the Scriptures that it tells us to obey “the faith” (Acts 6:7), obey “that form of doctrine” (Romans 6:17) and therefore we can conclude that if we do not obey “the faith” or “that form of doctrine,” then, we obey unrighteousness (Romans 2:8) and we understand that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9).

Now, as I have already pointed out, both Paul and James, Jesus and many others tell us to serve God.  Thus, we can conclude that if we do not serve him, we will perish.  You see, it comes down to having a servant attitude and a penitent heart.  As James pointed out, just calling yourself a Christian does not mean one is saved.  But, calling yourself a Christian and choosing to live a humbled life in service to God, is the way God demands we live.  And so, to properly understand works mentioned in the Gospel and our own works, we must define grace.

Dictionaries define grace as “the state of one who is under such divine influence, kindness and compassion toward others and the free and unmerited favour of God.”  Truly, grace is God’s mercy to mankind and it is unmerited favour with God, meaning, that we cannot earn grace.  This shows the greatness of God’s love.  In Ephesians 2:5, 8-9, it speaks of how we are saved by grace.  And so, being unable to save ourselves, God sent forth his Son to die in our behalf so as to make our salvation possible and to motivate man to make a willing change from disobedience to obedience of God’s will.  By the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, together with the work of his personal ministry and the message of the gospel, God can look with favor toward mankind; we can be reconciled to God, and thus be at peace with him; Christ paid the debt; he ransomed us; and made it possible for us to be loosed from the guilt and bondage of sin.  The reconciliation which Christ effected is obtained (on our part) by faith in his blood (Col.1:20; 1 Peter 1:18-19).  Jesus willingly gave his life and shed his blood for fallen humanity and, only those who will believe in the significance of his death, loving him for his supreme sacrifice, and earnestly believing the message the Savior gave, can secure the benefits he offers.  But salvation by faith is not salvation by faith only (Jas. 2:24).  And so, only those whose hearts are tender and teachable, through the word of God, can be changed; the death of God’s precious, loving Son is sufficient to touch and change these people, but his death will be scorned by the others.

Now, if we are to say that we are just saved no matter what, then why all the warnings by the Bible writers, why does the apostle John mention to stay faithful until death (Revelation 2:10), why not just have a world where we are all clean and pure?  It is because of a misunderstanding about what grace is.  True, grace is God’s unmerited favor and there is no accountable person who is so good that he merits God’s good favor because sin separates us from God, and every accountable soul has violated God’s will and thus incurred the guilt of sin.  But, while grace is God’s part in the salvation process, personal faith, developed from the “the system of faith” (Rom. 10:17) is the responsibility of man because without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6; John 5:24), but again, not by faith only (James 2:17).  We are saved by faith when our faith leads us to obey the conditions God has set in the gospel (Acts 2:36-41; 10:34-35).  And, that faith comes by learning God’s word (John 20:30-31; Acts 15:7; Mark 16:15-16).

And so, without faith, our prayers would not be heard (James 1:2-4).  Without personal faith, any outward act of obedience would be meaningless.  Therefore, salvation is not obtained by our own power or merit because salvation by grace is “not of yourselves.”  Now, if we are to say that the only way we could obtain grace was by a direct act on God’s part by which he instills faith in our heart, since we cannot be saved without faith, then God is responsible for anyone who dies lost.  But, that is fallacy and does not hold to the Scriptures.

Now consider also, that the pattern of God’s grace can be seen joined together with man’s obedient faith throughout the Bible.  I mean, do you think Noah would have been saved had he not built the ark (Genesis 6-9)?  Would Naaman been cleansed had he not believed and followed the message (2 Kings 5), or what about Titus 2:11-12, which states, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”  If one is blindly saved by grace unconditionally, then why do we need to deny ungodliness and how does the grace of God teach us?

This again is referring to the message.  The salvation they received was not of their own design or doing, but it was God’s gift.  But you know, a gift can still be a gift even if conditions are attached.  I mean, you consider a child at Christmas or his birthday who receives a gift.  Does he not have to receive the gift with his hands, unwrap it, cut the tape, open the box and look inside to grab hold of that gift?  Sure he does.  It I was to offer a 100 dollar bill to anyone, wouldn’t they have to come to me, stretch out their arms and receive the 100 dollar bill?  Sure the do.  Thus, either there is a condition which involves obedient faith or there is no condition and we do not have to do anything to receive salvation.  We would not have to go to church, read our Bibles, be faithful till death and could just live as worldly as we want to live and still be saved.  Thus, while the gift is conditional, we must have faith in God to keep His promises which is the ground upon which man’s relationship with Him stands.  And, based on God’s initiative, a man is reckoned righteous because he is righteous through obedience to the gospel.  And, God set these conditions for one to receive grace.

Now one final point here is that, when we look in the Bible, we find three kinds of works. There is the works of the Mosaical Law and grace was not a provision of that law (John 1:17).  There is the works of man, based upon the authorities of men (Matt. 15:8-9) which is why, when it comes to religion, they cannot save.  And then there is the works of God which God commands (James 2).  Why even faith is a work (John 6:29).  So is baptism (Acts 2:38).  And, it is impossible for anyone to be saved without obeying the works of God (Matthew 7:21-23).

Posted in Robert Notgrass | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Salvation by the Law?

The Thief on the Cross

What About the Thief on the Cross?

A few years ago, I was engaged in a discussion over what one must do to be saved.  The person I was discussing this topic with was an advocate of the salvation by faith alone doctrine and he insisted that one could be saved without being baptized.  One of the things he offered as proof of his position was that the thief on the cross was saved by faith alone without baptism.  Those who teach the doctrine of salvation by faith only frequently point to the thief on the cross that appealed to Jesus in his last moments. They claim that the thief was saved by faith without the need of being baptized or of any other work of righteousness. They go on to contend that since the thief on the cross was never baptized and that since he was promised a place in paradise that New Testament Christians likewise can be saved by faith alone.  The purpose of this lesson is to examine in detail and see if the scriptures teach whether or not the thief on the cross was really saved by faith alone.  we are also going to examine the differences between being saved before Jesus died on the cross and afterwards. 

Was The Thief on the Cross Saved by Faith Only?

In Luke 23:40 the thief openly rebuked his counterpart saying “Dost not thou fear God”? This man knew who God was and knew he was to be feared more than dying on that cross. That is a demonstration of faith in God.  So we see that the thief indeed had faith.  But was that enough to save him?

One must ask, would he have been saved if he had never made his appeal to Jesus? Would faith alone in his heart have been enough without anything else? In Luke 23:42 the thief on the cross made an appeal directly to Jesus addressing him as “Lord.” In Luke 12:8 we see Jesus saying “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God”. This man knew who Jesus was and addressed him as Lord before everyone present including the other thief.  So we see here that the thief demonstrated faith in Jesus and confessed that faith when he addressed Jesus Christ as Lord before men.  If the thief were really saved by faith alone, then he could have been saved without addressing Jesus as Lord. 

Concerning the thief we read in Matthew 27:38-44 “Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,  He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.“

Both the thieves crucified alongside Jesus started out mocking and reviling Him just like everybody else.  But in Luke’s account we have recorded for us a change in one of them later on.   Luke 23:39, “And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation. And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds“.

Repentance is defined as a change in behavior resulting from sorrow over wrongdoing.  If one does not have sorrow, one has not repented. Likewise if one does not change their behavior, they have not repented.  2 Corinthians 7:10 reads “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…” 

Did the thief exhibited a change in his behavior?  Of course he did.  Was he sorry?  He was dieing on a cross for his wrongdoing and he confessed in front of everybody present that he was being justly punished. Of course he was sorry.  He knew he was guilty, he had sorrow and he changed his behavior from what it had earlier been.  He started out reviling Jesus but now he had changed his behavior and was appealing to Him.  There can be no doubt that the thief repented.  Now one must ask the question, if the thief had not of repented, would Jesus have saved him?  If salvation were really by faith alone, and if the thief on the cross is a valid example of someone being saved by faith alone, then that thief could have been saved without ever opening his mouth to Jesus Christ.  If anything more than faith in one’s heart is necessary for salvation, then one cannot be saved by faith alone.  The thief was not saved by faith alone, therefore one cannot use him as an example for salvation by faith alone. 

Was the thief baptized?

It is often the case that the subject of the thief on the cross comes up when the subject of baptism is being discussed.  The thief on the cross is used as an example of someone who was saved without being baptized.  First of all, there is not one single shred of scripture anywhere in all of the Bible which says this thief was not baptized.  When people argue salvation without baptism by using the example of the thief on the cross, they are making an assumption that he was never baptized.  They are assuming that since he was a condemned thief and that he was being executed that he had never received any prior instruction on Jesus Christ and had never been baptized.  The truth is, we don’t know for sure whether or not he was baptized because the Bible doesn’t say one way or another. 

So what we are going to do now, is to examine the evidence we have from scripture and we are going to look at which way it leads.  The evidence against him being baptized is purely an assumption that a condemned thief is automatically unbaptized.  That’s all we have to support this belief.  Now what about evidence in favor of his having been baptized? 

Let’s read Luke 23:38-43 again and then make some observations:

“And there was also a superscription over him, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors that were hanged railed on him, saying, Art not thou the Christ? Save thyself and us. But the other answered, and rebuking him said, Dost thou not even fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said, Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom. And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.”

Several important facts come to light by a careful analysis of this paragraph.

(1) By comparing Luke’s record with that of Matthew and Mark, it is obvious that there was a change in the man’s view regarding Jesus. Instead of reviling the Lord, he glorified him and petitioned the Savior; and Jesus graciously responded to him.

(2) The penitent thief had a good deal of information concerning Christ; exactly when he learned these facts is not specified. But there are two possibilities. Either he learned about Christ, and became convinced of his royalty, during the six hours of crucifixion, or, else he knew about the Savior from teachings before his crucifixion.

It is not impossible that this man had learned of Christ earlier in his life, had been impressed by it, and, later, had regressed into a life of crime. He certainly wouldn’t be the only one who ever did that.  Let’s consider some things about this man’s beliefs.

(3) He acknowledged the existence of God. He believed in a standard of right and wrong, he confessed that he and his companion had transgressed divine law, and he admitted they were being punished “justly.”

(4) The thief acknowledged the innocence of Christ. He knew and declared that Jesus had done “nothing amiss.” And let’s remember, Jesus was being crucified for his affirmation of being the “Son of the Blessed One” (Mark 14:61-62). Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God was the excuse the Jewish leaders used to crucify Him.   When the thief declared Jesus’ innocence he acknowledged that he knew Jesus’ claim to be the son of God was the truth.  The robber’s statement, therefore, is basically an acknowledgement of the truth of Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God.

(5) The penitent thief believed that Christ was a “king,” and that his crucifixion would not be the end of Jesus’ life.  Let’s recall his words, “Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom”.  This man knew they were going to physically die, yet he asked Jesus to remember him when he came into His kingdom.  The thief therefore had to believe in the resurrection of the dead.  One must ask how this man would know of these things without being taught. 

(6) He was confident that Jesus would be able to bless him when he arrived in His kingdom. At the very least, these expressions indicate that the thief believed it was possible to have association with the Lord after both of them were dead.  This man knew that even though he and Jesus were going to die, there was something beyond the cross for both of them.

This man hanging beside our Lord had a lot of information.  It is highly unlikely that this man received this amount of instruction while hanging on the cross.  It is entirely possible and even probable, that this man had been exposed to some earlier teaching concerning Jesus Christ. 

Let’s consider this scenario. Is it not possible that this man could have been a disciple of John the Baptist, or of Jesus Christ Himself, or of one of Christ’s disciples as they went forth teaching (Matthew 10:5; Luke 10:1)? If such were the case, the man might well have been baptized for the forgiveness of his sins on some past occasion (Mark 1:4; John 4:1-2).  While we can never be certain this side of eternity, there is sufficient evidence to draw the conclusion that it is possible.  At the very least, given the amount of information this man possessed concerning Christ, no one can rightfully make the dogmatic statement: “The thief had never been baptized.” That is an unknown factor. He might well have been an “erring child of God” at this point.

The Bible never tells us for sure whether or not the thief was baptized. The Bible never says the thief was baptized. It also never says he wasn’t.    Anyone using the thief on the cross to support the doctrine of salvation by faith alone is basing their beliefs on something that 1) does not in any way support their position and 2)  is improvable.   What we need to take from this is that if someone is going to make a decision that is going to have eternal consequences, then they need to make those decisions based on facts and not on assumptions.  We need to make decisions that effect our eternal souls on fact and not on guesses or feelings. 

As a side note before we move along, let’s just suppose for arguments sake that the thief was not baptized?  Does that make any difference to us today?  A careful Bible student must understand that there are different periods of history with different religious requirements. Abraham was never commanded to be baptized or to observe the Lord’s supper. Cain and Abel were not required to be circumcised.  In today’s era of religious history, we are not obligated to observe the Passover, or to offer animal sacrifices. God has given different requirements in different periods of history.

During his personal ministry, Jesus possessed the authority to forgive men’s sins personally and directly. For example, once while in the city of Capernaum, Jesus encountered a man who was paralyzed. The unfortunate man had been carried to where Christ was by four of his friends. When Jesus saw “their faith,” he said to the Palsied man, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). Then after Christ established his “authority” in the matter of personally forgiving sins “on earth” (2:10), He afterwards healed the man of his Palsy.

While Jesus was alive on earth he had the authority to forgive sins.  At the time of his death, however, his authority to forgive sins was transferred to His testamentary “will” (Hebrews 9:15-17). And the terms of that covenant specify baptism as a condition for the forgiveness of sin (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21, etc.).  What that means is that While Jesus was alive on earth, He had the authority to forgive sins directly.  Jesus is not alive on earth anymore.  He has been resurrected and now lives in heaven.   What He left behind was His new Testament or new Covenant.  This new covenant specifies how sin is to be forgiven.  The thief had his sins forgiven before Christ died on the cross.  It is not possible today for anyone to be forgiven of their sins by Jesus Christ before He died on the cross.  Whether or not the thief was baptized or not really makes no difference to us at all.  He was forgiven under a covenant that is no longer in force today. 

Hebrews 9:15-17, “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.”  The New Testament came into force at the death of Christ.  We are living 2000 years or so after the death of Christ.  The thief was forgiven before Christ died on the cross.  No one today can be saved 2000 years ago.  No one today can be saved before the death of Christ.  We live under the new covenant now and it says we must be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins. 

In conclusion,

The thief on the cross believed.  He had faith.  He repented and confessed Jesus as Lord before men.  He had  sorrow over his guilt and he changed his mind.  He asked Jesus for help and he got it.  Only the most careless and irresponsible Bible student could try and say that the thief would have been saved by Jesus if he had not made the response he did on that cross.  If salvation were obtainable by faith alone, then that thief could have been saved without saying or doing anything because it is glaringly obvious from the appeal he made to Jesus that he already had faith. 

Jesus died on that cross.  He shed His blood for us that day and he died.  When He died, he left a testament in force which tells us today what we have to do to be saved.  We have to do what we know the thief did.  Like the thief on the cross, we have to believe and have faith: Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him“.

Like the thief on the cross we have to confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God before men:  Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.“

Like the thief on the cross we have to Repent, we have to be sorry for our sin and turn away from it.  We have to change our way of thinking and our behavior: Luke 13:3, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”.

We must be baptized:  Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”.  Concerning being baptized Jesus told Nicodemus, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”  Baptism in not an option.  Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16 and Colossians 2:13 teach us that baptism is for the forgiveness of sin and nobody can be saved if their sins are not forgiven. 

And after faith, repentance, confession and baptism comes faithful living for the rest of our lives.  Living, serving and obeying God in accordance with His will.  This is called “walking in the light” and concerning this John wrote in 1John 1:7-9, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  We continue to walk in the light, confessing our sins when we fall short, picking ourselves up when we fall and keep on keeping on for life. 

Instead of using the thief on the cross incorrectly to support the false doctrine of salvation by faith alone, we need to use his story to see how quickly, how easily and how readily Christ wants to forgive us.  The thief had been reviling Jesus just a few hours before.  He was hung on a cross and breathing out his last few breaths on earth.  His time was up, he was lost and he knew it.  In his last moments on this earth he turned to the only person on this earth who could help him and instead of finding someone bitter and angry, he found a savior who was ready willing and able to accept him and offer him life.  The savior that thief turned to is the same savior we have today.  He is just as eager, willing and ready to save as he was when he was dieing on that cross.  There is no reason whatsoever anybody should leave today without the same hope that thief had.  Two thieves died on a cross that day with Jesus Christ.  As far as we know, one of them died lost and we know for sure the other one went to paradise with Jesus.  Where do you want to go when you die? 

Posted in David Hersey | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Thief on the Cross

Strike One, Strike Two, Strike Three…

Three Strikes… And They’re Out…

Based on Three True Stories That Sadly Represent So Many Thousands More….

Scenario/Strike One: It is Sunday, just prior to the beginning of morning worship service, and into the foyer she and her young child walk… She is a stranger from down the street whom no one knows and whom no one knew was coming. Almost instantly, she and her three year old daughter are lovingly surrounded and warmly welcomed by the loving Christian saints and servants who comprise this local congregation of the Lord’s church.

She is invited to sit with several couples and singles and eventually chooses a lovingly offered seat next to a faithful Christian woman and her husband. When it is noticed that she doesn’t have a bible, one is instantly provided for her to follow along in as the preacher delivers the morning sermon. After services she is noticed and welcomed by even more of the congregation. Her visitor’s card with its much-coveted contact information is immediately sought out by several, and subsequently, later that week she receives both a few calls and “Thank You For Visiting” cards from caring and concerned members.

A few weeks pass… She is invited into homes, to personal bible study, and to other events of the church. Her daughter is doted upon by the church members. Her husband is lovingly approached and always included in the invitations. When it is learned that she is expecting, a lavish showering of gifts and outpouring of love are planned, purposed, and provided by the members of the congregation. They outdo themselves in showing her true, genuine, sacrificial Christian love… and then, just as suddenly as she came, without warning she is just as suddenly, simply, and inexplicably… gone. No one said anything untoward towards her or her family; mistreated her in any way whatsoever; or ever showed her anything less than pure and simple, Christ-like love. Repeated attempts by the membership to reach her are thwarted; phone calls are not returned, letters and cards remain unnoted and unanswered. And now, whenever congregants see her at local events, in the stores or at school functions with her family, all they get is a baleful glare, a purposed headshake, and a strict avoidance. So, what happened? Hold that thought…

Scenario/Strike Two: A teen member of the church invites a newly arrived at school classmate to Wednesday evening services. It is soon learned that the young man’s family has recently relocated to the area and is looking for a “home congregation.” The following Sunday his entire family shows up to “check us out.” And once again, as always, the church surrounds and engulfs the entire family with the love of Christ. They start attending on a regular basis. Even when his dad has to work, his mom and he and the rest of the family attend. He decides to get involved in the activities of the youth group; his dad says to please place their contact information in the new directory and lets everyone know that he “grew up in the church,” even though his wife did not. The preacher sees and seeks to seize the opportunity to set down and study with them. All is set, and then, after one particularly powerful Sunday morning sermon, they simply “vanish away into thin air,” never to be seen or heard from in the building ever again. And once again, despite repeated attempts by the kind and compassionate congregants, nothing… except the utter avoidance and repugnant looks that any church member receives who dares to merely say “hello” to them when they perchance encounter them at some local community event.

Scenario/Strike Three: And then there is the young lady who is the now adult, fourth generation Christian. She, like her parents and grandparents before her, grew up “in the church.” But she has been “out of service” ever since she married a non-believer who wants nothing to do with the church; this action on her part despite the many biblically-sound sermons and lessons, sternly warning of the dangers of just such unions when she was a teen. But she didn’t listen. She knew better. And now here she is, three kids and eight long years later, with nothing but contempt for her godly parents, grandparents, and any other church member whom she encounters for any reason, anywhere and on any occasion – and she is not the least bit timid or intimidated about showing it; in fact, she seems to almost be proud of it.

Three strikes. On any and every one of these occasions, the church has done nothing wrong. In fact, they have done nothing but love, care, reach out, and teach the Lord’s word… and therein lies the problem. You see, it would be – and let’s face it, very often is – very tempting for us to just want to quit, to throw in the towel, to get “out” of the reaching out business after three or four or countless such “strikes.” We love, we care, we give, we sacrifice, and what do we get for it? Glares. Venom. Disgust. And in some cases, even hatred. So why bother?

If and when we are ever tempted to feel that way, the very first thing we need to do is to remember Jesus: “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls” (Hebrews 12:3).

And we have to understand exactly why it is that the vast majority of these people – despite the overwhelming love and support we seek to share with them – so often wind up acting in the described manner. Jesus said it best in John 15:18-22:

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin (NKJV).

Bottom line? Despite the best and most loving and benevolent attempts we can humanly, humbly make, sooner or later, if we are faithfully teaching and preaching and presenting God’s word – which we must do if we want to go to heaven – then everyone we present God’s word to in any way, is going to run up against something that they are either going to have to change in order to get in line with God’s word and thus get to heaven, or, are going to have to decide is important enough to them to have to try to justify denying His word and deliberately disobeying God for, while at the same time determinedly deceiving themselves into thinking they can still get into heaven in spite of continuing in said disobedience  – a most fatal mistake, and one that takes a lot of effort.

And so as you can surely understand, the last thing those folks can tolerate having anywhere around them, is a constant reminder of the truth of Scripture they seek to avoid at all cost; in other words, the conscience-pricking presence of a truth-loving and trusting Christian – which is exactly the type of presence Jesus was to those who rejected God’s word in His day: a living, breathing, truth-toting and completely committed reminder that they really and truly have absolutely no excuse for their sin! (Do you also remember the Council’s complete inability to deal with the truth of Jesus’ power as evidenced in the presence of the healed man in Acts 4:14?) And that’s why those of us who faithfully follow in Jesus’ footsteps should expect to encounter exactly the same thing time and again! Not simply three times, but “seventy times seven!”

Like the fairy tale about the always angry lion whose anger was simply the result of the proverbial thorn in their paw – we are that thorn. Like the step-children in some second marriages are subject to much abuse by the second spouse because they serve as a daily reminder of the former relationship – we serve as that constant and unwanted reminder whenever and wherever we are encountered by those who are either too offended or too challenged by God’s truth to make changes they do not want to make; thus, the abuse. It’s that simple. And only through really understanding this will we be able to continue to maintain the proper attitude of Christ-like compassion towards the erring in the face of such abuse, scorn, and ridicule…

Remember, God knows that we are but dust (Psalm 103:14). He knows our weaknesses as humans. Let us be likewise in remembering theirs. Instead of getting discouraged or returning their attitude back on them, let us continue to pray for those who thus persecute us, understanding it is due to their pain that they do thus. (Please see Matthew 5:38-48.)

And secondly, it is imperative that we understand and expect the following; that as the apostle Paul would rhetorically ask, “Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth” (Galatians 4:16), that the answer unfortunately but routinely is YES! The truth of God’s word will always inevitably do that! It will always divide! How often do we see something very similar to what happened with the divided crowd that occurred when Jesus’ raised dead Lazarus according to John 11:45-46? The answer is, all the time. Re-read Hebrews 4:12 again and again! Truth divides! Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-37?

And so, what do we do when we strike out time and again with people despite the best and most loving of Christian intentions and actions? When they hate and use and misuse and abuse us? Simple. We keep loving and trying and reaching out. Why? Because that’s what our master did to be sure, but also because we understand and accept the inevitable. We have come to regularly accept and routinely expect that those who will not love God enough to keep His commandments at all cost, are never going to love or see His people as anything less than a major annoyance; as a living symbol highlighting their unbiblical lifestyle.

And so, we continue on unabated because Jesus both forewarned and encouraged us within His truth, that not only would that regularly happen, but exactly how to handle it when it inevitably did. And these are the words we must remember when we are tempted to give out and give up because those we sought to love and encourage and reach with the word, decide to fight, bite, and ultimately be rid of us…

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 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 (Matt 5:10-16; NKJV).

To God be the glory! Always and in all ways! Preach on children! Preach, teach and reach out, because no matter how many strikes against us, we are never “out” with the Lord!

Posted in Doug Dingley | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Strike One, Strike Two, Strike Three…

Selfish Ambition

The proud father strokes the blond hair on his little boys head and asks, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “An Astronaut,” he replies with wide-eyed optimism.

The teacher asks the same question to her third-grade class and in turn each child responds. “The President!” “A professional baseball player!” “A firefighter!” Each answer is greeted by a confident affirmation. “Great!” “You can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it.” And thus begins the downward spiral of those lives and our society in the pursuit of selfish ambition.

Now I am not suggesting that we should not encourage or provide our future generations with the necessary opportunities to be all they can be and to do great things. What I am suggesting is that we have (and are) failing to reply to their hopes and dreams with a proper perspective and focus.

Two things come immediately to mind. One is; no matter how I might set my mind to it there are some things I will never be able to do! I will never be able to outrun Usane Bolt! Ridiculous observation you say? No more so than many of the things we tell our children they can do if they “just put their minds to it.” In anticipated response to the offended parent at my attempt to crush little Johnny’s future grandeur allow me to suggest that the correct response is to ask the question, “Why?”

If every young person grew up with an emphasis on service to God and others, this world, and the church, would be a far better place. And not just service for the sake of service, or for the end of feeling good about ourselves, but that we might please God and bring others to Him. We emphasis the idea of letting our “light so shine before men” that they may see our good works. But why should we do so is the more important question. The answer is that they might glorify the Father, not us (Matthew 5:16).

Paul warned the church in Rome that God’s wrath, and not His blessing, would be on those who served out of selfish ambition. “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,” (Romans 2:5-8).

Self-seeking here is translated in other versions as “selfishly ambitious,” “self-willed,” and “self-seeking.” While other translations use the words “contentious” and “factious” because that is exactly what such ambition brings. In James 3:16 we read, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

Also consider the well-established truth that it doesn’t matter so much what we say, but what we do. We may teach our children to be selfless in service and then they may see something completely different in our lives. Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

Ask yourself this tough question, “Why do I do the things I do?” Be honest. And be prepared to not like the answer. But be prepared to do something about it! “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

Posted in Tim Dooley | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Selfish Ambition