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September 2025 is now posted.

We will be posting the Glorious Gospel articles individually below. A PDF file (large print) can be downloaded under the Archives tab and printed if desired, as well as past editions.

 Do you know God?

Gordon Crook, Pastor

Grace Assembly, Wichita, Kansas

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8.

There are different thoughts in scripture about “knowing” God. There are those that know about God. Even the demons know about God and fear Him. (James 2:19). There are those that know God in a more personal way, and there are those that have a much deeper and intimate knowledge of God.

When John speaks about knowing God in this passage, he is speaking about those that truly know God in a deeper and more intimate way. He is helping to understand how to know if we truly know God or just have a superficial knowledge of who He is.

Many Christians today tend to want to mold God into their opinion of what He should be. The try to create God in their image instead of letting God change them into His image. This always results in a god that is not God. We must come to realize that we are in need of change that only God can do. And He wants to do exactly that.

It is amazing that God has given us His Word to ensure that we can know what He wants to do, and what that change looks like. The statement in our passage is very simple and very clear; “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” This means that the main change that God is making in us is to love one another.

The phrase “loveth not” means to “keep on not loving.” It indicates an attitude that continually fails to show love to others. This is very simply the attitude of our old nature. This is why we need the new creation life of Christ in order to show love on a regular basis. The old creation is not capable of showing the love that Jesus teaches us.

Jesus makes this idea a central part of His teaching during His earthly ministry. “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48.

So, those that “know” God need to know that He is love. It is an attribute of God, not just something He does. When Jesus says to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,” He is talking about being complete or mature as a child of God. This is exactly what God is working in  our lives if we will yield to Him. 

Both Jesus and Paul remind us the same thing. Love is the basis of the law. “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Romans 13:9. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40.

When I was reading 1 John 4:8, it struck me as being  very serious. It made me think about how I know God. It can be easy to say that we know God and even prove our knowledge of scripture. However, it becomes clear that God is less concerned with our head knowledge of scripture and more interested in what we are allowing Him to do in our life. This is how we can be “perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

It feels to me like I’m seeing a lot of lack of love from many who call themselves Christian. I know that anyone can call themselves Christian. And not all who use that moniker are truly Christian, but it makes me think about my own life. What do others see from my life? I cannot change other people, and it is not my place to pass judgment on them. I can and do try to understand what attitudes I see in others, and I realize that I want others to see from my life, attitudes that reflect the life of Christ in me. 

We have to be very careful about allowing the world (even the “Christian” world) to form our understanding of God, and forming our attitudes. We should really want to know God. Not a superficial head knowledge or a knowledge that is just something we have heard from  someone, but a true knowledge that comes from a personal intimate relationship with Him.

As you become closer and closer to God, you will find yourself loving others like He does. For God so loved the world. Who should I love? All who make up the world of humans. We do not get a pass on certain people that we do not like. Read the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10: 25-37. We do not want to be like the religious man in that passage who attempted to justify himself by pretending he did not know who he was to love. 

It is truly not normal for you and I to love others, especially those unloveable people, because our old nature is not capable of that. However, it is Christ in you the hope of glory. God is wanting to change us, right now, into His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). The only thing stopping that is us, because we like how we are, and we do not want to be different from the world. Do you know God? Are you diligently getting to know Him? Every day?

 Standing Against Satan

Vicky Moots

Kingman, Kansas

Eph. 6:11: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Verses 14-15: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”

Paul tells us in these verses that the purpose of wearing our spiritual armor is so that we will be able to stand against Satan.  He makes it clear that we need the whole armor to do this, but in V. 15, he emphasizes the importance of wearing proper footwear.  No barefoot warriors or flip-flops are allowed in this army!

Why? What is so important about our feet in our battle against Satan? I’m going to answer that question by discussing the importance of feet in the physical body and how they are constructed.  Did you know that approximately ¼ of the 206 bones in our bodies are required to enable us to stand?

The foot is actually one of the most complex parts of the human body, because feet must bear the weight of the whole body.  They are not simply rigid structures, but are flexible.  They are composed of 26 bones each, totaling 52 bones.  These bones are connected by joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and soft tissue.  The feet also contain nerves to enable us to balance and to stand upright, as well as to perform activities such as walking, running, and jumping.

Each foot is divided into three sections (a trinity): the forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot.  The forefoot includes the toes (phalanges) and the longbones (metatarsals).  There are five toes and five metatarsals on each foot.  Five is the number of grace in the Scripture.  The hindfoot consists of the ankle and the heelbone (calcaneus).

The midfoot portion of each foot has a collection of five bones (again, the number of grace), which form an arch.  An arch is considered to be one of the strongest structures in architecture.  These five bones include three cuneiform bones (another trinity) plus the cubiform and the navicular bone.

Spiritually, this demonstrates to us that it is by God’s grace that we are able to stand, as Paul tells us in Rom. 5:2: “By whom [Jesus] also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand…”  We stand in the grace of God, not our own merit.

The ankle joint is formed from three bones (also a trinity): the talus, tibia and fibula.  That makes a total of three trinities in each foot.  The number three not only represents the Trinity, but it also speaks of resurrection, since Jesus was raised on the third day.  Our ability to stand spiritually is, therefore, not only because of God’s grace, but also through the power of the resurrection, which enables us to walk in newness of life. 

It is important that we keep our feet healthy if we want to be able to stand very long without pain.  Feet can become diseased or deformed by wearing improperly fitting or non-supportive footwear.  Shoes that are too tight, have pointed toes, high heels or that don’t support the arch will eventually result in such things as bunions, calluses, corns, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis or even foot ulcers.  These things are not only painful and affect mobility, but can also become dangerous to our health.

In II Chron. 16:12-13, we read that King Asa became “exceedingly diseased” in his feet and died.  In V. 12, it states that he died because he failed to speak to the Lord and had only sought the physicians for help.  Spiritually speaking, we can become diseased in our feet (affecting our Christian walk and our ability to stand against Satan) if our spiritual feet are not properly shod and protected, or if we fail to seek the Lord for help.

All soldiers need combat boots to protect and support their feet.  The footwear of the Roman soldier had a much different appearance than that of soldiers today, but it served the same purpose.  Proper footwear is equally important to us spiritually, and so we must be sure to protect our spiritual feet as soldiers in God’s army.

The shoes which we have been provided and commanded to wear, have been designed to be sturdy, supportive and long lasting.  They are guaranteed to fit properly, unless altered from their original design.  The long-lasting material from which these shoes have been fashioned is not man-made.  It has been imported from heaven.  It is the “gospel of peace.”  Therefore, it is eternal and will never wear out or grow old.

Col. 1:21 tells us that before we accept Christ as Savior, sin separates us from God and makes us His enemies.  But the good news (the gospel) is that Jesus died to make peace and to bring us to God: “…having made peace through the blood of his cross…” (V. 20).  This is the gospel of peace.

Paul then tells us in Rom. 5:1-2 how to put on these gospel of peace shoes: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We must put them on by faith.  Faith is the shoehorn we use to put on our shoes.

The “gospel of peace” shoes are the right size for each one of us.  We cannot add anything to the gospel (such as our own works or ideas), or take anything away from it, or the shoes will not fit, and we will be unable to stand.  Jesus is the only way to salvation and peace with God.

That name, Jesus, was what made the lame man in Acts 3:6-7 whole and able to stand: “Then Peter said…In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”  It is the same name whereby our feet and ankles have the strength to stand against Satan.

In conclusion, let us look at the Greek meanings of the words “preparation” and “peace” in Eph. 6:15. “Preparation” means “firm standing” or “foundation.”  The word “peace” means “that which has been bound together.”  Therefore, with our feet properly shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we can stand firmly on the foundation, by faith, knowing that we have been made one with Christ, bound together with Him.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus!

So, having done all, let us stand!

 HERE AM I

(Samuel)

A young boy slept, 

   his heart sincere. 

His soul was willing

   to listen and hear.

The Word of God

   was precious then.

God was not speaking

   to the hearts of men.

God saw that child,

    and knew his heart.

He called his name,

   and set him apart.

The young boy heard,

   cried, “Here am I,”

And eagerly ran

   to the priest, Eli.

                Three times God called

   each time he heard.   

His heart excited,

   his soul was stirred.

He had to learn

   to know God’s voice.

And when he did,

   he made his choice.

The Lord then come;

   He called and stood.

And Samuel answered,

   as God knew he would.

   Debbie Isenbletter

   Springfield, Missouri

   (I Samuel 3:1-10)

 Considerations

Jack Davis

CONSIDER YOURSELVES

Gal. 6:1-10, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted…for if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself…For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting…let us not be weary in well doing: in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” 

Scriptural restoration is on the basis of repentance – II Cor. 7:9-11. Repentance involves changes in attitude of heart and direction. Whether wrong conduct, in life style, or wrong teaching, the scripture provides for both. There is cleansing available for all – II Cor. 7:1. This involves more than setting one back on the right track, that has been caught in wrong doing. Whatever we do or don’t do must be by faith in the rightly divided Word of truth, and guidance of the Holy Spirit, having earnestly sought the heart of God in prayer.

God has provided that we not be ignorant of Satan’s devices. With an unforgiving attitude of self-righteousness and self sufficiency we could give our adversary an advantage. Therefore we well consider our own capacity for failure. It is spiritual for us to not be self-centered, self occupied, or self deceived – Gal. 6:3,7; Rom. 12:3. We each have need of rebuke, and of restoration. There are times when we need correction and find it is indeed a comfort, a most valuable bridge. The Lord makes us aware of a lack of our own steadfastness, so that we will thoroughly cast ourselves completely upon Him. By growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ there is an overcoming of being unlearned, and unstable -II Pet. 3:17-18. The Spiritual are capable of being tempted, it is allowed that the Spiritual may overcome the temptations – I Cor. 10:13.

We need to be aware that the spirit of meekness is needed in both those that restore and the one to be restored. The Scripture does not teach us to be lax on our own, accusing or excusing one another. Spirituality shown no sympathy on the flesh, especially our own. We owe the flesh nothing – Rom. 8:4-13. It must be judged – II Cor. 10:3-6; I Cor. 11:30-33; Mt. 7:3-5.

There are those born of the Spirit that live after the flesh. Those sowing to the flesh shall reap corruption, for they are failing to appropriate God’s grace. To each of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ – Eph. 4:7. There seems to be a taking of God’s grace in vain in differing measures – II Cor. 6:1-2. There is an insincerity that puts God’s grace to little personal and very little practical use, not taking to heart what grace teaches us – Titus 2:11-14.  There are those who are building their lives with wood hay and stubble, that defile many. Their works will be burned, rewards lost, yet they shall be saved as by fire – I Cor. 3:15. They won’t receive a full reward, but enter into eternity comparatively empty handed, without a full inheritance. These are often cut off before their time, die prematurely before they have grown up fully in the Lord. Our brother Paul’s departing admonishions to the Ephesian elders was to take heed into themselves and to all the flock –  Acts 20:28-32.

CONSIDER ONE ANOTHER

Heb. 10:21-25 “And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering…and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

“LET US” Times Three: Since Jesus, our faithful and merciful high priest has opened up a way into the presence of God for us, we also are encouraged to draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, and with a living hope – Heb. 7:19. It is our sweet privilege to thankfully apply or avail to the washing of water by the Word. The truth of God’s Word should have the effect of drawing us together. As we are drawn unto our Lord, we also are drawn to the Christ life in each other.

Paul encourages us to “let,” submitting to that powerful magnetic life within. We also are told to hold fast the testimony, or confession of our faith because of the faithfulness of Him who has promised, and is certainly coming again, and it should be very soon – Heb. 10:36-37. Forsaking assembling of ourselves together is not considering one another, but is usually pampering our own flesh.

Most of us have thought at one time or other, “if it wasn’t for people I could be an overcomer.” Habitual absence for gathering with  God’s people is skipping the opportunity to provoke or spiritually stimulate unto love and good works. Its effects are generally discouraging. If we are truly able to see the day approaching, our sharpened vision being shared should be  used to stir faith, hope and love in others to be ready for Jesus’ return. “Forsaking the assembling” is not an attitude of consideration of others but rather a laying aside of the privilege to increase being beneficial to the Lord’s body. Let us do it “so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” I am so glad we are able to see or foresee by faith, the day of our Lord’s return! Be ready, it could happen any moment! He has provided that we speak to each other unto comfort, edification, and exhortation. Assembling together we are to speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Assembling together we are to make melody from our hearts unto the Lord. We need each other’s mutual overcoming. An interesting and amazing aspect of being victorious is our striving together in interest of the faith of the Gospel – Phil. 1:27. “Standing fast in one Spirit.” 

We can be encouraging examples to each other of faith, purity, peace, patience and progress. We need each other’s prayers, whereby we bear one another’s burdens. Thus we may be better able to bear our own, fulfilling our bodily responsibility, with Jesus in focus – Rom. 12:5-21; 14:7-9; 15:1-7.

CONSIDER JESUS

Heb. 12:1-4, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

While being surrounded by so great a crowd of faith’s victors (Heb. 11), we are encouraged to go on in God’s will for our lives in spiritual progress. We are to run our race with patience, casting aside all encumbering hindrances. Our adversary would like to get us so focused on, and even occupied with other’s failures and what we should do about them that we become weary in well doing – II Thess. 3:13-15. Lord enable us to take heart, encourage our selves in the Lord when others  are letting down. It is so very important that we keep looking unto Jesus, considering Him. He must be the single object of spiritual focus. The gathering center, our meeting place, our Savior, our Lord, Light and Life, who has captured our hearts with His love.

When we consider all He went through to make us holy, unblameable, in His sight. How can we help but look to Him to bring it about? His terrible suffering on the cross for our sakes should bring forth a cry, “Have thine own  way Lord.”

Peter seems to point to Jesus as the standard of sacrificial suffering, “Arm yourselves with the same mind.” Consider Him as the standard of full overcoming. Jn. 16:33, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Rev. 3:21, “Even as I overcame and am set down with my Father in His throne.” We do well to consider Him as an example of caring, compassion. He gave His all to deliver us from every hurt and hindrance, although we were entirely ugly, undeserving, absolutely bankrupt. Let us not live carelessly. Real joy is ours, when the reverse order is in effect – Jesus – Others – You.

 What About The Law ?

Earlene Davis

The Law is the subject of Romans chapter 7. Many believers go to extremes about the Law. Some argue that since we are saved by grace, we are free to live as we please. While others argue, We are saved by grace, but must live under Law to please God. Both are not according to the Word of God. Apostle Paul answered the first group in Chapter 6, which we covered in the last issue.

Paul answers the second group in this chapter. The belief that we can become holy and please God by obeying laws is legalism (measuring spirituality by a list of do’s and don’ts). The problem is seeing sins (plural), but not sin the root of the trouble (judging the outward and not the inward). Many believers don’t understand Law or grace.

Through the years I have observed both extremes and the sad consequences. Some who have tried so hard to live holy by their self-efforts succeed for awhile, but then fail causing them to be pretenders or they give up trying and become worldly. Legalists are extremely hard on others, critical and unforgiving. If the truth of Romans Chapter 7 is understood and applied, it will deliver the believer from legalism. This chapter continues the subject that began in chapter 6:15, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” 

Paul uses the illustration of a husband and wife to show the believers new relationship to the Law because of our union with Jesus Christ, Vs. 1-6. When a man and woman marry, they are united for life in a physical union (Gen. 2:24, “the two shall be one flesh.”) It can only be broken by a physical cause, like death. Mt. 5 & 19 indicate unfaithfulness also breaks the marriage bond. But Paul is not teaching marriage and divorce here. He is simply using marriage to illustrate a point. As long as they live, the husband and wife are under the authority of the law of marriage. But if the husband dies, she is free from the authority of the law, the husband’s death broke the marriage relationship.

Two facts explain the believer’s relationship to the Law. The believer has become dead to the Law by the body of Christ (V. 4). Before we were saved, we were under the authority of God’s Law and condemned by it. When we trusted Christ and were united to Him, we died to the Law, just as we died to the flesh (Ch. 6). The Law did not die, we died. When we trusted Christ, we died to the Law, but in Christ, we arose from the dead and are now married, united to Christ to live a new kind of life.

The Law still rules over men, but it no longer has dominion over us. We are not lawless for we share Christ’s life, walking in newness of life (Rom. 8:4, “That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit”). In the old life we brought forth fruit unto death, but in the new life of grace, we bring forth fruit unto God. Now the motivation of our life does not come from the Law, but from  God’s grace.

The second fact (V. 6, “But now we are delivered from the Law.” The Law cannot exercise authority over a dead person. God’s commandment were written on stones, but  under grace, God’s Word is written in our hearts (II Cor. 3:3).

We are told the ministry of the Law in Vs. 7-13. Paul said, “I had not known sin, but by the Law.” It shows how dirty the old nature is. Paul uses coveting, an inward attitude, not outward actions. Covetousness leads to the breaking of the other commandments. The sin of coveting, seems never recognized by people in their own lives, but God’s Law reveals it. Vs. 8-9 tell how the Law arouses the sinful nature. It wrought in him all manner of concupiscence or evil desires, the commandment came, sin revived and I died. Our old human nature wants to rebel when a Law is given. Rom. 8:7, “The carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be.”

The church in Galatia were very legal and they experienced all kind of trouble (Gal. 5:15). There legalism did not make them more spiritual, but more sinful. Vs. 10-11 says “the Law slew me.” The Law cannot give life, it only shows the sinner he is guilty and condemned. Be aware of various Philosophies in books and seminars, etc. No human leader can take the place of Christ and no book can replace God’s Word. Vs. 12-13, the Law shows the sinfulness of sin. We excuse our sins as weakness, but God would have us to know how wicked sin really is and that we are to oppose it and live in victory. The problem is not with the Law, but our sinful nature.

Vs. 14-24, we are informed of the inability of the Law. The Law is holy  just and good, it came from a holy God. It reveals God’s holiness and helps us to see our need for a Savior. The old nature knows no Law, the new nature needs no Law. To live under the Law will only activate the old nature, but will not eradicate it. It cannot enable you to do good. Three times Paul states that sin dwells in us (Vs. 14,18,20, referring to the old nature). The believers mind, will and body can be controlled either by the old nature or the new nature. The believers self efforts cannot do the good he wants to do and does the evil he does not want to do. 

This is a different problem from Chapter 6, there it was “How can I stop doing bad things?” Here it is “how can I ever do anything good?” The legalist says, “Obey the Law: WRONG, the Law cannot enable us to do good, or set you free. We can determine, “I will not do this any longer, What happens? By willpower, we succeed for a time, but then fall again. We cannot overcome the old nature with self-effort. But the inward man delights in the Law, the old nature delights in breaking it. We discover our best is not good enough.

Is there any deliverance? Vs. 24-25, There is One who shall deliver us, Jesus Christ our Lord! Praise God! Because we are united to Christ and alive to God, we can draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit. The explanation of this victory is given in Chapter 8 which I hope to write about in the next issue of Glorious Gospel. I will chose with V. 18 of our chapter, “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” Jn. 5:16-18; Phil. 3:3. 

If we yield to the Holy Spirit, we have the power needed to obey God’s will. Just as we are dead to the old nature, we also are dead to the Law. Phil. 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.”

 God Uses Broken Things

Vicky Moots

God has chosen the foolish things

The weak, the base and despised

To bring to nothing the things of this world

That God might be glorified.

God used things that are broken

Things that have oft been abused

Man shuns the poor, lame and weary

But these are the lives that God used.

He used broken bread to feed the hungry

Broken pitchers to bring forth light

Ground must be broken to yield its fruit

Broken lives will win the fight.

The weakness of God is stronger

His foolishness much more wise

Then all of the strength and wisdom of man

In his haughty and arogant pride.

Jesus Himself was broken

Despised and rejected was He.

But He’s nigh to those of a broken heart

So broken, like Him, we must be.

Oh, come partake of the Bread of Life

Yes, Jesus was broken for you

Just give Him your broken and wasted life.

And He will make it new.

 Think On These Things

Martha Wainright

Gladstone, Missouri

“Whatsoever things are pure…” Philippians 4:8.

For sometime now I have tried to think of something in the world that is pure. But alas, I can’t think of anything! I phoned a very knowledgeable acquaintance of mine, the owner of Day’s Medical Laboratories in K. C. Mo., and ask him to name some pure substance, After a time of contemplating this, he said he couldn’t think of a thing that is really pure. Can you? This is really something to think about. It seems that anything that comes to mind is either a mixture or has been defiled in some way.

Let’s consider the definition of the word pure. Webster’s Dictionary definition is: unmixed; clear; clean; free from foreign matter. We can understand that, can’t we? We often see the word pure in print, and it is often used in everyday conversation. But we are at a loss to find anything we can purely apply this definition to.

Now, let’s look at W. E. Vine’s definition, found in his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Pure: pure from defilement, not contaminated (from the same root as holy). There is the key – holy. This puts a new light on the subject.

Throughout the Bible the word pure is used. Sometimes in relation to a substance such as the materials used in the tabernacle: pure olive oil, pure myrrh, pure candle stick, etc. Perhaps these items were pure then. They would not be today, with our 20th century pollution, but that is questionable. The offerer of these were to use the purest substances available. I believe God counted them completely pure because they represented the Holy, undefied Son of God is one way or another. Isn’t this a glorious picture of us? We have a Holy nature (the Spirit of Christ), but in practice, since we still have an old nature also, we are not perfect (or pure). However, through faith in Christ, God sees us an pure, just as the obedient (to God’s instructions), were counted holy in the Old Testament records. Abraham is one example –  Romans 4:20-22. Imputed righteousness is a gift, “not of works lest any man should boast” – Ephesians 2:8-9.

“Every word of God is pure” – Proverbs 30:5. There it is, that is what we have been looking for. What is pure? The Word of God. We are cleansed by the Word (John 15:3), and the Word of God satisfies (John 4:13-14). No food or water that we partake of is perfectly pure, but thank God for what we have, as it sustains our mortal body. But the Word of God enables us to yield to our new nature, the Holy Spirit endues us with power and the work of Calvary is ultimately “to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.” Colossians 1:22, we are not only provisionally pure, but we also learn to walk in holiness.

It’s disgusting now much we are affected by the defilement of this world. We know that our spiritual nature cannot be touched by this defilement, but as to experience, that is not so. Our everyday existence is affected by worldly surroundings and the spirit of this “evil age,” and this in turn can influence us from without (our actions), and within (our thoughts). 

How refreshing to drink from the pure springs of the Word of God and be cleansed. It is no wonder that we feel defiled by the world. The children of God are in the world, but not of it. Our instruction is to “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” – Romans 6:11. When we are translated from the power of darkness to the kingdom of light, we cannot feel at home in the world – Colossians 1:13.

“The world hateth you” – John 15:19. We can be congenial as long as our Heavenly Father leaves us here, but we don’t really “fit in.” Most of us work many hours for our provisions (corruptible) to  live here, but our inheritance is “Incorruptible, and undefiled” – I Peter 1:4.

There we have it, a knowledge and revelation of what is pure. We think about Jesus, the Word of God, made manifest. We think about the written Word of God and allow these words to penetrate to our inner most being. The Word of God “kisses” us. Our communion with the Lord is pure. He is saying to us, “Open to  me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled – Song of Solomon 5:2. “Drink, yea, drink abundantly – S. of S. 5:1

Scientists will never develop nor discover anything pure. This is one of God’s “secrets” and He alone is the Revealer of His secrets. But, praise the Lord, the Holy Spirit has been given to guide us into truth, and this is true, that, “Whatsoever is pure,” is “Whatsoever is Holy.” THINK ON THESE THINGS.

 The Encouraging Word

“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Romans 3:28

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His loving kindness toward those who fear (revere) Him.” Psalm 103:11

“Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His mercy  endureth for ever.” Psalm 106:1

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

“I will go before you and level the mountains – to make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron.”

Isaiah 45:2

“You rule the raging of the sea; when the waves of it arise, you still them.” Psalm 89:9

“For the Lord is Righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face and He beholds the upright.” Psalm 11:9

Martha Wainright

 He Knows My Name

Gordon Crook, Pastor

Grace Assembly, Wichita, Kansas

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:29-30

As we come into a closer relationship with our Heavenly Father, we will come to realize how much He cares about us. He has been very open about His care for us in His Word. 

I am reminded of a song “He Knows My Name” sung by the Rochesters (and others)

He counts the stars, one and all

He knows how much sand is on the shores

He sees every sparrow that falls

He made the mountains and the seas

He’s in control of everything

Of all creatures, great and small

[Chorus]

And He knows my name Every step that I take

Every move that I make Every tear that I cry

He knows my name 

When I’m overwhelmed by the pain

And can’t see the light of day 

I know I’ll be just fine

‘Cause He knows my name

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring

I can’t tell you what’s in store

I don’t know a lot of things

I don’t have all the answers

To the questions of life

But I know in Whom I have believed. 

As Jesus walked here, when Nathanael came to Him, He speaks to Nathanael as one who knows him, and Nathanael asks; “Whence knowest thou me?” and Jesus replies; “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” (John 1:48). Jesus knew Nathanael before He even met him. He also knows you, even if you do not realize it yet.

If we go back to the Old Testament, we find God, on more than one occasion, calling ones by their name. In Genesis, we find Him calling Adam in the garden. “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” Genesis 3:9. God knew where Adam was, but He wanted Adam to respond to His call. He is calling us today, by name, and wants us to respond.

We find Him calling Abraham. “And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.” Genesis 22:11. And Jacob. “And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.” Genesis 46:2.

In Exodus we find Him calling Moses. “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.” Exodus 3:4. 

In 1 Samuel, we find Him calling Samuel. “And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; that the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.” 1 Samuel 3:4-10 God has always known the name of His people.

When Elijah was severely depressed about his situation, God came to him and called him by his name. “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9. God cares about each individual. He cares when you are. He knows your discouragement and will call you by name to show you He has a way out.

This always amazes me. The truth is that I am not generally very good with names. Even though I rarely forget a face, it takes me some time of being around someone to really remember their name. However, God knew my name before I ever was, and before I came to Him, He had already called me. 

So why does it matter that God knows my name? It reminds me that He deals with each individual and knows my specific, individual needs, concerns and distresses. Unlike so many things in this world, you are not just a number to God. You are His dear child whom He knows intimately and is always listening for your cry. 

Read Psalm 139. It will encourage you to know the Lord in a closer more intimate way in your life as you realize just how much you mean to Him. He cares, He watches over you and He calls you closer every day.

 Living Faith

Vicky Moots

James 2:17, 20: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.; But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

Today I am going to use these verses in James to perform a spiritual check up of your faith.  Do you have living faith?  If you are born again, then you have living faith, because without faith you cannot be saved.  But how healthy is your faith? Does it produce works?

In the natural, if you wanted to evaluate your health, you would see a doctor for a checkup.  The first thing that they would do is to check your vital signs: your blood pressure, pulse and respirations.  Why? Because these are outward measurements which can be obtained that indicate the internal activity of the heart.

What are the outward vital signs of our faith? How would someone who is examining us spiritually be able to evaluate our spiritual health? According to James, one of the vital signs is our works, so let us look into this further.  If we have the life of Christ in us, there should be outward evidence of our faith for others to see.

We read in I Sam. 16:7, that “…man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”  Only God can see our heart.  All others are looking on the outside of us.  The book of James gives us an example of how the world examines us regarding our faith.  James speaks of works as being the outward evidence to those around us of the faith which we possess in our hearts.

As a physician, if you were to see me in the office for an exam, I would not be able to see your heart, but I would know how well it is beating simply by feeling your pulse.  That is one of the first things they teach you in a CPR course.  A pulse wave is produced each time the heart muscle contracts, so the pulse is outward evidence of an internal, invisible, beating heart.  It is an outward sign of what is taking place on the inside.

The spiritual relationship between faith and works is much like the physical relationship of the pulse to the heart.  Good works in the life of a Christian are outward evidence of living faith and have been ordained by God, as we read in Eph. 2:8-10: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Good works are the result of our faith.  They are the fruit of the new creation, not the root.  We are not saved through works; we are saved to works.  Faith works in us to produce works through us for God’s glory.

In the physical body, the pulse does not cause the heart to beat.  Which came first? The pulse or the heart beat? Which is dependent on the other? There can be no pulse outwardly if there is not first a living, beating heart on the inside.  Likewise, in the spiritual sense, works cannot produce faith, but living faith can, and should, produce good works, because God has ordained that we should walk in them.

How strong is your faith pulse today? We are told by Paul to examine ourselves (not each other).  Living faith on the inside should produce a good strong pulse externally that others can feel when they examine your faith.

Living faith will produce living works, not dead works.  Dead works are self-works, and they bring glory to self.  Living works are the result of God working in us and through us, and they will always bring glory to His name and not to ours.

Living works are also loving works, for they can only be done through God’s love (agape), as we learn in I Cor. 13.  Without love, our works lose their eternal value.  They do not point others to Christ because they only glorify the one who is performing them.

But most important of all, living works, produced by faith and performed through love, will not only glorify the name of Jesus and give evidence of our faith, but will also prepare us for bridehood.  The wedding garment of the bride of Christ will be fabricated from the pure, righteous, living works which she has unselfishly done by faith.  The nature of this fabric is revealed to us in Rev. 19:7-8: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [righteous acts] of saints.”

That means that with each righteous act that we perform, each good work that we do, which God has ordained for us to do, we are faithfully weaving the pure linen fabric for our wedding dress to prepare ourselves for that day.  But the good works of living faith which we do, and the wedding garment which we are preparing, are not intended for our glory, for they are produced through the power of the resurrected life of Christ in us, for the purpose of bringing glory to His name and drawing others to him.

Praise the Lord for living faith and living works.

 THE STORY OF THE STONE

Jack Davis

Jesus beheld them, and said, “What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” Lk. 20:17-18

Our dear Lord was quoting this from the Old Testament, I enjoy reading it from its context, “I will praise thee for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Ps. 118:21-24.

Oh, what a day is about to dawn! Shall we not be glad, and rejoice in it? I marvel in the Lord’s doings. It is of greatest importance, and our destiny is determined by our attitude toward these marvelous facts. Jesus Christ was the center of divine design before the foundation of the world. All God’s building plan is in Christ. He is the point of reference, the focal point of all spiritual construction, it must all line up with Him.

In the first eight verses of Luke twenty, we have recorded that as Jesus taught the gospel, He is questioned as to who gave Him the authority by which He worked. Jesus then answered them with a question they couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. He followed this with a parable that prophesied of their attitude, and actions toward him and the purposes of God. He foretells of God’s beloved Son being offered for reverence but was going to be refused. It is God that tells history in advance. His-tory, the story of the stone foretells of His exhalation following His humiliation. It tells of the divine election, and human rejection.

“THIS IS THE STONE”

When the high priest and his people questioned Peter and John as to what power and what name they had made the lame man to walk, he identified the “Stone” and His rejecters. He said, “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner” Acts 4:11. Although religions builders discount, try to discredit God’s record of our beloved Lord. We know that he was chose of God and precious, and have tasted that He is gracious, for we have come unto him as unto a living stone, and believed on Him whom God has laid in Zion as the Chief Corner Stone – I Peter 2:2-10. By faith in Him and His redemptive work on the cross, we have gladly received Him as the Rock of our Salvation. We have become people of God that has obtained mercy.

The story of the stone not only tells of Jesus’ rejection but also His resurrection, being raised to reign.

THE SMITTEN STONE

When the children of Israel in the wilderness thought they were going to die of thirst; God told Moses to take the rod He had given him and SMITE THE ROCK In Horeb. When He did the water flowed out to refresh the people - Ex. 17:6. What a picture of the blessings of the Spirit of God coming to humanity on the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He was smitten by the wrath of divine judgment on behalf of our sin.

Later when the children of Israel needed water, God told Moses to speak to the rock, but instead he smote it twice and God corrected him for it – Num. 20:8-12. In His humiliation, Jesus as the smitten stone was indeed an rock of offense and stone of stumbling. In prophecy He is spoken of as saying, “smite the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered Zec. 13:7. “I gave my back to the emitters and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair” Isa. 50:6. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” Isa. 53:3-6.

“Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken.” The truly broken in spirit, and contrite in heart, fall dependently upon Him in faith and are saved, being justified Psa. 51:17 & Isa. 66:2. Spiritual construction has begun for those on the rock. It is to continue with gold silver and precious stone, growing and sowing to the Spirit and not to the flesh. These are dependant upon God to give the increase.

THE SMITING STONE

“But on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to power.” These are those whom having rejected the stone and will bear the brunt of divine judgment. Psalm two foretells of Jesus exaltation, and enthronement. Consider verse nine, “Thou shall break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Consider Isa. 9:6-7 in this connection.

The king of Babylon dreamed of a great image which gave a preview of succeeding governments which established world influence in their allotted time. That dream being interrupted was shown to point ultimately to the universal reign of Jesus Christ as King of kings.

“Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, her belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and become like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” Dan. 2:31-35.

“He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet” I Cor. 15:25-27.

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is certain, and interpretation thereof sure” Dan. 2:44-45.

 Victory Over Sin

Earlene Davis

We must go to Romans chapter Six to learn what God has to say on this subject. God would have us to have victory over sin practical in our lives. There are three key words in this chapter: know 6:3-10, reckon 6:11-12, Yield 6:13-19. 

KNOW

What are we to know? V. 3-5, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.  For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” 

The basic truth of the believers identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, is a fact of God.  Chapter 5:17, The believer can reign in life by one Christ Jesus. Just as we were identified with Adam in sin, so we are now identified with Christ in righteousness and justification. Jesus Christ not only died for our sins, He also died unto sin and we died with Him.

Water baptism is used as an illustration: it figures the believer being buried with Christ and brought up again in resurrection life with Him. The outward symbol of an inward experience. When He died in my place, I died. When He arose, I arose in Him. I no longer want to continue in sin. I can now walk in the power of His resurrection in newness of life. Gal: 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” 

Sin is a terrible master and finds a willing servant in the human body. The body itself is not sinful, but can be controlled either by sin or by God. It is so important for us to know as believers, that we now have two natures. The old nature here called the old man. The word “destroyed” in V. 6 means, rendered inactive, made of no effect. Sin wants to rule, but that old sinful nature was crucified with Christ, So the body needs no longer to be controlled by sin. 

RECKON

V. 11-12, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.”

The Greek meaning of reckon is count (agreeing with God), or impute (putting to one’s account). It is simply believing what God’s Word tells us. We can reckon with God that it is true. Faith in action, acting upon an eternal fact of God that it is a finished work, accomplished at Calvary. Claim it for ourselves. Jn. 19:30, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

YIELD

V. 13, “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” God does not command the old nature to become dead to sin, He says we are dead to sin and alive unto God. Then He expects us to act upon it. Even if we don’t, the fact is till true. The word yield means to place at ones disposal, to present, to offer as a sacrifice. Rom. 12:1 says, I beseech you brethren, by the mercies of God, “to present your bodies a living sacrifice (for His glory), holy, acceptable unto God, which is you reasonable service.” 

The Lord asks all of us to live for Him. To yield, an act of our will, based on the knowledge we have of what Christ has done for us. An intelligent decision to not allow sin to reign. For this allows the members of our body to be tools of unrighteousness to sin. But let us surrender to the life of Christ within us. The longer we walk with Christ in surrender, the deeper the fellowship with Him becomes. We daily surrender afresh to Him. It is clear the believer has a choice.

V. 16-19, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? … I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

 

The believers body is God’s temple and he wants to use it for His glory. I Cor. 6:19-20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 

The Old Testament tells us of people who permitted God to take and use their bodies to fulfill His purposes. Also Paul is an example in the New Testament along with others. Why should we yield? Well, we will please God having His favor, also freedom, being no longer a slave to sin, and having fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life (V. 22). 

It has been proven that we are not saved by the Law, nor do we live under the Law. Grace does not give us an excuse to sin, but gives us the reason to live godly in this present world. Titus 2:11-12, “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.”

In closing: Now we know these truths, and reckon them to be true in our life, and we yield ourselves to God. God will be glorified in us and we will be blessed abundantly.

 FRIEND OR SERVANT OF GOD?

 

Gary Giddings – Broken Arrow, OK

Jesus called those who followed Him friends, but the Apostle Paul called himself a servant of God. If Paul, our “pattern racer, didn’t call himself a friend of God, should we call ourselves friends or servants of God? Let’s look at what Jesus said: John 15:12-15, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” Think of the difference between a servant and a friend: a servant’s business is to obey the master’s commands, nothing more, nothing less, but a friend is a companion, one that shares close or intimate details of life. Friends are open and available to each other.

With the exception of Judas Iscariot, Jesus’ disciples believed in Him as the Promised One, the Christ (John 6:67-71). They followed Him and sat at His feet as servants. Jesus did the unexpected when He washed His disciples’ feet as an example of good, godly leadership: He said, “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:13-14). Before Jesus’ arrest  in the Garden of Gethsemane, He welcomed His disciples into a higher level of relationship: He called them friends. Jesus didn’t take away the idea of serving; but as friends, the disciples would begin to know the plan of God as they served Him.

What did Paul call himself? In seven of his epistles, he called himself an apostle or “sent one.” He was called and sent by God to preach the Gospel of Jesus to the Jews and to the Gentles (Acts 26:16-18). But in three of Paul’s epistles, he called himself a servant. For example  Romans 1:1, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God” The Greek word for servant is doulos  and it can be translated as servant or slave. A WILLING doulos is a servant, while a FORCED doulos is a slave. Many times in history, all over the world, people have been FORCED to work as slaves. This is wrong, evil, and demeaning because all people are made in the image of God! On the other hand, willing servants are those who CHOOSE to work  for love, money, prestige, etc. Paul was a willing servant because Jesus set him free from his sins and his old selfish lifestyle. Paul gave himself fully and completely to Jesus because that is where he found life, love, and meaning.

Whether Paul used the term friend or not, he knew Jesus. What did Paul do right after his conversion? He preached the truth about Jesus in Damascus many days (Acts 9:20-23) and then he went to Arabia (Gal. 1:15-18). It was in Arabia, that Paul received a direct revelation of the FULL GOSPEL of God (Gal. 1:11-12; Eph. 3:1-7). Think of the knowledge that Paul received and that the Lord chose him to be the apostle to this Church Age. He was a faithful servant, and he still ministers to everyone in this Grace Age through his letters (writing half of the New Testament).

Paul also called himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:1; Phil. 1:1). It may have looked like he was held captive by the Romans, but Paul was willing to suffer for the sake of the Lord, even if it meant persecution and hardship. Like others in the early Church, Paul rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ name (Acts 5:41). 2 Timothy 2:3-4, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Webster Dictionary - a soldier is a man engaged in military service … a brave warrior. Paul instructed his “son in the faith” Timothy (and all who will follow Paul as he followed Jesus, 1 Cor. 11:1) to be a good soldier in the spiritual war going on for the hearts and minds of people everywhere. Our battle isn’t against other people but against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We need to put on the armor of God so that we can withstand evil (Eph. 6:10-13). Jesus has already conquered evil, so with Jesus, we are on the winning side! We are more than conquerors! (Rom. 8:31-39).

Romans 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” The Apostle Paul was glad to call himself a servant of Jesus because he knew what it was like to be a servant of sin and under its dominion. Paul admitted that he had a problem with coveting (Rom. 7:7). The Law couldn’t help him; it only condemned him. But after Paul came to Jesus, he learned he could yield all of himself as “instruments of righteousness unto God” (Rom. 6:13). Because we put our trust in Jesus, we have been “delivered from the power of darkness” and “translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son” (Col. 1:13). We are now free to serve God! Perhaps Paul had in mind the servant who loved his master so much that he had himself marked as a servant for the rest of his life (Ex. 21:2-6). Paul was willing to be a servant all his earthly life. Are we?

Galatians 4:6-7, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. The Apostle Paul didn’t deny the friendship we have with Jesus. He emphasized the fact that we are sons of God. As sons of God, we more than a servant; we are part of The Family of God! We rejoice in God’s care and concern for us because we “are accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6). But even further, Paul says that we are heirs of God through Jesus. Being an heir means being “a sharer”, “a possessor” with Jesus, the Head of the Church. Paul preached “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8). These are spiritual riches that far outweigh all the material riches of this world. Don’t miss God’s best for the world!

Philippians 3:8, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” Paul was willing to give up everything else for “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Salvation is a gift to those who humbly receive Jesus into their heart and confess Him (Rom. 10:9-10). This is the beginning of knowing Jesus; then we continue to learn of Him as we follow Him all our days. Once we are born again in God’s family, we have the opportunity to win Christ, that is, to gain the most intimate place of fellowship with Him.

Paul lived to gain Christ as His Bride. This is “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). But we must run to win this prize and run according to God’s rules (1 Cor. 9:24-27). As we look to Jesus for our wisdom, strength, and encouragement, we can “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” and “run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1-2). 2 Corinthians 11:2, “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 

Paul was a willing servant who answered the call to be a most trusted, intimate friend of Jesus. Paul looked forward to receiving a “crown of righteousness” because he finished the course God gave him to run (2 Tim. 4:7-8). The whole church has been engaged to be married to Jesus. Will we be faithful in our engagement? Will we continue to set our affection on Him in the final days of our time on earth? How close do you want to be with Jesus? Every day we live our answer. We are servants, yes, but we also LOVE Him who first LOVED us and called us friends. There is no higher place to be than to be with Jesus as He rules and reigns over the earth for 1,000 years. As we learn to let Jesus rule and reign in our heart, we will rule and reign with Him as His Bride! 

 CONCERNING SPIRITUALS

Part 5

W. J. Franklin

The Gift of prophecy

I Cor. 14:3. “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.” “To flow forth” is the meaning of the Hebrew word – Naba – to bubble forth like a fountain. To flow forth, to tumble forth, to spring forth – that’s Prophecy. These words describe the precious Gift of Prophecy. Who would not covet thus to prophecy?

“To speak for another” is the meaning of the Greek word. To speak for God! To be His spokesman, His mouth! We who were once injurious, unprofitable, etc. can now – through this Gift – be the mouth of the Lord.

Prophecy in its simplest form is divinely inspired and anointed utterance. It is entirely supernatural! The Gift of Tongues is a supernatural utterance in an unknown tongue; Prophecy is supernatural utterance in a known tongue.

This wonderful Gift must not be confused with preaching. To treat the Gift thus is to rob it entirely of its supernatural character, In true preaching, the natural mind (with its furnishings of the Word) is operated by the Spirit; in Prophesying, the Mind of Spirit is speaking through natural speech organs. If you will study the Greek words for preaching and for prophesying, you will see the difference. In addition, in I Cor. 14:24 & 31, we find that we all prophesy, and in verse 39 we are told to covet to prophesy. We can see in experience that all are not called to preach. This requites a special gift from Christ. (Eph. 4)

Let us consider some  Scriptural purposes of this Gift:

1) Prophecy is for speaking to men supernaturally. (14:3)

2) To edify the church./ (14:4)

3) To exhort the church. (14:3) This blessed word in the Greek is “Paraklesis” and reminds us of the Comforter, the Holy  Spirit. It means “to call to one’s side so as to aid or help. A word of blessing! This Gift is not a correcting tool; only the precious written Word is given to do that job.

4) To comfort the church. (14:3, 31) the Greek word here means consolation, solace, comfort in trial or distress. So this blessed Gift if used to build up, to stir up, to cheer up!

5) That believers may learn. (14:31)

6) To convict the unbeliever and to make manifest the secrets of his heart. (14:24-25)

Listed below are some observations concerning the use or control of this Gift:

1) We are expressly commanded to desire and covet this Gift. (I Cor. 14:1, 39)

2) Women should prophesy as freely as men. (I Cor. 11:5) (Joel 2:28) ( Acts 2:17) (Acts 21:9)

3) The Gift is not to take the place of the written Word of God. (I Cor, 13:8-9) (I Peter 1:25) (I Cor. 14:32)

4) Prophecies are to be judged by the other prophets present. (I Cor. 14:29) (I Thess. 5:20-21) a prophecy that is not according to the Word is at once to be pronounced as worthless and repudiated without fear. (Ezekiel 13:1-9)

The possessor of the Gift is responsible for its  use, misuse, suppression, or control. Vs. 32, 29, 33 & 40. Although messages in prophecy are subject to regulation, they must not for that or any other reason be despised. (I Thess. 5:20) Because of unbelief and fear, this blessed Gift has been silenced in many churches.

 The Encouraging Word

“Let your face shine upon your servant; save me for your mercy’s sake and in your loving kindness.” 

Psalm 31:16

“Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” I Timothy 1:2

“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” Psalm 34:3

“The lot is cast into the lap, But it’s every decision is from the Lord.” Proverbs 16:33

“But God shows and clearly proves His (own) love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners Christ, the messiah, the Anointed one died for us.” Romans 5:8

“And the Word became flesh, and we saw His Glory, Glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD, you surround him with favor (grace) as with a shield.”  Psalm 5:12

Martha Wainright

 Whosoever Will

Gordon Crook, Pastor

Grace Assembly, Wichita, Kansas

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21

As we consider God’s plan for redemption, we find clearly stated throughout scripture that His intent is for all to come to repentance and thus salvation. (2 Peter 3:9). While we might want to limit God’s gift of redemption to certain people or certain groups that we might consider “worthy,” God calls for “whosoever will.”

The provision was clearly laid out by Jesus before He went to the cross. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:14-16.

God sent His Son to atone for the whole world, not just a few “worthy” ones. No one is worthy. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23. That means that no one can claim something over anyone else. We might like to think that we were really “not that bad,” but Jesus had to die for your sins just the same as that person that is considered a “bad sinner.”

I find great comfort in knowing that God calls “whosoever will,” because that includes me. God has revealed to me over the years just how much of a sinner I am. If it were up to me to “earn” salvation, I would fail miserably. That also means that God would have no reason to choose me over anyone else.

In the tenth chapter of Acts, we find Peter learning a lesson from God. He is being taught that God does not care who it is that seeks Him. With the lesson of the “unclean” meats, God prepared Peter for what would come next. After seeing that God saved those Gentiles, and gave them the Holy Spirit, Peter had some things to say. “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” Acts 10:34-35 “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Acts 10:43

Jesus had already proclaimed this many times. He uses the word “whosoever” many times. He knew that His atoning death would be for the whole world, not just the Jews. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:14-16. Here He uses the word “whosoever” and refers to the “world” which includes all of humanity.

There are numerous other places where we find similar use of the word “whosoever.” “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14. “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” John 11:26. “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” John 12:46. All of what Jesus made provision for is available to “whosoever.” 

If we go back into the Old Testament, we can find that God had already spoken about this through His prophets. While they did not understand what exactly God was going to do through Jesus, they prophesied what God told them. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” Joel 2:32. “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:22. 

“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Psalms 86:5. I am so thankful that God’s mercy extended to “whosoever” because that included me. It also includes anyone who might think they are not worthy or have been “too bad.” God calls to “whosoever” will, and that includes you.

 God is Love

Calvin C. Toy

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” I John 4:7-10.

As we study God’s Word we find our God to be many things. Heb. 12:29 tells us that God is a consuming fire. Jn. 4:29 - God is a Spirit, they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” I Pet. 1:15-16 and Lev. 11:45, As He which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation…Be ye holy for I am holy.” A few of the many Scriptures along this line.

That “God is love is stated in both verses 8 and 16 of I Jn. 4. I don’t believe we will ever be able to fathom the full depth of this statement, at least not in these bodies in which we now live. As we seek to give definition of such love, we realize that we come far short. Webster says it is a strong affection for another, arising out of kinship or personal ties, but God loved us when we were sinners and enemies. Read Rom. 5:8-11.

Webster also gives this definition, “The Fatherly love of God toward men.” This tells me of God’s love reaching out to man, but it doesn’t give me understanding of that love. We know that God’s love is a great force, filled with strength, loaded with energy. It will bring forth action. When we permit the Lord to fill us with His love, we find ourselves doing those things that nothing else could bring us to do, and do them cheerfully. I Jn. Makes us know that we must have in us that life that has ability to love and permit it to rule, in order to love another. We must be born again. God is the source of love. Just as he is the fountain of life, so is he the fountain of love. We speak of love that goes beyond the love of a mother for her child. David said, “When my father and mother forsake me, then will the Lord take me up” Ps. 27:10. God’s love never quits, never forsakes His children. Nothing can come between us and His love for us, Rom. 8:35-39.

Considering John 4:9-10, God’s Word gives us some wonderful manifestations of His love. Herein we find some knowledge of it’s energy and power. It works in tenderness, mercy, pity, chastisement, in trials and tests. These are designed to bring us to the spiritual maturity that God desires for us. His love was manifested down through the ages, and was so greatly shown forth to the children of Israel.  They for the most part have shunned His love, but yet He will draw them. His love will draw a remnant to Christ during the great tribulation. Consider Jer. 30:24-31:6.

“Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O  God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied…and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light” Ps. 36:5-9. David speaks of God’s lovingkindness, wherein is love and grace.

We talk of the love of God going out to the whole world. In John 3:16 the Holy Spirit seeks to bring home to us a knowledge in some degree of God’s great love for us. His love for mankind moved Him to drastic and severe steps. God so love that He gave not just anything nor anyone, but His own Son. On occasion he spoke of His Son as one “beloved,” one very dear to Him.

In my feeble way I have attempted to search out such love. I picture in my mind having a son in my home, there with me enjoying the comforts, blessings, glory, the fellowship, doing things together, enjoying each other, but somehow I have love for an enemy in another land. Those with no loveable qualities but in desperate need of my help, so I send my Son. I watch as he goes, leaving all that he has there with me. There in that foreign land I watch as he is despised and rejected, becoming a man of sorrow and grief. I see him there in the garden pleading with me, Oh Father, if it be possible deliver me from all this terrible agony. Now I cannot step in and deliver him for I am held at bay by love for the unlovable.

My Son knows what is ahead for Him. He knows why he came. He knows He must bear the sin of the world. There He must die the horrible death of the cross. His life blood must be poured out for the world that His Father loves. The  suffering for the sin of the world bears down more intensely until I began to notice as it were great drops coming from the pores of His skin and splattering on the ground. Yet love binds the Father’s hand from delivering the Son. Love for those who had no respect for the Son. Yet they so greatly need the deliverance that only he can bring to them.

So I think as a Father continues to watch as they come to lead him away. Now this Son has the power to resist, but He is the obedient Son who desires to fulfill His Father’s will. He also loves as the Father loves. The Father watches as those close to Him and followed Him forsake Him as fear grips them. He is led as a lamb to the slaughter and the Father watches as they mock, and smote him, spitting upon Him, lashing Him with a whip that cuts long gashes in His back. Then they shove a crown of thorns on His head in mockery. They make a wooden cross, and nail him to it with spikes through his hands and feet. The cross is lifted and dropped into a hole in the ground, so that He hung there suspended between heaven and earth, His weight rested on those spikes.

The Son there crucified who had no sin of His own. He was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. God the Father had to turn away as the Son bore all our horrible sin. Consider Heb. 2:9-10. He tasted more than physical death, and now we don’t have to go through the second death, separation from the presence of God and all His blessings. After Jesus had hung on the cross for hours, He cried out “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me” but he stayed on the cross until He could say it is finished. He then dismissed His spirit. What was finished? Redemption for the human race, for you and I. Eternal life to all that believe, abundant life in time, in peace, joy in glory. The abundant wealth of abiding in that great love of the Father and Son forever. Such is the love wherewith God so loved.

We find as we go on with Him that there is so much more. He doesn’t tell us of it to gain our sympathy, but to draw us to Himself and fill us with his love. He has made it so we can manifest it in a world that is more and more filled with rebellion and hate. What a wonderful Lord is ours, all our praise goes to Him. May His love compel us to love Him and others.

 Light of the World

Vicky Moots

Isaiah. 60:1-2: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”  This is a prophecy concerning the coming of the promised Redeemer, the Messiah, the Light of the world.

The glory of the Lord was first revealed to the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth, as we read in Luke 2:8-11: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

That was a dark time in the world, both in the natural realm and the spiritual realm.  The sudden appearance of a bright light frightened the shepherds because they didn’t know what it was until the angel told them of the birth of Jesus, the Savior.  The gory of the Lord had entered into this world veiled in flesh in the form of a helpless baby who was destined to become the Savior of mankind.  

John declared in John 1:4-5 that the Light had penetrated the darkness, but a darkened world did not comprehend who He was: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”  However, the shepherds, who had seen the light, believed the words which the angel spoke concerning the newborn babe and went quickly to Bethlehem to seek Him and found Him.  Then, in Luke 2:17, we see that they became the first missionaries to tell of the birth of the Messiah, Christ the Lord.

The apostle Paul had also seen the Light, and was blinded by it, for the glory of God had shined upon him one day on the road to Damascus before his conversion.  This account is recorded in Acts 9:1-18.  Verses 3-4 state, “…and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul [Paul], why persecutest thou me?”  The bright light was radiating from Jesus Himself.  Paul, who was named Saul at that time, was initially blinded for three days, but as a result of that encounter, God opened his blinded spiritual and physical eyes and called him to preach the gospel.

Then, later, Paul writes to the Corinthian saints, and to us, in II Cor. 4:4,6 regarding that light: “…the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them… For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Do you have the simple faith of the shepherds? Has the light of the glorious gospel shined upon you? Have you believed the good news from heaven and sought for and found Jesus as the shepherds did? If so, then let the glory of the Lord shine out through you unto a darkened world.

The light of Jesus still shines today, but it must shine out from us as believers.  Paul admonished the Philippian believers, as well as us, in Phil. 2:15 that we are to be “…blameless and harmless, the sons of God… in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye [we] shine as lights in the world.”

 A Heartbeat From Home

 

He was marked and scorned and

Crowned with thorns

But He showed the love of God above

As He hung there willingly.

He said unto the thief that day

That was hanging by His side,

“My father’s waiting at the door

Soon we’ll be in Paradise.”

We’ll be home in a heartbeat

We’ll be home in a heartbeat

For we’re only a heartbeat from home.

There was a mighty man of God

Stephen was his name.

He served the Lord with faithfulness

And did God’s love proclaim

One day they stoned him as he knelt

And called upon the Lord

But Jesus said, “Come home my child

For great is thy reward”

You’ll be home in a heartbeat

You’ll be home in a heartbeat

For you’re only a heartbeat from home.

A precious saint beloved by all

Was injured in a fall

Now living in a nursing home

To weak to walk at all.

So “Granny” cries unto the Lord

At the ending of each day

“How long before I can go home?”

And then she heard Him say,

You’ll be home in a heartbeat

You’ll be home in a heartbeat

For you’re only a heartbeat from home.

Oh, sinner is you’re heart prepared

To hear the Savior’s call

His precious blood was shed for you

Salvation is for all.

A mansion He’s prepared for you.

A heavenly home on high.

And when your life on earth is thou

You’ll meet Him in the sky.

You’ll be home in a heartbeat

You’ll be home in a heartbeat

For you’re only a heartbeat from home.

– Vicky Moots