Almost Persuaded

"Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (Ac 26:28), but sadly it isn't recorded that this almost persuaded king ever believed the Gospel.

Are you too one of the almost persuaded?  What if you should be also one of the many almost persuaded who die unsaved?  That is unimaginable tragedy, to be within a step of heaven, yet to enter instead, first hell, and then the eternal torment of the lake of fire (Rev 20).

To escape hell and enter heaven (1) confess that you are a sinner without a particle of righteousness, (2) believe that Christ died for your sins, and (3) believe that that faith brings you God's pardon and gift of eternal life, as it is written, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (Jn 3:36).

by Jim Melough

Two Births, two resurrections and two deaths

Jesus Christ announced the necessity of a SECOND BIRTH when He declared, “Ye MUST be born again,”  for “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” John 3:3-7, and Revelation 20:14 asserts that all who die without having been born again will die a SECOND DEATH, i.e., enter the lake of fire to endure eternal torment.

There are also TWO RESURRECTIONS, Christ declaring, “The hour is coming, in which all in the graves shall come forth; they that have done good, unto THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE; and they that have done evil, unto THE RESURRECTION OF DAMNATION,” John 3:28-29.    

The good that saves is to believe on Christ as Savior, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him” John 6:29; and the evil that condemns eternally is to die in unbelief.

To be born again, believe (1) that you’re unfit for heaven, (2) that when Christ died, it was in your place, for your sins.  The second birth guarantees that there will be no second death. Believers will rise at the RESURRECTION OF LIFE to enter heaven, but unbelievers will rise at the RESURRECTION OF DAMNATION to die the second death, i.e., enter the lake of fire to endure eternal torment.

by Jim Melough

Lost

D.L. Moody, the famous evangelist, had a way of saying things with a bluntness that couldn't be misunderstood.  Once he said, "A man must believe he is lost before he can be saved.  One reason why many are not saved is because they do not believe they are lost.  They fold their self-righteousness about them, instead of acknowledging that they are sinners."

Many popular religions today don't teach that men are lost (that's why they're popular).  They tell men that they need Jesus Christ, not as a Savior, but as One through Whom they can have a better relationship with God; not to save them from hell, but to enable them to realize their potential, to be successful, to have better family relationships, to enjoy better health, etc., - the list is endless. But the one essential is missing.  Men need Jesus Christ, not to improve their earthly, but their eternal state; to fit them for heaven and save them from hell.  (Hell is another word that has disappeared from the vocabulary of today's popular preacher, but it is Christ Who declares the existence of hell, and Who warns men to save themselves from going there, see, e.g., Matthew 5:27-30, and Matthew 18:8-11, "...it is better for thee to enter into (eternal) life... maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire ... better ... to enter into (eternal) life with one eye ... than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.... The Son of man is come to save those who are lost."

"Sin" is another word avoided by the popular preachers.  They prefer to speak of "affairs" or "mistakes," or "anti-social acts."  They question whether there really is any such thing as sin; but the Bible declares it to be a tragic fact, having terrible results here on earth, and still more terrible consequences in eternity.  For example, the Bible says, "All have sinned," Romans 3:23; "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us,"  1 John 1:8.

"So what?" someone responds, "Since all have sinned, I'm no worse than anyone else.  But the Bible warns, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die," Ezekiel 18:4, "For the wages of sin is death,"  Romans 6:23.  And it is a mistake to conclude that "death" is simply the decease of the body, for the Bible also warns that the death referred to is something more terrible: the passing of body, soul, and spirit into a place of eternal torment - the lake of fire, see Revelation 20:11-15.  This is what it means to perish in the Biblical sense - not cessation of existence, but eternal existence in a state of torment.

But, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," 1 Timothy 1:15; "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.... He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already," John 3:16-18,36.

by Jim Melough

The Password

40,000 died because they hadn't the password needed to cross the Jordan, Judges 12:5-6.

One day we too must "cross Jordan," - go from time into eternity, but without the password that crossing will be to hell, not heaven.  The password is to be able to say Yes to the question, Have you been born again? for Christ warns, "Ye must be born again," for "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," John 3:7,3.

To be born again admit that you're a sinner without any righteousness, believe that Christ died in your place for your sins, and that in response to that faith God will pardon you, and receive you into heaven, John 3:16.

"Have you been born again?" is a question that evokes the laughter of many today.  There will be no laughter at that instant when it is discovered that the eternal fate of the soul depends on being able to answer YES.  

by Jim Melough

The Closed Door

In Rev 3:20 Jesus Christ is seen knocking at the door of men's hearts, but Mt 7:14 declares that few open the door, i.e., trust Him as Savior.  In Lk 13:24-29 however the position is reversed: men seek admission at a door which Christ refuses to open, "Many will seek to enter, and not be able, when the Master hath shut the door," resulting in eternal "weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Relative to that fateful day we read, "As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" Mt 24:37, and in regard to those days we read, "The earth was corrupt and filled with violence" Gen 6:11.  Only fools will deny that conditions are the same today.  This is only one of many signs that Christ's return is near, and as that corrupt age ended in a sudden catastrophic foretold judgment, so will this one.

For 120 years Noah warned men who mocked him, but suddenly his preaching stopped.  The day of grace had ended.  He was taken into the ark, and God shut the door.  Seven days followed, and then came the foretold flood, but during those seven days the mockers were as surely doomed as if it had come on the first day.  Who can begin to imagine their frantic beating on that closed door as the waters of judgment engulfed them?  There were no mockers, no unbelievers that day.

So will it be relative to this present age.  Believers will be suddenly caught up to heaven, and 2 Thess 2:1-12 warns that in the following seven year Tribulation period, those who had rejected the Gospel will have no opportunity to be saved, but will be banished into hell when Christ returns to end the Tribulation, and inaugurate His Millennial kingdom.

How many times have you ignored His knock?  What if this should be His last?  Remember, to open to Him, is to have Him open heaven's door to you - and vice versa!

by Jim Melough

A Second Opinion

A young man I know developed a cough for which his doctor  prescribed medicine.  The cough persisted in spite of a second stronger medicine, and eventually an x-ray was done, revealing a shadowy spot on one lung.  And the doctor's diagnosis?  Scar tissue!

The cough, accompanied by night sweats and weakness, persisted, leading him to seek a second opinion. It was cancer.  Now, after a bone marrow transplant, he appears to be cured, after having almost died as a result of the wrong diagnosis of a doctor he trusted implicitly.

Millions have equally firm, but misplaced trust in their spiritual advisors, and tragically, only a very few discover their mistake in time.

A sophisticated society which scrutinizes carefully the qualifications of its doctors, insisting often on a second opinion, relative to a body which one day must die anyway, displays almost total indifference relative to the qualifications of those who minister to the needs of the soul that will exist for ever.

That indifference is the more inexplicable because society possesses the text book upon which the spiritual advisor claims to base his opinion - AND IN MANY CASES IT CONTRADICTS HIM.

For example, does your minister or priest guarantee heaven to all who are church members, moral, kind, generous, his explanation being that God is too loving to send anyone to hell; or that, in fact, there is a heaven, but not a hell?

Then let me quote from the text book, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," John 3:3.  "By grace are ye saved through faith ... not of works, lest any man should boast," Ephesians 2:8-9.  "Fear him (God) who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell," Matthew 10:28.

The only way to be saved from hell and fitted for heaven is to

(1) admit that you have no righteousness, and

(2) believe that when Jesus Christ died on the cross it was in your stead, as your Representative, for your sins.

You may be religious, moral, kind, etc., but apart from confession of total unrighteousness, and faith in Christ as your personal Savior, you are on the road to hell, no matter what assurances your spiritual mentor gives to the contrary.

What if like my young friend's doctor, your mentor should be wrong?  It is your soul that will be first in hell, and then eternally in torment in the lake of fire.

by Jim Melough

A Christmas Gift

It is almost two thousand years since that night when the shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem received from the angel the announcement of Christ's birth, "Unto you is born this day a SAVIOR, which is Christ the Lord," Luke 2:11.  That One Whose birth was heralded by angels is the same One Who, thirty-three years later, hung on a cross at Calvary, taunted by men, dying in your guilty place, bearing the penalty for your sins.  It was His death, not His birth, that made atonement for sin; and He willingly gave His life in exchange for yours.  It is because of His death that God can offer the gift of eternal life.

Will this be another Christmas when, under the form of observing Christ's birthday, you will accept all gifts except that one which cost Him His life, and which, if still refused, will cost YOU the eternal loss of your soul?  Would you refuse from an earthly friend a gift which he had purchased for you with his son's life?  How, then, can you dare to contemplate the day when you must meet God, when you will have to explain why you refused His gift?  "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" Hebrews 2:3. 

You will make this the happiest Christmas you've ever known if you will accept God's priceless gift by simply believing that when the Lord Jesus Christ died at Calvary it was in your place, for your sins.  THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH.  THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE.  You MUST choose one; and by refusing the gift of life you are choosing the wages of sin - DEATH

by Jim Melough

An Overturned Truck

One morning some years ago as I traveled on the Connecticut Turnpike I passed an overturned truck blocking all three lanes on the opposite side of the highway.  In a little while I passed the long lines of stationery vehicles stopped by the accident, and began to meet speeding traffic, the drivers unaware that in a few minutes they too would be brought to a standstill.

That highway scene reminded me of the roadway of life, and God's warning, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth," Pro.27:1.  I've often wondered how many of the thousands affected by that accident saw it as a reminder that, "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man percieveth it not," Job 33:14.

This may be read by someone who has had the experience of having his normal way of life suddenly interrupted by accident or illness, the death of a loved one, loss of a job, etc.  Have you viewed it with irritable impatience as thousands of drivers viewed that accident?  Have you seen it simply as an unwelcome interruption of your normal lifestyle?  Has it occurred to you that it might be God's way of trying to get your attention, so that you might consider His question, "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mk.8:36; His way of trying to get you to listen to the warning, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," Jn.3:3?

Listen to what is written in Job 33:14-24, "For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not....That He may withdraw man from his purpose....He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing....Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers."  But to the man who does hear God's voice in the adverse circumstances,  and who trusts Christ as the Savior Who died in his guilty place,  comes God's assurance, "Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom."

As I passed that accident I was reminded of others I'd seen,  some of which had brought an abrupt unexpected end to the life of one or more drivers - a wrecked car marking the end, not only of a journey on the turnpike, but of the journey of life itself.

Suppose one of those events that so unexpectedly spoiled your plans, had instead ended your life, where would your soul be now?  God warns, "Ye MUST be born again."  Have you?  If not, When?  "Behold NOW is the accepted time; NOW is the day of salvation," 2 Cor.6:2.  Trust in Christ NOW, "For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."  It could bring death, ending for ever your opportunity to save your soul.

by Jim Melough

Good News for Bad People and Bad News for Good People

First, the good news for bad people:

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool,” Isa.1:18.  “Christ died for the ungodly,” Ro.5:6.  “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” 1 Tim.1:15.  “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,” Lk.19:10.  “This Man (Jesus) receiveth sinners, and eateth with them,” Lk.15:2.  “The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,” Mk.2:10.  “The blood of Jesus Christ... cleanseth us (who trust Him as Savior) from all sin,” 1 Jn.1:7.  “Whosoever believeth in Him (Jesus) shall receive remission of sins,” Acts 10:43.  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” Acts 16:31.  “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,” Jn.3:16.  “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Ro.5:1.  “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him (Jesus) is not condemned....He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life ....”Jn.3:17-18,36.

But now the bad news for good people:

“None is good, save one, that is, God,” Lk.18:19.  “Jews and Gentiles...are all under sin....There is none righteous, no, not one....For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” Ro.3:9-11,23.  “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” Isa.64:6.  You see, the truth is that there are no people good in God’s sight.

Christ warns those who think they are good, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” Mk.2:17.  “Except ye be converted...ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven,” Mt.18:3.  “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,” Lk.13:3.  “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” Jn.3:3.  “Ye must be born again,” Jn.3:7. “He that believeth not (on Christ as Savior) is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,” Jn.3:18.  “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him,” Jn.3:36.

The only people who are good in God’s sight are those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, for in response to the question, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Christ replied, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent,” Jn.6:28-29.  People may be moral, religious, kind, generous, church-goers, Bible-readers, and a host of other things that men count good; but in the end, it is only God’s opinion that matters, and the only person HE counts good is the man or woman who has accepted Christ as Savior.

Where do you stand?  Do you see yourself as so bad that you need a Savior to save you from hell and fit you for heaven?  Then you can be saved, by believing that Christ died in your guilty place for your sins.

Do you see yourself as not completely bad, as having some good about you?  Then you are lost, and cannot be saved until you are willing to abandon the thought that you have even a shred of righteousness.  Remember, God warns, “ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” Ro.3:23.  “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God....Ye must be born again,” Jn.3:3,7.

by Jim Melough

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

In Mark 16:15 Christ commanded, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel,” and many profess to be doing that, but it seems there are almost as many gospels as there are preachers, which prompts the question, What is the Gospel?

First, let’s note what it is not.  It is not an invitation to join a church, reform, read the Bible, pray, give money, do good, etc.

Much of what purports to be the Gospel promises that if you “receive Jesus” by believing what is written about Him, it will transform your life.  But neither is this the Biblical Gospel. The Gospel is not the panacea for life’s troubles, Christ Himself warning believers, In the world ye shall have tribulation (Jn 16:33).

What, then, is the Gospel?  It is God’s warning that all men are born sinners (Ro 3:23), who can be saved from hell and fitted for heaven only when they accept that indictment, confess themselves sinners, and believe that when Christ died on the cross it was as their Substitute, for their sins. The Gospel has to do with the salvation of the soul from hell, not improvement of life on earth.

We may believe all that is written about Christ, but if we fail to believe also what God has written about us, i.e., that “All have sinned,” we will enter hell, not heaven, at death.

“He that believeth on him (Christ) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already (Jn 3:18).

By Jim Melough

The Rich Man and Lazarus

In Luke 16 we read of a rich man, and of Lazarus, a beggar who ate the scraps from his table; but the passage from time to eternity brought a dramatic change.  Lazarus had comfort; the rich man, misery, so that he cried, “Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame” (Lk 16:24).

What made the difference?  Faith in Christ!  Faith takes men to heaven; lack of faith, to hell, “He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed” (Jn 3:18).

Many, like the rich man, are spiritually bankrupt though they have money; others, like Lazarus, are spiritually rich though they haven’t a cent, for if a man has everything, but not Christ, he has nothing, while he who has nothing but Christ has everything he needs for time and eternity.

Are you reading this with cynical amusement?  Please don’t.  Your own eternal state is portrayed in that of one of these men.  You too must go from time into eternity, to heaven or hell, to blessing or torment.  Which?  You don’t know?  Your very uncertainty is its own answer - you too will be pleading for a drop of water to alleviate your torment; you too will be begging God to send warning to loved ones left on earth.  How do I know?  The believer knows where he is going.  Only the unbeliever is uncertain,  “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 Jn 5:13).

Faith in Christ as the One Who died on Calvary’s cross in your place, for your sins, is all you need to be sure of heaven.  Lack of that faith is all you need to be sure of hell and eternal torment.

by Jim Melough

Change Me Deeply

When once I begged Thee "save my soul"

Thy mercy fast did meet me

My scarlet sins turned white as snow

As Thou did change me deeply

Yet bends my heart to empty fare

Where fruitless lands receive me

And stays the joy Thy yoke would share

'Till Lord Thou change me deeply

If furnace fire that burns the dross

Will make me fit to please Thee

Then help me now pick up my cross

That Thou might change me deeply

For when salvation fullness comes

In clouds where I shall see Thee

What joy to hear Thy word "well done"

If now Thou change me deeply

And then at last will come the hour

To consummate completely

Thy wonder of resurrection pow'r

As Thou shall change me deeply

words: © 2013 Stephen Popovich
melody: author unknown (tune to Barabara Allen from the 17th century)

The Meaning of a Miracle

Click on Picture for artwork info

A picture is worth a thousand words...even to God.

That is why we read in both the Old and New Testament, from the account of Noah's Ark to the miracles of Jesus, where God conveys his truth to us by pictures. Real events, but recorded in such a way as to provide deeper truth in pictures.

In order to understand the meaning of these pictures, we need keys to understand the various symbols that appear throughout these stories. Where are these keys? God desires that we understand his truths so he does not hide the keys some place where only Indiana Jones can find them; he places them in plain sight on the surface of the scriptures.

For example, we read in Isaiah where God says that his word is like the rain that falls to the ground from heaven; watering the ground and retuning back to him only after it has accomplished his purpose of producing abundant blessing on the earth. (Isaiah 55:8-13)

Let us now turn to the story of the first miracle of Jesus where he turned water into wine. We shall see how the truth symbolically portrayed there gives an answer to two important questions.

At the beginning of his earthly ministry, Jesus attended a wedding in Cana with his disciples where the wine ran out. Mary, the mother of Jesus, asked him if he could help fix the problem. In response, Jesus instructed some servants to fill six stone water jars with water. They obeyed him and the water in the jars miraculously turned to wine; and much better wine than what was previously on hand (John 2:1-11).

Let's look at the symbols: First as we just saw in Isaiah, water is a symbol of God's words. Second, we see nameless servants who do the bidding of Jesus. Who are these servants? That's easy, they represent the relatively nameless servants of Jesus; starting with his twelve disciples but also including his servants today who obediently pour the water of God's words into water jars. The Holy Spirit is also a nameless servant in bible typology and is very much in the midst of the Lord's servants, empowering them and convicting the recipients of the truth of God's word (John 16:7-11).

Third, what do the six stone water jars represent? Various vessels (jars, well buckets, baskets, etc) represent the body of man as a 'traveling case' for the soul (2Cor.4:5-7, 2 Tim 2:20-21). This is underscored by the number of jars, six, which is the number that represents fallen man (Rev.13:18). Into these vessels is collected many odds and ends over the course of a day and a life, but when the word of God is poured into the jar, wine can be the result.

Finally, what does the wine symbolize? Wine has two symbols; both are very applicable to the double meaning of this miracle.

First, wine is symbolic of blood as Jesus explains during the last supper with his disciples (Matt.26:27-28); the blood of Jesus is the only cleansing power able to wipe clean the inside of our sin encrusted water jars. But this cleansing can only take place after we combine faith with the water of the words of the gospel that have been poured into us from some relatively nameless servant of the Lord.

God demonstrates a further truth in this wedding miracle at Cana by the second meaning of wine---joy  (Psalm 4:7, 104:15). The word of God, poured into the heart of a sinner, when combined with faith produces both cleansing blood and brimming joy.

The truth about joy is also taught by Jesus in the Vine and branches passage of the gospel of John where Jesus is the Vine and those connected to him are the branches: "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment that ye love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:11-12). In other words, Jesus has poured water in water jars in order that it be turned into the wine of overflowing joy. He summarizes this water as: love of one another as he has loved us.

In the water to wine miracle, as well as the Vine and branches passage, God presents a picture lesson for those he created about how joy works.

How the teaching of Balaam works

"No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:9-10

John wrote the letter of 1John largely to address a teaching of Balaam that was rampant in that day---Gnosticism. In general, a teaching of Balaam refers to any false teaching that appeals to the flesh by saying God somehow condones, tolerates or is non judgmental about sin for whatever reason.

John refutes this false teaching in several ways in his letter. In the above verse, he says that the word of God by which we were born again remains in us, like a seed that germinates and flowers. Or said another way, as we enter the gate of salvation by receiving the gospel of Jesus, we see that God's word is not only a gate but also a way for our hearts to walk...a way that says, among other things, "Be ye perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect."

When a believer sins, it should not be downplayed or glossed over with one of the many sin-friendly teachings of Balaam. Our sins must be confessed and repented of because our fellowship is with a holy God in the light of his holy word, under the holy blood of His holy Son. (1Jn 1:7-2:2)

How the Meaning of Life Works

"Vanity of vanities all is vanity". Such was the famous conclusion of King Solomon to the question of the meaning of life.

Shortly after he succeeded his father David as King of Israel, Solomon found favor in the eyes of God. And one day, God spoke to Solomon and said, "Ask of me anything your heart desires and I will give it to you."

Solomon thought and said. "Lord, you have raised me up to be king of Israel. My only desire is that you give me wisdom to serve you well as king of your people."

That answer impressed God, and he said, "Solomon, Because you didn't ask for riches and honor, but asked for only wisdom to serve me well, I will give you greater wisdom than any man ever born, and I will also give you great riches and honor, more than any king would possess, before or after you."

After receiving these great gifts from God, Solomon not only ruled well and built a vast kingdom, but he used his God given wisdom to search out the meaning of life. His conclusion: "Vanity of vanities all is vanity."

That Hebrew word for "vanities" can also be translated, "meaningless". The word conveys the idea of a breath of air on a cold day, seen for a moment, and then, poof, it s gone.

Solomon tells us why all things are vanity. He says all of creation is like a big cosmic merry-go-round. Now, I'm pretty sure there weren't merry-go-rounds in Solomon's day, but it's a good metaphor of his description of the stage on which man's life runs its course; He notes how the sun rises and sets, waters flow continuously into the sea, the seasons keep turning, back and forth go the tides, everywhere we look, a never ending merry-go-round.

Moreover, man, and the works of man, are merely the merry-go-round riders, going up and down, up and down, as we mimic the merry-go-round upon which we ride. I say mimic because as Solomon says, "there is nothing new under the sun, all that has been done is all that will be done, and there is no remembrance of earlier things, and things that will come to pass, there will be no remembrance of them either ". And all the while, man is just striving after the wind, even as he is perishing.

But before Solomon came to these conclusions, he experimented. For example, Solomon pursued the life of pleasure, but first he began drinking wine in hopes of seeing through the eyes of those who seek after such things. But God's wisdom never left him. And, as he vigorously pursued wine, woman and song, Solomon saw that the laughter along that way was madness and the pleasure, fleeting.

The experiment continued. Solomon built for himself palaces, planted vineyards, gardens, parks, forests, possessed great herds of flocks and amassed great gold and silver. And the bible says, of all that Solomon s eyes desired, he did not refuse them. After all that experimentation, Solomon concluded that all was vanity. Everything is, in today s vernacular, the same old same old, and it all perishes. Man's activity is just striving after the wind, meaning that nothing satisfies.

Solomon concluded that there is no meaning of life under the sun and looked for clues to the meaning of life from the other side of the sun.

Solomon saw four such clues. First, Solomon sees that all these meaningless activities of the merry-go-round, such as a time for war, a time for peace, a time for building up, a time for tearing down, a time to give birth, a time to die and so forth are, ironically, just as God intended them to be.

Second, Solomon sees one activity of man on the merry-go-round as being from the "hand of God", in that, it hints of the meaning of life. He says: Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him."

Third, Solomon notes that God has set eternity in the heart of man, yet in such a way that he cannot be satisfied with any of the merriment of the great merry-go-round of creation and life.

Finally, Solomon sees that God is like a shepherd, who seeks those who are perishing on the merry-go-round, and so tosses us a life line from the other side of the sun. That life line is his word that adjures fallen man to simply heed God and follow in his ways.

That is where the record of Solomon s search for the meaning of life ends. He concludes there is no meaning of life under the sun. Meaning comes from the other side of the sun, from where God dwells. But the picture is incomplete. The search for the complete meaning of life is to be continued...

Has God more to say to us about the meaning of life. Let s fast forward a thousand years past Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to the time of the New Testament, and sure enough, we read in the gospel of Matthew that there walked among us, one with greater wisdom than even Solomon, and that one was Jesus. Now, when we connect the dots of the words of Solomon with the words of Jesus, we can see a more complete picture of the meaning of life.

As previously noted, Solomon saw that God has put eternity in the heart of man, so that man's heart can only be satisfied by the word of God. In the gospel of John, we see Jesus saying to the woman at the well, "Anybody who drinks of this water (pointing to the well water), will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I give shall never thirst, but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

Later that day when his disciples were urging him to eat something, Jesus said: "I have bread to eat that you do not know about. My bread is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work."

You see, in both these stories, water and bread are symbols of the word of God, as they are elsewhere in the bible. Jesus is telling us that it is only the words of God that he has brought down from heaven that satisfies the eternity that God has put into our hearts. Solomon s picture of the meaning of life becomes clearer.

Also, remember that Solomon saw the activity of eating and drinking and enjoying one's labor as a clue to the unseen meaning of life. And so, Jesus reveals to us the two works of God that are necessary for man to walk in God's ways of fulfillment and satisfaction; works so simple that a child can understand and accomplish them. They are, first, to believe on him who God has sent down from heaven with the good news of salvation, and second, to love one another.

And finally, in the book of Revelation chapter three, we see Jesus giving fallen man an invitation to eat and drink with him. This invitation can be paraphrased in terms of Solomon's search for the meaning of life as: "Behold, I am knocking on the door of your heart from the other side of the sun, if you open that door and receive me by faith, I will come in and bring with me living waters and the bread of life that fully satisfy. And you will then know, live and share in the joyful labors of the meaning of life."

How Peace of Mind Works

How Peace of Mind Works

“Peace through strength”---these were the watchwords used by President Reagan to convey his belief that a strong military was necessary for America and her allies to dwell in peace in a world filled with enemies.

As new creatures in Christ, we also find ourselves encompassed by enemies---the Flesh, the World and Satan. And in this spiritual battlefield, we are told by scripture how we can dwell in calm despite the flack and pressure weighing down on our heart and mind.

The key to peace of mind amid our battle is our spiritual helmet---the word of God, especially those words of hope that help us focus on our heavenly destination.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1John 3:2-3

When our minds are set on things above, we will be not wandering off the reservation of God’s word to a place where Satan can sift us as wheat---filling our hearts and minds with fear, despair, depression, strife, bitterness and so on.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:6-9

In other words, we are to tell our concerns to our heavenly Father by prayer with thanksgiving, and then put on our helmet of God’s truth about Jesus. This will position our hearts and minds to walk in a place where the Spirit of Christ will envelop us with peace. This is his peace that Jesus gives to his Body, which is wholly different than the peace the world gives to its own (John 14:27).

Hold your head up! Focus your affection

On things above not on things of the earth

Buckle that helmet up tight!

We Can't Handle the Truth

by Steve Popovich "No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins."  Mark 2:22 You can't handle the truth! an angry Jack Nicholson bellowed to the lawyer played by Tom Cruise. It is one of Hollywood's most memorable courtroom scenes. But what was said in anger in that Hollywood courtroom, God says in love as He extends a merciful hand of salvation to fallen man. Jesus said that the joy of the Vine will well up in the branches as they abide in His word (Jn. 15:10-11). How can the stony dead heart of fallen man receive and keep words from the heart of God while being vessels of His joy? We need a bigger boat! We need a new expandable heart. Bingo! that is exactly what the Holy Spirit becomes for us. The Spirit is our new covenant heart; He germinates eternal life in us as we are born of the Father's word and bears fruit as we grow in that word. We now have a new heart that grows and grows and grows. It matches up perfectly with the word God as we take it in and live it out. Will these new hearts ever stop growing? Well, maybe a trillion years from now if God runs out of words to give us. A wineskin is a great poetic picture of the heart of a believer. Why? Because water in the Bible is a symbol of the word of God (Is. 55:10-12), and wine represents joy (Ps. 104:15). Put the two together and we see that the vessels who are keeping God's word are also experiencing joy. Water into wine...it's a miracle! And it's a truth we couldn't handle apart from the indwelling Spirit; He is our new wineskin. For those outside of Christ, God's word is the thundering waters of a curse. But for all who hear, repent and receive the word of the Gospel, His word flows through our new wineskin as a river of life and fountain of joy. *********************

Holy Ground

by Steve Popovich

"Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. Ex. 3:5-6

My not so fond memories of walking barefoot outdoors are bleeding feet from broken glass, being hobbled by discarded bottle caps and yelping like a scalded dog while scurrying across burning pavement. Since I now know that all these hidden evils are in the world, I have become disciplined enough to put my shoes on daily.

God uses symbols to help us understand his truths because a picture is worth a thousand words...even to God. And in God's manifold collection of types and figures, shoes represent a walk of spiritual separation from the cursed world; a manner of walking where we don't succumb to spiritual snares and minefields.

For forty years God led His people through the wilderness. In all that time the shoes of the Israelites never wore out.  

"And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot." Deut 29:5

Not only does this passage teach us about God's care in meeting the needs of His people, it tells us in a symbolic picture that those who are led by God are to walk separately from the spiritual wilderness of this world.

Not long before Moses led the Israelites from Egypt, Moses approached a burning bush in the desert where God command him to remove his shoes because the ground on which he stood was "Holy Ground". God was staying true to his types and teaching us through pictures that where He is, there is no need for a separated walk. In fact, the opposite is true; never should we walk separately from where God is.

Our daily prayer:

Lord, open our hearts to the Holy Ground of your word. May we have clear eyes and sure feet to walk according to your ways… but in the ways of the world, help us to have laced-up hearts with shoes that don't wear out. Amen

Biblical Separation of Church and State

Question

Java Asks

Can you please explain the following:

All authority, including political, is from God.

• We are to obey that authority.
• But that authority hates us.
• We are to disobey that authority.
• we are now disobeying God when we disobey political authority.

All of these are found in the bible. How are these points reconciled?


Answer
All explained by Peter and exemplified by Jesus:

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men....For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps...Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 1 Peter 2:13-15,21. 3:13-15 [our submission to the leading of God includes submitting to the earthly authorities, just as Jesus did---making us "model citizens" and earning the praise of those authorities.]

But "even if" we suffer at the hand of the authorities due to hostility toward righteousness, including false accusations by others, our defense and hope is set, not in the earthly legal system, but in the hope that is in us.

Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."John 18:35-37 [Jesus proclaims the hope that is in him as He sanctifies the Father's will in His heart]

If ever God leads believers to suffer at the hands of earthly authorities for righteousness sake, It is for reasons of eternal glory.

And he said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they kept shouting all the more, saying, "Crucify Him!". When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this Man's blood; see to that yourselves." Matt 27:23-24 [through submission to unjust suffering at the hands of earthly authorities, the world's salvation came]

At no time did Jesus, or are we, to rebel against gov't authorities---they are there because God has put them there for His purposes..

So Pilate said to Him, "You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?" Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." John 19:10-11 [Government authority over God's people is an extension of God's authority over us, therefore we are not to be rebellious toward it]

Steve

signs and wonder gifts - are they applicable for today?

Question
Franky asks:

To say that signs and wonders ceased after the last Apostle died has no basis in scripture, no verses to prove this, yet it is a major belief among Christians---WHY ???

Answer
Signs and wonders were primarily given to underscore and give credence to the new revelation spoken by Jesus and the apostles.


how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Heb. 2:3-4


Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. John 14:10-11


It is clear from scripture that there is no further word of truth to be revealed to us by God at least until Jesus returns. Therefore the main reason for signs and wonders has ceased for the time being. I'm not saying God doesn't work miracle healings in response to prayer (I know he does - James 5:14-15) but I'm confident there have been no raising from the dead, multiplying of fish and loaves to feed thousands etc, since the days of Jesus and the apostles because the time of truth confirming has past.

Follow-up comment #1
WP comments


"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,a and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."
I definitely do not agree with many of today's T.V. "healers" and "miracle workers;" but; this verse is not talking about gifts that are used to confirm the truth of the gospel, but that are given for the common good of the Body.

The problem is, other parts of the body (teachers, pastors, etc.) reject the parts of the Body that have these gifts, making them least among the members, those members in turn withdrawing into a static position.

Answer
All gifts of the Spirit are connected to ministering God's truth---either 1) directly (e.g teaching, exhortation, pastoring), 2) indirectly by assisting others to minister the word (e.g. hospitality, giving, helps) or 3) by authenticating the word by the sign and wonder gifts (e.g. healing, prophecy, tongues).

The sign and wonder gifts are no longer applicable because the word has already been confirmed, and the recorded accounts of signs and wonders is all God has determined that our faith needs. For the body to seek signs and wonder gifts when they are no longer applicable just creates confusion---which is just what we see in many "sign and wonder" churches.

What is the purpose of the gifts of the Holy Spirit?


"for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming" Eph. 4:12-14 [In other words, God's purpose for gifts is so His people can be built up as 'word people'---children of light---while throwing off things of darkness. This is the "common good"]

Follow-up comment #2
You're giving me "seminary speak", not scripture to prove YOUR words, there is NO scripture that says the gifts of the spirit are no longer available to us, and are no longer necessary.

As for the verse above,
We have NOT "attained to the unity of faith" as this debate indicates.

If I am to believe you, you must post scripture, preferably by Jesus, that a time would come when, no longer, the "works I do, you will do also", and He did not put a time limit on them, that was done by Calvin, etal.

Answer
I presented scriptures that give the reasons for gifts in general and the particular role for sign and wonder gifts. Cutting the word straight from there is very much on the surface.

We are called to perfection and we will be perfect in heaven. But while on earth it's not a matter of reaching perfection but of direction...therefore we 'press on' (Phil 3:10-14)

The focus of that verse is the "and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father". It becomes clear as we read the whole of the upper room discourse and on into the prayer of 17, that the "greater [works] than these" refers to the work of love, because we have become 'word people'---i.e. new covenant people with the word of God written on our hearts by the Spirit who Jesus sends after he goes to the Father. The "greater [works] than these" is the same thing as the "more excellent way" of 1 Cor 12:31 where Paul goes on in chap 13 to describe the superiority of love over all gifts.

And in 1 Cor 13:8 we see gifts that do have a time limit because their period of usefulness has expired---i.e. no further word to be given and authenticated.

Follow up comment #3
But "the perfect" has not come, so we should not call the works of God completed until the time for Jesus to come back. If we do, many suffer, who Jesus willed not to suffer.

The "perfect" is not the bible, because verse 12 says we will see "face to face", we don't see the bible face to face.

The Lord's will is that His will in Heaven be done on earth, Luke 10:9 says "And heal those in it, (the home they entered) and say to them, the Kingdom of God has come near you."

According to some modern theology, healing is no longer is included in the "Kingdom of Heaven", where does it say these things were removed ?

No proof, therefore a foundation built on sand.

Has the Kingdom of God (heaven), changed?

Answer
Many believe this refers to the canon of scripture (not our black bound bibles) which was not complete at the time of this letter but was 'made complete' (i.e. perfect) when John wrote Revelation.

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book" John 22:18


Certainly a completed canon of scripture was foreordained. The use of the gender neutral in this verse argues in favor of this interpretation as opposed to the 'made complete thing' referring to Christ. However, that "perfect" thing could also refer to the perfected man (i.e. body of Christ) of eph 4:13 that will arise to heaven.

Paul uses "face to face" to describe the current ministry of the Holy Spirit as the word of God is 'written' by the Spirit on the hearts of believers and thereby transforming them into the image of the One whose 'face has become unveiled', 1 Cor chapters 3 and 4.

And so prophecy and knowledge represent word ministering gifts that will cease when the 'perfect' comes (whether the canon of scripture, Christ or the perfected Body of Christ) whereas tongues will cease of themselves (like a battery with a limited life)---two different verbs and verb tenses being used.

Moreover, It's clear from the gospel of John that Jesus performed miracles because the faith of many required it. And even though the faith that required works to believe His words was acceptable to God, He is even more pleased with faith that accepts His words without the need for miracles.

And lastly, we read in 1 Corinthian 14 how confusion and 'unprofitability' was rampant in those churches who utilized tongues 'unskillfully'---and that when sign and wonder gifts were applicable. I can only imagine how things are now when those gifts have long since 'wound down'.

In terms of ongoing physical healings in God's Kingdom, Why would the Kingdom of God be focused on physical healings when everybody dies anyway. No, the kingdom is all about righteousness (i.e. walking according to his word in the transformation power of the Spirit) with God's attending peace and joy--Rom 14:17.

The relevance of "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" in the context of this post is that God's word in heaven is received by the angels without God having to resort to signs and wonders to get their attention. And so shall it be on earth.

Steve