Friday, July 30, 2010

Our Cornerstone

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

This verse, in Psalm 118:24, speaks of Calvary, and not necessarily our "today". Verse 22 makes this quite clear, although we can be thankful for today, and every day, we will rejoice greatly in the day of the Lord's glory. Our Lord Jesus is the "Chief Cornerstone" and "it is marvelous in our eyes."

I used to work with brick mason's and I learned the importance of the cornerstone. The corners were built up on a block basement, for example, and served as guides for the rest of the row of blocks that will connect the two corners. The block layers used to build the corners up four or five tiers, then run a line from one side to the other, to assure that the blocks were straight and that they were flush with the previous block. Without the cornerstone, the wall could easily be bowed, or laid in a way that the blocks did not line up with the right precision. A wall could lean in the middle, or sag without the cornerstones being laid first. Jesus is our guide,lest we err, and become distorted in our Christian walk. He is, in fact, the "Chief", or most important, cornerstone in the entire building.

This surely is marvelous to us, and wonderful to be a part of. Let us be thankful for all our "today's" every day, but rejoice all the more in the day that Christ redeemed us to the Father at Calvary...after all, that is where it all began.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Warfare in Witnessing

Every time we witness to someone there is a battle going on! There is an unseen conflict between the forces of good and evil, the one pulling one way, and the other, the other way. This warfare can leave one mightily confused; the subject may not know which way to turn, and so he/she does not do anything at all. The tragedy is theirs, but the problem is ours! Our “weapon” in this warfare is the Word of God, used as a sharp two-edged sword that pierces into the flesh, and cuts to the heart. If we wield the sword properly and skillfully, our subject will be freed from Satan’s grasp, and we have made an ally; but if not, we have lost the prospect, and he may never get another chance to escape the dungeon of the devil. We cannot blame this on the weapon, the blame must be on the wielder of that weapon and the cunning by which he uses it. Many times it is up to us; it is in our field of glory that we win or lose a battle for a soul. Of course men are saved solely by grace, but the wielder of the sword has a responsibility to His King, and an oath of honor to do all that he can do for the King’s glory, and of course, a debt is owed to the benefactor of his skill in the wielding of the Sword.
Friends, we need to be precise; make sure that our swath is wide enough; be sure to use the right Sword, and to choose your words carefully; remember, to many of our prospects this is virgin soil, they do not always understand the words and phrases we use. Be sure to use the right scripture so that we are not tempted to impress them with our knowledge, but to drive the sword home, clear to the hilt if necessary, and the best results are obtained. It is the sword that does the work, be sure to allow it the freedom it needs to cut to the quick, and instead of death, it will bring life--life forever more!
Give the cut time to bleed! Let the convicting power of the Sword of the Lord run its course; be sure not to force the Sword where it will not be effective--aim for the heart. The good swordsman-servant has patience; there is no hurry when the sword has cut, they will bleed out! Be wise; be patient; be true to your King, and go forth into battle with the assurance that your King is at your side; He fights the main battle, you are merely the wielder of the sword. He determines how deep the cut is, and how much it bleeds--It is the King that determines the path of the Sword, and He that delivers the prey from our hand, or gives him over to us in complete victory. He has the power and the ability to do so. Let us pray that our adversary remains unseen, so that we do not run in flight at the sight of him; let us stand boldly and fend off the fiery darts of evil that come our way, and wear the armor of God our King for protection, and go forth praising the glorious name of our King, and keep His message to mankind fresh upon our lips, shouting as we go.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

By Grace, through Faith

By Grace, through Faith
(An analogy)

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: “ (Eph 2:8)

Have you ever been in a large industrial factory and seen the pipes that run along the ceiling? These pipes are called “raceways” and the contain the electrical wiring that runs nearly every operation in the building. They are more frequently called “conduit” when used in a smaller field of construction; the metal pipe insulates and protects the wires inside. Conduit is the means of moving the power to the right location. Faith is like conduit; God’s grace is the power, and the conduit distributes that power to the right people through the “wire” of the Holy Spirit. This is indeed a “gift of God”. It is not our faith that saves us, but God’s grace! Our faith plays an active part in delivering the salvation that grace freely gives, but it is not the faith we should focus on, but the grace of God.

Picture with me, an “air” of grace racing above all men. It is there because of Christ and Calvary, and it is available for all men. It races by, a constant stream of grace, far above our heads, but it does us no good until we can tap into it! Every man can tap into it, by faith, but if he chooses not to for whatever reason, the grace is still there! It is not affected by mans indifference. It is there for another time, because it is a constant flow, and a powerful force. Oh, you can’t see it, it is as the wind of God, but it is there nonetheless. It is an “air stream” that carries salvation to all who wish to make use of it, and its power is unlimited. As it continually circles the globe, it grows as men tap into it, and allow it to change their lives, but there is still enough there for others, no matter how many make use of it. The grace of God is sufficient for all men, all the time, and under all circumstances; it is a wonderful gift. Don’t let it pass you by; it is too good to miss; trust in Christ who provided it, and tap into it freely, and come, and see that the Lord is good, and “His mercy endureth forever.”

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Armor Provided

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph. 6:13)

God provides our armor. Years ago, when I was in the Army, they provided all my needs. I did not have to buy clothes, or weapons, or a flak jacket, a steel pot, or anything of the sort--the Army provided for my protection from the enemy, and from the pangs of hunger as well as the need for clothing. They taught me how to protect myself from the enemy, and gave me the equipment I needed to do it. They even did my laundry, and provided for my cleanliness and health! My friends, the Lord does the same with us!
As we walk through life, we are assailed on every side by Satan’s attacks. We can grow weary and weak if we are not vigilant and property equipped; we are given what we need to win the battle, but we must wear it before it does any good, and we must walk circumspectly. The Lord is good in providing for us; He doesn’t have to; He could demand of us that we walk circumspectly, and be very careful, and that is all, but He also provides our protection as we do. In the Army, all my needs were met; I did not lack anything that I needed. In the Lord’s Army, it is the same, I have need of naught. Today, I can truly say with David, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psa. 23:1)

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Society’s Response

When God told Israel to invade Canaan, the people said that He was full of hate;

When Paul rebuked Peter for hypocrisy, the people said he had no love;

When Elijah called down fire from Heaven to destroy the envoy that the king sent to him, they said he was an angry man;

When Elymus was struck with blindness, they said the apostles had no right to do it.

When Achan and his family were stoned for coveting the spoil, they said it wasn’t fair;

When the widow woman’s son was restored to life by Elijah, they said “Why him? What about me?”


“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Mt. 5:11,12)


When Enoch “walked with God: and was not” they said a flyinfg saucer abducted him!

When the sea parted and swallowed up Pharaoh and the Egyptian Army, they said it was coincidence;

And when a young shepherd boy slew a giant with a stone, they said it was just “dumb luck.”

When a “crazy” preacher named Noah was seen building a huge boat, they laughed him to scorn;

When a bunch of slaves began to build the walls of Jerusalem again, they mocked and ridiculed them.

When a Mighty God gave His only Son to an unworthy people, they crucified Him.


“But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” (1 Peter 4:13,14)

Unfortunately, things haven’t changed all that much!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Much is said about election and predestination, and the doctrine of divine grace, but mostly it is unclear and vague, at the least. Allow me to put a simple outline in the processes of the Lord, and they way I see it. I may have posted this a long time back, but it needs refreshing occasionally to remind us of the goodness of our God.

There is:
The multitudes;
out of the multitudes, we find the elect;
From the elect the called;
and from the called, the chosen.

There is a certain order here, and our God is a God of order.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Nourishment

Col 2:19-23

The passage may be compared to eating of food. Do you eat for flavor only, or for nourishment? Some foods have little nourishment, but taste good; others have a lot of nourishment, but the flavor is lacking. The Word of God has both! Let the Word nourish you (1 Peter 2:2), it tends to your growth.

Be increased with the increase of God. (Col. 2:19) Some die of malnutrition, while others thrive on nutrition, it is entirely up to you which one affects you. Don’t fall for the delicacies of the world (Col. 2:8), but rather seek the food of God. (Heb. 5:14)
Sometimes the dessert is not too nourishing, it is all “fluff”, but if we get the nourishment first, we can also enjoy the dessert. In the Word of God, seek the nourishment, then enjoy the dessert! There is much delectable dessert to be had, but first you need to “clean your plate” of the nourishing food. Seek the things that edify the body, and glorify the Father, then enjoy the “tasty” desserts; it is all there at the table, we must feed ourselves from it. One does not live on dessert alone, the sweetness would be his demise, but he can live on the meat, and the milk, and do well in this life; the strength is in the nourishing.
Be careful too of allowing the church service to be your entire diet. We all need to learn to feed ourselves eventually. If you are not getting “fed” from the preaching, get the nourishment you need from personal Bible study, that is where the “strong meat” comes from. Feed thyself that ye may be able to feed others.

Monday, July 5, 2010

The Gospel In Isaiah

Isaiah 53

We see here a clear presentation of the Gospel, even way back in Isaiah’s time. In this short chapter we see a certain progression that is important in the understanding of the sacrificial death of our Lord. The narrative begins with his life before Calvary; it "peaks" in v. vs. 7-9, and then reigns victoriously toward the close of the chapter. The Gospel is clearly seen in these verses.
We have first: the people whom the Lord is seeking, (v. 1):

The obscurity of the “seeker”, (v. 2): The rejection of His deity by men (v. 3):
The prophetic message of the Messiah, (v. 4):

The message of the sacrificial Lamb for all mankind, (v. 5):

The wretchedness of man and his need for redemption, (v. 6):

The suffering, death and resurrection of Christ on our behalf (vs. 7-9):

The invitation to man (v. 10):

The victory of the Savior and man over sin, (v. 11):

And the will of God completed to His own glory, (v. 12)

What a blessed and prophetic chapter that speaks of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

The Internet

I had a very scary thought early this morning:
What one thing ties the world together today? The internet.

Who controls the internet? Many say that no one person or body can control it, but what if one person does? What if one man could take control of the internet, and have all that is in it at his discretion? He would have the power of complete censorship; he would literally come into nearly every home in America, and be able to obtain valuable information about any one of us; private, personal, and vital information that could ruin us, or promote us, whichever he desired! Think of the power he would have in the mere knowledge of our business activities, our beliefs, our very heart and souls!

Perhaps you are saying “It will never happen, no one person can control the internet”, but a few years ago men thought that something like the internet itself would be an impossibility! Who would have thought that one man would discover something so widespread and so prominent as the internet? Yet one man did, and look at it now! Some could hardly get along a few days without it!

Think about it: if the internet became under the control of Muslims, all Christian sites could be shut down. (Already it is possible to shut down certain sites, as many of us have seen). If it came under the control of any man or group, we would be at their mercy for the most part, at least under their watchful eye. “Big Brother“ is watching already to some extent; if you do not believe that, try posting a lot of illegal stuff and see what happens to you! I have no qualms with the law regulating the internet, it needs to be checked, but, what if the ant-Christ had control of such a powerful tool? We put too much vital information on the net.

My point is that we need to wean ourselves from the net, and spend less time revealing our personal lives through even “friendly” sites; others who are enemies of good and righteousness also have access to these sites. Let us hope that it is not too late already. Does this sound rather fanatical to you? Does it sound so far-fetched that you laugh at the thought of it? If so, you may be the net’s greatest victim. The possibility has already been proven; many have hacked into computers of banks, financial institutions, and even stole identities of past veterans that served our country, and all through the internet! That which we all thought to be good can turn out to be very evil. Already it has been reported that perverts are watching, and gathering information about our children and they are able to discern where we live, and how many are in the family, etc., because we have surrendered that information on the net for all to see. One cannot protect themselves enough, there is always someone that can break through passwords, and firewalls, and phsishing nets, and filters, etc., and steal our identities.