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Love Overcoming the Fear of Evangelism

September 8, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Love is more powerful than fear; mature love banishes fear (1 Jn. 4:18). Paul came to Corinth and declared the gospel of Christ; some opposed and blasphemed while others believed and were baptized (Acts 18:1-8). “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 19:9). The Lord encouraged Paul to overcome the fears of preaching there and he stayed eighteen months doing that great work (Acts 18:11). In his later correspondence with Corinth, Paul admitted he had been downhearted when he came to them, writing, “I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). Yet, think of all the fearful opposition that Paul overcame to spread the gospel. What was his motivation? He later explained, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).

Love for God and the souls of men motivates Christians to spread the soul-saving message of Jesus Christ to all. Instead of deceiving men, we speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). Sometimes the more we love people and try to speak to the truth to them the less they show love to us (2 Cor. 12:15). Sometimes people regard us as enemies because we tell them the truth (Gal. 4:16). Though we do all we can to make the truth as palatable to people as possible, still several will resist it. When Jesus sent His disciples on the limited commission in Matthew 10, He reminded them that people would mistreat them just as they mistreated Him their Lord (vv. 16-25); moreover, He also reminded the disciples not to fear persecution because of their value before God (vv. 28-31). Love not only from God but for God would help them overcome. As we go out on the great commission, let us also be reminded of these truths. People need the word of God to save their souls (Jas. 1:21). The seed of the kingdom must be spread everywhere (Lk. 8:11), so that it may find lodging in good and honest hearts (Lk. 8:15).

In the first few chapters of the book of Acts, the church grew exponentially despite opposition from the political powers in and around Jerusalem. The high priest and the council had commanded Peter and the other apostles not to preach in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18; 5:28); however, the Lord’s command to preach the gospel (Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15) outranked the commands of men (Acts 5:29). Thus, Acts 5:42 reports, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Let us pray that we may have this kind of boldness to spread the gospel instead of cowering before those who oppose it (Acts 4:29).

The Spiritual Battlefield

August 26, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Modern skeptics dismiss the accounts of demon possession in the Bible as ancient mistaken beliefs due to a lack of modern medical knowledge. However, the New Testament accounts make a distinction between those who were merely diseased and those who were possessed by demons (Mk. 1:32). No doubt the New Testament also describes physical and mental effects demon possession had on the possessed (Mt. 9:32; 12:22; 17:15; Mk 9:18; Lk. 8:27; 9:39; et. al), but this was more than mere sickness.

Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis on Unsplash

Demons recognized the identity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mk. 1:24; Lk. 4:34). He commanded them to leave the possessed person (Mt. 8:16), keep quiet (Mk. 1:34), and flee where He allowed (Mt. 8:31-32; Mk. 5:13-14). They did this not out of loving obedience, but out of fearful, shuddering recognition of His authority (James 2:19). This showed Jesus as Lord of the spiritual realm. He could keep even the worst forms of evil in check. Jesus stated the purpose of His casting out demons thusly: “But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.” (Lk. 11:20-22.)

Mark 5:2-4 presents the record of a demon-possessed man who could not be bound, not even with shackles and chains for he broke them in pieces. All human effort to restrain him proved futile, but Jesus cured him. Modern skeptics also reject the notion that there is a spiritual, evil personality called the devil. The Bible, however, clearly warns: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Modern people may devise all sorts of techniques and programs to advance human goodness, but unless the tempter who entices men to sin is acknowledged and dealt with, then all these efforts will prove as effective as the chains on the man in Mark 5 before He met Jesus.

Jesus came to earth to destroy the power of the devil (Heb. 2:14). Victory over sin and death has been accomplished by Jesus’ substitutionary death and resurrection from the grave (Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3-5, 57; 1 Pet. 2:24). What Jesus provides—and what we so desperately need—is freedom from spiritual slavery to sin (Jn. 8:34-36; Rom. 6:5-14). Falling out with sin to serve the Lord Jesus is our only hope to overcome evil. Sin may be a joke to many, but the awful reality is it leads to death (Rom. 6:23; James 1:15). God does not allow the devil to override your free will nor displace your autonomy; instead, temptations are placed before you with a way to escape (1 Cor. 10:13). We must choose the way of escape rather than succumbing to the temptation.

Do not confine your line of thinking to only physical, emotional, and social considerations. Too often people dismiss the spiritual aspect of mankind and the warnings of the Bible as unworthy of consideration. Be awake spiritually and recognize that fleshly lusts war against your soul (1 Pet. 2:11).

God’s Payment Plan

August 18, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Micah was a prophet of God from 740-700 BC who had a message of destruction for both the northern and southern kingdoms of God’s people. Population centers of both kingdoms would be destroyed and become places of desolation. The capital of Israel in the north was Samaria. Micah foretold that it would become a heap of ruins in a field (Micah 1:6). In 722 BC, the city was destroyed by the Assyrians. The capital of the southern kingdom of Judah was Jerusalem. Micah 3:12 predicted that this city where the temple stood would be plowed like a field, become a heap of ruins, and look like high places of a forest. Micah 4:10 forewarned of the deportation of its inhabitants to faraway Babylon. This was an amazing projection of future events in light of the fact that Assyria was the world power when this was uttered; Babylon was still a vassal state in Micah’s day.

God had been long-suffering to His people, but justice demanded the penalty be paid for their sins. While idolatry and host of other sins drove the nation toward captivity, Micah particularly focused on injustices done to the poor. God’s message through Micah was aimed at corrupt rulers and judges who took advantage of the poor while accepting bribes from the rich (3:1-3, 9-10; 7:2-3), crooked businessmen who cheated others out of their property (2:2; 6:10-12), and religious leaders (priests and false prophets) with mercenary motives (3:5-7, 11).

Seventy years of captivity in a foreign land was the result of their stubborn refusal to repent of their sins. Nations today need to learn lessons from Micah, including our nation. When those in power get rich at the expense of people in lower economic classes, God’s justice demands punishment. Rich and powerful people may be able to evade the law of man, but not God’s law. Read James 5:1-6 and consider God’s response to the wicked rich who abuse the righteous poor.

Everything of value in Jerusalem was taken away into Babylon as a result of these sins. Yet, God gave a glimmer of hope. In Micah 4:10, He said, “Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.” God would redeem them—buy them back to be His own people again. He would rescue them from captivity and return them to their previous place.

Today, Christians have been redeemed from the bondage of sin (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7). The blood of Christ shed on the cross is the price paid for our redemption; it is far more valuable than any corruptible currency like silver or gold (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Just as Israel of old should have been grateful for God’s unfailing love that brought them back from captivity, so we also today must be ever grateful for the ultimate declaration of God’s love in Christ who paid the penalty of our sins to save us from the punishment we deserved.

Appreciating the Complete Word of God

August 10, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Jesus, the long-expected Messiah, came to earth, fulfilled hundreds of prophecies, and ushered in the Christian age. Many who lived in previous ages would have given anything to see Jesus and hear Him teach. Jesus acknowledged this: “And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them” (Lk. 10:23, 24).

Imagine having only the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament. No doubt serious readers waited with anxious anticipation to see the fulfillment of all its promises. The New Testament provides the answers to these prospective assurances of the Old Testament. When would the seed of woman come and bruise Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15; Gal. 4:4-5)? When would the prophet like unto Moses come (Deut. 18:15; Jn. 6:14)? When would the king of Israel come, the son of David, (2 Sam. 7:13, 14; Heb. 1:5)—the one born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Lk. 2:4-6) upon whose shoulders the government would be (Isa. 9:6,7)? Who is the Son of God (Psa. 2:7; Mk. 1:11)? What about Immanuel (God with us) born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:23-25)? And who is God’s suffering servant who would justify many by bearing their sins (Isa. 53:11; 1 Pet. 2:24)? These and many more promises of the Old Testament were fulfilled when Jesus came to earth. Not long after the resurrection of Jesus, the inspired apostle Peter preached to people in Jerusalem, affirming that God had fulfilled what He had showed through the mouth of all His prophets (Acts 3:18), stating further: “Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days” (Acts 3:24).

What Jesus Christ brought in His mission to earth was so amazing that not only did men of former times desire to see the fulfillment, but also the angels of God desired to peer into the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation:

“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.” (1 Pet. 1:10-12.)

The Scriptures are the very words of God that outfit us with all we need to be pleasing to Him and make us wise to salvation (2 Tim. 3:15-17). In His word, God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). In the New Testament, He has taken the veil away and shown us the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 3:6-18). We have the privilege to open the completed book, to see the marvelous words of Jesus and the explanation of the fulfillment of prophecies from long ago. O, how we should appreciate what we have in the Bible! Let us not neglect such a wonderful treasure.

Worship as the Lord Commanded

July 31, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

In chapters 8 and 9 of Leviticus, “as the Lord commanded” is a recurring phrase. The priests—Aaron and his sons (Ex. 28:1)—were following the commands God gave regarding tabernacle worship. God had given the specifics of how He was to be approached in worship; thus, all was well when Aaron and his sons did as God commanded.

Leviticus 10, however, is when things go wrong. It provides an important lesson regarding approaching God in worship. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not” (Lev. 10:1). Trouble arose when these men did something other than what God had commanded. It was not that the Lord had explicitly said, “Thou shalt not offer another kind of fire.” No, the text says the offering was not accepted by God because the Lord had not commanded them to use that kind of fire. The fire was “strange”—different from God’s commanded fire. Evidently, they had used coals from outside the temple area, something other than what God had specified. The HCSB renders this “unauthorized fire” giving the sense that without God’s command, Nadab and Abihu were not operating under the authority of the Lord.

Was this a big deal? One might say, “Well, they were still offering something to the Lord. Why get all bent out of shape about the particulars if they are still offering worship to God?” But notice the Lord’s response: “And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD” (Lev. 10:2). God made sure at the very outset of tabernacle worship that He was to be sanctified and His laws were to be taken seriously lest Israel develop a flippant approach to the entirety of God’s law. While God on some occasions appeared as a fire in a beneficial way in the Old Testament, He also appeared in judgment as a devouring fire as He does here (cf. Ex. 24:17; Deut. 5:22; Num. 11:1; 16:35; 2 Kgs. 1:10, 12). Let us remember to “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28, 29).

Today, we are under the new and better covenant of Jesus Christ (Heb. 8:6; 12:24). Every Christian is a priest to God today (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). Jesus is our great high priest (Heb. 8:1, 2). “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15). The Old Testament was written for our learning (Rom. 15:4). The sins of Israel in the Old Testament provide examples for us of what not to do (1 Cor. 10:6). We must remember that worship to God is holy. Let us not profane it by bringing in worldly elements that we desire which differ from what God has commanded. What I bring to God in worship matters. If I bring in elements that have no authorization from Him in His word, then I commit the same sin Nadab and Abihu committed. Remember, worship is not ultimately about what I want, but rather is about honoring God the way He has commanded us to pay homage to Him. -Mark Day