Hebrews 4:12 says the Bible, “…is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” and like a sword it pierces to the very depths of the inward man. God intended His word to be, “…profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Just as Nathan confronted David with his sin and showed him the responsibility he must take for his actions (2 Sam. 11-12), so the word of God will show us where we are wrong and how to be right. James 1:22-25 describes the Bible as a mirror that accurately reflects the true character of the individual who stares into its pages. The one who applies the Bible to the various issues faced in life can truly say to God, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
But if we do not go to the Bible for counsel, and neglect to diligently study what it has to say and apply it to the various situations of life, we douse the light that God has given to help us see our way clear. In effect, we are adrift on life’s sea having thrown our compass overboard, choosing rather to grope along, trusting our own faulty powers of spiritual perception (Prov. 14:12; Jer. 10:23).
Many today, while they may give lip-service to the Bible, rely more heavily on what psychologists, professors, or scientists say about matters than the words of God. While there are godly men and women who serve faithfully in these fields, not every psychologist, professor, or scientist has a biblical worldview. Instead of confronting man with his sin, many educated individuals today, working on the basis that the theory of evolution is true, consider man to be a highly evolved animal, subject to his instincts and not responsible for his actions. In their minds heredity and environment are the culprits rather than man choosing to do evil. This, of course, is easier for the sinner to hear since the underlying message is that people are not responsible for their actions. Like Ahab, many seek the counsel of the majority that say everything is fine rather than the truthful minority that elucidate the real consequences of their actions (1 Kings 22). Like Ahab, many consider those who do care enough speak the truth troublemakers (1 Kings 18:17-18).
As Christians, we need to lovingly confront individuals with their responsibility before God, making them aware that everything is not fine if one lives in rebellion to His Word (2 Cor. 5:11). There are even many in the Lord’s church who through spiritual slothfulness need to wake up to the spiritual realities God’s word teaches. Read how Paul addressed this in Ephesians 5:11-17.
Can God get a word in edgewise in your life? Or are you too busy seeking counsel from men on what you should do in life? Do you take an objective look at yourself with the word of God, or do you seek people to tell you that you are fine? Your life will be blessed if you trust in the Lord’s word rather than relying on the advice of men (Jer. 17:5-8).

– Mark Day

The Bible shows that throughout human history there have always been conflicts. Adam blamed Eve for causing the first sin (Gen. 3:12); the first set of brothers had a conflict that resulted in murder (Gen. 4:8). What brought about God’s judgment of the flood was the fact that the earth was filled with violence (Gen. 6:11). The herdsmen of Abram and Lot had conflict (Gen. 13:7). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had many family conflicts. The rest of Old Testament history is filled with wars among nations and conflicts between individuals, and the New Testament is no different in this regard.

In examining 1 Corinthians, it seems there are are three classes of people in the world who vary in their understanding and ability to have peace. The first class is unbelievers, who because they have no peace with God render the prospect of peace with others implausible. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 lists the various people in unbelief with the sins that characterize their lives: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners. Among these would be the princes of the world, who did not know God’s wisdom and because of the blindness of their sin crucified the Lord (1 Cor. 2:8). The second class would be worldly believers. This was the main problem that Paul was confronting in this letter to Corinth. In 1 Cor. 3:1-3, Paul pointed out their immaturity, writing, “…ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” Thus even though all of the members of the church at Corinth had obeyed the Gospel, many of them had not grown spiritually and were still acting worldly, with envying and strife among them. These were those who were taking each other to court over “the smallest matters” (1 Cor. 6:2). To them Paul wrote, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men” (1 Cor. 14:20). The third class would be spiritual people who not only had a good understanding of Christianity, but also let it control their thinking and actions in regard to others. One example of this class is the house of Stephanas who “addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints” (1 Cor. 16:15). Paul is a great example of a spiritual person, who encouraged the Corinthian brethren to follow him as he followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1), who sent Timothy to remind them of his ways in Christ (1 Cor. 4:17). Paul worked tirelessly to bring peace to the Lord’s church based on all uniting on following Christ.

Which of these three groups would you be placed into? Do you thrive on conflict? Have you made peace with God and others by obeying Christ and being added to the church (Eph. 2:14-16)? Romans 12:18 urges Christians, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” While this implies that there are some people in the world with whom it is not possible to have peace, it shows that Christians are to be amiable people. Paul commanded the Thessalonian brethren to, “be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thess. 5:13). Though it may be impossible to have peace with certain individuals in the world, it is expected by God for peace to exist in His church.

-Mark Day

When considering the existence of God, the law of excluded middle says that either something exists or does not exist, there is no middle ground. It would be illogical to say that God exists and does not exist at the same time. Either God exists or He does not exist. The arguments that can be made for the existence of God are additional evidence that can be used with the atheists, agnostics, skeptics, or any who will not turn to the Bible. While in sermons and articles, reference has been made regarding two classical arguments, The Cosmological Argument (cause and effect) and The Teleological Argument (design demands a Designer), consider with me 3 additional arguments for the existence of God:

The Ontological Argument: There is nothing greater than God that can be conceived, man is incapable of creating God himself, therefore, God must exist. If man can have the idea of a perfect God then He must exist. If God only existed in the mind of man, he would be an imperfect being. What kind of God would man invent? Wouldn’t man conceive a God closer to man’s liking? Would man create a God that 1) Would impose regulations that were contrary to the impulses of the flesh, 2) Who seemingly robs man of his freedom to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, in whatever way he wants, 3) Would judge violators of His law and bring punishment on man if he violated that law, etc.? Would man invent a God like the God of the Bible? No! God did not come from the mind of man, man knows of God because God exists.

The Anthropological Argument: The existence of morals implies that God is. Man is a moral being, whence does this morality come from. Morals occur only in man. Morals are not found in nor did they originate from lower animals. For example, does a dog feel guilty when it steals a bone from another dog? No. So morals did not come from the lower animals. It did not originate from amoral lifeless matter. Yet morality implies an absolute standard of authority of right and wrong. If there are no absolute values then one act would not differ from another. Even the most avowed atheists would not affirm that. Man needs moral law outside himself, from the moral person – God. This the Bible affirms. Jeremiah 10:23 says, “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Then in Romans 7:7 the Bible says, “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Therefore the absolute authority of right and wrong is God, therefore God does exist.

The Aesthetical Argument: This has to do with the beauty found in the universe. While this is one of the weaker arguments it is still a valid argument. When one is flying in an airplane and looking down on the magnificence of the earth, or when one considers the beauty of a snowflake or the color of the sky in the fall as the sun sets in the west, one must wonder, where did this aesthetic appreciation come from? Man has response to beauty found in art and other works of men’s hands and the evolutionist would say it came from the lower forms of man’s evolution. However, we can know this appreciation for beauty did not come from lower forms of life for they have no artistic abilities. The only rational conclusion to draw is that such aesthetic appreciation came from our Creator, God.

These arguments taken together point to the undeniable conclusion that Yes Indeed, God Does Exist!

– Jerry D. Sturgill
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth… And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” Genesis 1:1, 26a.

When God restored their border, the people who inhabited Jerusalem and Samaria during the reign of Jereboam II were lifted up with pride as high as the mountains of Zion and Samaria in which they lived (2 Kings 14; Amos 6:1, 8). Because they lived in well-fortified cities atop mountains they thought they were invincible to any military threat, and in their minds they put far away the thought of a day of judgment (Amos 6:3).

Because the judgment of God was so far from their minds, they refused to be concerned about the poor and afflicted among their brethren (Amos 6:6 cf. Mt. 24:42-51). They preferred instead to lay upon luxurious beds of ivory, stretch out on their expensive furniture, eat lamb chops and steak, hum along to the best music, drink wine out of bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest of sweet smelling ointments (Amos 6:4-6). Instead of providing for the poor and needy, they would purchase a second house, one for the summer and another for the winter (Amos 3:15).

These Israelites became too comfortable and thought only about themselves. For neglecting their responsibility before God, they would be the first to go into captivity (Amos 6:7). According to the truth of Proverbs 16:18, their pride would lead to destruction. An earthquake would rock their world in just two years and they would run for their lives (Amos 1:1; Zech. 14:5). The Assyrians would come and destroy their homes, both small and great, and they would be led away as prisoners with metal hooks in their noses (Amos 3:15-4:2; 6:9-11).

We pray that God will continue to bless us with prosperity, but perhaps we are not always thinking about our soul’s prosperity when we offer these prayers. The rich Israelites in Amos’ day are just one of the many Bible examples of people forgetting God and others when He blesses them with peace and prosperity. Have we today become too comfortable for our own good? While there is nothing wrong with wealth in and of itself, it can cause us to be blind to the needs of others and neglect our duty to them (Gal. 2:10; 6:10; James 2:5-8).

Instead of standing up and speaking out against sin or giving themselves to help others in both physical and spiritual need, some members of the church today are “at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1; cf. Heb. 12:22). Let us pray, as John did for Gaius, that we may prosper physically and materially only as well as we prosper spiritually, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2). Are you richer spiritually or materially? Do you use the blessings God has given you only on yourself, or do you in turn bless others?

-Mark Day

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate” 1 Timothy 6:17-18

We are first introduced to the ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus in John 3, when he came to the Lord by night. Many have speculated as to why he came by night, and the Bible does not say. However, from later incidents it seems that Nicodemus may have secretly believed in Jesus. John 12:42 says, “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue,” and perhaps Nicodemus was one of this number. In John 7:50-52 he made a veiled attempt to stand up for Jesus in the presence of the chief priests and Pharisees who were trying to seize and destroy Christ, “Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”

It is interesting that the last time we read of Nicodemus is in his connection with Joseph of Arimathea, (described as “a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews,”) as they buried Christ (John 19:38-40). Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes according to the prophecy of Psalm 45:8 and the normal custom of the Jews to do the courtesy of putting spices in the sheets that were wrapped around the body of the deceased. John 19:39 describes the quantity of these spices about a hundred pounds, which would be around 70 lbs. according to our measures. The large quantity of spices is mentioned here because it was a mark of royal burials (2 Chronicles 16:14). When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus during that night meeting, He talked to him of entering the kingdom (John 3:3-5). Nicodemus was now honoring Jesus as a king.

What can we gain from this? At the time when the disciples such as Peter, James, John etc., who were numbered with the Lord during His life, fled, men like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who had been more secretive about their allegiance, stepped out into the light and gave honor to the light of the world who had died for them. There was no advantage regarding popularity or politics that Nicodemus would gain through a connection with Christ. Jesus was dead, but Nicodemus finally made the move to come out in the open and honor Christ.

Perhaps you act like a secret disciple at work or out in public. Maybe you are not as bold as you think you should be or as you see others are. It’s not too late to come out in the open and decide to courageously stand for Christ. Like Nicodemus, your secret allegiance does not have to stay secret forever. You can do better and decide to be more courageous in the future than you have been in the past.

-Mark Day