Our Heavenly Father is light (1 Jn. 1:5); the Father of lights (James 1:17).  As Christians, we are His children, children of light (Lk. 16:8; 1 Thess. 5:5).  Paul encouraged Christians to behave as children of light (Eph. 5:8), living in such a way that we recognize our deeds are manifest before an all-knowing God, instead of trying to hide our sins under the cover of darkness (Jn. 3:19-21).  We are surrounded by people of the world who love darkness (Eph. 6:12; 1 Jn. 5:19).  They do not see the light of the glorious gospel, because they have allowed the devil, the father of lies, to blind them (Jn. 8:44; 2 Cor. 4:4).  We, however, know better, and ought to behave accordingly.  When light enters a room, darkness flees.  The two are incompatible.  Christians are to behave as light, being separate from the world (Eph. 5:11; 2 Cor. 6:14-17; 1 Jn. 2:7-11).  How you behave ought to make you stand out from the world (Phil. 2:14-15).

Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:5-8, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” Some people live their lives seemingly in a dream, not awake to the spiritual dangers that are around them, but mindlessly floating down the river of life going wherever outside influences take them.  Christians are not to live in such spiritual stupor, but should be awake and alert to the spiritual realities that are around them, proactively following Christ.

The normal time to sleep is at night, and being drunk during the day has often been considered scandalous by the public (Isa. 5:11; Ecc. 10:16-17; Acts 2:15; 2 Pet. 2:13).  As Christians, children of the light and of the day, we are to be the opposite: awake and sober.  Night is sometimes used in scripture to underscore moral darkness rather than prosaically marking the time (Mt. 26:34; Jn. 13:30).  Nighttime is when evil people do their deeds.  We are surprised today when people commit crimes in broad daylight.  These evil deeds of the darkness are on their way out, because an eternal day is coming (Rom. 13:12; cf. Rev. 21:23; 22:5).  The gospel age has let some of this light in, but the final coming of Christ is when it will fully break forth (1 Jn. 2:8).

Paul’s description of light and darkness in 1 Thessalonians 5 is really part of a larger context concerning the unexpectedness of Lord’s final coming and need to be prepared for it (1 Thess. 5:1-11).  God has chosen to not disclose when the return of His Son will be, and Jesus warned His disciples to watch so they are ready for His coming at any time (Mk. 13:32-37).  Jesus told His disciples that such vigilance is necessary to resist temptation of the flesh (Mt. 26:40-41; Mk. 14:37-38; Lk. 22:45-46).  God knows that if He did reveal when the final day would be that people would be tempted to live evil lives, indulging the flesh, and try to repent near the end before that day comes.  This would run contrary to His purposes; our Heavenly Father wants to foster in us a love for Him and patient desire for heaven. No man will see the light of heaven who has not already had it in his heart while he is living in this world of darkness.

-Mark Day

Christ prayed for unity among His followers (John 17:20-21); however, as with many other requests made to the Father, there is a part each Christian must play in order to make this unity a reality.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:3 that all Christians are to be “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Disunity has always been a problem to mankind since the very beginning.  Discord exists among individuals, couples, families, organizations, nations, and even churches.  This is because each man has his own opinions.  In the church we must be willing to sacrifice opinions and stick with matters of faith taught in God’s word to have unity.

The unity Paul told the Ephesians to endeavor to maintain is the unity of the Spirit.  Christians are led by teachings of the Holy Spirit, captured for us in the writings that comprise the New Testament, which serve as a basis for unity.  Consider how the seven ones of Ephesians 4:4-6 illustrate this singularity.  Christians would be just as willing to accept more than one God as to accept more than one faith or more than one baptism.  The charge to give effort to have and maintain unity among the called in Christ in the letter of Ephesians comes after Paul had mentioned the wall of partition that had existed between Jews and Gentiles, a barrier that had been broken down by the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:11-19).  This uniting of Jews and Gentiles into one body was part of God’s plan from the foundation of the world (Eph. 2:16; 3:6, 11).  It is hard for us today to comprehend how different Jews and Gentiles were in the first century and the enmity that had festered among them for centuries.  Isaiah prophesied that bringing these two groups together to have peace in the church would be like getting wolves and sheep, leopards and goats, or lions and cows to dwell peacefully together (Isa. 11:6).  While this seemed impossible, God did this in the first-century church.  Jews and Gentiles were reconciled together to Him in the body of Christ (Eph. 2:16).

But this partnership did not just happen easily.  The endeavor for unity in Ephesians 4:3 follows the instruction of Ephesians 4:2; that Christians are to be characterized, “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.”  Pride is an enemy of unity.  Contrariwise, patience is so essential to peace.  When I recognize that others have to put up with me, then I can more easily put up with others.  The bottom line is that Christians must love each other.  This is not always easy, but the results are worth it.

Partiality based on how much money a person possesses is a temptation that must be avoided in the church (James 2:1-8).  The church, instead of being divided into different cliques, ought to be one harmonious community (Acts 2:46).  Even good men like Peter and Barnabas had trouble with showing partiality because of social pressures (Gal. 2:11-13).  Paul loved them enough to speak up before everyone, and they loved their brethren enough to repent and not hold a grudge against Paul (Gal. 2:14).  Individuals in the church cannot remain at odds if unity is to exist.  Even in private cases, unlike that of Peter’s partiality, confrontation is necessary to deal with a sin between two brothers or it will affect the entire church (Mt. 18:15-20; cf. Phil. 4:2).

Based on God’s word, the more unity exists in the Flatwoods church, the more blessings will follow.  Are you willing to work and pray to make it a reality?

-Mark Day

Solomon asked in Proverbs 20:6, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”  The overwhelming majority of people who believe in an afterlife believe they are going to heaven.  Research polls show this year after year.  When a person is asked if heaven will be their home, a common response is, “Yeah, I think I’m a pretty good person.  I think God will let me in.” Is there any recognition in this answer of the power of Christ’s blood to remove sins and enable one to stand justified before God? No.

God’s Word, while encouraging us to be better people, does not convey the concept that one goes to heaven simply on being a pretty good person.  Rather the recognition that one is guilty before God and worthy of death is the Biblical starting point to salvation (Mk. 2:17; Jn. 9:39-41; Rom. 3:19-26).  The great need for the gift of salvation because of man’s utter inability to be right before God on his own merits is a common theme in the Scriptures (Rom. 3; Eph. 2; et. al.).  If a man does not see the heinousness of his own sins and his guilt before God, he will not appreciate his need for a Savior and the importance of Christ’s death on the cross for him.

The last few generations have generally held the prevailing opinion that we are not responsible for our own destructive actions.  We are masters of self-deception, easily dismissing any notion that we are culpable.  Whether it is our genes, our upbringing, the government, or a whole host of other entities, we are often found implying that someone else is ultimately responsible for our poor decisions.

Humanity, it seems, has always had this tendency.  The first sin was followed by questioning from God (Gen. 3:11), to which Adam tried to pass the buck to the woman God gave him (Gen. 3:12).  Eve then tried to pass the buck to the serpent (Gen. 3:13).  God gave each of them punishment for their actions (Gen. 3:14-19).  Cain grew angry with everyone else, when it was his decision to offer the improper sacrifice to God (Gen. 4:5-6).  This anger festered until he murdered his brother (Gen. 4:8; 1 Jn. 3:12; Jude 11).  It wasn’t Abel’s fault that Cain’s sacrifice was not accepted.  Time and space would not allow us to explore every example of this attempted shifting of responsibility in the Bible from Aaron’s excuse for fashioning the golden calf (Ex. 32:21-24) to Saul’s insistence that he had obeyed but the people spared the animals for sacrifice  (1 Sam. 15:13-23) and so on, but these examples suffice to show it is prevalent in human behavior.

Romans 3:10-18 gives a clear verdict that all accountable individuals stand guilty before God on their own merits.  While death is deserved for our decision to sin, salvation is provided as a gift through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).  Faith, repentance, confession, and baptism are required to enter the realm of the saved (Acts 2:38; 8:37-39; 17:30-31; 22:16).  A faithful life is required to maintain salvation (Mt. 25; 1 Cor. 10:1-14; Rev. 2:10).  In the end will you be found lost trying to argue your own goodness to the Lord (Mt. 7:22), or will He find you faithful and welcome you into the joys of heaven (Mt. 25:21, 23)?

-Mark Day

The Lord Himself said Satan was the father of the lie: “…When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” John 8:44. Satan lied to Eve in the garden (Gen. 3:4) and continues to lie through his agents and their doctrines today. Which would you consider the biggest lie?

Man Is Saved By Faith Only?

Satan has deceived the denominational world into believing man is saved when he confesses a belief in Jesus and when he acts on that belief to ask Jesus to “come into his heart.” Thus, all man has to do is have faith (Belief) and he will be saved. The Bible says: “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” James 2:24. The only time these words are used together in the Bible and they condemn, not condone, faith only. Jesus said: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” Matt. 7:21. Jesus said we had to do some things. Saul of Tarsus was told what he had to do to be saved (Acts 9:6; 22:16). Cornelius was told words whereby he and his house could be saved (Acts 11:14; 10:48). It is a lie to say we can be saved by faith only.

Once Saved We Can Never Fall?

            Satan has also eased the consciences of many by deceiving them into believing that they can never fall. However, the Bible disputes this a countless number of times. Paul warned the Galatians: “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace” Gal. 5:4. It IS possible to fall from grace according to Paul.

Notice what Paul wrote: “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things ye shall never fall” 2 Peter 1:10. Notice falling is conditional; if we add the graces (5-8) then we will not fall. The opposite would be true: if we do not add the graces we will fall.

Baptism Doesn’t Save?

The father of the lie has convinced the masses baptism is non-essential to salvation. Jesus said: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” Mark 16:16. Peter wrote: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the) putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 3:21. Jesus said whosoever was baptized would be saved and Peter said baptism saved. Whom will YOU believe? Satan? Jesus and Peter?

One Church Is As Good As Another?

Satan says one church is as good as another because the church has nothing to do with salvation anyway. The apostle Paul said: “There is one body…” Eph. 4:4. He had earlier written the church was the body (1:22-23). He later wrote “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” Eph. 5:23.  Thus Jesus is the Savior of the body which is the church and there is only one body. This means there is one church and Jesus will save ONLY that church—the church of Christ (Rom. 16:16). Whom will we believe?

-David B. Jones, Stage Road church of Christ, Memphis, TN as published in Bulletin Digest, Oct. ‘05

Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

The desire to make lasting investments that will tremendously benefit us in the future is a goal of all forward-thinking individuals.  What we accumulate in our lives must be properly managed.  Jesus gives us wonderful guidance in making the proper investments now so as to yield the maximum benefits in the future.  His instructions, however, are entirely different from investment plans that are confined to this life.

Jesus shows us that earthly wealth is insecure.  As moth and rust corrupt costly clothing and precious metals respectively, so the value of many earthly possessions decreases.  Even markets have bubbles that burst and leave investors with much less than they presumed.  Add to that depreciation the fact that others are out to take what is ours and you have a very insecure situation in regard to physical wealth.  The common way of storing treasures in the first century was not in a vault, but hidden in one’s house, the walls of which were often made of mud.  Thieves could literally dig through the wall to steal valuables.  The twenty-first century has seen the rise of thefts that are committed not with the display of a weapon or the use of physical force, but from behind a computer screen through the anonymity of the Internet.  The means have changed but the effects are the same: thieves will take what you have legitimately earned and saved.  In contrast, heavenly treasures are immune to corruption and secure from theft (Lk. 12:33-34; 1 Pet. 1:3-4).

All of us need a certain amount of earthly wealth to live.  If we are fortunate enough to avoid huge losses to what we have accumulated, there is still the danger of what wealth may do to our hearts.  It can easily enslave us (1 Tim. 6:9).  Our heart will be where our treasure is.  How sad is the life of one who places his only hope in this world.  If this life alone is all there is, then one’s efforts and investments will ultimately come to a tragic end.  We leave it all to someone else.  However, the prospect of a future life provides a hope for which the human heart yearns, especially in the moments of loss that are part of this life.  Jesus says to be only earthly-minded is foolish.  We must be forward-thinking enough to prepare for heaven.  Heaven will not be ours by default, but only after a life of proper preparation.  “No man ever went to heaven whose heart was not already there.”  There are tremendous joys and wonders that this life has to offer, but if we aim only for them we will come up short, wanting something more, something permanent.  Aim for earth and get nothing; aim for heaven and get its joys with what earth has to offer thrown in.

Am I investing in the life to come?  Does heaven occupy a prominent place in my heart?  Or do I have too much of this dying world in me?  Beware of banking in the wrong place.  You can come up very short when the bill comes due.

-Mark Day