God never promised His people an earthly life without tears.  While many prophets wept for God’s people, Jeremiah’s tears were so frequent that he is known as the “weeping prophet.”  Jeremiah grew tired and heartbroken over the sinful people he was trying to teach. He wished for a lodging in the wilderness where he could get away from it all (Jeremiah 9:1-2).  He became so discouraged that he decided to quit preaching (Jeremiah 20:7-9).  However, God’s word was in his heart like a fire burning in his bones so he would not quit.  Jeremiah suffered severe persecution for his continual stand for the truth; while the false prophets were lauded, he was thrown into a dungeon and sunk down into the mire (Jeremiah 38:6).  When we consider the march toward sinfulness of people of Judah, Jeremiah had much to weep over, but he also had much that could cause him to rejoice.

Psalm 126:5 says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”  While tears are shed because of pain, ironically they also provide healing for the soul.  Solomon said, “Sorrow is better than laughter; for by sadness of the countenance the heart is made better” (Ecclesiastes 7:3).  Jeremiah could look toward God who promises the faithful that He will wipe away all tears from their eyes (Revelation 21:4).  The captain of the Babylonian army when he attacked Jerusalem let Jeremiah go free (Jeremiah 39-40). While Jeremiah had to prophesy and then see the destruction of his own homeland (Jeremiah 44:2), he could look toward a better homeland in heaven (Hebrews 11:16).

While we can feel sorry for those who suffer various pains and persecutions as a result of living faithful Christian lives, we can also regard them as spiritually blessed.  Suffering causes people to desire heaven all the more.  It is not an easy lesson, but those lessons that are worth the most never are.  In this world we will have tribulation, but it is that tribulation that drives us to the one who can give us peace (John 16:33).  Suffering will drive us to our knees in prayer to God.  “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray” (James 5:13).  It will drive us to read the Bible that we might benefit from “the comfort of the scriptures” (Romans 15:4).

If you are suffering, read the words of Jeremiah and draw strength from them.  Let the suffering you are enduring heighten your desire to go to heaven.  It is a long, arduous lesson to learn that to die and be with God is “far better” (Philippians 1:23), but it is what God is trying to teach every one of us.      -Mark Day

Recently I have been profitably engaged in reading a book called “Life, Letters, and Sermons of T.B. Larimore, by Mrs. T.B. Larimore”. Theophilus Brown Larimore (1843-1929) was a Gospel preacher and founder of Mars Hill School near Florence, Alabama which operated for 17 years. There were many men who graduated as faithful Gospel preachers from the school.

It is fascinating to read of his life as well as a few of the sermons he preached. It is amazing the Bible a person can learn from the writings of faithful Gospel preachers even though they have long gone on to their reward (“he being dead yet speaketh”).

In “Life, Letters and Sermons” there are a series of four sermons based on Matthew 16:13-20 entitled “The Rock.” In the fourth lesson, he has this to say about the church:

“No human institution has had to endure a thousandth part as much opposition as this divine spiritual institution has had to endure; no human institution could have endured a thousandth part of what the church of God has endured…Kingdoms may be founded, may flourish and may fall; but the church of Christ can never fall, can never fail. Atheism may assail, infidelity may sneer, skepticism may smile, and anxious hearts may fear for the safety of Zion; but Zion stands secure, backed by the promise of the great I AM that it shall never be destroyed, the literal, living, abiding fulfillment of the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The sun may be blotted out, the moon cease to reflect light, the stars may fall from the withering vault of night, and the heavens be rolled up like a scroll, the wreck of matter and the crash of worlds may come and the judgment day be set; but, when the angel of the Lord shall descend on pinions dipped in the lovelight enveloping the throne of God, and, planting one foot upon the land and one upon the sea, shall declare by Him who plants his footsteps upon the sea and rides upon the storm, that time was, time is, but time shall be no more – even then the church of Christ shall stand, secure as the throne of God itself: for our Saviour promised long ago, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it;” and Jehovah hath declared “it shall never be destroyed;” and the Holy Spirit, by the pen of Isaiah, the prophet, says: “The word of our God shall stand forever.” pp. 130-131.

How true and oh, how much does the world need to be taught and the people of God reminded of this fact. In a world where we wonder is anything certain, is anything sure, is there anything we can rely on? We need to remember and proclaim to the world that God is certain (Malachi 3:6), Christ is certain (Hebrews 13:8), the Word of God is certain (Matthew 24:35) and the church of Christ is certain.

-Jerry D. Sturgill

What separates Christianity from most other religions is the fact that it is bound up in historical facts.  Christianity is not merely a moral code, nor merely a philosophy.  While it contains those elements, it is based on revelation through historical events.  The historical facts concerning Jesus of Nazareth form a basis of the Christian religion.  This is why the New Testament begins with the Gospel accounts of His life, death, and resurrection.

However, some doubt whether we can know anything for sure about the past since we cannot directly observe the past.  Events in the past have ceased.  All we have are the remains and memories that have been recorded for us.  We have plenty of recorded memories and enduring remains of the people and events that form the belief basis of Christianity.

Is it impossible for us to be certain of the historical events surrounding the earthly life of Jesus Christ because we were not eyewitnesses of these proceedings?  No.  A detective on the basis of evidence from eyewitnesses can reconstruct a crime and present the facts that an eyewitness himself knows to be correct.  The detective knows what really happened since he believes exactly what the eyewitness believes based on evidence.

How are we certain that the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln is a fact?  No one living witnessed the event, but there were witnesses.  None of the witnesses are physically alive to tell us what they saw, but that makes no difference.  The records they made of the event and the memories they passed on to others are just as viable as they would be if they were alive to tell us themselves.  We do not doubt that Lincoln’s assassination is historically factual because we have overwhelming evidence from eyewitnesses showing it to be true.

The opening paragraph of Luke’s gospel account (Lk. 1:1-4) reads:

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

Unlike Matthew and John, Luke was not an eyewitness to the happenings of the life of Jesus Christ; however, he “most surely believed” because eyewitness testimony had been delivered to him.  Many had attempted to gather and arrange all the memories regarding Jesus.  Luke, by inspiration, gives us an arrangement of the eyewitness accounts of Jesus.  Inspiration did not preclude Luke compiling evidence from many sources in writing his gospel account.  Luke knew the same facts that eyewitnesses did and believed because he appreciated the evidence. Further, Luke writes to “Theophilus” in order that he may “know the certainty of those things” that he had only previously received through oral reports. Thus, Theophilus, and all generations since who have access to Luke’s account, can know just as certainly as Luke and even as the eyewitnesses of what Jesus did.

Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again to give you hope of eternal life; many witnesses attest to these facts (1 Cor. 15:1-8).  Do you appreciate the evidence?

-Mark Day

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.  When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. John 2:19-21

Jesus promised that when His body was destroyed, He would raise it up.  The temple that Jesus raised in three days was His physical, resurrected body.  But that was not the only body He raised.  As a consequence of His death, burial and resurrection, His spiritual body of people was also set up: the church (Eph. 1:19-23).  The church is also called a temple in the Scriptures (Eph. 2:19-22).
The enemies of Christ thought a gruesome death on a cross would not only end the life of Jesus of Nazareth, but also crush His following.  They were enormously mistaken on both accounts.  Jesus was resurrected and His followers were emboldened to carry out His work (Acts 2:32).
As Christ’s body today, the church embodies the activities of Jesus’ ministry while He was a man on this earth.  The church is a saved people who imitate Christ their Lord in holy living and work (Acts 2:47; 1 Pet. 2:21-24).  “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-12).  The temporary positions of apostle and prophet, that were given while the entirety of truth was being revealed in the first century (Jn. 16:13; 1 Cor. 13:8-10), are ascribed to Jesus (Heb. 3:1; Acts 3:20-22). The positions that continue today also mirror the activities of our Lord.  Jesus was a preacher (Mk. 4:23), a teacher (Jn. 3:2), a pastor or shepherd (1 Pet. 2:25), and even a deacon (Mk. 10:45).  Those who occupy such positions in the Lord’s church today are to embody Jesus’ service in their respective areas.
As we have already mentioned, the church is also “an holy temple in the Lord” (Eph. 2:21).  As the temple, the Spirit of God dwells in His people (1 Cor. 3:16).  Jesus is the great High Priest (Heb. 8:1), who offered Himself as the once-for-all atoning sacrifice (Heb. 7:27; 9:26; 10:10).  Christians collectively form a spiritual priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5), offering up spiritual sacrifices (Heb. 13:15).  The church does this through singing (Col. 3:16-17), praying (1 Tim. 2:8), giving (2 Cor. 8:5, 9:7; Phil. 4:18), preaching (Acts 20:7), and sharing in the Lord’s supper (1 Cor. 10:16).  The church’s altar is in heaven where the worship is directed (Rev. 6:9; 8:3).
It is Christ who has raised this church (Mt. 16:18-19), purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:20), and serves as its foundation (1 Cor. 3:11).  The church, as His bride, wears His name and follows His will (Rom. 16:16; Eph. 5:23).  Let us always remember we are striving to be consistent with what the Lord says in His last will and testament as we function as His body and temple (Heb. 9:15).

-Mark Day

Jude wrote in verse 3 of his epistle, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude changed the subject of the epistle. False teachers, who are described beginning in verse 4, were creeping into the church and trying to persuade Christians to believe a false, compromising message rather than the true message of Christ. What initially was to be a treatise on the common salvation was changed to an encouragement to strive for the faith because of the threat of this false teaching. Preachers and teachers may have plans for what they will address, but because of more pressing needs may need to change their subject in order to protect the body of Christ.

Jude encouraged Christians to contend earnestly for the faith. We may strive about politics, how our business is conducted, how we spend our money, or any number of subjects, but one subject that ought to be at the forefront of our efforts is the faith. In Jude 3, “the faith” refers not to one’s personal conviction, but rather to the system of faith, the body of truth that is revealed in the New Testament: the Gospel. It is used this way in other verses such as, Acts 6:7, where “a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith,” and Galatians 1:23, where Paul describes how some heard that he preached “the faith which once he destroyed.”

It is the Gospel that God uses to save people; the devil makes all sorts of attacks against the faith because of its saving power (Rom. 1:16). Many people seem to think Christianity is exclusively enjoying the blessings of being in Christ without having to struggle or strive for anything. While we ought to rejoice in our blessings as Christians (Phil. 4:4), we must also fervently fight for the faith because many would change the Gospel into a different message that cannot save (Gal. 1:6-9; 1 John 4:1). Jude 3 is a call to arms, not just to preachers or elders, but to every single Christian. While contending earnestly for the faith can be done in a public forum such as a debate, it certainly is not limited to such. Contending for the faith occurs when a Christian goes to the workplace and stands for God’s word amidst co-workers who are in misbelief or unbelief. It occurs when a Christian wife has an unbelieving husband but stands for biblical principles when he tries to go against them. When parents explain the scriptural reasons why they will not allow their children to act, dress, or attend an event that would identify them with the world rather than with Christ, that is contending for the faith.

The faith was “once delivered” to the saints. “Once” is not used in the sense of “once, twice, etc.,” but rather conclusively as some versions translate it “once for all” (NKJV). The word in the original translated “once” is the same word found in 1 Peter 3:18, where Christ “once suffered for sins,” indicating once for all time. Jesus will not and does not need to suffer the agony of the cross many times over; His death on the cross is a sufficient payment once for all time for all who will be saved (Heb. 5:9; 9:26). The Gospel was given once and for all to the first-century prophets and apostles (Eph. 3:5). It is the only saving message until the end (2 Thess. 1:8). Will you defend it?

-Mark Day