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Sunday, November 17, 2013

PREACH THE WORD, NOT YOUR DREAMS

The Christian church was birthed into the world preaching and proclaiming the Word of the Lord. In Jesus of Nazareth- they claimed- the Jewish Scriptures had been fulfilled. Just read carefully through Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost. His whole sermon was extracted from the promises of the Old Testament.

That’s the way God planned things to be. In the pulpit only one thing was worthy of being preached, namely, the Word of God. Even in the midst of a wondrous outpouring of tongues and miracles, Peter put the emphasis on biblical exposition. His concern was what the Scriptures had to say.

This divine pattern should set off alarm bells ringing in our head every time some preacher gets up into the pulpit to speak about his dreams, his visions, his (miraculous) gifts or the voices he’s been hearing from  angels. The pulpit doesn't exist for us to proclaim our dreams. It is there to put all the spotlight on the precious Word of God. Don’t get me wrong- I’m elated for every child of God who has had unforgettable spiritual experiences (I've had some too)- but the pulpit is a house built upon the solid rock of the Bible.

Over the years I've heard guys preaching whole messages about how they visited hell and saw great visions of how the devil was punishing everyone there with a big whip. That’s just a load of nonsense! The Bible says the devil goes to hell to suffer eternally not to beat up others. If you’ve ever had a vision or ‘word from the Lord’ that doesn't line up with Scripture, you are to reject it on the spot. And never in a million years should you make it the topic of your sermon.

In an age of ever growing mysticism and a non-biblical spirituality, we need preachers who will not shun to proclaim the whole counsel of God. That’s right. We need folk who will just put their finger on the Bible and preach what is written there, expounding verse by verse the blessed Book of God.

So let’s get back to the real Christian way- the Word of God way! Preach the Word in season and out. And if you honor God’s teaching, God will honor you…

Amazing Grace


THE MOST MISQUOTED VERSE IN ALL THE BIBLE

If you were to ask me which Bible verse I considered to be the most widely misquoted, I would unhesitatingly answer, Matthew 7:1. What does it say? “Judge not lest you be judged!”

Too many folk quote this verse off by heart without understanding anything of its original meaning. Why did Jesus say this? Does being a disciple of the Lord really mean that you are not allowed to think for yourself and judge spiritual judgment? It would help a lot if we read the context of the verse in question, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with whatever judgment you judge, you shall be judged; and with whatever measure you measure, it shall be measured to you again. And why do you behold the mote that is in your brother’s eye but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, “Let me pull out the mote from your eye”; and behold, a beam is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the beam of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast the mote out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).

Once we read the passage in its entirety, then the expression, “Judge not lest you be judged” doesn't seem too difficult to understand. What Jesus was hitting out against was a spirit that condemns others for faults and sins in which the accuser himself (or herself) was guilty of. If you live a secret life of sin and iniquity, who are you to dare to speak out against anyone else’s sin in public? That is the height of hypocrisy! Once you've got rid of the beams from your eye, then you can judge righteous judgment (as John 7:24 commands) and discern by the Spirit of the Lord.

The great problem with misquoting this verse is that we are very subtly doing away with any form of judgment in the Christian faith; a very anti-biblical idea. Jesus spoke these words, but remember that He Himself is the Almighty Judge (1 Peter 4:5) who will send His angels to cast apostates into everlasting hell-fire. His ferocious words directed against the Pharisees and religious elite of first-century Palestine were undeniably judgmental (just like the words of all the Old Testament prophets). He said if you don’t repent of your sins, then you will perish. Now that’s not a very ‘loving’ message according to our new brand of user-friendly faith; but it doesn't matter what a smooth-as-butter religious organization says, it’s the Word of God that counts. Your eternal destiny depends upon the Lord; not tongue-twisting and manipulative man-made ministry. I've watched so-called evangelical preachers giving television interviews afraid of affirming dogmatically that Jesus Christ is the only Way of salvation. They've wrought more evil than good thanks to their lack of biblical judgment.

If judgment is forbidden to saints, then who was Paul to judge the case of incest at Corinth (1 Corinthians 5)? Who gave Peter the right to accuse Ananias and Sapphira of lying (Acts 5)?  The man of God Chrysostom wrote that we are to correct one another, but not as an enemy seeking revenge, rather as a doctor looking to heal. The right spirit must possess our judgment.  We judge according to the Scriptural standard and, by doing this, we are spared from deception and obey the mandate of God. We judge to obey God; not to defame rebels.

Let’s translate all this into a practical example: a man in your church pulpit is preaching heretical doctrine. Suppose he says (like many reprobates do today), “God is not a Triune God; there is no personal distinction in the Godhead. Forget all about the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,” or maybe, “Jesus Christ is not God manifest in the flesh,” how do you respond? Do you just sit back and say, “Oh well, I’ll not do anything, after all, I’m not called to judge!”? Who would be so foolish as to allow the glory of God to be thus blasphemed? Would you let a girl be raped in front of your eyes and then say, “I didn't intervene because I didn't want to judge the situation. I’m too loving a person!”

God calls us to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). If you don’t test and judge according to the Word of God, then you are going to be deceived. In the latter day apostasy, many men are going to be handed over to strong delusions that they should believe a lie. Why? Paul answers, “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:12). That’s fierce language, but it only goes to show the pressing and urgent need for Biblical judging of all teachings and actions. Therefore, judging biblically, far from being a mere archaic concept that was only valid for previous generations, is the only assurance of our spiritual survival in these coming years ahead.

So let us correct those around us that constantly misquote Matthew 7:1. Jesus has not called you to take your brains out; He calls you to judge righteous judgment and to make sure that you are not caught up in the same falsehood and sin that you rebuke in others. That way we will avoid the danger of being judged for judging others.

Will Graham

Biblical Prophecy


This is the Book of Matthew Chapter 5:
1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Note: the Bible verse is taken from KJV

IF GOD EXISTS, WHY IS THERE SO MUCH EVIL IN THE WORLD?

You've all heard the famous argument against the existence of God that stems from the thinking of Pierre Bayle. He proposed that if God were all-powerful, He could eliminate all evil in the world. And if He were good, then He would desire to do so.

The objection, then, goes like this: since evil continues to exist in the world, there are four possibilities: 1) God is good but He is not all-powerful because He cannot destroy evil; or 2) God is all-powerful but He is not good because He does not want to destroy evil; or 3) God is not all-powerful and not good; or 4) God simply does not exist. Therefore, the God of biblical revelation dies. Or so Bayle would lead us to believe…

A closer analysis of Bayle’s argument reveals a few severe leakage points.


1.- Now doesn't mean forever.

Bayle’s argument depends upon the current presence of evil in the world. But Bayle- let’s not forget- was writing to us in the late seventeenth century. Yes, evil existed in the seventeenth century just as it exists in our days in the twenty-first century. Nevertheless, God has promised that all evil and evildoers will get their recompense in the not too distant future. The Lord promises us that justice will be done to all sinners and that evil will ultimately be dealt the death-blow when Jesus returns. Just because a turkey is alive and kicking now doesn't mean it won’t be slaughtered in the week leading up to Christmas. In the same way, evil may flap her ugly wings all around us; but her days are numbered. Evil must exist now. But that does not mean God won’t do something about it. The Christian can reply to Bayle: “God is all-powerful therefore He will defeat all evil. God is all-good therefore He desires to do so.” That answers possibilities 1, 2 and 3.

2.- Hey! Where does Bayle get his idea of evil from?

A subtler point is that Bayle uses an argument from evil to decry God. However if God doesn't exist, one would have to ask Mr Bayle where he gets his ethical concept of evil from. If God is dead then so are objective moral values. Good and evil no longer exist. There is no right and wrong. The notion of evil only makes sense in a universe where a moral Legislator exists. Therefore if God does not exist, then Bayle has no argument. It’s simple nonsense. In a quite ironical twist, Bayle actually needs the existence of God for his logic to make any sense. That answers possibility 4.

3.- Did Bayle ever hear speak of Jesus Christ (or Christians)?

And just to add on a little Christian flavour to the argument, one would have to ask Bayle if he’d ever heard of Jesus Christ who went about doing good and destroying the work of evil. The Son of God dedicated his life to denouncing sin and promoting the righteous values of the Kingdom of heaven. Ever since His death and resurrection, multitudes of believers have sought to do the same. Atheist Albert Camus once said we must either decide to join the doctors in fighting a plague or join the priests in refusing to fight against it. It’s just another false dichotomy. The Christian may very well fight the plague as a means of serving God’s cause in the world. Disciples of Jesus are by their very profession of faith anti-evil. Maybe Mr Bayle should have spent less time philosophizing and more time reading his New Testament.

Conclusion

So there you have it. God is all-powerful and all-good. And that is pretty bad news for evil. Jesus is the perfect incarnation of how God wants all Christians to respond to evil in the world. And He is the surety that evil will get its comeuppance in due time.