October 16-20

October 16, 2000

Nothing Lacking

So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Corinthians 1:7)

Last week, by God's grace I was able to get Touch of Faith Ministry's website up and running. As you can tell by now, I'm not a real writer. I basically throw words together the best way I can, trusting that God will infuse them with His power to the saving of souls.

I got back a few comments about the appearance and content and there where suggestions on how to improve the site. But my brother-in-law speared not. He faxed me nine pages of corrections. Now my sister, after hearing from him about the corrections decided to call me to apologize for his close attention to details. She said, "Please excuse Gene, he hasn't left his teaching days behind yet." But I told her I didn't mine, but I appreciated it greatly.

What was done, was a fulfillment of God's promise that we would come behind in no gift.

Now I'm not a writer, but God saw fit to send Gene, who is a wonderful editor to fine tune and correct and remove all things that might be a hindrance to someone else. He sent him to aid in the "perfecting of the saints." God is good all the time.

I welcomed the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, through Gene, as it was evidence of the unity that we can achieve in Christ. Remember, every believer receives a gift from God, and for one purpose only. Scripture says, "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 or building up of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).

I praise God for His goodness. I praise God for His wisdom. I praise God for He is worth to be praised.

Walk with the Lord today and be a blessing to someone else.

Maranatha - The Lord Is Coming!

10-17-00 (Updated 6-24-03)

Your Citizenship

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we

look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Philippians 3:20)

This past weekend I was teaching about living in Christ and being a child of God. Each time we made a step forward it seemed like someone would cause us to take many steps backwards. We kept struggling with the issue of culture. Some couldn't see that we were new creatures in Christ and adopted into the family of God, thereby children of God with the right to call Him Father. It became such a burden that I had to stop the class and use this very text.

I brought to their minds, that the Christian must constantly be aware of the fact that they are citizens of heaven. And that an attachment to heaven, should lead them to such a loyalty, that wherever they are they should conduct themselves in such a manner that it would bring honor and glory to this new country. Further, they must keep in mind the kind of lifestyle that will be lived in heaven, and should use it to serve as a guide in their life here on earth. The purity, humility, gentleness, and love they anticipate being in heaven should be lived out in our lives here below.

Our actions should disclose that we are citizens of heaven. Our associations with others should make heaven so attractive that it would bring them to the throne room of God.

Awake beloved, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth…Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."

The culture of the Christian then, is that of Christ and His Kingdom.

Walk with the Lord today and be a blessing to someone else.

Don't take my word for it, see for yourself: 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:6, Romans 8:15; Job 16:19; Hebrews 11:10; Matthew 5:16, Ephesians 5:8-14.

Maranatha - The Lord Is Coming!

October 18, 2000

We Need a King

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. (1 Samuel 8:4, 5)

Robert Grant, leader of Christian voice urged: "If Christians unite, we can do anything. We can pass any law or any amendment. And that's exactly what we intend to do." On nation-wide T.V. he declared: "we can do anything, we can amend the Constitution. We can elect a president. We can change or make any law in the land." Gulley, Norman: Is the Majority Moral?, (Washington: Review & Herald, Publishing. Assoc., 1981). p. 20.

Isn't this a familiar story, man running to devices of man for deliverance? Shouldn't we as Christians go straight to God? Isn't it God's plan for a new heaven and new earth where He would be Ruler?

When we look at all the corruption within politic and all the disasters that plaque our world we cannot help but see the end of all things. But we are not told to get into the fray but rather to "be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Peter 4:7).

Isn't it God's promise to bring an end to all things? But our "Spiritual" leaders want a king. They want their heaven on earth. They want the world to last forever. They want things to be at peace. But have they forgotten, "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

As Christians, trusting God also means excepting that He will come again, and that He will make a new heaven and new earth, and this world of ours, with its leaders will be brought to an utter end.

The True Witness speaks, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).

What will you do?

Walk with the Lord today and be a blessing to someone else.

Maranatha - The Lord Is Coming!

Friday, October 20, 2000

Resting or Wrestling?

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

(Matthew 11:28)

There is a story of two Buddhist monks walking back to their monastery after a drenching thunderstorm. They came to a stream that was swollen out of its banks. A beautiful young Japanese woman in a kimono stood there wanting to get to the other side but was afraid of the currents. One of the monks said, "Can I help you?"

The woman said, "I need to cross this stream."

The monk picked her up, put her on his shoulder, carried her through the water, and put her down on the other side. He and his companion went on to the monastery.

That night his companion said to him, "I have a bone to pick with you. As Buddhist monks, we have taken vows not to look on a woman, much less touch her body. At the river today you did both."

The first monk said, "My brother, I put that woman down on the other side of the river. You're still carrying her in your mind."

You see, even though the monks had sown a vow not to look on a woman, one surrendered his lust while the other did not. So when his brother handled the woman, his lust for her revealed itself.

When we come to the cross and lay our burdens down, do we take them back up again? Attempting to battle them within our own strength? Well, if we do, we are guaranteed to fail.

We do not have the power to wrestle with the devil, because he never tires and we do. Then when we are tired and weak the burdens that we have been wrestling with, shows themselves that they are still there.

When we surrender completely to Jesus, giving Him all of our cares and wows, we will find "rest unto our souls."

Walk with the Lord today and be a blessing to someone else.^TM

Maranatha - The Lord Is Coming!