What if my faith becomes illegal? by Gary Rose

This year is probably the most important one in my lifetime. There has been pandemic level sickness, riot in the streets of some of our major cities and an upcoming election that is of monumental importance for the whole country.

This picture asks a question that you may be forced to consider in the upcoming year; Will I follow Jesus if it becomes illegal to be a Christian? The answer “YES” is easy to say now, but what if the government seized your bank accounts, evicted you from your home, took away your children (because Christians do not have the right to teach them anything other than what the STATE says is correct). What if it becomes illegal for you to own a firearm and a mob is about to kill you, burn down your home or destroy your property? What if you are shunned by your “friends” and neighbors and openly ridiculed because of Jesus- WHAT THEN?

Think any part (or all) of the above is just not possible? Think again! Who would have ever thought that even the mere mention of God would no longer be allowed in schools and be banned from public places or in the government (the Democrats have done this in many of their committees). It has become almost commonplace for our children to be indoctrinated into atheism, socialism and radicalism. The Democrats have even booed the very name of God publicly in their 2016 convention.

So, WILL YOU or WILL YOU NOT follow Jesus? I can not answer that question for you – that is a decision only YOU CAN MAKE! What I do know is that suffering is not uncommon for those who do follow Jesus. Just look at the middle east region of our world and remember how many times within the past 7 years you have heard of Christians being beheaded and whole families murdered and their churches burned to the ground.

However, amid all the turmoil in the world and here in the U.S.A., there is HOPE, for the Bible says...

1 Peter 4 ( World English Bible )

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin;

2 that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

3 For we have spent enough of our past time doing the desire of the Gentiles, and having walked in lewdness, lusts, drunken binges, orgies, carousings, and abominable idolatries.

4 They think it is strange that you don’t run with them into the same excess of riot, blaspheming:

5 who will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

6 For to this end the Good News was preached even to the dead, that they might be judged indeed as men in the flesh, but live as to God in the spirit.

7 But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self- controlled, and sober in prayer.

8 And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins.

9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

10 As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms.

11 If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

12 Beloved, don’t be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you, to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you.

13 But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy.

14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed; because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.

15 For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evil doer, or a meddler in other men’s matters.

16 But if one of you suffers for being a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this matter.

17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins first with us, what will happen to those who don’t obey the Good News of God?

18 “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will happen to the ungodly and the sinner?”

19 Therefore let them also who suffer according to the will of God in doing good entrust their souls to him, as to a faithful Creator.

Jesus suffered and Christians in the U.S.A. may soon have to suffer as well. Be true to your calling as a Christian and endure whatever the future may hold for you.

REMEMBER

all human beings in this world will die,

but a faithful Christian will live forever with God in heaven!

Bible Reading for September 2 and 3 World English Bible

 

Bible Reading for September 2 and 3 

World  English  Bible

Sept. 2

Psalms 30-32

Psa 30:1 I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.

Psa 30:2 Yahweh my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me.

Psa 30:3 Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Psa 30:4 Sing praise to Yahweh, you saints of his. Give thanks to his holy name.

Psa 30:5 For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Psa 30:6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."

Psa 30:7 You, Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong; but when you hid your face, I was troubled.

Psa 30:8 I cried to you, Yahweh. To Yahweh I made supplication:

Psa 30:9 "What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?

Psa 30:10 Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me. Yahweh, be my helper."

Psa 30:11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,

Psa 30:12 To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent. Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Psa 31:1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed. Deliver me in your righteousness.

Psa 31:2 Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me.

Psa 31:3 For you are my rock and my fortress, therefore for your name's sake lead me and guide me.

Psa 31:4 Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for you are my stronghold.

Psa 31:5 Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth.

Psa 31:6 I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in Yahweh.

Psa 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your loving kindness, for you have seen my affliction. You have known my soul in adversities.

Psa 31:8 You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a large place.

Psa 31:9 Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief.

Psa 31:10 For my life is spent with sorrow, my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity. My bones are wasted away.

Psa 31:11 Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors, A fear to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me.

Psa 31:12 I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man. I am like broken pottery.

Psa 31:13 For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.

Psa 31:14 But I trust in you, Yahweh. I said, "You are my God."

Psa 31:15 My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

Psa 31:16 Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.

Psa 31:17 Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.

Psa 31:18 Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.

Psa 31:19 Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!

Psa 31:20 In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.

Psa 31:21 Praise be to Yahweh, for he has shown me his marvelous loving kindness in a strong city.

Psa 31:22 As for me, I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before your eyes." Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.

Psa 31:23 Oh love Yahweh, all you his saints! Yahweh preserves the faithful, and fully recompenses him who behaves arrogantly.

Psa 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in Yahweh.

Psa 32:1 Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Psa 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn't impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Psa 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

Psa 32:4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah.

Psa 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

Psa 32:6 For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him.

Psa 32:7 You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Psa 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.

Psa 32:9 Don't be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding, who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you.

Psa 32:10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in Yahweh.

Psa 32:11 Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!

Sept. 3

Psalms 33-35

Psa 33:1 Rejoice in Yahweh, you righteous! Praise is fitting for the upright.

Psa 33:2 Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.

Psa 33:3 Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with a shout of joy!

Psa 33:4 For the word of Yahweh is right. All his work is done in faithfulness.

Psa 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the loving kindness of Yahweh.

Psa 33:6 By Yahweh's word, the heavens were made; all their army by the breath of his mouth.

Psa 33:7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses.

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear Yahweh. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psa 33:9 For he spoke, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood firm.

Psa 33:10 Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.

Psa 33:11 The counsel of Yahweh stands fast forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Psa 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.

Psa 33:13 Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.

Psa 33:14 From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

Psa 33:15 he who fashions all of their hearts; and he considers all of their works.

Psa 33:16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

Psa 33:17 A horse is a vain thing for safety, neither does he deliver any by his great power.

Psa 33:18 Behold, Yahweh's eye is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his loving kindness;

Psa 33:19 to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine.

Psa 33:20 Our soul has waited for Yahweh. He is our help and our shield.

Psa 33:21 For our heart rejoices in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.

Psa 33:22 Let your loving kindness be on us, Yahweh, since we have hoped in you.

Psa 34:1 I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.

Psa 34:2 My soul shall boast in Yahweh. The humble shall hear of it, and be glad.

Psa 34:3 Oh magnify Yahweh with me. Let us exalt his name together.

Psa 34:4 I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Psa 34:5 They looked to him, and were radiant. Their faces shall never be covered with shame.

Psa 34:6 This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

Psa 34:7 The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Psa 34:8 Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Psa 34:9 Oh fear Yahweh, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him.

Psa 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing.

Psa 34:11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.

Psa 34:12 Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?

Psa 34:13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.

Psa 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good. seek peace, and pursue it.

Psa 34:15 Yahweh's eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.

Psa 34:16 Yahweh's face is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Psa 34:17 The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psa 34:18 Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

Psa 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.

Psa 34:20 He protects all of his bones. Not one of them is broken.

Psa 34:21 Evil shall kill the wicked. Those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

Psa 34:22 Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned.

Psa 35:1 Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me.

Psa 35:2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.

Psa 35:3 Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, "I am your salvation."

Psa 35:4 Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.

Psa 35:5 Let them be as chaff before the wind, Yahweh's angel driving them on.

Psa 35:6 Let their way be dark and slippery, Yahweh's angel pursuing them.

Psa 35:7 For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me. Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.

Psa 35:8 Let destruction come on him unawares. Let his net that he has hidden catch himself. Let him fall into that destruction.

Psa 35:9 My soul shall be joyful in Yahweh. It shall rejoice in his salvation.

Psa 35:10 All my bones shall say, "Yahweh, who is like you, who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?"

Psa 35:11 Unrighteous witnesses rise up. They ask me about things that I don't know about.

Psa 35:12 They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul.

Psa 35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom.

Psa 35:14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother. I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.

Psa 35:15 But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together. The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn't know it. They tore at me, and didn't cease.

Psa 35:16 Like the profane mockers in feasts, they gnashed their teeth at me.

Psa 35:17 Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions.

Psa 35:18 I will give you thanks in the great assembly. I will praise you among many people.

Psa 35:19 Don't let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes.

Psa 35:20 For they don't speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

Psa 35:21 Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, "Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!"

Psa 35:22 You have seen it, Yahweh. Don't keep silent. Lord, don't be far from me.

Psa 35:23 Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God! My Lord, contend for me!

Psa 35:24 Vindicate me, Yahweh my God, according to your righteousness. Don't let them gloat over me.

Psa 35:25 Don't let them say in their heart, "Aha! That's the way we want it!" Don't let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"

Psa 35:26 Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.

Psa 35:27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause. Yes, let them say continually, "Yahweh be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!"

Psa 35:28 My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long. 

 

Sept. 2

Romans 14

Rom 14:1 Now accept one who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions.

Rom 14:2 One man has faith to eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Rom 14:3 Don't let him who eats despise him who doesn't eat. Don't let him who doesn't eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him.

Rom 14:4 Who are you who judge another's servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand.

Rom 14:5 One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.

Rom 14:6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks. He who doesn't eat, to the Lord he doesn't eat, and gives God thanks.

Rom 14:7 For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself.

Rom 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If therefore we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Rom 14:9 For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Rom 14:10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Rom 14:11 For it is written, " 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'to me every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess to God.' "

Rom 14:12 So then each one of us will give account of himself to God.

Rom 14:13 Therefore let's not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way, or an occasion for falling.

Rom 14:14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Rom 14:15 Yet if because of food your brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Don't destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.

Rom 14:16 Then don't let your good be slandered,

Rom 14:17 for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Rom 14:18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Rom 14:19 So then, let us follow after things which make for peace, and things by which we may build one another up.

Rom 14:20 Don't overthrow God's work for food's sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.

Rom 14:21 It is good to not eat meat, drink wine, nor do anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak.

Rom 14:22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who doesn't judge himself in that which he approves.

Rom 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it isn't of faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin.

Sept. 3

Romans 15

Rom 15:1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Rom 15:2 Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, to be building him up.

Rom 15:3 For even Christ didn't please himself. But, as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."

Rom 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through patience and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Rom 15:5 Now the God of patience and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus,

Rom 15:6 that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 15:7 Therefore accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you, to the glory of God.

Rom 15:8 Now I say that Christ has been made a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God, that he might confirm the promises given to the fathers,

Rom 15:9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore will I give praise to you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name."

Rom 15:10 Again he says, "Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people."

Rom 15:11 Again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all the peoples praise him."

Rom 15:12 Again, Isaiah says, "There will be the root of Jesse, he who arises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will hope."

Rom 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Rom 15:14 I myself am also persuaded about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish others.

Rom 15:15 But I write the more boldly to you in part, as reminding you, because of the grace that was given to me by God,

Rom 15:16 that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Rom 15:17 I have therefore my boasting in Christ Jesus in things pertaining to God.

Rom 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any things except those which Christ worked through me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and deed,

Rom 15:19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of God's Spirit; so that from Jerusalem, and around as far as to Illyricum, I have fully preached the Good News of Christ;

Rom 15:20 yes, making it my aim to preach the Good News, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build on another's foundation.

Rom 15:21 But, as it is written, "They will see, to whom no news of him came. They who haven't heard will understand."

Rom 15:22 Therefore also I was hindered these many times from coming to you,

Rom 15:23 but now, no longer having any place in these regions, and having these many years a longing to come to you,

Rom 15:24 whenever I journey to Spain, I will come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while.

Rom 15:25 But now, I say, I am going to Jerusalem, serving the saints.

Rom 15:26 For it has been the good pleasure of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are at Jerusalem.

Rom 15:27 Yes, it has been their good pleasure, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, they owe it to them also to serve them in fleshly things.

Rom 15:28 When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by way of you to Spain.

Rom 15:29 I know that, when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of the Good News of Christ.

Rom 15:30 Now I beg you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,

Rom 15:31 that I may be delivered from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints;

Rom 15:32 that I may come to you in joy through the will of God, and together with you, find rest.

Rom 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

I Will Build My Church by J.C. Bailey

 

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Bailey/John/Carlos/1903/Articles/iwillbui.html
 

I Will Build My Church

This, my friends, is the statement of the Saviour in Matthew 16:18. In this article we intend to ask, and with the Scriptures answer, certain questions.

God is a God of order, plan and design. In the working of nature, we see this amply demonstrated. "Let everything produce after its kind" was and is a fundamental law. By miracle He created the first oak tree but from that time forward the acorn produces the oak and the oak produces the acorn. The maple produces after its kind, and so with all nature. Man was given dominion (Genesis 1:26). He may produce different varieties within a class, but he cannot set aside God's law of reproduction.

David said, "The heavens declare the glory of God." So perfect is His system that man as he studies can foretell to the very minute when there will be an eclipse.

The God who thus controls the universe also has a fixed purpose in regard to the church. We ask the question and propose to answer it from the New Testament: What is God's purpose in regard to the church?

We shall begin our study in Ephesians 2:11-21. We find under the old law that there was a partition between the Jew and the Gentile. The Israelites were God's chosen people. The Gentiles were strangers, separate from Christ, without God and having no hope. In Christ Jesus we have been made near by His blood. Christ broke down the partition (law of commandments) on the cross, and in one body He proposed to reconcile both (Jew and Gentile) to God. In Ephesians 1:22, 23 we learn that the body of Christ is the church. So God's law is that all men are to be reconciled to Him in the body (church) of Christ. Denominations do not exist in the divine plan of God.

"Mark them that are causing divisions" (Romans 16:17). Christ died for the purpose of reconciling the world in one body (church). Man has set up human institutions. Are you a member of the body of Christ or of a man-made body? Christ purchased the church with His blood. He did not purchase a denomination. Jesus gave himself for the church (Ephesians 5:25). Christ is the head of the church as the husband is the head of the wife (Ephesians 5:23). The church is one body (not many bodies as some teach). There is no scripture that intimates that these various denominations are part of the body of Christ. Quite the reverse is true. These denominational churches are independent bodies (not a part of the body). They are additions to God' plan. Read God's condemnation in II John 9.

The apostles tell us further, the two shall become one flesh, and he said he speaks of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31, 32). Are you trusting in God's law or do you think that God is going to sanction and endorse spiritual adultery by adding or joining many bodies to Christ? God forbid.

It is God's purpose that through the church the manifold wisdom of God is to be made known. Man regards this command (Ephesians 3:10, 11) with indifference. Are you trusting in God or man? Is it not time that all human dross were removed from our religion and we proclaimed only the wisdom of God? Peter says (I Peter 4:11), "If any man speaketh, speaking as the oracles of God...." When men speak only as the oracles of God, then all human institutions will cease to be and human societies will no longer encumber the work of Christ. The church will shine in all its beauty as the bride of Christ.

The next Scripture we wish to consider bears out much of what we have already adduced. "Unto him be the glory in the church and in Jesus Christ unto all generations forever and ever. Amen" (Ephesians 3:21). Are we obeying God's law or are we following man? Are you hoping God will set aside His law and accept your disobedience? Read Hebrews 10:28, 29; Hebrews 2:1- 4.

One more passage as to God's purpose in the church. It is the pillar and ground of the truth (I Timothy 3:15). Pilate asked the question, "What is truth?" but didn't wait for an answer. Jesus said in His prayer to His Father, "Thy word is truth." The church, therefore, is the pillar and ground of the Word of God.

How did Christ build his church? What is the foundation? It was to be a rock. The foundation is Christ (I Corinthians 3:11). The rock is Christ (I Corinthians 3:10). On Pentecost this fact is proclaimed (Acts 2:36). We are added as living stones (I Peter 2:5). Those who believe, repent, and are baptized are added to the body of Christ (see Acts 2:38, 41, 47). Acts 18:8 tells us that the Corinthians heard, believed, and were baptized. They thus are named the church of God (I Corinthians 1:2). We are baptized into one body (I Corinthians 1:13). He cleansed and sanctified (set apart) the church by the washing of water with the word (Ephesians 5:26).

Where are the records? The church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven (Hebrews 12:23). Are your name and mine written there?
Is my name written there
On the page white and fair?
In the book of thy kingdom
Is my name written there?

J. C. Bailey, 1936, Ogema, Saskatchewan

This article was published in the first issue of The Gospel Herald, March 1936.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

MILLIONAIRE PREACHERS? by steve finnell

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2017/02/millionaire-preachers-by-steve-finnell.html

MILLIONAIRE PREACHERS? by steve finnell

It is not uncommon for today's teachers and preacher to become multimillionaires. Does that raise a red flag?

How many millions did the apostle Paul receive from the 13 letters (books) he wrote in the New testament? He received, not one penny. He made tents, (Acts 18-1-3....3So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation the were tentmakers.) NKJV

How many personal jets did the apostle Paul have? That would zero. How many million dollar estates did Paul own? That is correct, none.

How much money did Paul receive for baptizing babies or teaching a class on infant baptism? Not one dime, because he did not baptize infants.

Yes, it is Scripturally correct to make a living preaching the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.) NKJV)

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

1 Timothy 3:2-3 A bishop....3 not greedy for money....(NKJV)

1 Timothy 6:9-10 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and many into foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition...........10 (NKJV)

I cannot name one multimillionaire preacher who preaches the same gospel as Paul and the rest of the apostles. If you are honest, neither can you.

The Power of a Vision by Ken Weliever

 https://thepreachersword.com/2020/05/21/the-power-of-a-vision/#more-16350

 The Power of a Vision

“A blind man’s world is bounded by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world by the limits of his knowledge: a great man’s world by the limits of his vision,” observed author and minister, E. Paul Hovey

Or as expressed by the often quoted author anonymous, “We are limited not by our abilities but by our vision.”

Today’s Bible reading from Acts 26 speaks to the power of a vision and illustrates our theme for this year “20/20 Vision: Restoring Our Focus.”

For the third time, Luke records Saul’s encounter with Christ on the Damascus road. We learn of his vision that ultimately led to his conversion and his new mission in life. As Paul explains his change to King Agrippa he says, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Ax 26:19).

Although Saul’s vision had an obvious miraculous component, and our vision comes from other means, there are several parallels that remind us of the power and potential of vision. The vision that inspires us to a noble purpose in life. A vision that is fortified by faith. Reinforced by hope. And pursued with passion.

Stopped by a Vision

Saul was stopped in his tracks by this heavenly vision. He saw both his position in God’s eyes and his future potential.

Saul saw that he was a blasphemer and sinner in the eyes of God. However he was exposed to his potential. What a drastic change from a sinner to a saint. From a Jew to a Christian. From a Pharisee to a Disciple. From a persecutor to a preacher.

When we see God’s vision for our lives through his revealed Word, we see ourselves as God sees us and as we really are. But we also see what He wants us to be. Who He wants us to be. How He wants us to live. And what we can become. We realize that our spiritual potential is more than we can ask or think through his power (Eph. 3:20-21).

Sent by a Vision

Saul who became the apostle Paul was sent on a mission that was the farthest thing from his mind. To be an apostle to the Gentiles. Fulfilling that vision through his missionary travels, powerful preaching, and inspiring epistles has changed countless lives.

To accomplish our spiritual goals and achieve our God-given potential for His Kingdom, we must realize we are sent with a divine purpose. Our ministry is not of human origin. Or to be directed by carnal means. Or motived by fleshly desires. It is heaven sent.

Strengthened by a Vision

Paul’s vision enabled him to endure hardships. Overcome opposition. Withstand persecution. And rise above physical impediments. (2 Cor. 11:12-33). Paul learned that God’s grace was sufficient to empower him. That Divine strength could be perfected even in His weaknesses. Thus, he could confidently affirm:

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)

Likewise, God will provide for us strength to accept our calling, meet any challenge, and overcome any hardship, handicap, hindrance, or hurdle we encounter.

Stretched by a Vision

Paul’s vision stretched him to forget the past, reach forward to the future and “press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-15).

Preachers, pastors, churches and all Christians can do more than they previously thought possible (Eph 3:20-21), when they allow themselves to be stretched by spiritual goals, divine incentives, and heavenly rewards.

Satisfaction from the Vision 

At the end of His life, Paul could find contentment and satisfaction in the fulfillment of his life’s mission. He reflected, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2Tim. 4:7).

John Maxwell, from whom I’ve derived the seed thoughts for this post, observed that truly happy people are people of vision. Who dream and give themselves to something bigger than themselves. In something for which they can lose their lives and find purpose to rise above their problems.

Isn’t there something bigger in your life than just watching TV?  Or planning an annual vacation? Or enjoying a hobby? Or pursuing your personal pleasure? Or waiting for retirement?

Get a glimpse of God’s vision for your life. It will change who you are. How you live. And where you will spend eternity.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

The Bible and Female Leadership by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

 

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=3656
 

The Bible and Female Leadership

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

Amid the polarization that plagues American civilization in general, and Christendom in particular, one chasm continues to widen between those who wish to conform to Bible protocol and those who wish to modernize, update, adjust, and adapt Scripture to secular society. The cry of those who are pressing the feminist agenda is that the church in the past has restricted women in roles of leadership and worship simply because of culture and flawed hermeneutical principles. They say we are the product of a male-dominated society and have consequently misconstrued the contextual meaning of the relevant biblical passages. As attitudes soften and biblical conviction weakens, Scripture is being reinterpreted to allow for expanded roles for women in worship. At least some of this propensity for compromise is due to the skeptic’s insistence that God, the Bible, and Christians suffer from misogyny.

The central passage in the New Testament that indicates gender role in the home is Ephesians 5:22-33. The premier passage that treats gender roles in worship is 1 Timothy 2:8-15. Both passages indicate that men, i.e., adult males (andras), are to be holy, spiritual leaders in the home and in worship, while women are admonished to be modest and unassuming, and to fulfill the critical responsibilities assigned to them by God. What conceivable reason would the inspired writer (Paul) have for placing any limitations on either men or women? Was his concern prompted by the culture of that day? Was Paul merely accommodating an unenlightened, hostile environment, or asserting his own chauvinistic tendencies? The Holy Spirit gave the reason for the limitations, and that reason transcends all culture and all locales. Paul stated that men are to be kind, loving, nurturing leaders, and women are to submit to that leadership in the home and the church, because Adam was created before Eve. Here is the heart and core of God’s will concerning how men and women are to function and interrelate.

God’s original design for the human race entailed the creation of the male first as an indication of the man’s responsibility to be the spiritual leader of the home and the church. That is his functional purpose. Woman, on the other hand, was specifically designed and created for the purpose of being a subordinate (though not inferior) assistant. This feature of Creation explains why God gave spiritual teaching to Adam before Eve was created, implying that Adam had the created responsibility to teach his wife (Genesis 2:15-17). It explains why the female is twice stated to have been created to be “an help meet for him,” i.e., a helper suitable for the man (Genesis 2:18,20, emp. added). This explains why the Genesis text clearly indicates that in a unique sense, the woman was created for the man—not vice versa. It explains why God brought the woman “to the man” (Genesis 2:22)—not vice versa—again, as if she was made “for him.” Adam confirmed this understanding by stating “the woman whom You gave to be with me” (Genesis 3:12, emp. added). It explains why Paul argued on the basis of this very distinction: “Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man” (1 Corinthians 11:9, emp. added). It further clarifies the implied authority of the man over the women in his act of naming the woman (Genesis 2:23; 3:20). The Jews understood this divinely designed order, evidenced by the practice of primogeniture (“firstborn” male). God’s creation of the man first was specifically intended to communicate the authority/submission principle for ordering the human race (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:8). Indeed, the evolutionists, skeptics, atheists, feminists, and theological liberals who disdain this reality are faced with the stubborn reality that gender distinction is inherently built into the created order via a host of clear cut emotional, psychological, and physiological differences between men and women—from chromosomes, to life span and muscle strength (cf. Jacobsen, 2007). Paul pinpoints perhaps the most prominent and distinguishing feature: the ability of females to bear children (1 Timothy 2:15).

Bible teaching on difference in role in no way implies a difference in worth, value, or ability. Galatians 3:28 (“neither male nor female”), 1 Timothy 2:15 (“she shall be saved”), and 1 Peter 3:7 (“heirs together of the grace of life”) all show that males and females are equals as far as their person and salvation status is concerned. Women are often superior to men in talent, intellect, and ability. Women are not inferior to men anymore than Christ the Son is inferior to God the Father, citizens are inferior to the President, or students are inferior to teachers. The role of women in the home and in the church is not a matter of control, power, or oppression. It is a matter of submission on the part of all human beings to the will of God. It is a matter of willingness on the part of God’s creatures, male and female, to subordinate themselves to the divine arrangement regarding the sexes. The biblical differentiation is purely a matter of function, assigned tasks, and sphere of responsibility. The tragic mistreatment of women through the centuries in countries and cultures around the world by men who have abused and misused their authority in no way discredits the biblical principle.

A massive restructuring of values and reorientation of moral and spiritual standards has been taking place in American culture for over 50 years now. The dismantling of scriptural gender differentiation is one facet of this multifaceted effacement and erosion of biblical values. Virtually every sphere of American culture has been impacted. To the extent that God’s will for the proper functioning of the human race deteriorates, to that extent we will continue to see the unraveling of America’s foundational values and increasing social confusion and disorientation.

Many talented, godly women possess abilities and talents that would enable them to surpass many of the male worship leaders functioning in the church today. However, the Bible stands as an unalterable, eternal declaration of God’s will on the matter. By those words we will be judged (John 12:48). May all people bow humbly and submissively before the God of Heaven in conformity to His perfect will for people.

Reference

Jacobsen, Joyce (2007), The Economics of Gender (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing), third edition.