Faith

When God Has Spoken

Posted on by Jesse Walker

Have you ever been lied to by someone you trusted? By even someone in a leadership position in the church. In 1 Kings 13 there is a young prophet who was lied to by an old prophet. The young prophet is told to go to Bethel and proclaim that Josiah, the son of David, will one day sacrifice their false prophets on this altar.  And the young prophet did this very bravely. In fact, when King Jeroboam stretched out his hand to have him seized, his arm became shriveled up. When asked by the king, the young prophet prayed to God, and his hand was restored. Thus, the King invited him to his house to eat and drink and to give him a gift. But the young prophet refuses to go. In 1 Kings 13:9, he reveals why he would not go. “For I was commanded by the word of the Lord,” You mut not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.”

As the events of this day roll on, there is an old prophet who lies or misleads the young prophet. He tells him he was told by an angel to invite him to his house to eat bread and drink water with him. Weather the old prophet lied or heard from an angel we do not know. He may have heard from a deceiving angle. For in 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 were told that Satan and his messengers can appear as angels of light.

There are several reasons I suppose that the younger prophet believed the older prophet. He may have respected the old prophet because he said he heard from an angel. He may have just respected him because he was older. He may have been physically tiered and hungry. So, what are we to learn from this story?

First, we must always remember to never turn back from the work of God. When God has told you to do something. We are to carry that out without letting others sidetrack us. This young prophet received a word from God directly. He should have listened to God and not a man. Today, we get our word primarily from the bible. And we are to be faithful to it. And not to let others lead us astray. Obedience is key in the life of a believer. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

Secondly, we are to test every spirit. Just because someone says they are a preacher, a teacher, or a prophet, check out what they say. Make sure it aligns with God’s word. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a Christian. Not everyone who is in a leadership role is faithful. Matthew 7:15-23 warns all believers to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” This young prophet may not have been a good fruit inspector.

Thirdly, no one is above the law. The evil, disobedient King Jeroboam will be judged, and the prophet of God will be judged. Disobedience has its own reward. According to Romans 14:12, “Each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Your position, or title will not save you. In fact, those who are trusted with greater responsibility will be held to a higher standard. Luke 12:48 says, “To whom much is given, much will be required.”

Fourthly, when you are facing a tough decision. Always consult with God. No where do we see the young prophet asking God what he should do. Matthew 24:4-5, “take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many”. We need to be people who always drop to our knees before we make a decision that can cost us our salvation. God will always provide a way for those who are truly seeking his advice.

Let us all learn to be a people that trust more in the word of God than we do in the many words of men.

Moving Mountains

Posted on by Jesse Walker

In Matthew 17:20, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” I have wondered for years just exactly how little is this kind of faith? I know the mustard seed is a tiny seed. But can a small amount of faith really move mountains? Can it be enough in the darkest moments of our lives? Can it keep us strong when we’re feeling so weak and vulnerable. When it seems we can’t even stand, can this tiny faith move mountains.

But I think I may have gained a little insight into this verse over the years. You see, it has little to do with us, and everything to with God. It’s God who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine according to Ephesians 3:20-21. It’s in our moments of crushing, that God turns our weakness into power. When we can no longer rely upon ourselves, or our strength, we must turn to God. And in that moment of mustard seed faith, He acts. He moves our mountains.

Yes, I believe that’s it. What we need is enough faith to trust in God. To turn it over to him even when our faith is as tiny as a mustard seed. When we have been crushed, we cry out to Abba Father. And our daddy hears our voice. And like our earthly father, He comes along side us to comfort us. There is a beautiful picture of this faith in the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus cried out Abba Father in Mark 13:36.  While sweating drops of blood, Jesus took what faith he had, and cried out to his Father. Daddy, help me, take this cup from me. But if not, your will be done. In a sense, Jesus says to his Father, give me the strength to finish what I have begun. And He did. You talk about moving mountains. That night mountains were moved. And when the deed was done the Sky darkened, and the earth stood still. The faith of a mustard seed conquered death.

It is God, that can move mountains with the spoken word. It is God that parted the sea so his people could walk across on dry ground. It is God that gave his only begotten Son so we wouldn’t have to face the sting of death. How do we move mountains with tiny faith? Like John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” We with our little faith, decrease, so God with his unlimited power can increase.

Do you have mountains in your life today that you need help with moving? Can I encourage you to take your crushing and allow God to turn it into power. Putting whatever little faith you have, into the hands of an Almighty God is the beginning of something big, like a mountain.

Stand Strong

Posted on by Jesse Walker

How long do you think a football player would last in a game today without a helmet or shoulder pads before getting injured?  My guess is not very long.

The same is true for a Christian who enters the game today without being properly dressed. You don’t have to do anything to enter this game. If you’re a child of God, the devil makes it his mission to seek you out and to defeat you.

So, what can you do to prevent him from succeeding?  I’m glad you asked. Like a football player you need proper equipment. In Ephesians 6:11-18 there are several things mentioned that can help us.

First, we must stand in the power of God’s might. We can never unplug from God. This is a supernatural battle, and we need supernatural power to defeat our enemy. We must put on all the armor of God. No single piece of equipment is going to win the battle for us. It will take everything God has given us to defeat the enemy. We fight with the truth. When Jesus was tempted, he fought back with the word of God when he said, “it is written”. We fight with righteousness. We have been redeemed. We are seen as righteous in the eyes of God. We are holy, a people separated unto God’s glory. Our faith shields us from the fiery darts of the devil. We know that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We fight with the Gospel of Peace. We have a peace that passes all understanding. We stay alert and we pray often.

Don’t be fooled, the devil seeks you every minute of every day, and you need the power of God to win this battle. You can never unplug from God. He is your power source. Suit up brothers and sisters, and stand.

A Wake Up Call

Posted on by Jesse Walker

What is the most difficult time you have had to face in your life?  Have you ever gone without food, clothing, or shelter?  Do you know what it means to have nothing?

In the book of Joel, Chapter 1 verses 1 -4, Joel tells the people of Judah that a great devastation is coming like never seen before.  This disaster is painted as a swarm of locusts that would eat everything in its path. There would be absolutely nothing left.

Why was God going to do this?  Because Judah had departed from God’s teaching. They had not obeyed his word. They had become a people who pretended to love God, while living immoral lives.

The call-in verse 5 of chapter 1 is to “wake up”.  Many need to hear this message today. All you need to do is look around and the moral decay of our country is all around us. Spiritual and physical death is rampant.  Sin is flaunted in the face of God. And guess what, Christians are not immune to this condition. When we push God out of our thinking, we replace him with something.  Everyone believes something. You are either serving God, or you are serving yourself.  The problem with most today, is I’m going to do what I want to do.

The problem with our world is not guns, it isn’t the shortage of food, it isn’t the shortage of homes. We have all the money we want for the things we want. We build bigger armies, bigger bombs, and bigger houses. The problem is the shortage of love. It’s the shortage of obedience to God.  John Stott once wrote regarding man’s sinful ways, is that the issue is  “Hardness of heart that moves to darkness of heart that moves to deadness that moves to recklessness that is unrestrained unhindered abandonment to sin.”  I’m afraid this sums up our society and our culture today.  We praise sin while we put down God.

What we need today in our land is a wakeup call.  We need God to send the locust to purge us of our sin. Yes, this does mean the innocent will suffer. Yes, it will be unbearable for many of us. But if it leads to a purging of sin, and a returning to God, will you pray for it? Or have you become comfortable living in a hard, dark hearted world? Repentance will only come with a “wake up” call.  It has always been that way.  From Genesis to Revelation. God send us a wakeup call.  And this is Jesse Walker with the Glenwood Church of Christ.

From Persecution to Easier Life

Posted on by Jesse Walker

The Christian church began under severe persecution. In Acts 8:1 Saul approved of the killing of Steven, and a great persecution broke out against the church and Christians were scattered. In context, the language reveals that Saul not only approved of it, but that he was glad about it. Now in Saul’s defense we should note that he went on later to become one of the greatest Apostle’s ever, if not the greatest. And he suffered severely for Christianity.

But back to persecution. Persecution of the Church lasted for hundreds of years. It wasn’t until the Roman Emperor Constantine I declared that Christianity was a legal religion in 313 A.D. in the Edict of Milan. While this didn’t stop all persecutions, it certainly paved the way to legalize Christianity and to change how Christians were treated in the Western world.

However, with this freedom came new questions. Now that Christianity was seen as a legal religion, what would the Church look like? Now that they were no longer considered criminals, and were free to live more openly, how would they manage that freedom? Would they remain firm in their faith? Or would this freedom lead them astray? Could it be that those who had stood before tortures and before beasts would now give way to the temptations of an easy life and of social prestige?

I wonder as I sit in my house, with the heat running this cool Arkansas morning, If I’ve given way to the easier life. No, I don’t want to go back to the days of persecution. No, I don’t want to live without electricity. But I can’t help but wonder how the freedoms I have today have maybe gotten in my way of being what God has called me to be.

Do you find yourself giving in to the easy life? Have you become too busy to worship God? Do you get sidetracked easily? Jesus said remember, if the world hated me it will hate you as well, for a servant is not greater than his master. Can I challenge you this morning, to ask yourself, has the easy life affected your walk with God? This is Jesse Walker with the Glenwood Church of Christ.

Set Free

Posted on by Jesse Walker

Tommy was a high school jock. He broke all his high school records. He scored more points than anyone else had ever done. Tommy was on top of the world until one night he was arrested for selling drugs. Tommy had become addicted to prescription drugs, due to his sports injuries. He lost his scholarship and found himself all alone. His dreams of playing professional sports faded away. He became suicidal, depression ruled the day. He had been in and out of rehabilitation centers.

One day Tommy reached out for help. In doing so he found God. He was able to confess his sins. And with this confession came release. He was no longer held prisoner by his past. Like Tommy, many of us have done things in our past that hold us captive. We can’t find a way to forgive ourselves. Maybe we walked out on a marriage. Maybe we’ve abandoned our children. Maybe we’ve committed a serious crime.
But does this have to mean that we are without hope for the rest of our lives? In Isiah 59:1 we read, “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” In other words, God shouts an emphatic “NO”. My grace and mercy can cover your sins. But that’s not all there is. God’s grace not only covers our sins, but it also provides us the strength to continue with life.

It doesn’t matter if your sin is coveting, lying, stealing or murder. God’s promise makes no distinction when He says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18b). The truth is, no matter how horrible your sin is, how low we sink, God’s grace will always be greater. If God has said he has forgotten your sin, then believe Him and move on. Listen to the Apostle Paul when he said, “Forget what is behind you and press on toward what lies ahead.” That’s why the front window shield is larger than the rearview mirror.

Now that you know the liberating freedom that comes from confessing your sins and trusting in God. Can I ask you to help others who are struggling with their past sins. Will you pay it forward? This is Jesse Walker with the Glenwood Church of Christ.

The Ideal Congregation (Pt. 8)

Posted on by Bob Mathews

The ideal congregation understands and appreciates the biblical work of elders.  The apostle Paul said, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine” (1 Tim. 5:17).  This admonition will go unfulfilled if we fail to both understand and appreciate the work of our elders.

The biblical work of elders weighs heavily upon men holding such responsibility.  The innate nature of the responsibility requires the eldership to function as overseers (bishops, Acts 20:28).  As overseers, they watch and protect the flock under their charge as they exercise administrative oversight over the affairs of the local congregation.  This body of overseers also functions as shepherds (pastors, 1 Pet. 2:25).  As shepherds, they care for the general spiritual well-being of each and every soul under their charge.  Therefore, when a body of qualified elders fulfills their godly responsibility in a qualitative manner, they truly function as the presbytery  (1 Tim. 4:14) and are deserving respect for their maturity of experience as they function as an eldership.

Elders continually face challenges  which are weighty and consequential.  These men, though perhaps of great spiritual stature, have feet of clay and will on occasion disappoint even the best of us.  May we have the courage to firmly stand by their side, assisting them in addressing any challenge that may come their way, and spiritually embrace these men and their work.  Thereby, we will lend them support when they need us most.  Let us, as men of old, lift up the arms of “Moses” as the spiritual battle is engaged.  By so doing, we may change the destiny of our people.  May the Lord richly bless our elders.

As we close this series, let me throw out one last medley of characteristics that mark the ideal congregation.

The ideal congregation understands and appreciates the work of deacons and preachers.  Biblical terminology portrays deacons as special servants and preachers as bold proclaimers of the Word of God.  Consistent therewith is the requirement that deacons first be proved (1 Tim. 3:10) and for preachers to “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2, KJV).

The ideal congregation maintains a clear distinction from denominationalism and receives godly correction.  The first century church in Corinth was plagued by division (1 Cor. 1-4) and modern-day denominationalism has no biblical authority for its existence, varied doctrines, flawed worship, and misguided fellowship (Col. 3:17).  Separation must be maintained between the Lord’s body and false religion (2 Cor. 6:17).  Furthermore, godly correction should be well-received and valued as such as administered in a godly manner for godly purposes (1 Cor. 5; 2 Cor. 2:5-8).  As God’s children, we are in need of his chastening (Heb.12:5ff).

The ideal congregation respects the individual judgments of its members in matters outside the scope of the system of faith (Rom. 14).  Opinions and personality differences should not be divisive.  The apostle Paul made the point well when he said, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Rom.14:5b).

In summary of all that has been said in this series, the ideal congregation studies, applies, and lives by the Word of God.  May the Lord bless our people as we so do!

A slave by choice

Posted on by Bob Mathews

“Slavery” is such a bad word. We don’t like the word because we see slavery as degrading and an insult to human dignity. Indeed it is, but each of us is a slave. That’s not my opinion; it’s a fact stated by the Holy Spirit of God.

16Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:16-23)

Even though we may not be physical slaves in service to a physical master, we’re slaves to whatever it is that is lord of our life. If your job is your lord, you are a slave to your job. If family if your lord, you are a slave to your family. If Jesus Christ is your Lord, you are, as Paul described, a slave to righteousness.

And that’s the paradox.

I am a slave, yet I am set free! How can this be? Because “Those things [that] result in death” are things that truly ensnare, but “if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed!” (John 8:36)

And the retirement plan is out of this world!

What about “scribal errors”?

Posted on by Bob Mathews

I don’t know what sort of opposition you face from skeptics on a daily basis; probably not much. Such opposition is certainly real though. You’ll hear about the numerous “contradictions” in the Bible. Among these alleged discrepancies are what believers tend to chalk up as “scribal errors” because they can’t seem to explain them any other way. The trouble is, if you believe the Bible can stand up to scrutiny (as I believe), and if you believe the Bible does not contradict itself (as I believe), then there are certain passages that just can’t be explained other than as “scribal errors”. They simply must be the result of an honest error committed by an overworked, honest, dedicated scribe who gave his life to copying scripture. Right?

The inerrancy of the Bible is something that not only should we accept on faith, but we can accept on faith that has adequate evidence in early manuscripts.

For example, compare 1 Kings 4:26 and 2 Chronicles 9:25, & 2 Samuel 21:19 and 1 Chronicles 20:5.

Surely you must have wondered about these “scribal errors”. Isn’t that just a cop-out by mind-numbed believers who can’t explain a true contradiction any other way?

In a word — no.

Scribal errors were a real eventuality of the early centuries of scripture. So why is this not a simple, easy way out for dedicated believers desperately wanting a logical explanation for what is truly a real contradiction?

The reality of scribal errors

picture of "The Anvil Rings" book coverFirst, let me state that I will not give a complete explanation here of scribal errors. That’s not a cop out; that’s a choice I made in order to keep blog posts to a reasonable size. I will though, direct you to an excellent reference by Eric Lyons of Apologetics Press. Eric has a 2-volume compendium of alleged Bible discrepancies titled “Anvil Rings: Answers to Alleged Bible Discrepancies“. This 2-volume set is a great addition to the library of those who believe the Bible to be 100% inspired and 100% without error, yet who may have difficulty resolving the meaning of certain passages that appear to be contradictory. (Scribal, or “copyists”, errors are among the topics Eric deals with in Volume 1.)

In Eric’s books, as well as in his articles, he does a masterful job of not only acknowledging the difficulty of certain passages, but also of explaining how things such as scribal errors occurred, given all the safeguards that were in place to prevent such errors.

A double standard?

Consider this (from Lyons, Vol 1, pg. 142):

Over 5,300 New Testament manuscripts are extant today, with the most complete dated at roughly A.D. 350, the earliest dating roughly A.D. 120, and writers quoting New Testament documents as early as A.D. 90.

There are only 643 copies of Homer’s Iliad manuscripts, undeniably the most famous book of ancient Greece.

No one doubts the authenticity of Julius Caesars Gallic Wars, but we have only 10 copies of it, the latest copy dating 1,000 years after the original was written.

So why does the world accept secular documents with very little assurance of no scribal error, but it makes excuses why the multiplicity of earlier documents is unreliable? Certainly the sheer number of manuscripts alone doesn’t prove anything, does it? No, but the fact that the 5,300 New Testament manuscripts are in remarkable (though not 100%) agreement with each other is certainly a point in the Bible’s favor.

Faith

Let’s be honest — if everything we believe could be proven by the scientific method, it wouldn’t be called “faith”. The inerrancy of the Bible though, is something that not only should we accept on faith, but we can accept on faith that has adequate evidence in early manuscripts.

Remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

What do you think?

Are “scribal errors” things that believers invent in order to explain away a flimsy substance-weak faith? Or are they a reality of an early, pre-press culture that did the best it humanly could?

Grumble, Grumble, Grumble…

Posted on by Bob Mathews

Have you ever felt like your life is missing something or that it should just been better in general? Even when your life is going well, do you feel the desire or need to complain about it not going well enough? Can I ask, what is enough in your mind or when will it be enough?

The Israelites were living in slavery in Egypt. Life was difficult. There were great burdens on them to the point that they cried out to the Lord.

“Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them” (Exodus 3:9).

God heard their cries and knew what was happening to them. He was ready to take action and help them gain freedom once again. So, God preceded to do this with Moses and his brother Aaron acting as a go between Him and Pharaoh and Him and the people. After words were spoken and signs were performed, Pharaoh refused to let the people go and even increased the burdens upon them.

This is where you see the first grumble of the sons of Israel. God is working on helping them out of oppression, but they complain to Pharaoh and then to Moses and Aaron that things are only getting worse for them (Ex. 5:15-23). This grumble has some legitimacy because even Moses then asks God why he was even sent. After God responded, He sent Moses and Aaron to press Pharaoh to let the people go again. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened in all this, and then God brought the plagues on Egypt. After all the plagues were passed, Pharaoh did exactly as God had said. He sent the sons of Israel out of Egypt. God gave His people freedom once more.

Not long after this decision, however, Pharaoh decided to pursue the sons of Israel into the wilderness to enslave them again. The people saw the pursuit and grumbled again to Moses. Why did you deal with us this way? Why did you bring us out here to die? It would have been better for us to stay and serve the Egyptians (Ex. 14:11-12). After everything God had done to give them freedom, they are already grumbling and complaining that oppression would have been better. God performed signs and wonders through Moses and the plagues and already they doubt in the Lord’s ability to save them. Not to mention the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that was leading the people. God is actively with them yet they still grumble. Why? When will God do enough for them?

God precedes to give them salvation once more by parting the sea so they could escape the pursuit of the Egyptians and even destroyed the Egyptians pursuing them with that divided water. Freedom was given and off into the wilderness they went. God took care of them over and over again. However, once in the wilderness they grumbled a third time. “What shall we drink?” Moses cried out to the Lord and He gave the people a source of water (Ex. 15:24-25). Once again God did not hesitate to take care of them.

Two months into their departure from Egypt the people grumbled once again. This time they grumbled out of hunger, which we all can agree is a legitimate need in life. However, they spoke in a way that flew in the face of all God had done for them. They spoke of Egypt and the full bellies they had there (Ex. 16:2-3). God had done so much for them already and yet once again they didn’t trust Him to take care of their needs. Instead, they complain and wish for days of oppression when they could eat their fill.

As you can see, the sons of Israel seem to have a pattern going on in their lives. No matter how much is done for them, it is never enough. We could go on looking at more passages about them grumbling over and over again. They even grumble again for water, something God has already shown He will give them, but it just never is enough. God did more for the sons of Israel than most would probably say they deserved.

The truth is, God has done more for all of us than any of us deserve. God cares for us in the same way that He did the sons of Israel. He takes care of our needs, the most important of which is the safety of our eternal soul. God gave us His Son. His Son who became the sacrifice for our freedom from sin. Our soul can be with God only because of what God did for us through Jesus Christ.

When you add that truth to everything else written in the Bible and all the works of God you can see around you, is it enough? Do you need more? What does God need to do for it to be enough for you? Jesus was the last piece in God’s plan to give us something that could bring about our salvation. If Jesus isn’t enough for you, nothing will be…