What Is His Name?

This is the second in a series of articles on the subject—Do You Know God? In the paragraphs that follow, another question will be addressed as a means of growing in our knowledge of the God we serve—What Is His Name? The purpose of the discussion will be to increase in our understanding of God’s nature as revealed through certain names which are used in reference to Him in the Scriptures.

In the third chapter of Exodus, the record is given concerning’s Moses’ commission from God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. In response to God’s instructions, Moses expressed his concern about whether or not the Jews would accept his authority as God’s representative, “Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’” (Exodus 3:13). Use of the word name in this question did not simply refer to a personal designation of God with which the Israelites would be familiar. It carried deeper significance.

God would later reveal to Moses the Ten Commandments which would serve as the foundation of the covenant by which He would enter into fellowship with His chosen people. One of the commandments made specific reference to God’s name—“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). Again, this was not simply a reference to a name for God that was familiar to the Jews. It meant much more.

In both of the Exodus passages (and other similar verses throughout the Old Testament), the name used in each verse of Scripture signified different aspects of the person and nature of God. The Jews that Moses would be leading out of bondage would want to know if he represented the one true God. The Law of Moses required the Israelites to treat God as Holy—this would preclude using His name in vain.

There are many names given for God in the Bible. Each carries with it some different shade of meaning that leads the serious Bible student to a deeper understanding of God’s nature. Let’s consider three of these names.

Elohim (God). This is the first name used for God in the Bible. “In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). In the original language of the Old Testament this word signified power or preeminence. Reflecting upon God’s creative power in nature brings us to have a deeper reverence for His person. If God possesses the power to create all that we see, then he can certainly provide for us as we make our way through life.

 Yahweh (I Am). As noted in the introductory paragraph of this article, Moses anticipated reluctance on the part of the Jews to accept him as God’s representative. Should they ask about the God who sent him, he was to respond, “I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). This name referred to God’s eternal nature—not I WAS or I WILL BE but I AM. Those in covenant fellowship with God can take great comfort in the fact that He is eternal (without beginning and without end). Regardless of the changes that time may bring in our lives our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow!

Adonay (Lord). In admonishing the Jews to submit fully to God’s laws and commandments, Moses stated, “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God...” (Deuteronomy 10:17). God has all authority and, therefore, stands as One with the right to act in giving a standard by which His children must live. We must accept His Lordship and humbly submit to His will for our lives.

As noted earlier, many other names for God are found in the Scriptures. Perhaps consideration of these three will motivate you to learn more about these names. What is His name? Asking this question often will prompt us to seek to know more about God and the many wonderful attributes He has chosen to reveal about Himself in His Word!

Do You Know God?

This is the first in a series of articles the purpose of which is to address a very important question—Do You Know God? Why is this question so important? In writing about the return of Jesus at the end of time, the apostle Paul stated, “ . . . the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8). This passage teaches us that our eternal destiny will not only be based upon whether we obey the gospel but also upon whether we know God!

What does it mean to know God? It means more than to just know about God. When Moses went to the Pharaoh of Egypt and asked that he let God’s people leave, Pharaoh responded, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). As the ruler of Egypt, Pharaoh would certainly have known about God; however, he did not truly know God as evidenced by his unwillingness to obey His voice.

It can not be said that we know God until our relationship with Him is so deep that we are willing to obey His voice. This is true faith that trusts in God and submits completely to His will. Regardless of the consequences, those who truly desire to know God will seek to know what He has revealed about Himself, what He has revealed about His will in the Bible (God’s inspired Word), and strive diligently to live in harmony with God and His revealed will for mankind.

In the following paragraphs, we will discuss three important facts about knowing God. This will not be an exhaustive analysis of the subject. It will be a starting point for further study as we move in the direction of a deeper knowledge of our God.

God Must Be Real To Those Seeking Him. The Bible does not present God as a myth, or a legend, or a fairy tale. It presents Him as a reality. And for those seeking to know Him, it sets forth in very clear terms what is necessary to please Him—”And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). To truly know God is to believe that He is—it is to accept the reality of God in our lives. And, with this knowledge, our lives will never be the same!

A Deeper Knowledge Of God Is Possible. What has God revealed about Himself? ”For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made . . . ” (Romans 1:20). We can learn of God’s intelligence and creative power through nature. In addition, we learn about God as He has revealed Himself through His word in the person of Jesus—“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18). A deeper knowledge of God is possible both through a study of nature and, more importantly, a study of the Bible which is a window into the heart of God.

Knowing God Will Bring Clarity To Life. Man without God is lost—in sin and without purpose in life. As we learn of God and His will for us, life’s most perplexing questions are answered. We learn of our origin—”God created man in His own image . . . ” (Genesis 1:26). We learn of our purpose—”The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). And, we learn of the way to God as Jesus taught His disciples—”I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).

In conclusion, do you know God? Is He real to you? Are you seeking to know Him as He has revealed Himself in nature and His word? Do you desire the clarity that comes to life only through a deeper knowledge of God? Begin today on a personal quest to know your God!

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize

Paul in Philippians 3:7-14 sums up everything we have been trying to accomplish over the past 9 articles.

 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Keep your eyes on God’s prize.No matter what is happening in your life. Keep your eyes up and keep moving forward. You didn’t become a child of God so everything could be easy. You became a child of God so you could serve Him and be with Him in heaven forever.

Four things from this passage to help us keep our eyes on the prize:

1.       Envision the Goal

I like to run and it is true that when runners are running a very long distance race it can be challenging to stay focused and to keep progressing towards the finish line with the same amount of energy and speed. It’s easy to lose focus, slow down, think negative thoughts, and sometimes runners will even quit.

But what is also true is when a runner is running that long race and the finish line comes into view they start pushing harder and running faster. The point is when we can see the end goal we are encouraged to work harder.

When you can envision the goal of heaven you can press on toward that. You can serve God no matter how hard It gets. You can continue to put one foot in front of the other no matter what.

2.       Don’t Be Distracted By Other Goals

Paul said he counted the other things gained to him as rubbish. He put them aside.

Anything that was going to get in the way of Paul getting to heaven he dropped it. Of course, we are going to have other goals in our life. School, perhaps. Family. Work. Financial.

The point is that all the other goals must be subject to this main goal. I want to go to heaven. That matters more than anything else.

This should remind you of our first lesson: Seek First the Kingdom of God. Nothing else can come before this pursuit.

3.       You Haven’t Reached the Goal Yet

Until you have actually reached heaven don’t act like you have reached the goal.  Here is the Apostle Paul, arguably the greatest disciple ever and he said he hasn’t obtained it yet. He was still pressing on to that goal.

How much more should you and I have that mindset?

Even when you have been a Christian 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years plus, we can never allow ourselves to come to a mentality of having reached perfection and becoming complacent.

Some people begin to back off from serving the Lord. Cut back on their prayer and reading the Bible. And when they read the Bible they do so more like a reference book than a life changing book. They’ll back off on attending assemblies with other Christians, worshiping God and encouraging others.

No matter how long you have been a Christian, no matter how much knowledge you have obtained, no matter how much sin you have overcome, no matter how strong your faith, you and I need to be just like Paul pressing on to the goal of heaven because we haven’t reached it yet.

4.       Forget the Past

Paul said, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

We are not saying you totally forget about the past and not learn from it.

We are saying let the guilt go from your past. Jesus Christ died because we committed sin. When you confessed those sins and were baptized into Christ those sins were forgiven. They are gone. So don’t let that bog you down and discourage you from serving God right now.

On the other hand, we have good days and victories in Christ. We do awesome things for God. And then we may have a tendency to rest on these good things, stop working and striving, and become complacent. It’s like the guy that scored the winning touchdown in his high school championship football game and for the rest of his life he lives based on that glory.

That glory is past. That victory is done. We must serve God today! We must press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus today!

Keep your eyes on the prize.

Keep the faith today!

Get the Message Out

This article along with the previous eight articles have all been written with the newborn Christian in mind. However, the babe in Christ must recognize it is their duty to be an ambassador for Christ even if they have only been a Christian for a very short time.

So, of course, a common thought for the new Christian is, “How can I teach this?” Feelings of doubt and even fear.

However, understand the expectation is not that you be a master teacher right now or even for a long time. I do not see myself as a master teacher, but the expectation is that you grow to become a teacher.

Hebrew 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

The natural progression in Christ is that we all become teachers. Therefore, start planning how you can become a teacher of God’s gospel.

What do I need to know?

What do I need to learn?

Get into God’s word and start learning and planning how you are going to be able to teach God’s word to others.

And then start working your plan.

 Two Things I Expect Of You Right Now As A Babe In Christ

1. John 1:36, 40-46

36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He *found first his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” 

Phillip and Andrew were not great disciples of the Lord, but they had the ability to find someone else and say, ‘come check it out.’

Family, friend, neighbor, co-worker, check out clerk, bank teller, or whoever. Come check this out.

Invite somebody.

Phillip and Andrew could. You can too.

2. John 4:29

29 “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” 

She wasn’t even a disciple. And she still shared with them what convinced her.

John 4:42

42 and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

They were able to let others know what they believed right now and why they believed it.

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In the coming years you will learn so much and you don’t know all of that right now and you can’t possibly answer everybody’s questions right now but YOU CAN tell anybody who asks what convinced you that Jesus is the Christ and that you need to be baptized into Him.

Now put this conviction into action.

How could I say that to somebody and what exactly would I say?

Then figure out somebody you are going to tell.

Begin by inviting them to worship with you and then find a time you can talk to them about what convinced you.

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As time goes on and you participate in the weekly assemblies and Bible studies you will learn more about how to teach others, but for right now focus on inviting people to worship and talking to them about what convinced you. YOU CAN do this right now.

Keep the faith today.

Pass the Word along.

Stir Up One Another

If you are reading this and you are a Christian, know that you are not alone. This article is focused on how we are supposed to be living our lives in relation to our brothers and sisters in Christ. How are we to treat one another?

We have mentioned Hebrews 10:25 in a prior article and it is commonly emphasized due to the importance of Christians assembling.

25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 Verse 25 is of great importance. When the congregation is assembled we are supposed to be there, but we mustn’t neglect to see verse 24:

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

This cuts to the heart and soul of our responsibility to one another. We are to stir up one another to love and good works.

A Few Observations from this Passage:

1. The goal for our life is love and good works.

1 Timothy 1:5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 

That love is supposed to be acted out by good works.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

As Christians we are new creatures and we are created in Christ Jesus for good works.

2. STIR UP one another to love and good works.

Stir Up. What does that mean?

NASB “Stimulate”

KJV “Provoke”

NKJV and ESV “Stir Up”

Here is a scene. We are all walking around apathetic and lazy and grazing along God’s path. I know this paints an ugly picture of Christians, but for many they find themselves in this state from time to time. The Hebrew writer is telling us we are to “stimulate” one another. We are to help each other from falling into this apathetic and lazy grazing about. We are to instead be living and fostering relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ in a manner that provokes each other to love and good works.

We are not going to let each other be loser Christians. We are not going to let each other become apathetic and lazy. We are not going to let each other stop growing and digress.

3. We must CONSIDER HOW TO stir up one another to love and good works.

This isn’t going to just happen in the moment. We can’t just wing it daily.

We must give great thought and prayer to considering one another and our circumstances and how we can most effectively build each other up and not tear each other down with our methods of stimulating or stirring one another up to love and good works.

Hebrews 10:25 is one example.

As we worship together every time the Christians are assembled we are encouraging one another and building each other up to love and good works.

Titus 2:14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Speak. Teach one another. We can exhort one another. That is the idea of encouraging one another. Telling each other good job. Showing gratitude and appreciation. Even reproving one another at times. When we see someone doing something wrong and we pull them aside to correct them in a manner that demonstrates our love and genuine concern for them and their soul.

Speak, Exhort, Reprove.

Titus 2:7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Be an example of good works. And remember from Galatians 6:1 the principle of doing all things with gentleness. This is about helping people get to heaven. It is not about putting people in their place or trying to get people to be just like me.

4. WE ARE to stir up one another.

We are to stir up one another. The passage didn’t say the elders are to stimulate us. He didn’t say the preacher. He didn’t even say only the people who have been Christians for 20 years. He said we are to stir up or stimulate one another.

This is your responsibility as a Christian and it is my responsibility as a Christian.

This is a one another responsibility. We are going to strive to stir up others to love and good works, but we must have our own hearts prepared to allow others to stimulate us to love and good works as well.

 Keep the faith today and next week we’ll discuss getting the message out.

Error Watch: Premillennialism

This is our third and final error watch article. Next week we will move back to focusing on things we need to do as Christians to grow and live a life pleasing to God. However, don’t misunderstand the importance of being able to stand in the word of God rightly dividing it and not being tossed to and fro by every wave of doctrine. False teaching and error, even from the honest and sincerely mistaken person is still error, which leads to ones own destruction and the destruction of many others.

The premillennial doctrine is taught widespread among men.

But it is not in the Bible.

What is Premillennialism?

This doctrine says when Jesus came to the earth during the Bible times He intended to establish an earthly kingdom beginning in Jerusalem on David’s throne. And it was supposed to continue forever.

However, the Jews did not accept Him. They rejected and crucified Him. Therefore, His kingdom was postponed. We are now living in the time before the kingdom has been established so therefore it is called “pre” kingdom. Once His kingdom is established it is supposed to last for 1000 years here on earth thus it is a “millennial” kingdom. Put that together, it’s “premillennialism.”

In addition to those concepts regarding the kingdom, premillennialism anticipates an antichrist who is supposed to rule the world, a rapture that is supposed to take the faithful Christians out of the world and leave everyone else behind. Thus the “Left Behind” book series. Finally, it anticipates a 7-year tribulation. The first 3.5 years are not supposed to be so bad, but the last 3.5 years are supposed to be devastating and horrible.

You can’t find any of this in the Bible.

5 Things that will help you see the clear truth in the Bible that has been blurred and confused by the false doctrine of premillennialism.

1.      Error #1 Earthly Kingdom

Jesus never intended to establish an earthly kingdom.

John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Jesus was not coming to establish a kingdom on earth. Not in the physical sense.

Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

KJV demonstrates that the kingdom of Christ is within us. Not in the land around us.

2.      Error #2 Kingdom Not Yet Established

The kingdom has already been established.

Mark 9:1 And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Was Jesus lying? Mistaken? Are there people still living today from the time Jesus walked the earth?

Of course not. So what does that tell us?

Jesus’ kingdom has already been established. In fact, that is what the rest of Scriptures tells us as well.

Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

Transferred. Past tense.

Revelation 9:1 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

John said at the time he wrote the book of Revelation he was already participating in the kingdom.

We are not awaiting some millennial kingdom. We can enter the kingdom now. It has already been established.

3.      Error #3 World Ruler Called Antichrist

The Bible never once describes a world leader called the antichrist.

That word antichrist is only used four times in all the Bible. And all four of them are in the letters of John.

1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.

1 John 2:22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

2 John 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

The antichrist was not a world leader. It is anybody that denies Jesus. An antichrist has been here since the time the Scriptures were written.

4.      Error #4 Seven Year Tribulation

The concept of the tribulation. We are not awaiting some seven-year tribulation that is supposed to come in our future.

Go back to that passage in Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

John was not writing about some tribulation down the road. He was writing about a tribulation that they were already enduring.

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

“soon take place”

“the time is near”

Folks make a terrible mistake with the book of Revelation thinking John was writing about events that would happen 2000 years or more later. John was writing about events that were going on right then and how God’s grace was going to resolve that soon.

5.      Error #5 Rapture

The concept of rapture is not found in the Bible.

Yes, Jesus is going to return. The Bible clearly reveals this. And all His children will be taken with Him and all of those who do not belong to Him will be judged.

But nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus is going to come to the earth take His children out and leave everybody else behind.

John 5:28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

“an hour is coming”

Not a millennial.

2 Thessalonians 1:5 This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.

2 Thessalonians 1:6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.

The passage which many people find the rapture though it is not there is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

This passage tells us in the resurrection those who are dead in Christ will be raised first and those who are alive will then be called up to meet the Lord in the air, and so they both shall be with the Lord.

But if you keep reading on down into chapter 5 you find out what is going to happen on that day to those that are not in Christ at all.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

On the day of the Lord when Jesus returns to call His children up to Him and the dead in Christ are raised first and then those alive called up to meet Him in the air. Those who have not been faithful will also be resurrected to judgment. They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction. Not seven years of tribulation.  In fact, on the day of the Lord the earth will be destroyed. There will no longer be an earth for them to be “left behind” on. There is no rapture. There is only the final day of the Lord and His judgment. And we must be ready.

Keep the faith today and we’ll see you here next week!

Error Watch: Pentecostalism

Again, this article is a warning. We are focused on protecting ourselves from error. It is never about who is right, but rather what is right.

Why is this so important?

 2 Peter 3:16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

If we twist or distort the Scriptures to our desire we do so to our own destruction.

2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The apostles weren’t giving us their own interpretations or opinions and we aren’t allowed to do that either. We have to read God’s word God’s way believing what He has revealed to us. Not what we want to believe.

Error Watch #2: Pentecostalism

We are not necessarily talking about the churches named Pentecostal, but rather the movements that are charismatic in nature, experience based, emotionally governed, seemingly miraculous.

There are numerous things we could discuss in regard to these movements, but we are going to restrict ourselves to three aspects that are taught in these movements in this article.

First Aspect: Modern Day Miraculous Gifts of the Spirit

Perhaps one of the most fascinating things we read in the Bible are the miracles. Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead! The disciples he left behind did many of those same things. They even spoke in foreign tongues that they had never learned, prophesied revealing God’s will. What an amazing time and yet, today people often look back on that and misunderstand why that was happening.

Hebrews 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

These gifts were given for a very specific purpose. To testify to God’s will. To reveal and confirm what God wants from our lives as His servants. Everything else that occurred was just a good by-product.

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

What is “the perfect?”

Let me explain using the following illustration:

If I gave you a part of an apple pie what would the whole thing be? Well, it wouldn’t be a baseball glove or a roast beef sandwich. In fact, it wouldn’t even be a pecan pie. It would be a whole apple pie.

The part is the same as the whole.

In our passage, there was something in part, but the complete, the whole, the perfect was coming. The part was the miraculous gifts God used to testify, reveal and confirm His will. But it was in part. The whole. The perfect, therefore would be the complete revealed will of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

When we have “All Scripture” we have everything we need for every good work.

Once the entirety of the Bible was revealed we had the whole. We had the complete. We no longer need the part. And at that point the gifts ceased.

The Holy Spirit no longer uses them today. Of course, He is capable.

I am not pointing out that God can’t do something, but rather that God said He would no longer do something. Explaining this to somebody who has based their entire religion on their experiences and feelings can be challenging, which leads us to our second aspect of these movements.

 Second Aspect: The Authority of Experience

Many people in these charismatic movements base the authority of what they are doing on experience. This experience can be anything from supposedly seeing someone healed of cancer all the way to having a warm tingly feeling in a prayer one day.

But what amazes me is how often these experiences are used to confirm something that is opposed to what is clearly taught in the Scriptures.

What should we say about these seemingly miraculous experiences?

I don’t want to argue with people. I don’t want to tell them they didn’t have any experiences. I just think we should look at Matthew 7:22-23.

Matthew 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Here were people who had experiences. They believed they had prophesied, cast out demons, and had done mighty works in the name of Jesus Christ.

However, Jesus said I never knew you! Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

You see the problem?

They were basing their religion on man’s experiences and not God’s law.

God’s law. God’s word. That is the standard.

 Third Aspect: The Government of Emotions

So much of modern religion today is governed by how we feel and our emotions. Especially in the charismatic movements. There concept of feeling and emotions has been elevated to the status of revelation.

There are so many people today that believe their feelings, their intuitions, their emotions are actually the Holy Spirit working inside of them to direct them in how they should go.

There is a problem with that.

First, God has never in the Bible or in modern times directed people by their feelings or their emotions.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.

If we are trusting in our feelings we are not heading in the right path.

Certainly God revealed His will miraculously to people at one time, but even at those times when He gave prophecies and revelations it was in order for it to be written down so we could read it and understand it.

Ephesians 3:3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.

“You can perceive my insight.” You can understand it. It has been revealed. We can understand it. This is our standard. God’s word.

God repeatedly tells us His word is our standard. If anything else is our standard we are not serving Him.

Keep the faith today.

And join me here next week as we examine our last error watch.

Error Watch: Calvinism

In our previous four articles, we have mostly given consideration to things that will help us grow. But today is warning. This article is focused on protecting us from error.

There will be some that try to get us to turn away from our faith. Some who are blatant and will try to persuade us to join them at the bar and to pursue the fleeting pleasures of our flesh. Some will be sincere and honest people that are just not keeping the word of God accurately. And some will be hypocrites.

In Matthew 7:15, Jesus said,

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

And while it is true that some of these people may not be dishonest, but mistaken. They are mistaken none the less.

Acts 18:24-26

24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Apollos was fervent in spirit, sincere, and diligent, yet mistaken. And in Acts 19 we read that his teachings had made an impact. Paul had to correct some disciples and rebaptize them.

There are all kinds of things we could talk about in regard to error, but we are going to hone in on three major erroneous teachings because these three have impacted religion in a tremendous way.

Therefore, in this article we will focus on Calvinism and in the next two articles we will address Pentecostalism and Premillennialism.

 Why is this important?

2 Peter 2:1

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

2 Peter 3:16

16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

Error Watch #1 Calvinism

Calvinism affects just about every religious body in our world today. Even if you are not familiar with it you have probably been taught some aspect of it without even knowing.

Let me remind you and encourage you to be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11). Don’t believe me just because I am writing this article. Go back to the Scriptures. Examine the word of God to see if the things I am writing are so.

Calvinism has a long history. Its teachings go as far as back as the 3rd century and perhaps even the 2nd century. However, it was first made popular in the 4th century by Augustine, a bishop in a church in the African city of Hippo.

Despite its early beginnings it has been named after John Calvin , the 2nd generation European reformer of the 1500s who popularized this doctrine during the Protestant Reformation and whose followers systematized it.

Calvinism is based on one supreme assumption. That God’s sovereignty means He controls absolutely everything. Everything we do, everything we say, everything that comes to us and so forth.

According to Calvinist, if there is one thing God did not make happen then He is not sovereign.

Upon this, we are led into the five major tenets of Calvinism which is often known as Calvin’s TULIP.

TULIP

T = Total Inherited Depravity

It says that when you and I were born, we were born corrupt and sinful because we had inherited the guilt of Adam’s sin and also had inherited a sinful nature that was totally depraved and we cannot possibly on our own do anything that is right.

U = Unconditional Election

Because we are totally depraved and we cannot possibly do anything right on our own accord God chose some among us to be saved. Calvinism teaches that you and I obeyed because we were chosen to be saved. We didn’t become saved because we obeyed God.

L = Limited Atonement

Since God before time chose out certain people to be saved then when Jesus came to die to atone for the sins of mankind He only atoned for those that were chosen. It wasn’t even offered for anyone else. Even the offer of atonement is limited. It was simply to those God elected before time.

I = Irresistible Grace

That says that if God has chosen you or me to be His elect then we are going to be saved and there is nothing we can do to stop it. According to Calvinist, however, if we are the elect we are not going to want to do anything to stop it.

P = Perseverance of the Saints

If God unconditionally elected us and we cannot resist the grace of the Spirit, then that means I am chosen, I am going to be saved, and I cannot possibly fall from grace. I cannot possibly be severed from Christ.

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All of this fits together in a nice little package and really if you believe one of these tenets you must logically believe all of them. But different churches pick and choose different parts of this to believe. So perhaps you have heard some of this before.

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But now let’s consider it based on the Bible.

The assumption of Calvinism that God’s sovereignty means He controls everything is not presented in the Bible. The sovereignty of God that is presented in the Bible is that He is so powerful that no matter what you or I choose to do God can make His plan work.

It is illustrated in Genesis 50:20. You remember the story of Joseph. After his brother’s came back to him and they were afraid he was going to beat them or punish them or kill them.

Joseph said, 20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

Which God is more powerful?

The one who only works His plan because he makes everything work his way or the one who can let me and you do whatever we want and still make His plan work? That is a sovereign God.

About total inherited depravity, Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

We weren’t born guilty of our parents sins and we weren’t born guilty of Adam’s sins. We weren’t born with a corrupt nature.

Unconditional Election. Why would God even put the Bible together if there wasn’t anything you and I had to do in order to be saved? The whole concept of a book that guides us and leads us demonstrates that God expects something from you and from me. If He was just going to save us and make us be saved He wouldn’t need the Bible.

Limited Atonement. 1 John 2:2 “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Jesus died not just for us. He died for the whole world offering that atonement to them. They must simply accept it.

Irresistible Grace. Matthew 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

God was offering His grace. They resisted.

Finally, the Perseverance of the Saints. Galatians 5:3 "I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.”

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There are so many other things we could study about this so we haven’t covered everything, but what you have here are some simple and clear passages that point out that this teaching is an error. You have to choose to serve God and continue to be faithful. I hope this series is helping you do that.

Keep the faith this week and I’ll see you here next week for our next error watch report.

Redeeming the Time

In our previous lessons (Seeking God’s Kingdom, The Two Greatest Commands, and Handling Temptation) we have learned a lot about the Christian’s over-arching focus and walk and today we will examine another gift from God.

A gift that God has given to all equally. It is time. We all have 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks in a year. The question is not if we have enough time, rather what are we going to do with the time God has given us?

Ephesians 5:15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Paul is alluding to Ecclesiastes 9:12 “the days are evil”

We have only so many allotted days and often our end comes when we do not expect it. We need to make the most of our time. Each day seen as a gift and used appropriately.

The Stephen Covey Story

A college professor was teaching his students about time management and so one day in class he placed a bucket on top of a table. Inside the bucket were some big rocks.

The professor asked the class, “Is the bucket full?”

The class said, “Yes.”

The professor then reached under the table and pulled out another bucket full of smaller rocks and he poured them into the first bucket until all the nooks and crannies had been filled up to the top of the bucket.

Then he asked the class, “Is the bucket now full?”

Many students were now hesitant to answer, but some said, “Yes.”

The professor reached under the table again and pulled out another bucket full of sand and began to pour the sand into the first bucket until the sand had reached the top of the bucket.

The professor then asked, “Is the bucket now full?”

The students would not answer having caught onto his object lesson.

And so the professor reached under the table and pulled out another bucket full of water and poured it in the first bucket until the water reached the top of the bucket.

He then asked the same question again and of course, no response as the students weren’t sure of themselves at this point, but the professor assured them that the bucket was now full.

The professor then told the class, “This is a picture of time management. What do we learn?”

A couple students offer good insight into the lesson, but nobody captures the lesson fully and so the professor tells the class, “If we hadn’t put the big rocks in first we wouldn’t have had room for them.”

WE MUST PUT THE BIG ROCKS IN FIRST.

The Foundational Principle of Time Management.

Satan will try to steal our time and so we never plan the Big Rocks.

In this lesson, I will point out the 5 Big Rocks that we must put in our bucket first if we are going to make the most of our time and live a life that is pleasing to God.

5 Big Rocks: Plan them and follow through with your Plan

 1. Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells the Christians they are to “pray without ceasing.”

This means in every circumstance we find ourselves we have the habit of prayer. It is something we practice and do continually. We schedule times of prayer as well.

Satan does not want us to pray, but God does. God wants to hear from you and we need to talk to God.

2. Bible Study

 Acts 17:11 The Bereans were “examining the Scriptures daily” to see if the things they were hearing were so. That is exactly what we must do.

We need to get into God’s word daily.

We will attend worship assemblies and hear sermons each week, but this is not enough. If this is what our spiritual diet consist of then we will starve and die spiritually.

If we want to be strong and grow into the maturity of Christ then we must do #1 and #2 daily.

This principle is easy to see when we consider physical examples. If I want to improve my fitness and be able to run faster then I know I will not improve if I only run once or twice a week. If this is all the physical exercise I get I will remain weak and stagnant.

Sometimes you will read God’s word casually. Other times you will study it in depth. Get yourself a notebook and label it Bible Study.

Read a chapter. Write down what you learned from that chapter. Write down what you would tell somebody else about that chapter.

Get in the Word everyday.

Satan doesn’t want you in there.  But this is how you will overcome him (Matthew 4:1-11).

3. Attending the Assemblies of the Church

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Make this a priority. It is one of the easiest things that God expects of us.

When one asks many people if they are going to make it to the next worship assembly they will say, “I’ll try my best.”

First of all, Yoda said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” That is an important lesson in and of itself, but also consider the following example:

If one had just gotten a new job and their boss asked if they were going to be at work Monday morning at 9:00 AM, would they say, “I’ll try really hard to be there?”

No they would say, “Yes sir.”

Think about that about that in regard to worshiping God and assembling with other Christians.

Coming together to worship God, sing praises to God, learn from God’s word, take the Lord’s supper, and give is a Big Rock. We must plan it.

Again, this is one of the easiest things God expects of us and yet so many people don’t do it.

4. Time With Other Christians  

Acts 2:46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

They were meeting in Christian’s homes to praise God and eat their meals together.

We have a responsibility to get to know our Christian brethren. Develop real relationships so that we can truly “encourage one another” all the more as we see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10).

Real, true, strong bonds do not happen from just getting together a couple times a week within the assemblies. We have to be a part of each other’s lives.

Satan is going to have you believe since you are the new kid on the block that it is everybody else’s responsibility to get to know you. And yes, it is a shared responsibility, but you have the responsibility too.

You must start scheduling and planning this Big Rock.

Pursue these relationships and God will bless you in this pursuit.

5. Get the Message Out

We will talk more about this in an upcoming lesson.

In John 1, we read of John the Baptist saying, 29 “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”

Later in the same chapter we read:

40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 

 Andrew immediately went and found somebody else and told them they need to come and check out this Messiah.

I want to encourage you to plan how you are going to do this and then do it. Invite others to worship with you. Invite others to study with you. Talk together about the word of God.

 The message of Jesus Christ who can save people from their sins must get out.

If we don’t teach it to people then who will?

Conclusion

 If we don’t plan these 5 Big Rocks they won’t happen.

We must make the most of our time.

Serve God.

And in the end when the evil days have finally over come you God will welcome you into His home and will say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

Keep the faith today and I’ll see you next week right here.

Handling Temption

In keeping with our current theme and focus of helping newborn Christians, thirsty for the Word of God, step onto the right path right away we bring our attention to what the Word of God teaches us in regard to Satan and his schemes and attacks.

We must never downplay the power and relentlessness of Satan, whom is like a “roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Consider Ephesians 2:1-6.

“You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging this desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

How are we to handle temptations?

Genesis 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11. We learn 5 lessons from these two examples.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Lesson #1 - Do not let Satan cause us to doubt God

Satan told Eve, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When I am tempted what do I do?

Lesson #2 - We must know God’s Word

Eve knew God’s word… But disobeyed

Jesus all three times said, “It is written”

Psalm 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against you.”

Lesson #3 - Love God and His Word and NOT the world and the things in it

1 John 2:15-16 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

Genesis 3:6 Eve saw that the tree was good for food (flesh), a delight to the eyes (eyes), and desirable to make one wise (pride).

James 1:14-15 “Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust (desire). Then when lust (desire) has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it bring forth death.”

What causes sin?

Lesson #4 - Submit to God, Resist the Devil, Obeying God’s Word

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from  you.”

Lesson #5 - Get Help

Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

-Greater return for their work

-Help other up when they fall

-Provide comfort and help

-Two are just stronger than one

However, when we do stumble, fall, and sin…

1 John 1:8-2:2

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.