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Spiritual Gifts

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Unity Gained from Proper Use of Spiritual Gifts

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 12

What are Spiritual gifts?

A Spiritual gift is the God-given ability to serve Him in the command that He has given to us.

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Spiritual gifts are given to the saints of God for the purpose that the whole Church might be built up and increased and grow to maturity.

It is the Holy Spirit who decides what gifts are best for us and best for the Church.

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

The Holy Spirit He is God with equal standing in the Trinity of God.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not three Gods but one God in three persons. The Triune God!

We may be born with natural talents, some of which are passed down from our parents, but Spiritual gifts have their origin with the Holy Spirit.

Some of these gifts are even called “grace” gifts, a gift of God’s “grace”.

Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.

Our lesson begins with verse 12, but let’s see verses 4 and 11 before we begin.

*1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

The Apostle Paul is addressing these issues because of the controversies raging in this church in Corinth over so many things, and now, Spiritual gifts.

Paul said that there should be no pride, no controversy, and no division over Spiritual gifts because these gifts are decided by the Holy Spirit.

God had given many Spiritual gifts to the saints in Corinth so they could minister to the pagan citizens of Corinth, but this church could not minister the Gospel because of the many divisions inside the church.

The Lord Jesus Christ identifies His saints with Himself.

**The life we now live belongs to our Savior: Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

**We have put on the New Man: 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

**The Church is now the Body of Jesus Christ: Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

When we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, we were baptized in water as a symbol of our relationship with Christ.

We know from Scripture that we are now home to the Holy Spirit, so we are now baptized by the work of the Holy Spirit within us.

**The Holy will convict, chastise, and strengthen us until we are a useful member of the Body of Christ. Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

It does not matter what our background in life had been; we are all treated the same by the Holy Spirit, but this does not mean we will all have the same gifts to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are all united in One Body of Christ.

Act 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We should understand that the Holy Spirit is in fact, the “Living Water” of God

There is only one Church, one Body of Christ.

*1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Some who are less gifted feel like they are unimportant to the cause of Christ.

Some who are more gifted feel like they are God’s gift to the Church.

These are untrue things!

Every child of God has the same importance if we remain in the will of God!

The “Body of Christ” is not one member but all its members working in one cause.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The unity of the Christian Church is most important because we seek one common life, and it is eternal life.

It is the Life of Jesus Christ that supplies nourishment to the Body of Christ, and if one part falls away, then the Body of Christ loses its strength.

Why is the Church failing today because much of the Church has abandoned the nourishment that can come only from Jesus Christ!

1) Each member is necessary.
2) Each member has an essential function in the Church. The Church cannot function if the members do not function according to the gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit.
3) Each member is placed in the Body of Christ according to the will of God. God does not just set prominent members in the Church; God sets all members in the Church.
4) Each member is distinct.

Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Rom 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Rom 12:7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Rom 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

We must try to make the best use of the gifts God has given to us!

*1Co 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
1Co 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

Luk 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

We must not envy those we think have more important gifts.

Those who seem to be more gifted must not look down on those who seem to have less gifts.

In fact, the less gifted members are more necessary to the Church!

That worker who is never seen by the crowd is much more essential to decisions for Jesus Christ than the evangelist who is at the center of view.

In fact, the prayer warrior who can reach Heaven may be the most essential member in the Church, even more than that great preacher behind that pulpit.

Charles Spurgeon had a hundred and twenty praying for him in a room right under his pulpit, and he gave the credit for his great sermons to them.

The point is that no believer or group of believers is to look down on the less gifted members in the Church, who are actually the backbone of the Church.

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.

*1Co 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

What we consider great or small is never the same as how Jehovah sees things.

To God, only one thing is important, and it is that we faithfully fulfill the order He has given to us, His will for us.

God does not reward the size of the gift but the faithfulness to use that gift.

Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

In the human body, we have things like the heart, the kidneys, the lungs, and other organs. Though we cannot see them, they are of crucial importance to the body.
In the Body of Christ, it is exactly like that.

All the work that is to be done for the Lord Jesus Christ must be bathed in prayer. Therefore, the greatest gift may be that prayer warrior, but every member has their importance to the plan of God.

Even those sitting in the pews each have their particular importance as prayer warriors, and workers who take God’s message out into the world.

We are to support one another as we love each other. Support can mean many things besides money. Sometimes a good compliment goes a long way if it is done in love.

We must take our place with the gift God has given to us and pay attention to where we can be of the most profit to others.

Love is the greatest power in the Church, and many times it is shown the most by the faithful women of the Church.

We are all to complement one another for the Church to reach those that God intends to be reached!

*1Co 12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

“Comely” means handsome, suitable, graceful, but just a little less than beautiful.

It can also mean well-formed, honorable, and noble.

We must understand that there is a difference between the Christian Doctrine of unity and equality, and the world’s doctrine of one standard for all.

In the Church, there is a place for the rich and the poor, the great and the small, the high and the low, the greatly gifted and those whose gift is unnoticeable to others, and no class of Christians is above the others or lower than the others in the Church.

We sometimes forget that it is the Lord Jesus who is building the Church for Our Heavenly Father.

With the Holy Spirit in the lead, the Church will be at peace with each other and the Church will be strong in the world.

A Church at peace and full of love will be full of members who have the same care for one another.

Act_4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul:

This should describe the Church that the Lord Jesus is building during the Church Age, while realizing that the Kingdom of God is very near.

When one member is suffering, then all the Church should be suffering with them.

When one member is rejoicing, every member should be rejoicing with them.

Not one member is more important than another in the eyes of God, and we must use this as the Lord’s design for the Church.

*1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Every believer is a member of the Body of Christ!

Every believer has their own place in the Body of Christ!

It is a supreme privilege to be known as a child of God!

1) God has set Apostles in the Church if we understand that the modern apostle is an ambassador for Christ.

As ambassadors for Christ, we belong to Christ. We are commissioned by Jesus Christ.

We possess the authority and the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Just as every apostle, each ambassador is chosen by Jesus Christ.

There are no true Apostles today who saw the Lord Jesus when He was alive.

No one today possesses many of the gifts given to those Apostles.

Still, as ambassadors for Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will give us the gifts that are needed and that we can use for the good of the Church and the glory of God.

2) Second, God has set prophets in the Church, but those prophets are our preachers, pastors, evangelists, and missionaries, and do not use the name prophet anymore because we have the complete Word of God which the Holy Spirit uses to give that man of God the message God wants us to have on that particular day.

I’m sure God still speaks to those He has called, but there is no new prophecy to be given that we do not already have in the Scriptures.

3) God has set teachers in the Church, and each teacher is to use the existing Scriptures to teach as the truth of God and not deviate from those Scriptures.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

4) It is only God who can perform miracles today, and much of it is because of prayer, but we also know we are surrounded by Angels, and we may not know until we get to Heaven the things God has saved us from and the miracles that have kept us going. Even when the Apostles performed miracles, it was through the power of God, not a power they had themselves. They also had the Holy Spirit living within them.

5) The gift of healing is no longer given to men but comes according to prayer and the will of God.

Jas 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
Jas 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

6) The gift of helps belongs to those who are always ready to jump in to help others who are in need. Some believers are always ready to lend a helping hand, and every Christian should have a part of this gift because it is a sign of love.

7) The gift of tongues is looked upon differently in many denominations, but the Bible is specific that the word tongues means languages and known languages.

Act 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

Act 2:8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

Act 2:11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

They never spoke in an unknown language. This was never a foundational gift to the Church.

Tongues were actually a sign of unbelief!

1Co 14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
1Co 14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

What we should understand is that the Holy Spirit will give us what we need to remain in the will of God and be useful to the glory of the Church and the glory of God.

There is a reason the Holy Spirit gives such gifts to believers: Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

We are to take the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the Glory of God and not any glory for ourselves!

Amen

We Must Have the Love of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Agape Love

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 13

The word “Agape” is the Greek word for “love”.

Our lesson states that “if a church is having problems, love is always the fix”.

Our love for the Lord Jesus Christ will resolve any doctrinal issue within the Church.

When we love the Lord Jesus, we will love each other, and Church problems will go away.

There is no question, “what the world needs now is love, sweet love”!

This love must be according to the truth of God!

What the Church needs is love, the love that Jesus Christ has shown to each of us and His expectation that we will follow in His ways.

Throughout this passage, the word we see for love is “charity”.

In the Bible, the word “charity” is not used as we use it today for supporting a Christian cause; it is always used for “love”.

There are a whole lot of charities out there today that do not support good causes, but they are allowed to exist.

Let’s compare the various types of love:

1) There is “passionate love or eros love”. This is the physical love between a man and a woman.
It can also describe the love we have for our nation or the ambition of those who are seeking power, wealth, or fame.
This type of love is never used in the New Testament.

2) There is “affectionate love or storge love”. This is the kind of love that exists between a parent and child and between a loyal citizen and a trustworthy ruler.
This type of love is also not used in the New Testament.

3) There is “endearing love or philia love”. This is the love that cherishes. This is the love of a husband and wife for each other, or a brother for a brother, or a sister for a sister, or a friend for their dearest friends.
It is a love that cherishes, that holds someone or something ever so dear to their heart.

4) Then there is “selfless and sacrificial love or agape love.” Agape love is the love of the mind and loves a person even when they don’t deserve it, even those who are unworthy to be loved, the love our Savior has for each of us. The love our Creator has for His creations.

It is the love of God for the ungodly.
It is the love of God for the unworthy.
It is the love of God for His enemies.
It is the love of God for sinners.

Selfless love, Agape love, is the greatest love in all of life and in all of Heaven!

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

*1Co 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

There is an absolute necessity for love in the Church!

There is an absolute necessity for love in every child of God!

The superior quality of life is love; it is not in any gift we possess.
The most excellent way to live and serve the Lord is to possess and share His love; it is not in gifts.

Note: Paul did not say he spoke with all the languages of man, nor did he say he spoke the language of angels; he just said even if he did and did not have the love of God in him, he would be nothing more than a trumpet or a cymbal.

Being able to have a conversation with anyone we meet and we do not show the love of God is meaningless.

We all know that if a person with no musical talent, such as myself, were to use cymbals or any musical instrument, I would be making nothing but noise!

There are Christians today who can speak in almost all languages of the world, but if they do not know how to show the love of God, then they are not good witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we do these things, without love, we become useless to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Though someone becomes the best preacher in the world, if he does not have love, he is just someone who is making noise that the church can do without.

*1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Even if a preacher has the gift of speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they can predict and proclaim the truth of God’s Word, but have no love, they are useless in the work that Jesus Christ has given to us to accomplish.

He may possess the stature, the eloquence, and the descriptive language in the world, but if he does not have love, he is nothing, and his gift of preaching means nothing because if those he is preaching to cannot feel the love of God, then his preaching is nothing and he is nothing.

There is a great danger of those who know so much about the Word of God that they make themselves superior to God’s people, and God’s people will be turned off by this speaker.

It is possible to long for souls and preach the glories of Heaven and the tragedy of Hell with an attitude and a tone that no one sitting in the pews will ever want because there is no love in his words.

There is such a gift of understanding “all mysteries and all knowledge” of all the things God has revealed and all that man has ever learned and discovered, yet without love, this knowledge is meaningless because there is always the danger of looking down on others.

There is such a gift as the gift of faith, and it is a very special gift given by the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus said this faith could move mountains and do great things for God, but without love, he could do nothing to win those lost souls for Jesus Christ.

Some of these men of God have an overblown sense of importance about themselves; they are not good witnesses for the Lord Jesus.

If we are trying to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ, then nothing can help us more than having love in our hearts for all people as He does and as He showed when He was upon this earth.

*1Co 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

When we give out of duty, God does not acknowledge that gift.
When we feel forced to give, it is meaningless.
When we give because we have it and the needy do not have it, it is meaningless.
When we give with a rebuke because those who receive are irresponsible, it means nothing.
When we give unsacrificially, it is meaningless.

If we cannot express the love of God to those around us, then we are useless in the work the Lord has commanded us to do!

1Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
1Jn 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Without love, I am of no benefit to my Heavenly Father, and He cannot use me!

*1Co 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

If we do not know it, then we must know it is love that builds the Church!

Any church that does not show love to anyone, and this means anyone, who enters the sanctuary of God will not gain any new members.

What is given to us in these Scriptures is not to be taken as a definition of charity.

What is given in these Scriptures is the behavior of each Christian as we live before others in the Church and before the world outside the Church.

Our love for the lost of this world must endure in these last days.

Our love for the lost of this world must endure the evils in it, as this world gets even worse than it is now.

There is nothing in this world that we should envy. Envy includes malice, grudge, jealousy, and an evil eye.

Love is patient with all people, but not patient with the circumstances of their sin!

Love does not seek revenge.

Love controls itself to win another person to Christ and to help them to live and serve.

Love is kind even when we do not want to be kind.

Love is not boastful.

Love is not full of pride, nor brag, nor seeking recognition.

Love does not think evil of anyone.

Love is not rude.

Love is not disgraceful.

Love is not selfish.

Love seeks to serve, does not seek to be served.

Love is not resentful.

Love suffers any evil that comes to it and then forgets that it happened.

Love will never rejoice in unrighteousness!

We should understand by now, in these last days, that we will only be fed with tragedy from the reports of the world, and many times with open lies, and they are intentional.

Love rejoices in the truth, and there is no greater truth than the “Gospel” of Jesus Christ!

Love endures with patience and dignity unless the well-being of our brothers and sisters requires us to stand against such things, and then we will stand on their behalf.

*1Co 13:8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1Co 13:9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

Love never fails because the Word of God is the truth, and truth cannot fail.

The prophecies of Muhammad will fail.
The prophecies of Zoroaster will fail.
The prophecies of Krishna will fail.
The prophecies of Confucius will fail.
The prophecies of Joseph Smith will fail.
The prophecies of Ron Hubbard will fail.
The prophecies of Nostradamus will fail.
The prophecies of these men will fail and then fade away!

The prophecies of the Lord Jesus will reign supreme because He cannot fail!

Love is perfect and complete, but as humans, we do not know what perfect means unless we know the sinless Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

The “Day of Perfection” will come with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ!

On that day, only those who will be made perfect will stand and endure throughout eternity.

What is the one word that will describe Heaven? That word is charity, “love”, “agape love”!

Love is far superior to any gift that the Holy Spirit may give to us in the Church Age because love rules every Age.

Far too many believers glory in earthly gifts and abilities instead of serving the Lord and ministering in love!

It is love that will bring a Christian to maturity of behavior, the love of Jesus Christ!

While upon this earth, all that we are and all that we possess, including our abilities, our knowledge, and our being, are all as a child.

While we are on this earth, we are immature and imperfect, no matter what area of life we are in at that time.

Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

*1Co 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

We can only be perfect on the Day we are Redeemed!

Eph_4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Luk_21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Love is being face-to-face with our Holy and Perfect God!

Love is when a Church can come together and truly be identified as the Body of Christ.

Eph_4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

It is only love that will bring us into a face-to-face relationship with Jehovah and a perfect knowledge of the truth!

Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

*1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

What are the three characteristics every Christian must have?

Faith, Hope, and Love are the sum of perfection on Earth!

We believe only in the things we love!

We hope only for those whom we love!

Love alone is the sum of perfection in Heaven!

We see that faith and hope cannot work without love!

The Holy Spirit is love, and He produces love in every child of God.

If God does not possess love, He could not produce love in each believer!

1Ti 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pureheart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

1Pe 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

When we get to Heaven, the one thing we will all witness will be the perfect love of our Savior.

We witness the love of Christ in the Scriptures, but we just cannot wrap our minds around what it really means, but we will on that day we are made perfect!

Amen

Examples for the Modern Church

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Admonitions from Israel’s History

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 10

Idolatry is the practice of paying divine honor to any object that is created.

There are three forms of idolatry:

1) Fetishism: the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc.
2) Nature worship: the worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars as the supposed powers of nature.
3) Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors or heroes.

During their long residence in Egypt, the Hebrews fell into idolatry.

Eze 20:7 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

The world before the flood was a wicked and idolatrous world:

Jos 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Jos 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

What is the first commandment given to Israel after Jehovah freed them from Egypt? Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deu 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

Today, throughout the world, people worship everything but Jehovah God!

Those who worship themselves have made themselves to be God.

*1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
1Co 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

As Paul gets further into this epistle, he will eventually get to the security of the believer.

The security of the believer is one of the great doctrines of Scripture, but unfortunately, it is taught without much understanding and without the warnings that come from the Word of God.

We know that when the time of judgment comes, God will first judge the Church.

There are multitudes in the Church who are not truly converted to Jesus Christ, but they have a false security and are overconfident.

They say they are saved, but their lifestyle says different.

Saying and knowing are two different things.

Being baptized and belonging to a church does not mean we are saved.

Taking part in the Lord’s Supper does not mean we are saved.

Being greatly gifted and very active in the Church does not make a person safe and secure in Jesus Christ.

These things were problems in the Church in Corinth.

As Christians, we are in a race for an incorruptible Crown, but this crown is not given on a silver platter.

We must actually be in the race!

The nation of Israel was a prime example of a people who had been greatly privileged by Jehovah, and it led to a people who felt safe and secure, yet many of them perished in the wilderness after Jehovah had saved them from Egypt.

All of them shared the many blessings of God, but none of that group but a few entered into the Promised Land.

The Israelites were as much a people of God as we are today, yet most of them fell in the wilderness of sin.

In truth, the possession of great privileges does not secure us from the danger of falling from the “Grace” of God.

The worst sins of Israel were a direct result of idolatry!

Idolatry is not a light matter to Jehovah God!

Today, many in the Church are willing to be delivered from Hell but shy away from living life like Jesus Christ, which is the standard for being a Christian, and which is the standard for repentance.

What did Jesus teach the Jews?

Mrk_1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

What has Jesus taught the Church?

Rev_2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

The Israelites accepted the position as God’s people, but failed in the duties of being God’s people.

Is the Church doing the same thing today?

We love to say we are the children of God, but is the Church fulfilling the duties of the Church?

Many who say they are Christians were never truly converted and have never really repented of their sins before God!

Israel passed through the Red Sea as if on dry land.

Archaeologists have found the place of the crossing of Israel, even finding the chariot of that Pharaoh, but now Egypt will not allow any more research because it changes the narrative that they want remembered.

There are many other spots that certain governments have placed off limits because they would change the narrative of the world.

Many more like them do not want the Bible to prove itself to be the truth, but it proves itself every day.

Israel had the presence of Jesus Christ with them.

God gave His Son the Leader to lead them to the Promised Land. That Rock was Christ!

God took care of their day-to-day needs.

Jesus Christ was the source, the Energy and the Power, and the Person who caused water from the Rock, caused the Red Sea to part, who caused the cloud to guide Israel, and rained down the manna, and who gave Moses the promises of God.

Jesus Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament!

We should remember there were over six hundred thousand men alone who broke away from the bondage of Egypt.

This means we do not know the actual number of the children of Israel.

We know that only two families, the family of Caleb and the family of Joshua, stayed true to the Lord; the rest died and were replaced before they entered into the Promised Land.

So, we have proof that God will save people from one tragedy, but still not allow them into His Heaven.

We must know that we know we are saved according to the Word of God, or we could still end up in Hell.

These things are a warning to the Church!

*1Co 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

These things were examples for the Church to learn from!

God has given us a Jewish history lesson for the Church to learn because we know that God never changes.

The things that happened to the Hebrews (Jews) are valuable lessons to Christians, and we must not ever forget this!

Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

Then God gives us some of these examples.

*1Co 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
1Co 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
1Co 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
1Co 10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

**Warning number one: While Moses was upon the Mountain with God, the children of Israel began lusting after the things of the flesh.
Many of them turned to idolatry. Aaron made that golden calf, and the people began dancing around it.

In typology, we know our Lord Jesus is now on Heaven’s Mountain, and the Church is lusting after the flesh and worshipping idols.

**Warning number two: Immorality took over the children of Israel.

And the Lord Jesus says to the Church, Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

**Warning number three: Neither let us tempt Jesus Christ. They tried the Lord’s patience.

You want to get to Hell! Go ahead and see how far you can go to test the patience of the Lord Jesus Christ. These children of Israel always felt that God expected too much from them. Many in the Church still feel this way today!

Many of them even longed for things they left behind in Egypt. Even onions. Who can believe that? Many people love onions, but I doubt they would choose slavery to get them.

Many Christians think they will be forgiven even if they take that second look.
If they just get a taste, or if they could just touch, or if they slip just a little, or if they hold back just a little, which is the sin of covetousness.

Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Heb 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

**Warning number four: These people could not go a day without murmuring, complaining, and grumbling.

It is the same for the Church of today. So many today are not satisfied with the truth and seek to make their own truth. Much of the Church has moved away from the truth of solid preaching and seeks a church and a Bible that goes along with their own thoughts of Christianity, forgetting what being a Christian is all about.

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jud 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Jud 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.

All these things are examples for the Church not to get caught up in!

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Rom 15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:
Rom 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must be sure of our salvation, and we must know what it is to be Christian!

To be Christian is to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This name was given to the followers of Jesus Christ by unbelievers.

Act 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

This name was given to the followers of Christ in sarcasm.

How many in the Church today would the world call Christian when the word I hear the most is hypocrites?

All these things that Paul has mentioned today should cause us to look at ourselves and just see what our standing is with God.

*1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

We must understand that was impossible for any Christian in Corinth to avoid coming in contact with idolatrous practices in its many forms.

We can also say this about America today!

We must understand this warning from the Holy Spirit.

Most every church acknowledges that we are in the last days of the Church Age.

The Church Age is the Age of Grace. There will be no other Age of Grace as Jehovah moves forward with His plans!

Grace is the way God deals with people today. We are a foolish church if we do not heed the warning Jehovah is showing us in the examples of how He dealt with Israel.

Rom 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

Any person can fall, especially when we get to thinking we cannot fall.

As long as we are still in the Church Age, there is no way to escape temptation!

We can be encouraged that there will be no temptation that is not common to everyone else.

This means we can prepare for those temptations.

No temptation will be superhuman.
No temptation will be unique to the Church.
No temptation will be beyond our capacity to handle.
No temptation will be terrifying in any sense of the word.

Every temptation that attacks the believer is common to all humans!

Most every Christian has already overcome most of these temptations, and yes, some of us have fallen and caved in, but we have repented and asked for forgiveness, and we can still be overcome if we are not prepared for them.

We should also understand that the Lord limits every single temptation within our limits to overcome it.

We must have enough faith to believe this. God will provide a way out of that temptation!

2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

We of the Church have a greater responsibility to overcome temptation than the Jews because we can read of the mistakes they made and see how Jehovah dealt with them.

The modern Church has no excuse for sinking into sin!

*1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.
1Co 10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
1Co 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
1Co 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
1Co 10:25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:
1Co 10:26 For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.
1Co 10:27 If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
1Co 10:28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof:

We must know that Satan is out to cut the heart of Jehovah and to destroy God’s purpose in saving mankind.

Satan smiles every time he turns a person away from the Lord Jesus Christ by enticing us to give our lives to the things and the false gods of this world.

When we become consumed by the things of this world, then we have fulfilled the will of Satan, the Devil.

We had better understand that God will not allow us to be a guest at His table and be a guest at the table of idolatrous devils.

This is being a hypocrite, and we will provoke the Lord’s wrath, and there will be no hypocrites in Heaven!

Even if we know that a certain thing is legal for us to do without it being a sin, should we do it?

There are limits to Christian freedom!

Should Christians attend social functions with our neighbors and fellow employees who are not saved?

We should ask ourselves:

1) Is it beneficial to me as a Christian?
2) Will it violate my conscience; will it grieve the Holy Spirit?
3) Will our actions affect our relationship with another Christian?
4) Are we just being courteous and kind to that unbeliever, who may just be seeing how far we are willing to go against his thoughts of God?
5) Does it hurt the conscience of another believer?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then we should not attend.

Even if our own conscience is not bothered, we are to act for the sake of others!

We are not to do anything that might offend another brother or sister in Christ!

Rom 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

*1Co 10:29 Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man’s conscience?
1Co 10:30 For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?
1Co 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

No man has a right to interfere with the liberty that is enjoyed by another if his own conscious, his own conduct, and his own convictions are not affected.

If I am doing no harm according to the Word of God, then why should I be judged by another Christian after I have asked God to bless my meal?

In fact, I do not have the right if it causes harm to another brother or sister who may think that I am worshipping idols when I should know better!

Bearing the criticism of another brother or sister in Christ will not be worth my attending such a social event.

We must keep in mind that everything we do outside the Church is to be for the glory of God!

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

We are not to be so concerned about our own rights that we have forgotten that all things we do are to be for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The Lord tells us: Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

We cannot allow our light to grow dim!

We are never to be stumbling blocks to the Jews, to unbelievers, nor believers!

We are to do absolutely nothing that will offend another person or cause them to stumble because this goes against the Lord’s rule of love!

We are God’s children, and again Jesus says: Mar 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

We are not to seek our own profit because we are left upon this earth to seek the profit of our Savior!

Again, our Lord Jesus says: Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

The world might ignore our Savior, but our life outside the Church is to bring Him glory every day that God the Father gives us!

Amen

Living By Love

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Claiming Rights and Living by Love

Book of 1 Corinthians, Chapters 8 and 9

In this lesson, we will see the contrast between knowledge and love.

We know the Word of God provides us with the knowledge of how to live our lives according to the Word of God.

God has a response to every question we have in this life, no matter what it is!

The City of Corinth was a pagan city, full of idolatry.

Most of the meat sold in the marketplaces had been offered in sacrifice to idols, pagan gods.

A portion of a sacrifice was offered as a burnt offering to a false god; the person who offered the meat would get a portion, and the rest of the meat would be sold in the marketplaces.

Practically every social event in Corinth served meat that had been offered as a sacrifice to false gods.

What was a Christian to do when they went shopping for meat for their own families?

They had no idea where that meat came from, just as we have no idea when we go shopping for meat for our own families today.

There were also great social functions in the city, and many of them were held in the temples built for the worship of these false gods.

Could a Christian attend these events and eat the meals that were served, knowing that the meat might have been offered to false gods?

Many felt that it was wrong to buy meat that had been offered to false gods, but they could not tell if the meat they bought had been used as a sacrifice or if the meat came from some other source.

For this reason, many Christian believers became vegetarians.

Just as these Corinthians, Christians of today live amid a sinful and pleasure-mad world, and we will have questions.

These Corinthians wrote a letter to the Apostle Paul seeking answers to these questions, and the Church of today has those answers.

The greatest questions of today are about Christian freedoms.

Are we free to do as we please?

What restraints are put on Christian Liberty?

What controls our behavior in this wicked world?

What is Christian love?

Today, we have the complete Word of God, and it gives us all the answers we need to live in this life.

*1Co 8:1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
1Co 8:2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
1Co 8:3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.

We must understand the three Christian graces which are Faith, Hope and Charity!

Faith is the vision of the unseen: Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This is our trust in God.

Hope is our desire to be with our Creator: Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Charity (love) is the necessary condition of our dwelling with God and God in us: 1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

We know that God is love: 1Jn_4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1Jn_4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

God loved us when we were worthless to Him, and we must strive to love like God loves and show that love not only to our brothers and sisters in Christ, but also to those we witness to.

It will be our love that will define us as Christians in the end!

Then, we need to first judge all things by love and not by knowledge.

We all have knowledge if we study the Bible and attend a Bible believing Church, but we all may not have the love of God within us as we go through this world.

The knowledge we have learned may come forth as pride, and our pride may interfere with our love.

It is our love that must define our bodies as a Temple of God!

We certainly have much more knowledge about God’s creations, but it is by no means perfect knowledge.

We have much knowledge about the true Church, but it is love that builds the Church.

It is good to have clear views of Christian liberty, but if we exercise that knowledge without love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, then that knowledge is not fruitful for the Body of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is not given to us to do as we please!

We have the Holy Spirit living within us to give us freedom to serve the Lord Jesus, which is perfect freedom.

We are free to obey all the Word of God.

We are free from the law of sin and death: Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

We have complete freedom to do the things that are in God’s will for us.

When God created this world, we live in, He said that it was all good.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

No actions of any Saint of God are unlawful if they are in accordance with God’s design in creation.

We should understand that desires are a function of our bodies that God made. So, in this sense, we have complete freedom.

1) We must understand that many things in this world are neither worthwhile nor are they profitable.
2) We must understand that many things in this world are not wise. Some things will enslave us and not bring self-respect.

We are never to become slaves to anything on this earth, which would include such things as drugs or alcohol, or substance abuse.

We are to preserve our self-control to control the things upon this earth and not be controlled by any of them.

Our good health and our emotions depend upon us being in control of our bodies and our spirits.

Indulgence in any of the appetites of the body is one of the greatest sins of any believer.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Our knowledge is useless if it is not bound by love for each other!

It is love that unites us with Jehovah.

If we love Jehovah, then He knows it and accepts it.

We are not accepted by God because of our knowledge!

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

*1Co 8:4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
1Co 8:5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

As Christians, we know that there is no God but Jehovah.

We know that no idol is God and is nothing in this world, no matter what their worshippers may think.

There is no God but One, and He is Jehovah.

False gods are gods of the mind and imagination, ideas and notions.

They are gods made of wood and stone.

They are gods and lords of their own creation.

We could all sit down and think about what a perfect God should be, but we do not even know what perfect really means; we just know that our Savior is perfect and He is a perfect God.

We know that an idol is created because the Devil has influenced the mind of that person.
We know that an idol could represent the demons and evil spirits in our world.

1Co 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
1Co 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

There is indeed demonic influence in our world.

Even the powers of nature are worshipped as gods.

Even the Roman emperors claimed to be gods.

As Christians, we know that all these so-called gods do not exist except in the minds of some foolish people.

We know that there is, but one God and He is our Creator.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

There are just far too many in our world who have not met the Lord Jesus Christ.

*1Co 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
1Co 8:8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

We already know that this church in Corinth was full of baby Christians and was full of division.

They had not understood the truth of Jehovah.

They had many times eaten of this sacrificial meat and had visited the temples of false gods and taken part in the big banquets.

To them, to continue to do these things had to be a sin against Jehovah and apostasy.

It was their conscience that was weak. They just could not accept that this meat could be clean.

They could not tell what meat came from which source, so to them all the meat was unclean.

Too many, they just did not ask the source of the meat, and they just took it home and ate their conscience free and clear of any wrong.

We can see a lack of faith by those who became vegetarians.

They were not strong enough spiritually to control their minds and beliefs.

Act 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
Act 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

Food is immaterial to God. Food does not make us more spiritual or less spiritual.

The eating of food does not make us acceptable to God nor does it better or worse.

We lose nothing by not eating and we gain nothing by eating.

Some would tell you that this same line of thought would apply to wine or alcohol, but the Scripture never said wine was clean.

Pro 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

Isa 5:22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:
Isa 5:23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

Isa 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

There are many more places in the Scriptures concerning wine and alcohol.

We understand that there is such a thing as Christian Freedom, so the question of real importance is, “What effect will our conduct have on others”?

*1Co 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
1Co 8:10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
1Co 8:11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

Some people use verse 8 to say “fasting” is not needed for a Christian, because of the words “but meat commendeth us not to God”, but this would be a wrong interpretation.

We do have liberties as true Christians, but we are in sin if we lead anyone to do that which he thinks is wrong.

We make things worse for the “babe in Christ” by our example if we teach them to act in contradiction of their conscience.

God has revealed Himself through conscience; Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Conscience may be regarded as an inward monitor or the voice of God in the soul, that passes judgment on men’s response to the moral law.

We can study the Bible and learn every prophecy and think we know all that we can about Jehovah, but if we do not use these things to benefit others, such as babes in Christ, then these things will not bring the blessings of the Lord but rather reproach for the cause of Christ.

No matter how great a Christian we think we are, we must not become a stumbling block to a new Christian and especially to that one who left the Church before they experienced the salvation of Jesus Christ.

1Co 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Note that phrase in verse nine: “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours becomes a stumblingblock to them that are weak”.

To the world, the Church is already a place full of hypocrites, so why would we ever make matters worse?

When Christians are seen out in public doing questionable things, others are sometimes influenced by the things they see us do, but in the wrong way.

We must never forget that none of us are so Spiritual that we cannot fall.

*1Co 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

There is no greater sin for the Christian than to damage the conscience of another believer!

A wounded conscience will make any person feel useless and helpless and may destroy their drive and initiative, and ambition.

Jesus Christ died for us in our weakness. If we lead some poor soul astray, we have committed a terrible sin against the truth of Jesus Christ.

What had the Lord Jesus told the Apostle Paul on his day of salvation?

Act 9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Any persecution of any believer is the same as persecuting the Lord Jesus Christ!

*1Co 8:13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

We must understand that we have no value in ourselves, but because of the work of Jesus Christ, we are valuable in Heaven!

If we are striving to be more like Jesus Christ, then we must remember what He has said: Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Our love for our brothers and sisters should mean that we will self-sacrifice for their welfare.

In the Church, we will influence more people by example than we will influence by our knowledge!

Rom 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

*1Co 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
1Co 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
1Co 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
1Co 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
1Co 9:23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

We can see that the Apostle enslaved himself to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As did the Lord Jesus: Joh 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

We talk about Christian freedom, and we have certain freedoms, but we are free to walk with the Lord.

When we walk with the Lord, we are not as likely to return to the bondage of this world, which is bondage to the Devil.

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

This passage may apply more to preachers or pastors, but it also applies to every Christian.

The one purpose of following the Lord Jesus is to reach out to the lost and be a witness for Christ.

Paul said he was free from all men, but he had enslaved himself by love to serve one another.

As we are free because of Jesus Christ, we are not obligated to conform to the world’s opinions.

We are never to compromise our convictions, but we must show the love of God to those we are trying to witness to.

We must remember our humble Shepherd and how He treated everyone He met, no matter their walk in life.

Paul obeyed the laws of Moses when he witnessed to Jews, as did the Lord, as long as nothing violated his walk with Christ.

This is a great example for the Church today.

We are free to do all things that do not violate the Law of God.

Though Paul would be obedient to the Law of Moses as best he could, he did not compel any Gentile to do the same.

Paul would go along with the customs of the Gentiles that were not in violation of the Laws of God.

Paul would go along with babes in Christ and refrain from doing some things that he had the Christian freedom to do.

Paul would not become a stumbling block to anyone seeking Jesus Christ!

The most important “grace” we have in our possession is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Mar 10:43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
Mar 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
Mar 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

No true Pastor or preacher, or even a Christian believer, can approach the Christian life with a bad attitude.

*1Co 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but onereceiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
1Co 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
1Co 9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

One of the great festivals of the Greeks took place in Corinth during the Isthmian Games in honor of Poseidon, which took place every three years.

When Paul mentioned the word race, these people knew what he was talking about.

No racer entered those games determined to lose, knowing that only one would be crowned the victor.

To be honest, it is the race itself that brings excitement and not always the winner.

As Christians, we all enter the Christian race to be winners, and we can know that our journey to Heaven will be exciting if we put our hearts into it.

God expects us to run and run hard!

Php 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

A racer will spend much time preparing his body for that one day of the race.

He will prepare his body.
He will prepare his mind.
He will prepare his spirit.

As Christians, we must be just as disciplined as these athletes.

A true athlete will not put anything into his body that is corrupt or polluted.

Remember, our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

We must control our minds and our thoughts, and we must give in to the Holy Spirit and follow His lead.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

That crown we receive from Heaven is far greater than any crown we could receive on this earth.

We must make every time we witness count toward salvation, even if we water where someone else has planted the seed.

We cannot allow our bodies to dictate our actions.

As we age, our bodies will tell us it is just too tired to do anything and has too much pain.

God will not accept this as an excuse!

We are not to be slaves to our bodies; our bodies must be a slave to our work for the Lord!

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

That cross is a sign of pain and death, but we must overcome it because we can never die, and that cross will drive us to success.

To give in to our bodies is to be disqualified from the race!

We will struggle with sin all our days, but we cannot allow sin to dictate our actions.

There is nothing that we do that can separate us from the love of God.

Php 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Amen

Lawsuits and Loose Living

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Lawsuits and Loose Living

1 Corinthians Chapter 6

As we learned last week, there must be discipline in the Church that belongs to Jesus Christ. If we are not willing to discipline sinful members, we are not being obedient to the Word of God, and we are lacking in faith.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Today, we get into another subject about church members and the saints of God.

A “lawsuit” is described as a suit in law for the recovery of a supposed right, a process in law instituted by a party to compel another to do him justice.

We simply say legal disputes.

We should understand that this passage deals only with disputes between Christian brothers and sisters.

It has nothing to do with unbelievers or disputes between unbelievers!

In the end, we will see that a true believer might ought to suffer wrong rather than risk doing wrong.

The Apostle Paul will lead us through this thought, one question at a time.

The first question.

*1Co 6:1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

What Paul is saying is: “How dare you saints of God go to unbelievers to settle any issue you have with another saint of God”?

A Christian can expect no justice from unbelievers, and two Christians might easily decide small matters in a private and friendly manner.

There is no real reason why two believers should not be able to settle a dispute themselves!

Believers should not be disputing and arguing over rights and authority, nor the things and possessions of this world.

Christians are to use the things they have possession of to further the cause of Christ.

Paul called those secular laws unjust, and most of those judges were ruled by Rome or appointed by Rome and were certainly unjust.

Christians were hated in most places, and it would be hard for Christians to get a fair trial.

In reality, when believers try to settle disputes with other believers before the world, it damages the name of Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught: Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

If we truly love one another, we will not cause each other harm in any way.

Christians have the Holy Spirit living within them, and the fruit of the Spirit is:

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Those Christians who do not possess the “Fruit” of the Spirit may not be saved.

The word “fruit” is singular, so each Christian should possess all the traits that are mentioned here.

The world is a terrible place because it does not have the Holy Spirit or the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

When Christians take their disputes with other Christians to the world, we make the Lord Jesus look foolish.

He has already given us the means of solving issues with each other.

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The problems in any church can be resolved if we live and learn as the Word of God instructs us.

Our lifestyle must not resemble the lifestyle of the world!

*1Co 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

What Paul is saying is that all this information is in the Bible; if you would just read and study it, you would know what God said about all these things.

This verse tells us that believers are to judge “all disputes” between themselves.

We should be able to judge the smallest matters, which are the things that pertain to this life.

We must never take these things to the world!

We will one day judge the world!

We will one day judge and govern angels in the next world, which we may not understand as of yet.

We lower ourselves and lose our dignity as the saints of God when we take our church problems to the world!

The word judge as it is used here means to govern and administer the affairs of the Church, which the world is to have no part of.

Jesus Christ told the Apostles that they would oversee Israel during the Millennial Kingdom.

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Paul tells the Church that we will govern and oversee the Gentiles during the Millennial Kingdom.

Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

There may be judging, which is governing, supervision, and oversight throughout eternity.

Verse 2 says the world will be judged by the Church that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of.

Those who reject the Lord Jesus will never live the life of a Christian, so how could they ever judge the life of a Christian?

Judgment can only come when the Word of God is the “Standard” for all laws.

This “Standard” is rejected by the world of today!

We should be able to judge the things of this life!

*1Co 6:4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

If we care for the Lord Jesus Christ, we would suffer ourselves rather than bring reproach to the Christian name!

Unbelievers are as nothing to the Church.
Unbelievers are of no account in judging matters in the Church.
Unbelievers are not held in high esteem within the Church.
Unbelievers have no standing in the Church.

Why would we ever take matters of the Church to an unbeliever?

They do not live the life of Christ, nor do they intend to.

They do not have the Holy Spirit to rely on!

This Church at Corinth had fallen from Grace and needed to return to the truth of God.

When problems arise between believers about everyday things, other believers ought to be able to give solutions.

These things did not require any Spiritual insight to come to the proper conclusion.

*1Co 6:5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
1Co 6:6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

Salvation is our great deliverance from the guilt and pollution of sin and can only be accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Heb 2:4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Once we are saved, we find that the things of this world have little, or no value as compared to the things of Heaven.

Knowing this, why in the world would we take our issues with other brothers and sisters to a court of non-believers?

Surely there are plenty of people in the Church who are competent to settle such disputes.

If we lack wisdom, all we need to do is ask God!

Jas_1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

There should be nothing that comes between two children of God that needs to be settled in a court of unbelievers!

If we feel that outside courts would be better able to handle simple disputes between two Christians, it only proves that their worldliness is stronger than their Christianity.

We are also saying that there are no wise men in the Church who understand our problem.

Then we do not accept that the wisdom of God is far superior to the wisdom of this world!

*1Co 6:7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
1Co 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Rather than cause friction in the Church, why not just give in?

Why not suffer being wronged and cheated rather than wronging or cheating another brother in Christ?

Just going to an outside court is defeating the principles of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Just going outside the Church ruins our testimony for Jesus Christ.

Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

1Pe 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
1Pe 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
1Pe 3:11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

Obviously, these things concern disputes between two members of the same church and not the broken laws of the world.

No doubt that some of these Corinthians were guilty.
They wanted some of the things their brothers had.
They did not steal them outright but sought them by outside legal means.
The world may have called it legal, but they were cheating and stealing from God and God would deal with them.

The Lord Jesus said: Mat 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Mat 15:20 These are the things which defile a man:

Can church members who do such things really be saved?

We can surely say they are unrighteous, and we could question their character.

*1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

We should be able to see that some of these things are things that God will condemn and reject.

We can expect that nothing can save a person who practices these sins.

We cannot defy God and get into His House!

As Christians, we should know these things!

Since God is righteous, His Church must be righteous to be accepted by Him!

Many people profess religion.
Many people practice religion.
Many people talk about religion.
Many people defend their beliefs about religion.

So, they live their lives according to religion.

However, Christianity is not about religion but is about a “relationship” with God!

God’s “Grace” is not given to us as a free ticket to sin.

There are very few people in the many churches who think that God will reject them!

Most church members think God will accept them, and many of them are wrong.

The Lord Jesus taught by parables, and there is one we should pay attention to.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

If this oil represents the Holy Spirit, then Jesus is saying that only about half of the Church is truly saved.

Remember, God will judge the Church before He judges this world!

Many believe that deception sins are not fatal, but they seem to forget what being a Christian is about.

2Jn_1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
2Jn 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
2Jn 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

God simply says that none of these persons shall inherit the Kingdom of God.

We should know these things!

*1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

If we truly give ourselves to the Lord Jesus, then those sins of our old life have been forgiven, and God will never bring them up in our relationship!

Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

We cannot be saved by anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ!

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

We can then be “Born Again” into the family of God!

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We were once dead in trespasses and sins: Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

We cannot approach God without faith: Jas 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

That faith must be in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did to save us: Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The Lord will save everyone who calls upon Him with a pure heart!

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We know what we were before we met Jesus Christ, and when we see others doing those same things or similar things, then we know they are not saved.

This is not judging, this is knowing them by their fruit!

We cannot say we are saved unless we have a salvation experience!

It is a once-for-all event because the Scriptures tell us this.

We are not to return to the world, and its sin pollution. The worst of all pollution.

God the Father takes our “faith” in the Lord Jesus Christ and counts our faith as righteousness.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We do not have any righteousness of our own.
We are still imperfect.
We know we are short of God’s glory.

We must surrender our new life to God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and worship Him.

It is these things that honor God the Father, and He will gift us with God the Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus takes care of our past.
The Lord Jesus takes care of our present.
The Lord Jesus takes care of our future.

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Are all things now lawful to us as the Saints of God?

*1Co 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

The Holy Spirit is not given to us to do as we please!

We have the Holy Spirit living within us to give us freedom to serve the Lord Jesus, which is perfect freedom.

We are free from the law of sin and death: Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

We have complete freedom to do the things that are in God’s will for us.

When God created this world, we live in He said that it was all good.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

No actions of any Saint of God are unlawful if they are in accordance with God’s design in creation.

We should understand that desires are a function of our bodies that God made. So, in this sense, we have complete freedom.

1) We must understand that many things in this world are neither worthwhile nor are they profitable.
2) We must understand that many things in this world are not wise. Some things will enslave us and not bring self-respect.

We are never to become slaves to anything on this earth, which would include such things as drugs or alcohol, or substance abuse.

We are to preserve our self-control to control the things upon this earth and not be controlled by any of them.

Our good health and our emotions depend upon us being in control of our bodies and our spirits.

Indulgence in any of the appetites of the body is one of the greatest sins of any believer.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

1Co 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they (sinners, the unsaved) do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Paul adds: 1Co 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

**1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Amen

Confronting Immorality in the Church

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Confronting Immorality Within the Church Family

Book of 1 Corinthians Chapter 5

Some things in the Bible are not easy to comment on, and the things Paul writes in this chapter are one of those places.

I do not see myself with enough knowledge to present this lesson other than to follow where research will lead me, along with the Word of God.

We must accept this chapter as something the local church should do when it is known that there is sin in the midst of the congregation.

In reality, most churches have bylaws that take effect in such situations, and the pastor of the church would be aware of them.

First, there is no local church that can prevent someone from sinning!

God gave us free will, and we are still in these bodies of flesh.

So, the big question is, how does the church, the Body of Christ, respond when someone’s sin has become known?

If we, as church members, take sin lightly and do not put away known sin that is among us, then can we still say we are the church that Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, established?

These are also things that can divide the church, and we see this happening all over America today.

Many in the church say, “I just do not see anything wrong with that,” rather than seeing what God says about it.

We must know that there is a difference between “falling into sin” and “living in sin”.

Falling into sin means we have done something that is sinful.

Living in sin is not something that is done once; it is a sinful practice in everyday life.

If someone commits adultery once is terrible because it affects two families, but living in adultery is far more terrible.

What should we do if we know someone is in sin? The Lord Jesus gives us the answer.

Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear there, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

We should first approach that person and attempt to resolve this issue with them.

If we do not succeed, then we should try one more time, bringing another person.

If we do not succeed, then we need to get the Pastor involved and then the church.

If that person confesses that sin to God, and another person, if such a one was involved, and no one else needs to know about it.

What had happened in this church at Corinth was a terrible sin, and almost all the church knew it and had done nothing Biblical to stop it.

Some in this church even thought this was laughable.

*1Co 5:1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.

We should not try to connect this chapter with chapter four, as Paul jumps in to handle this sinful situation in the Church at Corinth.

To the Church, this is a terrible sin, and is rarely seen, but to the Jew, this sin was specifically addressed in the Scriptures and the Books of the Law.

This passage gives us an idea of just how wicked the city of Corinth was; it was full of all sorts of lust, lewdness, and excessive unlawful indulgence.

This sin is unacceptable in almost every nation upon this earth.

We would think that this sin was not possible for a believer to take part in, but we would be wrong.

The Apostle Paul explains this very well: Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

We should understand what Paul is saying here and prepare ourselves for the day the Devil will place us in these situations.

When morals have become so corrupted as they have in our nation and most other nations of this world, we see more and more of these types of sin.

Our own nation might recognize same sex marriages, but God does not.

Fornication is any sexual relationship outside the relationship of a marriage between one man and one woman.

The Word of God states that gay men and lesbian women are living in sin.

In Hebrew families, fornication was seen as a crime against society and was severely condemned, and it should be.

Deu 22:22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

So, how did this church respond to knowing this sin had taken place and this church member was living in sin?

We sometimes do not realize how important it is for us to confess our sins and repent for them.

We cannot live in sin and say we are Christians!

*1Co 5:2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

How did this group of believers react to this sin in the midst of them?

They acted as if nothing was wrong. They became arrogant, pretending to be greater than they were, even proud of themselves.

The Church at Corinth was in deeper sin than the man who had done this wickedness, when they should have been sad that such a thing took place.

If they had been sad, maybe the man who had done such a thing might have been removed from the congregation.

We come into the Church to praise and honor God, and we are saved through the Lord Jesus Christ, who did not sin at all.

We cannot connect Jehovah to sin!

We cannot connect the Lord Jesus Christ to sin!

We know that the Lord Jesus Christ died for all our sins.

We must not be partakers with those who are living in sin!

Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
Eph 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

If we allow such things to go on unchallenged, then we are partakers with these so-called Christians.

Paul said the church should have handled this situation immediately after finding out about it.

If a sin of this proportion has become public knowledge and is allowed by the church, how could we ever criticize the sins of the world?

*1Co 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Co 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

What is Church discipline? Discipline in the Church comes from rules for order and the purity of the lives of the members, including rules for the government and worship in the church.

Each church may have different rules for the discipline of church members.

We have already read what the Lord Jesus has said in Matthew chapter 18.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians: 2Th 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.

Then Paul added: 2Th 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
2Th 3:15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

We can love them and pray for them, but we cannot hang out with them.

First: This man was to face church discipline, “in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.
The Lord Jesus is the head of the Church. It is His Church!
It is the Lord Jesus Christ whose name is being damaged.
It is for the Lord Jesus that discipline should take place!
It is only by the conviction of the Lord Jesus that will awaken this brother to his sin.

Second, the entire church was to come together to handle this difficult matter.
Paul said he would be with them in Spirit.
This church was to clean itself up before this discipline could take place.

A church full of sin cannot discipline a sinful member!

Third: This brother is to be given to Satan.

What does this mean? In short, it means that this brother was to be excommunicated.

If the Church is in the realm of God, then outside the Church is the realm of Satan.

2Co_4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Those outside the Church do not have the hand of God to protect them, and God would remove His hand of protection from this brother.

We have not seen much church discipline throughout the many denominations today, as many of them have fled from the truth of God and have given in to the world, and the Church has lost its power.

It is only by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that discipline can be carried out on any child of God.

We know for sure that there is Spiritual power that inflicts punishment for sin.

2Th_2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

For those who have control of their flesh, we already have God’s answer to that problem.

1Jn 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
1Jn 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

The Apostle Paul tells us that Christians can become castaways

1Co 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

We are told to always examine ourselves: 2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

The only person who can commit a sin unto death is a church member!

I do not know what this means, but it is said by some to mean eternal death.

Review: 1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

If the life that God gives is Spiritual and Eternal, then the sin unto death must correspond, and it must mean the opposite, which is spiritual and eternal death.

This being true, then for the Bible to be held in High Regard, this person must not have been saved to begin with, because we cannot lose our salvation!

Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

It is never good for any church or any church member to glorify sin, especially as we see it today!

*1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
1Co 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1Co 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

We know that using leaven is the same as we use yeast today.

Leaven in the Bible stands for sin.

Sin in the Church leavens the whole Church.

This sin had reached the Apostle Paul in Ephesus, and the testimony of this church in Corinth was ruined because this church was glorifying sin.

As long as sin remained in this church, the testimony of our Lord Jesus, who had no sin, and drastic measures must be taken, or the early church would fail.

Too often, a church will overlook the sin and a sinful lifestyle of a man who is a leader in the community, government, or big business. In fact, some churches will brag about having such a man as a member

This church in Corinth needed to wake up to the truth of the Word of God.

The first thing this church needed to do was to remove the sin by removing the sinner.

This meant that every member needed to look at their own lives to make sure to remove any sin that they had.

This means looking at their old life before salvation and making sure there were no remnants of that sin remaining within them.

If we accept the truth of God, then there must not be any of that old leaven in our lives.

This is a big problem in the Church today.

Many of the queer community just say God made them the way they are which means God must have made some mistakes when He created them which is impossible. God does not make mistakes!

Like every sinner, they can be forgiven, but they must repent of their sin just as all sinners must do.

To become Christian, we must be “Born Again” and become new creations of God without sin.

The Church is not to bring sin (leaven) back into the Church!

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

During the Passover, the Jews would remove any leaven they had in their homes, even taking a candle and searching all the corners and the dark spaces to be sure to remove any leaven that remained in their homes.

It is no different for us; we are to search ourselves to remove any sin that remains in our lives after salvation.

If we continue to practice sin and or accept sin, it proves we do not believe that we are cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.

“For even Jesus Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us”.

This Church at Corinth must have its own Passover and search out all sin and remove it from the congregation before they could remove this sinner.

1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
1Jn 3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
1Jn 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1Jn 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

*1Co 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
1Co 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

The duty of the Church is to separate itself from the World!

The duty of the Church is to welcome every sinner into the Church and teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If they accept the truth of the Lord Jesus, they can stay; if they reject the truth of Jesus Christ, then they must leave and go back into the world.

There is no middle ground!

The Church must separate itself from the world!

We are not to become a part of the world outside the doors of the Church.

We must be friendly and love those who are lost, but we do not party with them or hang out with them.

If we know of some in the Church under false pretenses, we are not to associate with them.

We are not to keep close company with the lost world!

We have to work in this world, and we have to live in this world, but we are not to be a part of this world.

What we find is that much of the Church of today has ignored the teachings the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostle Paul.

It can be said that fornication is what drives the world’s sin today.

Fornication includes all immoral sexual acts! Adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and any form of sexual deviation.

Those who practice fornication are not to be part of the fellowship of the Church!!!!!!!

The Church is not to become mixed up with the covetousness of this world.

The word covetous means all those who seek more and more, while millions within this world are dying from sin, hunger, disease, and poverty.

Covetousness is a sin that is especially despised by Jehovah!

Luk 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

The Church is not to become mixed with extortioners.

These are thieves, grafters, and those who take advantage of the poor to get more gain for themselves.

There is a certain party in politics that has been doing this for years, and in fact, this is what all the immigration we have seen in the last few years was all about: to gain voters and people dependent upon handouts they could control.

This Church is not to become mixed with those who worship false gods. There can be no Chrislam!

Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible, and He must be accepted as such!

Believers are in the world, but they are not to be part of the world!

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

*1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

We must separate ourselves from those who say they are Christians, but the fruit of their lives tells a different story.

We know our salvation is between us and God, but the Lord said we would know them by their fruit.

To be safe, we must avoid them while praying for them, not even eating with them.

These are the same ones who should not participate in the Lord’s Supper.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Psa 78:35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Psa 78:36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

*1Co 5:12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
1Co 5:13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

We have nothing to do with the people whom the Lord will judge when He returns.

Our one job is to tell them of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we need to show them the love of Christ while we are doing this.

The lost world will be judged by God, and we can tell them how to avoid this judgment.

Any and all evil must be removed from the Church!

There must be discipline in the Church!

Those who refuse to repent must be removed from the Church!

We must not forget we were once part of the lost world.

Eph 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Knowing what we were before coming to Christ should allow us to see those who in the Church who are still of the world, but we should also remember there are times we should not remove them, as the Lord has stated.

1Th 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
1Th 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

The Lord Jesus has already said: Mat_13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

There must be discipline in the Church, but it must be done according to the Word of God!

Remember, every Word of the Bible was written for the Church!

Amen

How to Regard God’s Servants

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

How To Regard God’s Servants

1 Corinthians Chapter 4

I liked the statement in our lesson that said churches that go against the Word of God are trying to construct a shambles out of man’s wisdom and the things of this world, rather than a mansion in Heaven.

Some mega churches are doing this today. In fact, there are many churches in many denominations doing this today.

The one thing we know about those who preached in the Church of Corinth were some of the best men of God at that time.

1) Apollos was a Jew who knew the Scriptures very well and was an eloquent speaker.

2) Cephas was the Apostle Peter, led to the truth by the Lord Jesus Christ.

2) Paul, the great Apostle to the Church called by the Lord Jesus himself, just as the other Apostles were called.

These were all ministers of Jesus Christ.

This word minister means “chief servant” of God, and each one must be called of God to be His ministers.

Exo 28:1 And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.
Exo 28:2 And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty.
Exo 28:3 And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

Heb 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
Heb 5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who gives each of them directions.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

The Lord Jesus gives us all these same directions.

I cannot understand any denomination that rejects any teaching of our Holy God.

Some people in this Church in Corinth had been blessed, probably led to the Lord by Apollos, so they spoke up for Apollos.

Some people in this church had been blessed by Cephas, and Cephas, the Apostle Peter, is the only one that the Bible says led over three thousand to the lord in one day.

Some people said they had been blessed by Paul, who can be said to be the greatest Christian of all time.

All these men had the same “Gospel Message” because there is only one Gospel!

*1Co 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
1Co 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Paul said none of us have any qualifications on our own, but our just servants of the Most High God.

This church should have had only one question, which is, were these men of God faithful to the Gospel, not whether they were eloquent or philosophical.

Sermons are to be much more than just material for discussion.

There is no discussion on the mandate of God.
There is no discussion on our means of salvation.
There is no discussion on the Lord Jesus Christ and the work that He did for our salvation!
There is no discussion on the truth of God, our Creator.
There is no discussion on the Virgin Mary and the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ.

A steward is a person who manages the property or affairs of another person. A good steward will deal with these things in a way that other person will benefit from it.

We are all to be stewards of the Word of God, so Heaven will benefit from it.

God has already warned us not to add to or take away from or twist His Word into some other meaning than what it says.

The Word of God is settled in Heaven and must remain as it is written!

No servant of God is to be elevated above another servant of God; we are all in this thing together, yet each servant is to be esteemed highly for the work’s sake.

We are all to be faithful to God’s calling.

Every minister of God’s Word is to be faithful, and this is essential.

In reality, God’s man has no other requirement.

1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
1Ti 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

What is our Pastor to our church?

1) He is a servant of God.
2) He is a steward of the mysteries of God.
3) He is a steward to be faithful to his Master and our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are not to judge our Pastor beyond these things.

*1Co 4:3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
1Co 4:4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Every man of God who is truly called and speaks the message of God that comes from the true Word of God does not care what the world says about him. Their judgment is meaningless in the plan of God.

Every “Born Again” child of God has been judged by God and is then justified by God.

To be justified is to be forgiven of our sins and pardoned from guilt and punishment, and is an act of God’s “grace,” and this comes by the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

If we are in the will of God, answering God’s calling, then we are free from the guilt of our past lives.

Justify means just as if we had never sinned to begin with. This is an action of God’s “Grace”.

How the world judges us becomes irrelevant.

No judgment of man can overrule the judgment of God!

Paul adds that he is not aware of any action he has taken that would seem to be a dereliction of his duty to serve the LORD.

Paul understood that he was still a sinner saved only by the “Grace of God”.

No doubt there may be many sins which we commit without being aware of them, so God and God alone has the power to pronounce sentence upon our doings.

God did not call us to be “judges”, God called us to be free servants!

*1Co 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Just because we are God’s children, this does not give us the right to judge anyone else, lost or saved.

This does not mean that we will not recognize the lost and the saved by their actions: Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

We must learn not to judge because only the Lord can know the heart of man.

No one but the Lord can know the real motives behind the way we live our lives.

Only the Lord can know the darkness that is in us!

Jer 16:17 For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.

It is only when the Lord Jesus returns that He will judge this world!

Rom 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Because my name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, the Lord Jesus is my Master; only He has the right to judge me!

Worldly judges love to judge according to their own beliefs and not by the laws of the land as we are seeing today.

*1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Some of the members of the church in Corinth had begun to judge other members in the same way a court-appointed judge would judge.

They were judging according to the gifts they saw in each Preacher, when it is God alone who can judge those He has called to the ministry.

God says they were just a bunch of puffed-up airbags who were doing their best to divide the church.

The pure fact is that we are not ourselves living according to the Word of God, how can we be examples for other believers?

Paul said he and Apollos could be looked upon as examples of true stewards of the Word of God who also lived according to the Word of God.

The one standard for every Christian is the Word of God!

God did not give us His Word to think about and meditate upon; God gave us His Word for us to live by.

This should be the message behind every sermon from every God called preacher to teach us what God expects from our lives.

We are never to think above what God has written for us.

If we all live according to the written Word of God, we will all arrive at the same place.

The Apostle Peter said we have the most important words that have ever been written, and they are the truth.

2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

It is the Word of God that lights up our path to live in this life: Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Not one Christian is more important than another in the eyes of God!

*1Co 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

I truly believe we have the best pastor in our area or any other area, but we must realize that when we begin comparing one pastor with another, we are bordering on sin.

Indeed, we can sometimes receive more from one preacher or teacher than from another. We must then apply this teaching to our lives, or that message was fruitless.

It is a sin when a believer begins to think that no other preacher can preach like our favorite preacher, because this is meaningless in the work God has asked us all to do, and leads to a divided church.

It is in God’s design that makes each one of us different from another.

Who makes us different from others?
Why do I think I can judge one person over another?
Why do I think I have grown so much Spiritually that I can judge one preacher over another?
Who gives us the gifts we receive to serve in God’s army?
Why do I feel that I can exalt myself and make myself superior?

How many of us would dare to answer these questions without taking a hard look at ourselves?

We should be able to see that God the Holy Spirit provides us with the gifts we have, and he chose those gifts for His reasons because only He knows how to make the House of God the strongest it can be

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

1Co 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
1Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

How could we ever believe that we could be lord over God’s people?

How can we ever believe that God has appointed us to hand our approval or disapproval to any brother or sister in Christ, much less to God’s preachers!

There is never an excuse for any church to become divided if it accepts the truth of the Word of God!

Why was Paul writing all these things to this church?

*1Co 4:14 I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.

These were strong words from the Apostle Paul, but keep in mind every letter written to the churches was then passed around to every church that was established, just as we are reading these words today.

It is never the job of our Pastor to shame us.
It is always the job of our Pastor to warn us of just what God says.

There would be no divisions in the Church if we paid attention to what God has said!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and uses those words to sanctify us and to perfect us.

This why the Word of God is so important!

*1Co 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
1Co 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

We should be able to notice the love the Apostle Paul had for this church as he refers to them as his children.

We all know we got some harsh words from our parents as we grew up, but those words were words for us to learn from.

Paul had led many of these Corinthians to the Lord, so in this sense, he was like a father to them, and Paul was warning them rather than causing them shame.

No genuine preacher would ever fail to warn the flock that the Lord has given to them.
No wise congregation would ever reject or attempt to silence that warning of a caring and loving Pastor.

We can only know if our pastors preach the truth if we study our Bibles.

If our Pastor is true to the Word of God, it will show in his lifestyle, and he will be an example for us to follow.

As the men of the Church, we should all try to set the example as fathers to the children of the Church.

We should set a good example as husbands to our wives.

We should set the example as the heads of our family.

This is what our Lord Jesus did every day of His life in the flesh: He set the example and lived a perfect life without sin.

The Apostle Paul lived a life of commitment and self-denial for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul gave all he had in his service of the Cross of Jesus.

2Ti 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2Ti 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

If we truly know our Savior, then we will certainly know the truth of those who preach to us!

*1Co 4:17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

We must understand Church growth.

It is not the number of people in any church; it is the number of people in the church who are no longer babes in Christ and are committed to serving the Lord.

It is the Spirit of God that provides for the growth of His people, and He uses that man of God who is committed to the Word of God and the will of God.

Peter and Apollos were performing their duties, and they could not be held responsible for the events occurring at the church in Corinth.

Timothy was also led to the Lord by the Apostle Paul, and Timothy could show by example what he had been taught by the Apostle Paul.

There was a great contrast between the preachers and their so-called followers.

These Corinthians were judging the preachers who had given their time to this church, but not many of them bothered to follow the Word of God they were taught.

Many profess to be Christians, and the Bible says we can know them by their fruit.

The fruit would be the way they lived their lives.

Paul took responsibility for this church and its welfare.

Though he could not be there in person at this time, he sat down and wrote an epistle to them.

Paul sent this letter by Timothy, a young preacher who was solid in his faith.

Every preacher of the Gospel must be driven to provide whatever is needed for the growth of each Christian in his flock.

If there is anything in the life of the individual Christian that will hinder the growth of that individual, then it is serious to the Lord!

Timothy was a faithful servant called of God, trained by the Word of God and the Apostle Paul, and a great example of faith.

Remember, we all need discipleship to grow in the “Grace of God”.

Amen

The Wise God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Wise God and Carnal Christians
 
Book of 1 Corinthians, Chapters 2 and 3
 
 
What is “wisdom”? According to the dictionary, “wisdom” is the right use of knowledge.

Then, this being true, there must be a wrong use of knowledge.
 
Scriptural wisdom comes from our Creator and is in opposition to carnal blindness: Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
 
Wisdom is the knowledge of things in their proper nature and relations with the power of using them in the most useful manner.
 
This wisdom can come only from God!
 
Jesus Christ in His glory shows us the power of God.
 
Jesus Christ in His humanity shows us the wisdom of God.
 
1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
 
The world says the preaching of the Word of God is foolishness, but preaching the truth of God is far wiser than all the wisdom of mankind.
 
1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
 
We know that many in this Church at Corinth had forsaken the Lord to chase the world, and though Paul could not return to this church at that time, he had written this Epistle.
 
1Co 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
1Co 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
 
The Church of Corinth was deeply divided.
 
They could not decide what kind of preacher they wanted.
 
They were undecided about which one of God’s servants contributed most to the church.
 
They did not understand what preaching really is.
 
We must understand what preaching is all about!
 
1) A prophet of God revealed God to man.
2) The preacher’s job is to reveal man to God.
 
Heb 7:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
 
Preachers are to follow our Great High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ with the power to lead each sinner to Christ.
 
Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
 
Because the Lord Jesus had no sin and He died for all our sin, we can be freed from all our sin.
 
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
 
We can see that each Preacher is to preach Jesus and the work that He did for our salvation.
 
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
 
Sound preaching is not eloquence.
Sound preaching is not about superiority. Not elevation, preeminence, not rising above his congregation.
Sound preaching is not human wisdom or philosophy.
Sound preaching is declaring the testimony of God, which is Jesus Christ and Him crucified for us!
 
Jesus Christ, “all in all”. All other subjects, political and philosophical, are insignificant.
 
Preaching is about saving souls!
 
The success of the Gospel does not depend upon the skill of the preacher, but on the demonstration of the Holy Spirit.
 
1Co 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
 
Those who are perfect are those who understand the Doctrines of Christianity.
 
Those who are perfect are those who are no longer “babes in Christ”.
 
Those who are perfect are those who understand the mysteries of godliness.
 
The Apostle Peter wrote: 2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
 
The Apostle Paul wrote:
 
Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Rom 16:26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Rom 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
 
Had this evil world understood the reason Christ came to this earth, we had better believe they would not have crucified our Savior.

They would have locked Him away.
 
The truth is, this evil world does not understand the truth of God, the Gospel, today, after all these years.
 
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
 
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not going away!
 
To those of us who are saved, we understand the truth of God is that only those whose name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life will get to see and take part in the things God has prepared for His children.
 
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
 
Only the Holy Spirit knows all things of God, and He will come to live in every believer in the salvation work of the Lord Jesus Christ and share His wisdom with us.
 
Just as no one really knows what is on our mind unless we say, it is the same with Jehovah.
 
This is what the Bible teaches us, what is on the mind of our Creator, our God.
 
We can know nothing about our God unless He tells us.
 
We cannot penetrate the Spirit world without God’s assistance.
 
No person has ever seen God, no matter what some people have claimed.
 
As Christians, we see God in our hearts, but we will one day see Him face to face.
 
We will be able to see Him because of the work Jesus Christ did to reconcile us to our Heavenly Father.
 
The mysteries of the Gospel are no longer mysteries to true Christians.
 
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
 
We know how to get to Heaven!
We know how to earn rewards while we are still upon this earth.
We know that we have a job to do while we are still in these bodies.
We know we are to assemble with like-minded Christians.
We know we are to be witnesses of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We know the next sound from Heaven will be the Trumpet of Gabriel calling us home.
 
Every gift of wisdom we receive after we are saved comes by the Holy Spirit!
 
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
 
The spirit of the world, which we did not receive, can only tell us what men have invented or what the Devil has whispered in their ears.
 
With the spirit of the world, no one can know anything related to the things of God.
 
The spirit of the world is in contradiction with the things of God!
 
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
 
There are only two types of people on this Earth!
 
1) The Spiritual man, whose spirit is the temple and dwelling place of the Spirit of God. We can know the thoughts of God because we are living in union with His eternal mind. All God’s gifts are freely given.
 
1Jn 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
1Jn 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
 
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
 
2) There is the natural man who possesses only the intellect and conscience of ordinary humanity and who is under the power of the Devil. The natural man will have to pay his way into the filth of the Devil.
The natural man receives not the things of the Holy Spirit. He cannot receive them, and he cannot know them.
 
Just as the deaf man cannot enjoy music and the blind man cannot enjoy beauty, the natural man cannot know the truth of our Creation nor the truth of our Creator.
 
We know that the Holy Spirit has given us all the Word of God, and we also know that the world rejects the truth of God the Holy Spirit!
 
The spirit of the natural man is dead to God!
 
If we never have a revelation of the Holy Spirit after we are saved, we know that He has already given us the truth of God.
 
Only the Word of God can interpret the Word of God.
 
All we have belongs to God!
 
1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
 
Paul is saying that these brethren of the Church at Corinth were still acting like men in the flesh rather than Jesus Christ.
 
They were living as though they were nothing but flesh, they were still living at the human level of life.
 
They had never gotten beyond the affairs and the material things of this life.
 
Many Christians still live this way today and remain baby Christians all the days of their salvation.
 
We know the flesh has no good things about it: Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
 
When we are in the flesh, we cannot please God: Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
 
When we are under the Spirit of God, we are removed from being under the influence of the flesh: 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
 
Even a Born-Again child of God can be carnal for a season!
 
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
 
We all know that the more we read and study the Bible the more we will grow in the Spirit.
 
It is those who refuse to read and study the Scriptures who get caught, who so easily bring the world into the Church because they have remained baby Christians.
 
They are divided by their own beliefs, and they bring that division into the Church.
 
It is carnal Christians who are the downfall of many churches!
 
Carnality brings envy and strife. Envy leads to jealousy, and jealousy leads to division!
 
Carnality begins when the members of the Church walk and act like the men of the world!
 
Whole denominations are divided today because of baby Christians are bringing the world into the Church.
 
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
 
There is only one remedy: Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
 
We give ourselves to the Lord just so we can serve Him.
 
Not as slaves but as willing servants who honor the truth of God!
 
1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
 
Those who minister the Word of God are never to be lords over God’s people!
 
They are here to give us the LORD’s message, but that message will never be different from the Word of God that He has already given to us.
 
We are never to forget that the LORD is in the soul-winning business, and this is the same occupation as the Church.
 
Ministers are the instruments of God for this purpose!
 
Ministers are not to be praised other than for preaching the truth of God, the message of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
The Gospel is always to be the focus of their attention; anything else is second to this.
 
The building of schools is second.
The building of hospitals is second.
Feeding the world is second.
Soul winning and discipleship are to be the main functions of the Church period!
 
The servants of God are nothing compared to God.
 
No preacher or pastor or whatever they are called has any cause for glory, praise, honor, or recognition.
 
There is no reason for any servant of God to feel pride until all the work is done.
 
We are to respect our pastor.
We are to love our pastor.
We are to thank God for our pastor.
We can esteem our pastor because he has the most difficult job on this earth.
 
Our pastor preaches four times a week to the Church.
He leads Bible College one night, which is separate from this.
He often goes to other churches and preaches even more times.
 
We know that one pastor waters because someone before him has spread the seed.
 
We can be a part of this, but we must never hinder the work of the ministers of God!
 
The growth of the Church is in the hands of God.
 
We are to honor and praise the Lord and not our pastors and preachers!
 
2Co 3:1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
2Co 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
2Co 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
 
If our Lord Jesus is not sufficient, then the Church will soon perish from this world.
 
1Co 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
 
All preachers and pastors or whatever they are called in the many denominations, are equal in God’s eyes if they preach and teach the truth of God’s Word.
 
Every one of them is personally responsible to God.
 
Each one will be rewarded for what they have done and not what some other minister has done.
 
Trying to be like others is not his job.
 
His job is to be what our Heavenly Father called him to do.
 
Not one of them has been called to go against the truth of God’s Word. (Let that sink in)
 
We are all called to be the ministers of God’s Word!
 
We are all to be coworkers with God.
 
As much as we can, we are all to be more like Christ Jesus as we grow in the Word of God.
 
So, those who plant the Seed of God and those who water the Seed of God are one tool in God’s Hand.
 
Joh 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Joh 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Joh 4:38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
 
The Lord Jesus Christ is the sole Agent of God’s salvation plan.
 
I know that this statement will upset a lot of religions, but this is the truth of the Word of God.
 
This is why Christianity differs from religion!
 
Some would say that God requires us to spread the Gospel, but the truth is that God wants us to give ourselves freely to the work of Jesus Christ.
 
Mar 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
Mar 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
 
We are God’s fellow workers.
We are God’s husbandry.
We are God’s building.
We are laborers together with our Savior!
 
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Source of all that concerns His Church, and we are His Church.
 
We never belong to our Pastor or any pastor or preacher, or evangelist, or the Pope, but we belong to God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.
 
It is a family affair to spread the Gospel!
 
Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
 
The truth then is that many of God’s family lack the compassion to be a laborer in God’s family.
 
The Pastor and all believers are to be workers together with our Holy God!
 
Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
 
The Lord Jesus is the only foundation of the true Church.
 
1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
 
Though Jesus Christ is rejected by the world and religion, He is the only foundation of God’s Church.
 
Mat 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
 
Jesus Christ is the same Stone that will fulfill prophecy.
 
Dan_2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
 
All foundations, whether they be of the remnants of all previous world powers, will fall to the humble Shepherd who will be King of kings and Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Jesus Christ Himself is the only foundation upon which men can build their lives.
 
1Co 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
 
There are two types of preaching that we hear today.
 
1) One type of preaching leads to permanent results.
 
This preaching is for the glory of God and builds upon Jesus Christ.
This preaching is for the well-being of mankind.
This preaching leads to permanent results.
This preaching leads to rewards for that preacher.
 
2) The other type of preaching is not according to the knowledge of God or Jesus Christ.
 
This preaching is for the glory of the preacher.
This preaching is not for the well-being of man.
These preaching leads to fuel for the fires of Hell.
This preacher will burn in the hottest part of Hell, closest to the Devil.
 
1Pe_4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
 
The inspection of the Church is very near.
 
The Church began so that it could be finished by the time of the Rapture of the Church.
 
The Lord Jesus is soon coming to approve or disapprove of those in the Church.
 
Mat 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
 
Then our Lord and Savior will accept the true Church into His Heavenly family while those who belong to Satan will burn!
 
Amen

A Divided Church

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Divided Church

1 Corinthians Chapter 1

As we begin our look into the First Book to the Corinthians, we also meet the Apostle Paul.

We know that Paul was the writer that the Holy Spirit used to preserve these words for the Church of today.

Why was this letter to the Corinthians needed?

1) To remove divisions in the Church and bring the Church back as “one” Body of Christ.

Was Jesus Christ ever divided in His teachings? No. And neither should the Church at that time, nor should the Church be divided today!

2) To deal with immorality that was entering the Church from this immoral world.

3) To answer any questions the Church might have, because this was a church filled with baby Christians. They needed to grow in Christ.

Every “New Born” Christian needs to spend time in discipleship.

The Lord Jesus spent three years with the Apostles and three years with the Apostle Paul in discipleship training.

We all need to be discipled!

The things that happened in Corinth are things every church has to contend with in this wicked and immoral world.

This city had a large population of people coming from all parts of the world.

Most ships traveling from the East or from the West would stop at Corinth.

Most roads of commerce crossed at the City of Corinth.

This made the City of Corinth a wicked and corrupt city.

Corinth became an intellectual and cultural center as well.

All these things together made the City of Corinth a potential place for worldwide missions.

If a church could be established in Corinth, the Word of God could spread all around the world.

This place first needed to meet the Almighty Living God!

This church at Corinth was established, and like all baby Christians, they needed discipline.

Paul began as a gentle shepherd over his flock and moved on to greater things.

1Co 1:4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;
1Co 1:5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;
1Co 1:6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:
1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:
1Co 1:8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

*1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Every Pastor, Preacher or Priest is called to be a brother to all other believers and the Apostle Paul used the word brother when he was addressing this church.

We all have the same Heavenly Father, and we all are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, and we all are filled with the same Holy Spirit, and we are all to have the same Word of God, and it is time that the Church to unite around these things, for we are in the last of days.

We are not better than anyone else in this world, but we can say we are better off only because our names are written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

If your name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you are already a saint of God and set apart for the Lord.

The true Church belongs to God!

The false church belongs to the Devil!

Isa 48:11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: “for how should my name be polluted”? and I will not give my glory unto another.

No one can approach God but through the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who think they can be are still lost.

If you feel like you have lived your life good enough for Heaven, then you are self-righteous and still lost, no matter who you are.

Super-spirituality and pride have no place in the House of God!

We can only be in the Church because of the Grace of God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

God’s “Grace” is the free gift of God, and God is extending His “Grace” out to all who will accept it today!

The Church must be unified behind these truths today; these truths will never change!

This message must be tender and full of love!

The word “beseech” means, come let’s share these truths together.

Our faith binds us to the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and not the things of this world!

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

We must approach each other with the “love of Christ”.

We will never agree on everything in the Church, but we must hold the truth of Jesus Christ in our hearts!

Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

We cannot allow the teachings of this world to tear us apart when those teachings go against the truth of God.

Everyone must repent from the teachings of this world about salvation, which this world knows nothing about.

We all must be in the same mind, as we will all be judged by the same Word of God!

*1Co 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

The word contentions here mean strife, the struggle that had become violent along with quarreling.

These are works of the flesh.

There was no peace in this church in Corinth!

When men divide the Body of Christ, then it is Christ who bleeds; Christ is not divided.

This Chloe was probably a lady in Ephesus, from where Paul wrote this Epistle, because we know Paul would never have mentioned the name of a member of the church in Corinth.

She is probably a Christian, maybe even the wife of Stephanus and possibly the mother of Fortunatus and Achaicus.

1Co 16:17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied.

Or Paul got this information from one of her slaves, but not from her.

If we are seeking glory other than the glory of the Lord, we will never find it because it does not exist!

There will be a perfect union in Heaven for all God’s children, and division here on earth could cause some not to get there.

If we are to live a true Christian life, we must draw upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the same for every Christian.

The unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ are at our disposal.

Each and every one of us is called of God, but not to cause divisions or strife inside the Church or outside the Church.

When news of a divided church reaches another nation, then the testimony of that church will not be good enough to win souls.

Our one job is to win souls for Jesus Christ. if we have problems, then the first place to seek help is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat_6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Next, we should seek an audience with our Pastor.

*1Co 1:12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
1Co 1:13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

I think we have the greatest church in our area, and for certain, we have the best Pastor.

Most of us cannot wait to hear the message God has given him at every service.

Occasionally, he will take time for rest, or he will preach in some other place of worship or for some other reason, but if the congregation finds out that he will not be here the size of the congregation will shrink because someone else will preach.

In many ways, this is Pastor worship rather than the worship and praise of the Almighty God.

We come to Church to praise our Heavenly Father and to worship Him in Spirit and Truth, no matter who is preaching the message of God.

If we trust the Lord, then we know that person will also preach a message that God has given to them, and those who did not come because our true Pastor was not there, miss out on that message.

Is this not the same thing that Apostle Paul is saying here in this Scripture.

Jesus Christ is not divided, and these things must never divide our congregation.

We are all going to have differences of opinion from time to time, but we all have the same Word of God, and we all strive to get to our true home in Heaven.

There is only One Heaven!

We cannot bring the Lord Jesus Christ down to the level of man!

We all know that we must have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ to get to the Glory World, and again Our Lord Jesus is not divided in fact, He is very blunt when speaking His own words which we see in Red letters.

I am certain that we all have our favorite teachers in our church.

If we say we belong to Jesus Christ, then we had better act like we do!

We can never place our Lord Jesus at the level of ordinary teachers, even if they are our favorite Preacher or teacher.

Every believer belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, if not, then you are not saved!

We do not know everything about our Savior, we only know what the Holy Spirit decided we needed to know to get us saved.

John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

The God of the Bible is unlimited in knowledge and power, and I just want to be close as I can to Him in His house.

The closest I can get here upon this earth is in a Bible believing Church with a Bible believing Pastor!

These are things we will get to know over the next million years when we join Him in Heaven.

We need to agree on the salvation plan of Jehovah God, and then, we can discuss those places where we differ from one another without them dividing us.

Sometimes we just have to agree to disagree while keeping our relationship with our Savior sound!

It is the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that unifies us, all of us.

Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

The Church is a long way from what the Lord says here in this passage today!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and we had better keep that straight in our minds!

There is only one Head of the Church, and there is only one Church, and this Church is to follow the One Word of God!

We are to be Christians because we follow the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that He did, so we can be saved.

Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, “which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”.

If we say we are liberals, or Catholics, or Baptists, or of any other title, then our parting spirit is sin!

We are all to be Christians!

There is only One who was crucified for our sin, the sin of us all.

We all have the same mandate: Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

*1Co 1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
1Co 1:15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.
1Co 1:16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
1Co 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

It was for this very reason that Paul did not like to baptize new Christians. He agreed with Biblical Baptism with all his heart, but he did not want to be put on some pedestal for baptizing the most people or have the most converts.

Paul said if we in any way make the Lord Jesus less than the Head of the Church, we are striving toward the death of the Church.

We all have a calling of some manner in the Church so. Let’s do what the Lord called us to do!

1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

There is a place to serve for every member of the Church!

Paul said: he was to preach the Word of God which are the Words of Wisdom and not preach the wisdom of words.

Divisions in any church cannot be resolved by words of human wisdom. The cross alone is the answer to a divided church!

*1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

There are only two categories of people in this world!

1) Those doomed to perish.
2) Those who have been saved from perishing.

As the years pass and we get older, we get closer to the grave and Hell or we are getting closer to Heaven, the Glory World.

We are never just sitting still! We are perishing or we are saved.

We cannot say “being saved” because it is a finite event and is eternal.

Perishing means to be in a lost state in the world that comes after death. Hell is a real place, people!

1) Salvation is a once-for-all experience meaning once we have been saved it is then in the past and unchangeable and we can live the rest of our lives at peace with God.

Luk 7:50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

2) Salvation is a continuous experience. It occurs right now, in the present.

The verse we are on right now, verse 18, ” For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God”.

3) The redemption experience of our salvation is still in the future.

Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Those who reject these things are not very wise!

*1Co 1:19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
1Co 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
1Co 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1Co 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

Mankind seeks to conquer evil through science, technology, and the religion of human effort.
Mankind tries to conquer nature, disease, suffering, corruption and death and we never had this power and never will.

As a people, we want a life that is full and free, but we want to dictate how we want it.

We always want to stand on the mountain and say, “Look what I did”.

Most of this world is just not willing to live by the Word of God and what Jesus Christ has said.

Science has not brought love, joy, and peace, but only to a few foolish people.
Technology has not brought love, joy, and peace to anyone.
Good works only make us self-righteous.

The first thing we begin to understand about Jehovah is that He loves us enough to provide a way to save us.

He has offered up the perfect sacrifice for us.

On that cross, the Lord Jesus Christ took all our sins upon Himself, and then He took our punishment for having sinned upon Himself.

Jehovah sacrificed Himself for us, and through this sacrifice, God saves us!

Those who want to approach God by some other means will always fail because this is God’s plan.

The leaders of this world have never tried to solve the world’s problems of sin and evil because it is just too prosperous for a few rich men who pull the strings on national leaders, and today on local leaders and our government become corrupt and refuse to change.

Only the cross has the power to change the hearts of these men.

There are some truly smart people in our world, but they spend their time on things that cannot change our world and make it a better place.

The cross is the wisdom of God, the way God has chosen to save this world and to save those who have faith that he can do as He promises.

If this world were to turn to the cross just to see the perfect demonstration of love and sacrifice, then this world would be a much better place.

All our leaders know how to do is inquire and argue. We see it played out every day in our Senate and in our Congress and nothing gets done because they love corruption too much.

It is the same in most of every nation.

Even the Jews want to see some great sign from God after they have already seen and read about all the great things God has shown them.

Even as they have just had their fiftieth birthday as a nation, they refuse to believe that it was Jehovah who caused this to happen.

Isa_66:8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

The next sign this world will see is the sound of the trumpet and the Church leaving this world.

The Jews still stumble over the truth of Jehovah!

*1Co 1:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
1Co 1:24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
1Co 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

We should understand that what we teach about the Lord Jesus Christ is the reverse of what the Jews and the world demand.

Instead of a Messiah as ruler of all the earth, triumphant over all His enemies, we teach how a condemned criminal is our Savior and soon coming King and LORD.

Christians teach that our one argument is the death and then the life of the Messiah.

Isa 8:13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Isa 8:14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Jesus Christ is the power of God!

The Jews and many in the world feel like they are the chosen seed of God, and they reach God because they have a godly heritage.
They still believe that they can be good enough to be acceptable to God.

They believe that if they work hard enough, they can bring the Kingdom of God to this earth.

They believe that the Golden Age of Earth is still in the future.

The truth is, we can never be good enough to be acceptable to God.
The penalty for our sin had to be paid for by the perfect sacrifice of God’s Son.
That we trust in that sacrifice.
That true belief in God’s Son gave all He had to save this world for eternity.

When religion looks upon the ugliness of the cross, the ugliness of sin, and suffering instead of glory, they are repulsed.

Who are the blessed of God? Mat 11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

The world continues to stumble over the simplicity of the cross, but the world is missing the message of the Cross.

2Co_11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

It is the Cross of Jesus Christ that God’s way is wiser and stronger than the way of religion and the way of man!

This is why Christianity is by faith and not by religion.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

* 1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

Which group of people does God save?

Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Our faith must lie in the fact that our life must be governed by a will that is far above this earth, and we receive the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us.

My Pastor has said many times that we receive the Holy Spirit for our employment and not for our enjoyment.

It is the Holy Spirit of God who does the calling.

Act 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

It is the Holy Spirit who remains with us throughout eternity

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

It is the Holy Spirit who will make our old bodies live again in glory.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

We are called according to God’s purpose for us.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

God does not call many who are dependent upon themselves, we would say self-righteous.

God calls simple and humble people.

Those who believe they can save themselves may not be called, or at least God will not waste much time on them when He already knows what they will do.

God’s calling is not arbitrary and not without reason.

God knows who will accept Him and who will not.

God has a reason and a purpose for everything He teaches us!

God smiles every time one of His nothings nullifies the somethings of this world.

God has given each one of us the free will to decide or reject Him.

If we are arrogant enough to think we do not need God, then He will not help us.

God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to save those who know they cannot save themselves.

God saves all those who want to spend eternity with Him in His House.

Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

*1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Not many simple and humble people will boast about anything.

The truth:

1) Man will never be able to control sin and evil in this world.
2) Man will never be able to bring peace, assurance, and control to the human heart.
3) Man will never bring eternal life beyond our few short years upon this earth.

We have nothing to brag about and no right to glory in the things we do!

God’s wisdom is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are nothing to God unless we are “Born Again” in Jesus Christ.

By the fact that the Lord Jesus arose from that grave to show us the power of God it becomes wisdom to follow in His ways.

It is by God pouring His Spirit into us that we can know the truth.

He is the Spirit of Righteousness, which means He knows no evil and by His power we can be sanctified which is working our way toward Holiness.

The Lord Jesus paid the price that God required for our sin, and if we believe in this, we are reconciled to God.

The entire work for our salvation is of God.

Our only work is to accept this great gift of God, so if we glory, let us glory in the Lord!

Amen

Judgment is Coming

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

From Judgment to the Presence of God

Book of Joel

Joel is another of God’s prophets that we know very little about and is called a Minor Prophet.

Joe 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

We know that the message of the minor prophets is just as important as that of the Major prophets. They are called Minor Prophets because their message is shorter. We know that the Holy Spirit used Joel to give Israel and the Church a message good throughout all the Ages.

2Ti_3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The purpose of the Book of Joel is just like the message of all the writers chosen by the Holy Spirit, to turn the hearts of God’s people back to the LORD.

LORD being Jehovah. Jehovah designates God’s nature as He stands with mankind as the only almighty, true, personal, Holy Being, a Spirit, and the Father of all Spirits.

Num 16:22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
Joh 4:26 “Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he”.

Our Lord Jesus says He is Jehovah in the flesh, the Father of all Spirits.

We will see that Joel may not mention Judah by name, but he begins with a description of God’s “judgment”.

Joel mentions the Day of the Lord more than any other Book in Scripture:

The Day of the Lord is the day of the Lord’s vengeance: Isa_34:8 For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

From Joel: Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

From Joel: Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

From Obadiah: Oba_1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

There are other Scriptures by other Prophets as important as these.

Our lesson begins with repentance.

What is repentance?

Repentance is first a change of mind.
It is second, a change of purpose.
It is then a change of life, and these things come with the promise of a remission of sin.

Repentance is walking in the opposite direction from the way we walked as sinners.

Repentance is coming out of the darkness of the Devil and into the Light of Jesus Christ.

Luk_24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

We can only do this if we have a true sense of our own guilt!

Psa 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

We need to study all of Psalm 51 to learn how to truly ask for forgiveness.

What we know is that far too many who started with Jesus Christ are now forsaking Him!

This was readily seen during the time of Covid 19.

*Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

The Prophet Joel gives us much information on the coming “Day of the Lord,” but before God’s Day of wrath, He will first call for repentance.

There is more to repenting than just saying you are sorry!

Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Joel is believed to be one of the prophets during the time of Joash who had Zechariah stoned between the courtyard and the altar on the Temple Mount.

How do we question our God, who pleads with His people to return to Him?

Anytime Jehovah calls for repentance then it is not too late to do so.

What we know is the Lord is patient, but His patience will one day run out.

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

God is tired of seeing the tearing of garments and wants to see the tearing of the hearts.

We must reach that point in our life where we hate sin but not the sinner.

We might ask ourselves why we should turn to the Lord.

1) The Lord is full of “Grace and Mercy” and has pure love for us.
2) The Lord will repent of His promised wrath if we repent and turn to Him.
3) He will answer prayers. Which means He can restore our economies and our bodies.

We may not understand the true power of Jehovah, but over and over in the Scriptures, God tells us exactly what he is going to do, especially on the Day of the Lord.

Returning to the Lord also means returning to worship of Him.

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Those who say we do not have to attend Church to be saved are one hundred percent correct, but after we are saved, we should do our best to obey all the Word of God, and it says not to forsake the assembling of the Church.

This passage says we should be assembling more and not less, for we know we are in those end times.

Every person who calls upon the Lord is to attend Church worship services and be sanctified, which means “set apart” for the Lord’s use.

In this day of Joel, the Lord told the priests and preachers to pray specifically that the Lord spare the people from the coming judgment on those who refuse to repent.

*Joe 2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
Joe 2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
Joe 2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
Joe 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

If we know anything about the Word of God, we know the Lord could return at any moment to get His Church, and His wrath will begin once the Church has been removed.

There may not be much time for anyone to repent, so now is the right time to repent, and it is certainly time to be sincere about it.

Sin is an inward thing that comes from a sinful heart, and repentance must come from the heart.

We must be sorrowful for any law of God that has been broken!

Until the Lord returns in “judgment” means we still have time to repent!

Repentance is essential to escape the “Day of the Lord” and the ‘Judgment” of God!

In the time of Jonah: Jon 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

The Bible would not say these things if they were not true, but His judgment and His wrath are also true.

Things will get so bad in the “Day of the Lord” that there will be people who say, “Where is God?”, but they should have already considered what He said.

With repentance comes the Lord’s pity.

*Joe 2:18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

If we truly repent, no matter what we have done, the Lord will pity us. This is His promise!

Will we still suffer for our sins? Yes, but we are now justified, and our name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Chastisement leads to repentance.

We should know that the Lord is always jealous of His land, and the Lord will provide well-being for His land.

All those who attack Israel will find this out soon enough, but the Lord is jealous for all His creation.

Maybe this is why we see so much turmoil in the lands today, which we call climate change.

It is a Holy God who controls all our climate: Mar 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Things could be so much better if God’s people would return to the Lamb of God!

We should know that compassion is what the LORD will show to repentant people!

It is also the Lord who provides all our needs and who can end wars.

*Joe 2:19 Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
Joe 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

The LORD promises mercy to all those who return to Him!

It is called the “Grace of God”.

Material prosperity can be restored.
Respect and honor can be restored.
Peace and national security can be restored.

These are just the little things that come to us when we love the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many of us see these words as the end of the War of Armageddon.

What had God said?

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2Ch 7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

In type, this happens in verse 17.

The LORD is still waiting for His people to repent and pray this prayer!

God the Father fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is in Jesus Christ that everyone can receive the gifts of God’s Mercy and God’s Grace.

It is in Jesus Christ that this world will be restored for one thousand years.

This is the reason Our Lord Jesus came to this earth to offer reconciliation, and He will return as King of kings and LORD of lords and all the promises that were made will be fulfilled.

*Joe 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Every denomination of the Church knows that “judgment” is coming, and once it has taken place according to the Word of God, it will be the end of human history!

The only thing that is left for all people to do is to repent!

Just before the Lord returns will be a time of unparalleled tribulations.

Those who are wise will not be victims of these tribulations because the LORD has given us a way out.

Those who love the LORD have the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We are not paying attention if we have not seen wonders happening in the heavens.
We are not paying attention if we have not seen wonders happening on this earth, no matter what scientists call them.
We should be waiting for something like an eclipse of the Sun and the Red Moon.

We of the Church know that our time is really short and we need to be working on our families with the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Day of Salvation is now!!!!!!!

*Joe 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
Joe 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

The Valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.

We should understand that the scattering of God’s people and the division of God’s land are an insult to the property of God.

Notice God says, “My people” and “My land” and He adds “My heritage”.

As I think upon this passage, I can recall the spot where the Lord Jesus will return.

Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

When the Lord returns, He will return to the Mount of Olives to the place where He had ascended.

Zec 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Zec 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zec 14:5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

I believe that this is the day the LORD will judge all the nations that have gathered to destroy Israel.

And Joel continues:

*Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

Every nation that has opposed the Kingdom of God, as well as all those hostile nations that surround Jerusalem, are to be awakened.

Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

Up until this time, the lord has been standing, but here, we see that He will sit on His seat of judgment.

Isa 50:8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.

The Lord says Bring them on, He is ready to meet them.

Joe 3:13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

The Lord says it is far past the time to harvest the fruit of the earth because it is rotten.

Rev_14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

God has already condemned these nations.

Multitudes and multitudes are in the valley of decision.

The nations have made their decision, and Jehovah will pronounce His decision at that moment.

Once the LORD begins, He will not end until it is over for wickedness and evil.

*Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joe 3:15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

Multitudes in the Hebrew suggest the confused noise of a great multitude.

Isa 17:12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
Isa 17:13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.

On this day, there will be many cosmic disturbances. All the heavenly bodies will be darkened, and this does not mean an eclipse of the Sun or the Moon because it concerns all heavenly bodies.

Isa 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

Why? It is the Day God will punish this world for its evil.

Isa 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isa 13:12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

The entire Solar System will shake violently.

Hag 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
Hag 2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

Jer 25:31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.

It certainly will not be a good day for the militaries of those evil nations.

There is much more that can be said about the Day of the Lord, but this would be a complete study in itself.

We can see that the Lord will certainly judge the nations of this world.

*Joe 3:17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

Israel will finally wake up to the truth of Jehovah as they see the work of the Messiah, who is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rev_5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

This will be the time for Israel to repent!

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

*Joe 3:20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
Joe 3:21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

Israel will become the honcho nation in this world for one thousand years, and Our Lord Jesus will sit upon the Throne of David and rule this world with a rod of iron.

Zec 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

Amen