It's time to WAKE UP!!!!!

It's time to WAKE UP!

By Rance Cook 

We are entering a period in the history of mankind in which evil, sinful, violent activity is viewed by many people as not only accepted but celebrated. Honest God fearing people, particularly in Christian Nations are being labeled as hate mongers and cowed into silence by radical movements who engage in political agendas which at the very core are evil and un-Biblical. Even large portions of the church are turning to the support of sin in the name of freedom of speech and expression.

These people have become the victims of false teachers! 

The evil things and trends we are witnessing today have been repeated through out all of history since the tower of babel and even before that to a time in which evil became so rampant that God destroyed the entire world through worldwide flood and catastrophe. But who can deny that we are seeing a level of depravity today that is unprecedented in all of history. 

Now for many people, the Bible has become a source of strength and support for justifying evil acts by taking scripture completely out of context. 

These kinds of people, many of whom claim to be Christians, are doing all they possibly can to silence real Christians and pastors who take the Word of God literally and speak the truth from their pulpits.

These things should not surprise us.  There is ample evidence in scripture, penned by God’s holy prophets who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.  This evidence tells us that a time of ultimate evil is rapidly approaching which will make all past evil in this worlds history pale by comparison.

There are certain things in life that God has made extremely clear and in the end will not be tolerated... hate, violence, sexual perversion, destruction of life, anti semitism (among others) have become for many a celebration of the willful aggression against several  different people groups, first among them the Jewish people and falling only closely behind them true believers in Christ.

If we truly believe that all mankind was created in the image of a Holy God, then we must also be color-blind people. The color of any man’s skin or his ethnic origin should only serve to celebrate the fantastic human plethora that has been bestowed upon mankind by a Creator who’s desire is Himself to spend all of eternity with His beautiful creation.

The support for a people that God has clearly chosen, our Jewish brethren and the nation of Israel should be a goal for all Christians worldwide coupled with an unfailing commitment to also pray for the salvation of every other ethnic and cultural group living on this planet.

Instead, what we see happening, is a rapid degeneration within the church and a rush to “political correctness” that can only lead to destruction by those who practice or even advocate such things.

In today's world we see a rush by many to deny God’s Word and by doing so, to deny the very God who created that Word.  By doing so, it opens the door to hatred and a rapidly expanding rejection of Godly principles. What many who claim the title of “CHRISTIAN” apparently do not realize is that no matter how much they may wish it to be so, God’s desire for mankind, as written in the Holy Bible cannot be changed.

Israel and her natural descendants are the chosen of God! Perfect at this time? Absolutely not. However it is also obvious that God is working very diligently through His preconceived plan to bring all of Israel into fellowship with Himself.

The church’s job on this earth is aptly described by the Apostle Paul in the eleventh chapter of the book of Romans. As believers in Jesus Christ, when we have repented for our sins and accepted the free gift of eternal grace that is offered to all of mankind through His (AND ONLY HIS) sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, we become ingrafted into the root which is Israel. Under no possible stretch of the Biblical imagination can any true believer in Christ justify a belief that the Church has replaced Israel in the mind and heart of God.

On the other hand we must also accept the fact that the church is made up of both Jew and gentile and those gentiles come from every color, race and ethnic origin on earth.

What we see today are many “CHRISTIANS”---self confessed,  who are turning away from Israel and instead standing in support of her enemies who celebrate openly on the streets, giving candy to their children when innocent civilians and children are butchered with axes, bombs, guns and other heinous acts are perpetrated in the name of false gods. But this wanton destruction is not limited only to the Jews is it?  No. Now Christian women are being captured in some countries, raped, beaten and sold as sex slaves. Children of several ethnic groups are being killed and in some cases beheaded.

Entire family groups in areas of Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and endless other areas are being systematically wiped out merely because they have different colored skin or belief systems. This is wrong no matter what religious system they may have been taught.

The world is upside down and becoming worse by the day. These are on the one hand most certainly signs of the end times, but that does not mean real Christians should simply role over and hide in fear and trembling. This is a time in which the church needs to stand up for what is right. But that “SO CALLED RIGHT” must also match what scripture tells us is Biblical truth.

First, although we are not supposed to be judgmental, it is non the less abundantly clear that we are supposed to be fruit inspectors. It is time to stop being fooled by false teachers, wolves among the sheep and evil non Biblical doctrine and political agendas that only lead to destruction.

It is time for the church to vote. However it is not a time for settling! It is past the time when we can afford to vote for the “least of the two evils”.

It is time for us to take a stand. It is time for us to become vocal and remind the world of what is truly important, even though it may not be popular.

It is time that we say NO, we will not accept this terrible, indiscriminate violence. We will not accept being labeled as hate mongers. It is time we tell the world that there are over two billion of us who support traditional family values, support the right to life, reject all forms of hatred no matter who it is leveled at. It is time that we stand up and tell the world that we support Israel and reject categorically all forms of anti semitism.

It is time that we stand up and say, you may not take down our crosses. You will leave our Ten Commandments alone. You will not refuse to allow our children to pray in school. You will not downgrade our religious freedoms or our guaranteed freedom of speech. 

You will not get way with telling us that we cannot display a Nativity scene our our own front lawns.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7 verse 13-14 that the only way that leads to eternal life is through the narrow gate.

In the same chapter in verses 15-20 we are warned about false prophets, wolves among the sheep and that we will know other true believers by their fruits.

It is time to stop being fooled by anyone who claims to be a Christian but who also supports non-Biblical doctrines!

And, by the way; Yes Christianity has some very e

very black spots in our collective history. Some people carrying shields, crosses, and swastika’s did unspeakable things that were evil, and violent and disgusting. But that was not THIS generation and I for one am getting tired of hearing about how “YOU CHRISTIANS”, enslaved great grandpa, rode to the crusades, burned people in the inquisitions., and used our skin for lampshades and burned us in ovens.

THOSE THINGS WERE EVIL!!! However...

I DID NOT DO THOSE AWFUL THINGS and neither did the Christ that I serve. Take a break---don’t try and put that stuff on my plate or anyone of multiple millions of Christians worldwide in THIS GENERATION who are trying to do things in a way that demonstrates the peace, grace and love that is commanded by our Lord.

You know every single night on the news channels we hear Muslims saying that only a small portion of that religion are blood thirsty depraved terrorists. OK, got it, no problem. Now when are we going to begin drawing a line between real Christians and phony ones who only use that Great Name for self seeking purposes?    

     

So, the question is really this? What do you think would happen if over 2 BILLION TRUE believers actually did stand up and very strongly and vocally said “NO NO NO!  I promise you that this world is run by politicians and even some of the worst kings and dictators BASED UPON THE FEAR that the masses may rise up and vote them out!

The final question is, WILL WE? 

ISRAEL: TO BE OR NOT TO BE - - - that is the question?

Dear friends and readers,

One of the most commonly asked questions today is "Is what we see in the Middle East, REALLY the Israel that the Holy prophets described in the end times, or is it simply a secular State made by men"?

Before I comment on that I need to make full and complete discloser; I do believe that the current State of Israel is conceived and placed upon this earth by God and I support Israel and the Jewish people 100%.

Having said that, please do not jump to the conclusion that the other peoples of the Middle East are not also important to me because they most certainly are. AND they are a thrust of my prayer life and teaching. Jesus very clearly stated His intention to sacrifice His life on the cross for ALL mankind and that includes Muslims, the various Eastern religions, Mormons, and everyone of millions of other folks who adhere to various religious beliefs (or no religious beliefs) throughout the world.

I also know that the God of the Judeo Christian Bible is the ONLY one who is really God and the only one who answers prayers. As Christians we should all be praying non stop for people (regardless of belief system or portion of the planet upon which they live) and our prayers should be centered upon each and everyone of them discovering that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God and he alone can provide a way to eternal life with our heavenly Father.

Last Thursday evening at our church service, a lady raised her hand with a question that many are wondering today. Simply stated "If the Biblical prophets stated that certain things are going to happen in this world, then how can we pray without messing things up"?

You should know at this point that as a pastor, I teach the entire Bible but that includes past, current and future fulfilled Biblical prophecy.

The prophet Amos stated (chapter 3 verse 7) "Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets". That makes it abundantly clear to me that God wants His followers to know what will happen in the future. Unfortunately some Biblical teachers have taken that scripture to extremes and have tried in vain to predict specific dates for future events to take place. That is foolhardy at best and NEVER EVER works!

One last scripture to establish why I believe that the Bible is absolutely true and without fault or contradiction in any way; 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man (or woman---my addition) may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work"!

So, my answer to this lady's question was simply that while we cannot change what the Biblical prophets were told to say, we can pray for specific people, specific events and specific outcomes. Our God listens and answers prayers. What we pray will not mess anything up. So keep on praying and let God work out the deatils. He is very good at that"!

I have recently read some articles by folks who decry the Bible because "it is full of contradictions, foolish stories that are not possible in the real world and VERY MANY prophecies that have failed".

That leads me to some conclusions; While I am not any persons judge, still I know that true believers in Jesus Christ have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them and He teaches us Biblical truth.

So to the folks who are trying to tear down the oldest and most revered book in the world, you are wasting your time. The Bible is perfect, there are no failed prophecies and there are no contradictions. The problem is your lack of understanding which may well be fueled by a predisposed goal of tearing up something that you obviously do not understand---perhaps? To avoid being placed into the very uncomfortable position of admitting there really is an all powerful God and if that is the case, you would have to begin obeying what He has said.

So for all concerned, both unbelievers and those people who claim to be Christians but who hate Israel, there is ONLY ONE thing that you need to decide. Do you or do you not believe the Bible? If you do believe the Bible then you must support Israel!

The original question however begs to be answered; Is the Israel of today the REAL ISRAEL or just an invention of man?

First a few obvious realities about Israel today;

Israel today is far from perfect and makes mistakes. By and large it is secular in nature but that is changing rapidly as the Messianic church continues to grow both within Israel and throughout the world.

The Jewish people have been an extremely "stiff necked" and rebellious  lot since the times of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who's name was changed by God to "ISRAEL"!

The Jews are not a perfect people but the fact is that they were given covenants and promises by God who the scriptures tell us cannot lie and never changes. God chose the Jews as His own covenant people and no one on earth can change that.

The process this old world (and specifically the Middle East) is going through today is for the express purpose of doing two things: 1). To bring Israel and the Jewish people into perfect covenant with their creator. 2). To accomplish the Great Commission of Matthew chapter 28:18-20---having to do with the church which is made up of both Jew and gentle believers in Christ. (full explanation for which is a future article).

For those of you who claim to be "CHRISTIANS" but hate Israel, you are in BIG trouble! You cannot claim to be followers of Christ and hate Israel which is comprised of His natural cultural relatives on this earth. Oh, and by the way, for you who are replacement theology and believe that the church has somehow replaced Israel in the mind and heart of God? And may base that on your belief that the Jews killed Jesus?

WRONG AGAIN! Jesus said in John chapter 10 verse 18 "NO ONE takes it (my life---my italics) from me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. This command I have received from My Father"!

So, regarding Israel, first and foremost, Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel. Secondly there are so many Biblical prophecies that have been fulfilled through the establishment of Israel as a Nation on May 14, 1948, that it would take a dozen articles to cover them all. But here are just a few to whet your appetites!

1).  85 Biblical prophecies regarding ALIYA (The Jewish people going back "UP" to Israel after two thousand years if diaspora). Click here.

2). For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure (Psalm 135:4)

3). "But you oh mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they are about to come-----------This land that was desolate  has become like the garden of Eden, and the ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited"! (Ezekiel 36:8-9, 34-35)

4). I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of valleys;--------I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, the myrtle and the olive tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine and the box tree together; That they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it"! (Isaiah 41:18-20).

5). I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them, says the LORD your God"! ( Amos 9:14-15).

6). The State of Israel will become a nation once more (Isaiah 66:7-8) (Ezekiel 37: 21-22).

7). The Jews once again to re-ocupy the City Of Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:4-8).

8). The Hebrew language will be revived from the dead (Zephaniah 3:9).

9). Israel reborn in one day---May 14, 1948 (Isaiah 66:7-8).

10). Israel to be re-established as one united nation (Ezekiel 37:21-22).

11). The second Israel to be more impressive than the first (Jeremiah 16:14-15).

12). Ezekiel predicts the timing of the re-establishment of the current Nation of Israel (Ezekiel 4: 3-6).
(mathematical calculations available upon request)!

13). The people of Israel to return to their own land ( Ezekiel 34:13).

14). Israels new army will be disproportionately powerful (Leviticus 26: 3, 7-8).

15). The returning peoples of Israel would have their fortunes restored (Deuteronomy 30: 3-5).

16). FUTURE---starting as we speak! ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD will come together against Israel over the control of the City of Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:1-3).

So there you have it folks. If you doubt that the current State of Israel is the one given by God then I suggest to you that all the evidence one could ever want or need is already in the Bible and in many cases theses scriptures were given by inspiration of God  as long ago as 1400 B.C.

For you Christians: A word of advice. Don't put yourselves at odds with the God of creation. Not a wise move on your part.

Psalm :121 6-9 " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: MAY THEY PROSPER WHO LOVE YOU. Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces. For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, peace be within you. Because of the house of the Lord I will seek your good".

God bless,
Pastor Rance.

Is The "Tyranny Of Hecticity" Killing You?

Dear friends and readers,

I'm back.

I know that some of you have asked why I stopped writing and so I will give a short answer to that. As a pastor, the ministry I serve has gone through very many critical changes recently. All good but I realized that we were becoming so broad based that we had to go back and look at the original vision God gave me 30 years ago---and do THAT! So we have readjusted and cut out all the peripheral elements that were keeping us desperately busy but producing little spiritual fruit.

Many of you may be experiencing the same problems with your churches or ministries. Are you waking in the morning and just getting through another day of the same-o-same-o? What did happen along the way that caused SO MUCH activity that you have lost focus and can't wait to fall into bed at night? Then awaken again and start the endless process all over again---asking yourself, what DID I  accomplish today?

The answer is "THE TYRANNY OF HECTICITY"! Now before anyone writes to me and says there is no such word as HECTICTITY, well you are wrong. I use it and can find no other word to replace it.  Although it may not occur in the pages of Webster's, neither did the word AIN'T until someone realized that the word was being used by millions daily. So just like AIN'T, perhaps we can all agree that the new word which aptly describes the condition of many churches today SHOULD be HECTICITY!!!

For those of you who are not enshrined in some form of Christian ministry, or perhaps are reading from the perspective of another culture or perhaps even a far different religious system of belief? I bet you are still suffering from some form of this very same tyrant that tries to completely take over our otherwise well ordered existence. So keep reading!

It is the TYRANNY OF HECTICITY that keeps us so busy trying to fit everything into our Franklin Planners that we have lost track of----------People. We will simply call it the "TOH" syndrome. It is rampant worldwide. It is the next sermon---you know, the one your wife has heard so many times from you (in slightly different form), that you see her mouthing your very words from the front row while you are teaching?

It is the constant BEGGING for help for the Sunday school program. It is "OH MY GOSH, summer is right around the corner, what do we do for VBS? It is the "pastor I have a great idea---when in reality that means that I have a great idea for YOU to do pastor but I am far too busy myself"!

It is the need to raise the money for new sanctuary carpeting, A new school bus, Teen night, Elders night, singles night, Marrieds night, in fact every other night but one with your own wife and kids night!

It is the TYRANNY OF HECTICITY that eventually drains us of our energy, ministry vision, once important goals---like accomplishing the Great Commission? "TOH" is the beast that takes men and women of God and turns them into  exhausted, discouraged, plastic smiley faces that (in private) threatens to quite the ministry probably several times each month. It is "TOH" that drives ministries apart, frequently sets ministry children at odds with their parents and sometimes even drives otherwise dedicated ministry couple to divorce court.

So, friends, in our ministry we have cut cut cut to the point that we can actually see the light of the ole ministry day and spend more time with people. Starting with family, friends, time for a walk with my wife, an occasional nap with our handicapped little guy Santiago. Really and truly taking the 7th day off which is really great advice God gave mankind way back in the 10 commandments of Exodus 20:2-17.

So before anyone accuses me of gravitating back to the law, I DO fully realize that as Christians we are saved by grace, not by works. Howsomever  (that's a country term that should also be in Webster's) friends, could we not agree that if God said something was important, perhaps we should pay attention? Particularly in a world in which Christian divorce rates are nearly as high as in the world around us?

By the way, that would be the 4th Commandment in case you have lost track. Will I go to hell if I work on Saturday? No absolutely not but here is something to consider; I wonder how many divorces could be avoided if the men of the church---let alone the world, actually took time each and every week to do nothing but spend time with their families?

But you say, I have to work on Saturday. Well, perhaps you are missing the idea here. God does say that Saturday (the sabbath) is the last day of the week and deserves a break. No one can change that But the simple idea is TIME WITH FAMILY, regardless of day.

Also, just a reminder to those of you who do have a tendency to gravitate back to the law, Jesus Himself said in Mark 2:27 "THE SABBATH IS MADE FOR MAN, AND NOT MAN FOR THE SABBATH" (28) Therefore the Son of Man (Jesus) is also Lord of the Sabbath"!

Please consider this little article to be a reintroduction from myself to you with many more blog articles to come. Now having prioritized my own life, I am looking forward to speaking with you often.

I will end with a word of advice to Bill O'Reilly of Fox news (a man I do not actually know), Perhaps Bill you should consider writing your next book with the title being "KILLING HECTICITY"!

I bet it would be a worldwide best seller!

God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.

Obeying Jesus ~ by Kevin Cross

Obeying Jesus

by Kevin Cross

IDT Mid-America

Do you get nervous when sharing your faith in Jesus?  Me, too.  But, for the past six years, I have used the following biblical method of sharing the gospel and it has been very effective!

It can be scary to stand up for Jesus and lovingly share with someone how to have eternal life in Him.  But, Jesus has commissioned His followers to do it (Matthew 28:18-20).  We have been given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).  It is our duty to fulfill our mission on earth and worship our triune Creator by obeying His Son.  Since we’re going to obey Jesus by telling people about Him, we want to be as effective as possible, right?

Although biblical evangelism is very direct, I have found most people appreciate having an honest, caring, non-judgmental conversation about their eternity.  Nearly every time I speak with someone, our conversation ends with a handshake and a “Thank you”.

So, here we go---

(1) Pray – We are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Pray before, during and after

                 any endeavor if you want to be effective in glorifying the Lord.

(2) Go –    Leave your church property.  Very few people who are enemies of God (Colossians

                 1:21) will enter what they see as God’s house or go where they think He will be.

                 These folks are simply acting according to their sinful, un-born again natures and they

                  must be converted or they will suffer eternal punishment.  We must go to them!  

                 Think about this.  If a house near your church was burning, would you stay on your

                  church property and wave at the house in the hope that your neighbor will see you,

                  think you are friendly and come join you at your church to escape the fire?  That’s

                  ridiculous!  The loving thing would be to run to the house, share the bad news of the

                  fire with your neighbor and encourage them to flee to safety.

  

                   Failure to go is disobedient and ineffective even if we follow the rest of these steps.

(3) Smile – Be friendly and personable.  It’s more fun and it quickly disarms people in our

                   deteriorating and de-personalizing culture.  Sufficient relationship to share the gospel

                   with someone can be built in only a moment with a friendly greeting.  We do not

                   need to, nor can we, earn the right to share the gospel.  Jesus has commissioned us to

                   do it!

(4) Break the ice – Offer the person a good gospel tract (one that includes the words “sin”,

                             “holy”, “righteousness”, “hell” and “repent” (Acts 17:30-31, James 1:15, Luke

                              13:2-5).  Ask the person, “Did you get one of these?”  If they ask what it is, be

                              truthful and tell them it’s a gospel tract.  They will appreciate your honesty

                              and will either accept or reject it.

                              Two advantages of using tracts are that they go home and preach to the person

                            when he/she is ready and the person can read the message again and again.

                            If handing a tract to someone is too difficult, don’t be ashamed.  Leave good

                            gospel tracts where people will find them.  The Holy Spirit can use them to

                            convict people of sin and cause them to be born again (John 3:5-7, John 16:8).

                            An alternative to using tracts is to ask if there are any good churches in the

                            area.  You will know by the person’s response if they are open to discussing

                            spiritual things.  If not, wish them a good day and move on to someone else.

  

(5) God’s Law – The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) along with portions of Jesus’ Sermon on

                            The Mount (Matthew 5:21-22 and 5:27-28) show our Creator’s perfect, holy,

                            righteous nature.  Anything of imperfect nature cannot survive being in His

                            presence.  Therefore, sinful people must be made perfect by God.  The Holy

                            Spirit uses God’s Law to convict the person of sin and show them their need for

                            the Savior (Romans 7:7).  They must be given the righteousness of the Lord 

                            Jesus Christ by faith in Him in order to escape God’s wrath for their trans-

                            gressions of His Law (1 John 3:4).

           Ask the person if you can ask them a few questions.  Most will say yes because you are

                  asking them to talk about their favorite subject – themselves.

           Ask if the person believes they are a good person or good enough to go to heaven.

           Ask if they have kept the Ten Commandments. Most will say they try. 

           Ask if they have ever lied. (Commandment 9)

           Ask if they have ever stolen anything. (Commandment 8)

           Ask if they have ever used God’s name in vain. (Commandment 3)

           Ask about other Commandments in the same way, if you wish, to show them their guilt.

     Most people will be very candid if you ask these questions in a friendly, non-judgmental

     manner.  Tell them they can judge themselves.  Remember, dear reader, you are guilty, too.

     I know you are not a good person because the Bible says so in Romans 3:12.  This verse tells

     you that I’m not good either.

     If the person turns the questions back on you, simply admit the truth.  Guilty people want

     others to be guilty with them, but that does not remove their guilt when they stand alone

     before God in judgment (Hebrews 9:27)

(6) Analysis – You are not analyzing the person.  You are gently giving them an opportunity to

                        analyze themselves.

     Ask if they would be innocent or guilty if God judged them by the Ten Commandments.

     Anyone who is humble and honest will answer guilty.

     Once they answer guilty, ask if they would end up in heaven or hell.  If they answer

     “heaven”, go back to the Law and help them see their guilt.  If they say “hell”, ask if

     they are concerned about that.  Give them a moment to think about their possible

     eternity in hell.  You may feel uncomfortable at this point, but you are doing the

     person a great favor by helping them think about the everlasting punishment that may

     be in their future.  Don’t be afraid to make them sweat. This is the Holy Spirit’s

     opportunity to convict them of their sin.  It’s much better to hang over hell in our

     imagination than it is to go there forever.

     When they tell you they would likely end up in hell, tell the person you care about

     them and would hate for that to happen to them.  If you didn’t care for them, you

     would not be sharing the truth with them, right?  This small statement of caring is

     very powerful in our “it’s all about me” society and it gives the person another

     moment to consider eternity.

(7) Gospel – Once the person’s mouth is stopped (Romans 3:19-20), which means they are not

                    defending themselves and thereby demonstrating self-righteousness, it is time for the

                    Good News which is the “…power of God unto salvation to everyone who

                    believes… “ (Romans 1:16).  When the person understands that they rightly deserve

                    eternity in hell for their sins against God, share with them that Jesus took their

                    punishment for them on the cross and rose again on the third day so that if we repent

                    (turn from and forsake our sins) and trust in His sacrifice and resurrection, He will

                    give us eternal life (Acts 20:21, Hebrews 6:1).  Share with them that salvation from

                    sin is by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9,

                   John 14:6).

Keep in mind that it is almost impossible to overstate the importance of repentance.  Jesus told people to repent from early in His earthly ministry (Matthew 4:17) through His post-resurrection letters dictated to John for the seven churches in Revelation.  Telling people they must repent may sound harsh, but it is the most loving thing we can do.  God has declared that they should repent (Acts 17:30-31) and unless they repent, they will perish. (Luke 13:1-5). 

Don’t fall into the trap of counting “your” converts.  The Holy Spirit will tell the person if they have been made new creations in Christ (1 John 5:10).  Our duty is to simply share the message we have been given and urge people to repent and trust the Savior.  We cannot determine whether someone has been saved until they bear good fruit (Matthew 7:17).  Share the gospel and let the Lord keep score.

You will be surprised how directly you can speak with people about the possibility of their eternal punishment in hell if you speak with a loving, concerned voice.  This is not a mousey voice, but a firm, caring voice of someone who believes hell exists.  Don’t be afraid to say to someone, for example, “But you said that you have lied.  The Bible says that all liars will go to the lake of fire.  Doesn’t that concern you?  I would hate for that to happen.” (Revelation 21:8).

Be sure to take the opportunity to encourage the person to whom you are witnessing to read their Bible.  Give them a Bible or a Gospel of John if you can.  Invite them to your Bible-teaching church or a Bible study.  People are best discipled in a local fellowship of believers.

Don’t judge effectiveness by how many people “make decisions for Christ”.  That is not the Biblical objective and we don’t have that information because we do not have access to the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27).  The Biblical goal is to worship and glorify Jesus by obeying Him and lovingly sharing God’s plan of salvation with those who do not yet know Him (Matthew 10:37-39).  We are to be God’s “ambassadors for Christ”(2 Corinthians 5:20).  We can be very effective at being obedient and glorifying God even if no one turns to Christ to be saved.  We only fail when we don’t go to share the gospel.

A couple of key verses to remember as you share your faith are:

2 Timothy 2:24-26 – And the Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, 

                                  able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who

                                  are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the

                                  knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from

                                  the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Proverbs 15:1 –         A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Helpful websites:

www.livingwaters.com

www.goodpersontest.com

www.needGod.com

If you have questions, comments or disagreements with anything in this post, please send your concerns to me, Kevin Cross, at idtmidamerica@gmail.com  I would love to hear from you!

Unnoticed Gnostics...Bible Study #1

Greetings friends and readers! 

I would like to introduce you to Steve McGlade, a brother in the Lord and student of the Word of God.  Our brother Steve has written several Bible studies and we are looking forward to sharing them with you!  Here is the first of many...

God bless you,

Pastor Rance

The early church was infiltrated by certain people who were called gnostics. Their name comes from the Greek “gnosis" which means to know.  The infiltration is clearly spoken of by Jude, whose little one chapter book is an exposure of the gnosticism of that time.  Without quoting all of Jude, I will pick out some interesting statements.

"For certain men have crept in unnoticed ". Jude v 4

Notice here, these people were in the Christian congregations but they often went unnoticed.  As we know, the early Christians would have agape feasts where they would get together for a shared meal and Christian fellowship Jude also says -

"These are spots in your love (agape) feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves".  Jude v.12

  

They are described as comfortably joining with us in intimate fellowship.

"They are clouds without water."  Jude v. 12

As we know water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, the Lord said that rivers of living water would flow from the belly of the true believer, yet these are described as having no water.  John 7 v. 38.  Jude also goes on to say that -

"These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit ".  Jude v.19.  Jude then describes them as people who "have not the Spirit ".  The Scripture is clear -

"Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His".  Romans 8 v. 9.

There were two main types of gnostic heresy in those days. Both groups believed that matter was intrinsically evil.  The docetic gnostics denied our Lord's humanity.  The word " docetic is from a Greek word which means " to seem ". They argued that Christ never had a real physical body, he only "seemed” to have one.  This is the heresy that John immediately begins to address in his first epistle.

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life." John 1 v. 1.

Notice here how John is emphasizing the humanity of Christ.  That...which we have HEARD.  Which we HAVE SEEN with our eyes.  Which we have LOOKED UPON.  And our HANDS HAVE HANDLED.  Even the word "handled" here is very informative, it is a word that is not used very often in the New Testament. It means to handle deliberately with a view to investigate. The word in Greek is “psailafao", it's root is “psallo , from where we get the word psalm.  It is used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament when Isaac who was blind, handled Jacob's hands with a view to investigate whether or not the person before him was Esau, because his voice sounded like Jacob's voice.

"So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he FELT him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”  Genesis 27 v. 22.

This same word is used in Luke 24 v 39, where Jesus bids his frightened disciples -

"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: HANDLE me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have".  Luke 24 v. 39.

Jesus wanted His disciples to handle him so as to investigate that he was not a spirit, but rather he himself risen bodily from the dead.

Again when Paul was preaching to the people on Mars hill in Athens, he used the same word when he said -

"That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might FEEL after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us ".  Acts 17 v. 27.

As stated earlier, the root of this word is "psallo" from whence comes the word “psalm ".  The relationship between the two words is clear when we consider some of Strong's definitions of psallo -

a) to touch or strike the chord, to twang the strings of a musical instrument so that they gently vibrate. 

b) to play on a stringed instrument, to play, the harp, etc. 

c) to sing to the music of the harp. 

d) in the NT to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song.

And when someone touches and handles a musical instrument, they must do it carefully in order to get the right sound.  It is as if they are investigating the instrument to see how to achieve the quality of sound that they desire.

Number 2.

Getting back to the first epistle of John , he explains to us one of the reasons why he wrote his first epistle.

" These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you ".

1 John 2 v 26.

As we have already seen , the deceivers in the early days of the church were known as gnostics.

Also we noticed that they believed that matter was inherently evil and that the body of our Lord only appeared to be material.

This helps us to understand certain remarks that John makes in chapter 4 -

" Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world ".

1 John 4 v 2-3.

Years ago when I would read these verses I would find them a bit difficult , because all of the cults that I had come into contact with did confess that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh.

These cults believe that Jesus Christ was born as a flesh and blood baby in Bethlehem.

It was only when I came to understand about the gnostic threat to the early church that I was able to understand these statements in their first context.

John also says -

" Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

1 John 2 v 18 - 19.

Notice here that John speaks of these people going out " FROM US " instead of " CONTINUING WITH US ".

Many people that are born again often backslide and leave church. They are not the ones that are spoken of here.

These statements recall to mind similar statements uttered by Peter in his second epistle -

" For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit, and, a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

2 Peter 2 v 20 - 22.

I have often wondered if Peter is speaking here of gnostics. It is known that they confessed Christ , although not according to the true Gospel. 

Yet somehow their testimony of Christ enabled them to infiltrate the true church.

I remember once reading a collection of early 
Christian writings and there alongside people like Athanasius and Polycarp was Valentinus , a significant second century gnostic , and incredibly there was no mention of the fact that he was a gnostic and not a true Christian.

It appears that they can still infiltrate today.

Getting back to Peter's statements , he appears at first to be speaking of born again Christians as some of his statements are very extreme , but then he goes on to speak of a dog returning to his own vomit and a sow having been washed then returning to the mire.

This is interesting as dogs are spoken of in the Bible as unbelievers -

" But outside are DOGS and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Revelation 22 v 15.

Also the washing of the sow could refer to an outward washing which would produce a form of outward godliness without the inner reality.

But if you take a sow and clean it up on the outside , dress it in a nice suit , and seat it in the front row. It is still a sow inside and if it leaves the church it will soon go back to wallowing in the mire again.

Also the Biblcal languages are not always as nuanced in my opinion as our English language. Often the Bible will speak in extremes in a way that maybe we would not. Just to give two examples , firstly Jeremiah says to Israel -

" For thus says the LORD ‘Your affliction is INCURABLE , Your wound is severe. 13 There is no one to plead your cause, That you may be bound up; You have no healing medicines ".

Jeremiah 30 v 12 - 13.

This sounds pretty extreme. Yet further down in the same chapter the Lord says -

" For I will RESTORE HEALTH to you And HEAL you of your wounds,’ says the LORD ".

Jeremiah 30 v 17.

Our second example is Jacob's attitude toward Leah , the Scripture says -

" And he went in also unto Rachel, and HE LOVED RACHEL ALSO MORE THAN LEAH , and served with him yet seven other years ".

Genesis 29 v 30.

Then the very next verse says -

" And when the LORD saw that Leah was HATED , he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren ".

Genesis 29 v 31.

The word " hate " here ( sune ) , does mean " hate " in the Hebrew.

Strongs description of the word " hate " here is as follows -

To hate, be hateful.

Interesting how the " loved more " of verse 30 is the equivalent of the " hated " of verse 31.

This is what is known as the comparitive degree. 

For Jacob did not hate Leah as we use the word hate in english. It is simply a case of Rachel being Jacob's favorite wife , and that Leah was less favored.

After all Jacob and Leah had 6 children together.

This also sheds light on something Jesus said in the New Testament -

" If anyone comes to Me and does not HATE his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14 v 26.

This word " hate " ( miseo ) is just as strong in Greek as it is in Hebrew , and is where we get the first part of the english word " misogyny ", ( hater of women ).

Strongs entry for this word says -

To hate, pursue with hatred, detest.

Again although Jesus uses this very strong word to express the comparative degree , yet that is exactly what is meant here. Whenever there is a conflict of interest between our devotion to the Lord and our devotion to our nearest and dearest , the Lord must always comes first.

This is apparent when , after Jesus had explained to his disciples that he must needs go up to Jerusalem to be killed and raised from the dead. Peter probably in an attempt to display to the Lord the depth of his devotion took Him to one side and said-

" Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”

Matthew 16 v 22.

Jesus , far from being grateful , responded with single minded devotion to His Father's will --

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Mattthew 16 v 23.

After receiving such a stinging rebuke , Peter's wounded heart may have momentarily felt that Jesus love for him had suddenly turned to hate, but Jesus was more concerned with doing His Father's will than worrying about Peter's feelings.

Author:  Steve McGlade

Editor:   Ruth~Ann Waterhouse