Speaking for God

Posted by Roy on January 1, 2010 under Articles

In the First Century the apostle Paul was God’s spokesman, trying to reconcile men to God (II Corinthians 5:20). Christians in the Twenty-First Century have that same responsibility. The following will help us in our efforts to reconcile men to God as we speak for God.

1. Speak with respect. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:6).
2. Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
3. Speak to man’s deeper needs. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10b).
4. Speak with authority. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God (I Peter 4:11; II Timothy 4:1-2).
5. Speak with boldness. And now, Lord, behold their threatening: and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness they may speak your word (Acts 4:29).

In conclusion, James said, Be not many teachers (James 3:1). James was not trying to discourage us from speaking for God, but to know the seriousness of it and to speak as God would have us speak.

In all things showing yourself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned (Titus 2:7-8).

Should We Love Satan?

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A young girl asked me this question: “Should we love Satan?” She clarified her question by saying Jesus taught us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44-45) and that Satan is our enemy (1 Peter 5:8).

After careful consideration of the question, I answered something like this. All of mankind has hope; the apostle Paul said he had a goal or an aim to “… present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28). We are to seek every man’s highest good — that is to love him that he might be saved. On the other hand, Satan’s eternity has been sealed, there is not anything that man can do or should do to change that. We are told that Satan has gone forth with great wrath because he knows that he has but a short time (Revelation 12:12). Jesus tells us that he has prepared a lake of fire for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

What should be our attitude towards Satan? We should follow the example of Michael the archangel who refused to get involved with Satan, even in a discussion. Michael was willing to leave Satan in God’s hands. He said, “The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 9). Our attitude towards Satan should be to resist him. God said, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). We are to be on guard and watchful because Satan is our enemy trying to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).

Satan has many devices; he is tricky. He is trying to lead us to the grave separated from God (2 Corinthians 2:11). He is trying to blind our minds to the word of God through unbelief (2 Corinthians 4:4).

We are not instructed in the inspired scripture to love Satan, but to overcome him. The only way we can do this is to fill our hearts with the word of God (1 John 2:14). Jesus is our example; Satan threw everything he had at Jesus — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — and each time Jesus would answer, “It is written.” He defeated Satan with the word of God, and He did not try to convert him (Matthew 4:1-11) because Satan’s eternity in the lake of fire had already been sealed.

In the context of Matthew 5, when Jesus said, “Love your enemies,” He was discussing our relationship with our fellow man and not with Satan.

Overcoming Worry

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Jesus said, “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body more than raiment?” (Matthew 6:25).

“… your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:32b-33).

Jesus is not saying we should not be concerned about important things in life. He was deeply concerned about the lost state of man. At times, He was moved with compassion and wept over Jerusalem.

Jesus is saying, “Do not be concerned over the necessities of life: food, shelter, and raiment, I will provide.” He is saying, “Do not worry about things in which you have no control.”

Someone has estimated that 40% of the things we worry about never happen; and 30% have already happened. Twelve per cent are needless health worries, 10% about petty things, and that 8% are real cause for concern.

The Bible tells us to take our concerns to God in prayer and not be anxious (Philippians 4:6). All of us have made mistakes in the past. We should ask God’s forgiveness and accept it, then forget the past, not dwell upon it and let it haunt us. God forgives and forgets (Hebrews 8:12).

Paul said, “this one thing I do: forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).

Jesus concluded, “take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:34).

Going Back to the Original Church

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How to Return to the Original Church

In the eighth chapter of Nehemiah we find that Israel had drifted from God and His law. Finally the written law itself was lost. When it was found years later it was carefully read and Israel found in it things they were not doing in service to God which they should have been practicing. They began at once to practice them. When they found things they were doing which the law condemned they ceased practicing them at once. So today, if we will follow faithfully God’s Word; speak as it speaks (1 Peter 4:11), and use it as our pattern (Heb. 8:5), we can return to the original church. We can do this by teaching everything taught by Christ and His apostles, and refusing to teach anything which they did not teach. If each of us will resolve to practice or not to practice within the bounds of the teaching of Christ and His apostles we will be members only of the original church which was established by Christ. I believe this plea, if accepted and followed by all, will do away with denominationalism and sectarianism, and will restore the original church in all its purity and simplicity. If not, why not? If any man living on earth today will do what the apostles told sinners to do, and live as they directed Christians to live; if he does this, nothing more, nothing less, it will make of him what it made of people in the first century, just Christians. These were added by the Lord to His church (Acts 2:47). God will also add man today to His church upon his compliance with the same commands or conditions of salvation.

Unity Only Possible in Original Church

Jesus gave us the perfect pattern, a book which contains “all truth” (John 16:13; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17). He recognized that all believers who followed this pattern would be “one” (John 17:20,21). The vital questions being asked today:
“How do I become a Christian?”
“How must I live?”
“How must I worship?”
are not answered by the wisdom of men, but must only be answered by what the inspired writers penned 1900 years ago.

God did not give us a makeshift church in the beginning that needed to be improved by the ingenuity of men. God gave us a church that was perfect. Our changes and modifications render it imperfect. We need to go back to the original and continue in the “apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). Then we will all be “speaking the same thing” and “there will be no divisions” among us (1 Cor. 1:10).

Perhaps you are saying “amen” to this. If so let us be sure we are not deceiving ourselves. Let us be sure we are following the “apostles’ doctrine” and not the “traditions of men.” To the Pharisees, Jesus said, “Full well ye reject the commandments of God that ye may keep your own traditions” (Mark 7:9). (Perhaps a present day example will help us better understand). Man today observes the traditions of men in such unscriptural practices as “christening” and “confirmation.” God’s Word teaches that baptism is by immersion for the forgiveness of sins, the subject being one capable of believing and repenting (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).

Conclusion

To return to the original church one does not have to give up one single truth. All he needs to do is embrace “all truth.”

Under what name do you serve Christ? Is it scriptural? How did you become a Christian? Is this teaching found in the Bible? Is there an example of “your way” found in the Bible? Will you not, because of your love for God, for the sake of unity and the salvation of your soul, go back with us to the word of God?

God is Always Near

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Paul said in Acts 17:26-27, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”

There is an old belief, a false belief, called deism, which teaches that God created the universe and man, then abandoned them for some other distant project. Many people today feel and act as if God were millions of miles away. This type of reasoning prevents man from having a right relationship with God. The Bible says He is not far from everyone of us. How near is the Lord?

1. He is near enough to see us. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight” (Hebrews 4:13). God sees and knows everything about us.
2. He is near enough to hear us. “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12). Isn’t it wonderful that we can talk to the Lord anywhere at anytime? “Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:2).
3. He is near enough to be sympathetic to all our needs. “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
4. He is near enough to walk with us “through the valley of the shadow of death.” When Stephen was put to death the Lord was near enough for Stephen to see Him and to speak to Him. “Lord Jesus receive my spirit” (Acts 7:56-60).
5. The Lord is nearer to us than any person on earth. If we belong to Him, He has promised “… never to leave us nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5). “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Spiritual Things: The Conversion of Cornelius

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If you carefully read Acts chapters 10 and 11, you will see that Cornelius received gifts of the Spirit and not the indwelling Spirit. One receives the indwelling Spirit when one is baptized for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:36-39.) On the day of Pentecost, three thousand became believers and asked what to do. Peter told them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” When sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus at baptism, one’s body is cleansed for a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Sin goes out and the Holy Spirit comes in. In Galatians 3:26-27 we are told that we become children of God when we believe and put Christ on in baptism, and he tells us that because we are children, God sends forth His Spirit into our hearts. (Galatians 4:6)

In Acts 10:6, Peter was to tell Cornelius how he and all in his house could be saved. The Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius as Peter began to speak. (Acts 11:15.) The Holy Spirit did not come to dwell in him, but the Holy Spirit “fell on them.” There is a difference in the indwelling Spirit which is given to every child of God and spiritual gifts, one of which was given to Cornelius at this time. The Holy Spirit gave him the gift to speak in tongues. (Acts 11:45-46)

This gift was given to Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, to prove to the Jews that God had accepted the Gentiles. (Acts 11:18.) Peter took seven Jewish brethren with him to witness the events; but he still had to go to Jerusalem and explain to the Apostles and brethren why he went into a Gentile home. In Acts 11, Peter explained in order the events as they took place. First, his vision of clean and unclean, and the spirit telling him to go; Peter enters Cornelius’ house and begins to speak. The Holy Spirit falls upon Cornelius and his house. Peter was to tell them how they could be saved; but before he told them, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. This is showing to all that God approved of this meeting. And as Peter reported these things to the Apostles and brethren they glorified God and said, “Then to the Gentiles has God granted repentance unto life.” (Acts 11:18)

If we look back to Acts 10:47-48, we see that they were commanded to be baptized in water.

The blood of Christ washes away our sins when we believe, repent and are baptized. (Revelation 1:5; Acts 22:16.) And then we have a clear conscience. (1 Peter 3:21)

Can a Child of God Lose His Salvation?

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I have often been asked this question.

Salvation is a gift from God offered to all mankind. We are free to accept or reject salvation. Once we accept salvation, we are still free to make choices. We can become unfaithful and lose our salvation or we can remain faithful until death and receive a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

Most of the New Testament was written to Christians encouraging them to remain faithful and receive eternal life. If a man could not lose his salvation, why write all these letters encouraging him not to lose it?

“Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

Most preachers who teach the doctrine of “once saved always saved” quote John 10:28, “and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” Then they will say that includes yourself. If we read John 10:18, we will understand this statement better. Jesus says, “no man takes My life but I lay it down of Myself.” There was no external force that could take Jesus’ life but He could lay it down and He did. There is no external force that can take salvation from a child of God; but he can lay it down. He can go back into the world. Salvation is a choice that the child of God made to become a Christian and he still can make choices whether or not he will continue to serve God or Satan.

Some questions:

1. Does Satan tempt Christians?
2. If they can’t lose their salvation, why is Satan tempting them?
3. If we can’t fall, why does the Bible warn us that we can?

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Peter says in II Peter 1:5-11, if we add the Christian graces we will never fall, but if we lack these things we have forgotten that we were cleansed from our old sins. The Hebrew writer warns us, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13)

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.” Hebrews 4:1.

In Hebrews, the writer warns the Jewish Christians if they turn their back on Jesus and go back to Judaism, they have no hope.

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

See also Hebrews 10:26-29.

False teachers had taught the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians in Galatia that they must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses or they cannot be saved. Some believed these false teachers, and Paul tells them the results: “You have become estranged from Christ. You who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).

In Acts chapter 8, we have an example of a man who became a believer and was baptized. According to Jesus’ promise in Mark 16:15-16, this man, Simon, was saved. Can he lose that salvation? Yes, as we read further we see that Simon reverted back to his old ways of wanting to earn money by any means. When Simon saw that through the laying on of the Apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying “Give me this power also that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

But Peter said to him, “Your money perishes with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money. You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you, for I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Then, Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.” (Acts 8:18-24)

There were some teachers in Ephesus by the names of Hymenaeus and Philetus who departed from the truth and overthrew the faith of some saying that the resurrection had past already. (II Timothy 2:17-18.) In II Timothy 4:10 Paul said, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world.” You cannot depart from where you have never been.

Notice that Demas loved this present world. We are warned in 1 John 2:15-17 not to love the world.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world and the world passes away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

John was writing to Christians.
Can a child of God lose his love for God and fall in love with the world? These scriptures prove that he can. Demas did. Christians have done it in the past and are doing it now and will do it in the future.

Peter points out the condition of those who depart from God. “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.’” (II Peter 2:20-22)

You have the power of choice to reject the salvation that is in Christ Jesus or you have the power to accept it.

You have the choice to reject Jesus and go back into the world and be lost throughout all eternity, and you have the choice to remain faithful until death and receive the crown of life.

In conclusion I borrow the words of Moses that he spoke to the children of Israel as they were getting ready to enter the promised land, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

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What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Recently, I received this question concerning blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Since this question is frequently asked, I thought others would benefit from the answer given. The following is the answer I gave to the question.

Thank you for your question concerning blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Jesus deals with this subject in Matthew 12 and Mark 3. Matthew 12 does not give us the answer specifically, but Mark does. Jesus performed miracles to prove He is the Son of God (John 20:30-31). No one who witnessed these miracles could deny them. They could attribute them to the power of Satan or the power of God. If they attributed the miracles to God they would have to say Jesus is from God. The Scribes chose to attribute them to Satan, rejecting Christ’s deity; therefore, rejecting the only means of forgiveness.

Question #2: Can this sin be committed today?

Since you and I are more than two thousand years removed from the time that Jesus walked the earth and performed these miracles, we will not have the privilege of witnessing them; therefore, we cannot judge as eye witnesses. We must draw our conclusions from the New Testament. The nearest thing to blasphemy of the Spirit today would be to read the New Testament and say, “I believe Jesus performed these miracles, but I believe He did them because He had an unclean spirit.” That is exactly what Mark said blasphemy against the Spirit is.

“Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” — Because they said, “He has an unclean spirit” (Mark 3:29-30, NRSV).

In Mark 3:28, Jesus said, “All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men.” All means all: murder, adultery, etc. There is only one exception, attributing the power of the Holy Spirit to Satan.

After Conversion

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Adorning the Doctrine

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In Titus 2:10 Paul told Titus that servants are to adorn the doctrine of God.

To adorn means, “to arrange, to put in order,” (W. E. Vines, NIV, Titus 2:10) so that in every way the servant or teacher will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. Therefore, the servant or teacher must conduct himself in such a way that his message will be acceptable and attractive.

Paul told Timothy to “Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (I Timothy 4:16).

Personality traits of the successful teacher:

• His personal life must be pure (I Timothy 5:22).
• He must be emotional, compassionate in nature (Matthew 9:36).
• He must be optimistic in outlook. He knows that the word of God will not return unto God void (Isaiah 55:11).
• He must show his appreciation for the good qualities in his students. Remember Jesus’ words when he met Nathaniel: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile” (John 1:47).
• He must be patient. Many students will be ungrateful and unkind. He must remember that “God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish” (II Peter 3:9).
• He must be tactful. Not only must he know the Bible, but he must know human nature. He must follow the instruction given by Paul to the church of Colosse. “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6).

If you follow these instructions, then it can be said of you, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things” (Romans 10:15).

Let us adorn the doctrine of God by the life we live.