What Time Is It?
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
THERE IS A TIME FOR JUDGMENT. But that time will be when man stands before God, who alone is worthy to judge. Our time is to labor to be found faithful, at our judgment time.
THERE IS A TIME FOR VENGEANCE. That time belongs to God, for He will repay. Our time is to seek freedom from resentment toward those who misuse us, so as to “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
THERE IS A TIME FOR REPROOF. But that time must not be with anger and hostility, but rather with all longsuffering and consideration. In many cases, people’s positions are what they are, because that is all they have to be from their own perspective or needs. Usually when one’s perspective falls short of another’s expectation, it is because they never really thought about the situation any further than they had to. Thus, rather than take offense towards things that others have never really thought about, we need to inform each other so as to round out our perspectives to include one another. A person may have no need to think of things from your point of view, and maybe have reasons not to, unless they are intreated with reason to do so. The best way to assure that people will be open to see and accept what we have to say, is to avoid affronting them without indignation, but rather gain their respectful attention through a fervent appeal. “By long forbearing is a prince persuaded.” Proverbs 25:15
The more we come to know of each other, the more things we see that need improving. Rather than reap negative results through putting one another down, strive for the blessed results of cultivating one another in knowledge and wisdom. It is surprising how resourceful people can become when they respect each other to the degree of wanting to lift up one another. “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.” Romans 12:10
THIS IS THE TIME FOR MUCH NEEDED GRACE. May we take to God’s position for our example: “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.” 2 Peter 3:9 According to God’s Word, some men count longsuffering to be slackness. Some feel that unless you threaten or intimidate sinners, that you are not standing for the truth.
But by longsuffering after we have tried, let’s try again. Let’s look beyond the fault and concentrate on the need. How long did you go on in life before you finally repented and accepted Christ? We all owe our salvation to God’s longsuffering and grace.
SHARING
The Earth Is The Lord’s
–By Thomas Smith
“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1
What a fabulous verse this is! It resounds majestically with the glory of God. What a powerful and mighty God we serve! Everything about the earth and all those who occupy it belong to Him.
This Bible text declares many wonderful truths about God. For instance, it proclaims the total and complete sovereignty of God. The earth is His creation. The earth did not just occur, and it did not evolve. God made everything that is made. He is the great Architect of the universe, and He created it from nothing with magnificent design and purpose.
He sustains His creation with the power of His might. He is the ruler of the entire world. There is no power of any kind, in any place, that is above Him. He rules over nations, leaders, individuals, and circumstances as well. Everything belongs to Him. The earth and all that it contains is His. Because this is true, He deserves all the glory and praise for the work of His hands.
Man is not to worship the creation, only the Creator. There are so many deceived people who worship the environment, or the things God has made, and do not give glory to the only deserving One. To refer to “Mother Earth” in a worshipful way and disregard the ruler of the earth is a form of idolatry. God has given us His earth to enjoy. What a gift this great creation is! As Christians, we should have a special appreciation for the earth that we live in. The beautiful birds, the animals, plant life, stars, mountains and rivers are sources of great pleasure in our lives. As the song goes, “This is my Father’s world, And to my list’ning ears, All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world, The birds their carols raise; The morning light, the lily white Declare their Maker’s praise.”
Our responsibility is to be faithful stewards of the part of God’s world for which He has made us responsible. He owns the world and all that it contains. That includes the things we sometimes consider our “own”. The house we live in, the cars we drive, the money we earn and spend, and the family we love, all belong to the Lord. In fact, our very lives only exist because of Him. We are not owners, only stewards. God has allowed us to use and manage these things that belong to Him, and one day we will be required to give an account of our stewardship.
SHARINGThe Baptist Identity
“In those days came John the Baptist…” Matthew 3:1
The proper noun “Baptist” is an identity. An identity is not, nor does not, contain authority in or of itself. But those who are of and who have what the identity identifies, are legitimate in their claim of that identity.
A person can pin a sheriff’s badge on their chest, without being a sheriff. But a true sheriff will want to wear the badge that identifies him as sheriff. Does the badge make him a sheriff? No. But it is proper for one who is sheriff to wear the sheriff’s badge.
Baptist is the God given identity (thus precious) of the first New Testament preacher, whom God sent from heaven with New Testament baptism, with the mission of making ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:17), from which Lord and which people the first New Testament Church was made. Since baptism is the New Testament covenant seal, and that New Testament baptism was Baptist, it was Baptist baptism that sealed the membership of the first New Testament Church together.
The first local New Testament Church and all local New Testament churches mentioned in the New Testament are simply referred to as church or churches. Each and every one only had the New Testament baptism that God sent from heaven by John, that God identified as Baptist.
Neither baptism, not its God given identity, were ever an issue of controversy in the New Testament. All churches in the New Testament were true churches, with pristine baptism that all stemmed from the church which Jesus built, which had only the Baptist baptism which God had sent by John. They all knew the Lord, and their origin as a church, and the baptism it embraced, and they all knew it was Baptist.
At that time, there simply did not exist other man-made churches from which they needed to distinguish themselves. There was no other baptism they needed to distinguish themselves from. But just because there was nothing that required them to identify themselves with the name Baptist to distinguish themselves amongst other man originated churches or baptisms, did not mean they did not have Baptist baptism, nor did it mean they refused Baptist as a New Testament identity.
Should this question have been raised in their midst, and they would have given the true answer to what the name Baptist meant to them, they would have replied the same as you and I read in our Bibles as to the origin, the authority, and the identity that God gave John who was the heaven sent agent of New Testament baptism.
There should not be given more to the proper noun “Baptist” than what was given it in the New Testament. It was a God given identity. I never read where anyone in or of the New Testament sought to attack or belittle Baptist as an identity. It stands alone, sanctified and unchallenged in the sacredness of God’s Word.
Those who attack Baptist today as a New Testament identity, do so by trying to cast it into a role of something other than an identity. For instance, those who give the name Baptist prominence as a New Testament identity that is inseparable from the ordinance of New Testament baptism administered by the authority of the local New Testament church, are accused of using the identity of Baptist as being their authority, their power, and their assurance (pride) of being saved and right with God. But the Biblical name Baptist is an identification, NOT the authority, nor the power, nor the propitiation for God’s people.
Pinning the name Baptist on a religion does not give it the authority or power or sanction of God, any more than pinning a sheriff’s badge on a scarecrow would make it sheriff. However, I don’t know of a real sheriff who has a problem wearing the sheriff’s badge. Nor can I conceive how that a true New Testament church would have a problem with the God given, Holy Spirit inspired, and scripture sanctified identity Baptist.
Could it be that those who accuse the use of the identity “Baptist” to be a matter of pride, or accuse it of being used as one’s authority, power, or what makes one right with God…could it be because they have had their hearts and minds closed to what God really did when He sent John from heaven with New Testament baptism as the New Testament covenant seal and identified him as a Baptist?
Rather, to me, the reality of Baptist as the true New Testament identity that distinguishes true New Testament baptism, by which the obedient believer is joined in local New Testament church membership, is a glorious fact found in the wonderful counsel of God. SELAH. AMEN.
“And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.” Luke 7:29-30
SHARINGSo Send I You
“For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?” Esther 8:6
To save a soul, God the Father: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
God the Son: “He left the splendor of heaven, knowing His destiny, was the lonely hill of Golgotha, there to lay down His life for me. If that isn’t love, the ocean is dry; there’re no stars in the sky, and the sparrow can’t fly. If that isn’t love, then heaven’s a myth, There’s no feeling like this, if that isn’t love.”
“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 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.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. THUS:
“If to Christ our only King, Men redeemed we strive to bring,
Just one way may this be done–We must win them one by one.
Side by side we stand each day, Saved are we but lost are they;
They will come if we but dare, Speak a word backed up by prayer.
Only cowards dare refuse, Dare this gift of God misuse;
Ere some friend goes to his grave, Speak a word his soul to save.
So, you bring the one next to you, And I’ll bring the one next to me;
In all kinds of weather we’ll all work together,
And see what can be done,
If you’ll bring the one next to you, And I bring the one next to me;
In no time at all we’ll have them all,
So win them, win them one by one.”
–C. Austin Miles
It is not so much a question as to whom we should try to win, as it is, will we try? The one(s) you think you cannot talk to, are the one(s) you need to “Speak a word backed up by prayer.”
Today is the day of salvation, “Ere some friend (family member) goes to his grave, Speak a word his soul to save.”
While prayer is the key to heaven–it will be the going forth by faith that will unlock the door.
MAY THE LORD DEPEND ON YOU?
SHARINGWhat Should I Give To Him?
“For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” 2 Corinthians 8:12
Perhaps one of the most difficult parts about giving is figuring out what to give, or even what you can give. What can we give to Christ? Perhaps the words to a song written by Gary Lanier may express our thoughts concerning this: “How can I give Him a birthday present? He is so far away. How do I show that I really love Him? Words really cannot say.”
One of the best ways was demonstrated by Saul of Tarsus, just as soon as he opened up his heart to Christ as his personal Savior: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6) Jesus knew what He wanted from Saul and He knows what He wants from each of us. But do we want to do His will in this matter? If we try to force on someone something they don’t want, it hardly qualifies as being the good will of gift giving. So our first consideration should be, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
The task of giving is not complete until the gift has been received. God gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins, but this gift isn’t ours until we personally receive Christ as Savior and Lord. Just believing that it all happened does not mean we have received the gift. You can believe someone has a gift for you, but you don’t have it until you receive it. Likewise, for us to give Christ a gift, it must be something that He will receive. And for you to receive His gift of eternal life, you must first be willing to receive Him as your Lord and Savior.
Nothing about giving and receiving, where Christ and man is concerned, has been established, until we have first exercised our faith in trusting Christ to save us, for: “…without faith it is impossible to please him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Apart from faith, nothing we have will please Him.
But after we have accepted Him as our Savior, by faith, here is a list of gifts that will please Christ:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2) Maybe you could give Him a body free of sinful defilements; a body clothed in modest apparel, to God’s liking, rather than that which pertains to the opposite sex (1 Timothy 2:9-10, Deuteronomy 22:5). Give Him your love, devotion, worship, and surrender to His call unto service. “Christ will this gift receive.”
SHARING
