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GPS – Anchored in Our Walk

December 21, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – Anchored in Our Walk

by Rick Shrader

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14).

Christmas and Easter give us the anchor of our walk with Christ. Other holidays may come and go but the reminder of the incarnation of God into flesh, and then the reminder of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, the Son of God, and His ascension back to the Father’s right hand, speak to us of things that are absolutely necessary for eternal life.
Paul wrote to the Colossians, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). The Word became flesh. The Son of God became a man. This was the only way our sinful souls could be redeemed, by a divine Substitute Who would do what neither Adam nor we were able to do, make an atonement for sin. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).
Adam walked with God in the garden, in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8) but disobedience made that fellowship impossible. If it had not been that God loved us enough to have His Son come to earth, become a man, and die for the sins of the world, neither would we have a walk with God but only the wrath of God. At this time of the year we think of His incarnation which made our walk possible.
That Word “dwelt” among us or “tabernacled” among us. He dwelt in a “tent” the same as we do but without sin. And, amazingly, He kept his tent of flesh, untainted by sin, and took it back to heaven with Him. As the Rabbi said, “The dust of earth sits on the throne of heaven” One day our dust will be made incorruptible and our souls immortal so that we will walk with Him in heaven forever. Of this whole process, John wrote, “The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us . . . that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:2-3).
At Christmas we should behold His incarnated glory. That glory was of One begotten of the Father. That eternal Sonship among the eternal Godhead is a mystery beyond our finite comprehension. “I and My Father are One,” Jesus declared. The Father, “Who is and Who was and Who is to come” (Rev. 1:4), has forever been with the Son Who is the “Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last” (Rev. 1:11). Since “No one has seen God at any time,” John went on to declare, “the only begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18).
Jesus Christ was full of grace and truth. “For the law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). When we walk with Jesus, we experience grace and truth and show it to the world in which we live. This is because of “the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth” (Col. 1:5-6).

Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth
Hark, the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King.”

Joseph: Unexpectant Father

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:18-21)

“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23). Joseph was not the father of Jesus. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit before Mary and Joseph had consummated their marriage vows. There is not a greater example of a man who walked with God than Joseph, the husband of the virgin Mary.

Joseph was a common man, a carpenter (Matt. 13:55). As a young man it was needful for him to leave his home of Bethlehem and move to Nazareth, a small mountain town in Galilee. While there, practicing his carpenter trade, he met Mary and desired for her to be his wife. As was the custom, he arranged a betrothal vow with his father-in-law to be, Heli. In our modern day, we make the wedding vows to one another (before God) on the same day as the consummation, which happens shortly after on the honeymoon. As is our English custom, consent and consummation are the two parts of a marriage. In Joseph’s day, however, consent, or the wedding vow, was made in a legal contract (with the parents’ mutual consent) some time before the consummation. Joseph and Mary had given their consent, i.e., their vows, already and were considered husband and wife, though the consummation, traditionally made in the father’s house, had not yet happened. Joseph had no other thought than that Mary was a virgin and had kept herself for him until that time.

But Mary turned up pregnant. To Joseph, there was no other conclusion than that somehow, somewhere, by someone other than himself, Mary had been unfaithful. Though the Old Testament law required the death penalty for such adultery (Deut. 21:18-21), God had given special grace in such cases for the woman to receive a certificate of divorce and be sent away (Deut. 24:1-4). We see that leniency extended to both Kings David and Solomon as well as by Jesus with the woman taken in adultery (John 8:1-11). Therefore, “Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.”

At this critical time, God intervened with an angel to inform Joseph that Mary was actually the virgin promised in Isaiah 7:14 and that the child in her “is of the Holy Spirit.” Still, this had never happened in all history. This was all in a dream. How could this happen now to two such lowly people? All Joseph had to go on was the word of an angel. But to Joseph that was enough. Joseph arose from his sleep and continued with the betrothal vow, though he knew her not until the child was born.

One thing was left. God tapped Caesar Augustus on the shoulder and directed him to decree that Joseph must return to Bethlehem to be registered for Roman tax. Thus we have that beautiful narrative in Luke chapter 2 of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem’s manger. Here Joseph’s faith would be further tested as he witnessed the amazing visits by shepherds and kings who attested to the deity of this baby. And if that were not enough, God instructed him to take his new wife and son all the way to Egypt for protection from Herod’s terrible decree. This Joseph did without a question or doubt. This done, there was a necessary visit to Jerusalem for the circumcision which also included two more amazing visits from Anna and Simeon. Finally, Joseph returned to his shop in Nazareth.

Most of Jesus’ life was spent as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). If He says to us, “Take my yoke upon you” He truly knew the purpose involved in making yokes. We have no other contact with Joseph until Jesus was twelve years old and left alone in the temple. When departing from there, Joseph no doubt heard his Son reply to his wife, “I must be about My Father’s business.” I can imagine that this brought a smile to Joseph. He always knew Who the Father of Jesus was. He knew during all those years the two of them shared in the carpenter shop that this day would come. What else could there be for this amazing Son.
A few men have been asked difficult things from God. But when it comes to walking with God, no one excels beyond Joseph. A simple man was asked an extraordinary thing: “Take up this cross and follow me.” Joseph also knew what a cross was.

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GPS – Giving Thanks in Our Walk

November 1, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – Giving Thanks in Our Walk

by Rick Shrader

O, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! (Psalm 107:1). November is the month for Thanksgiving. If there is anyone who should be a thankful person it is the believer in God through Jesus Christ. We know that our Heavenly Father is working all things out for our good and for His eternal purposes. It is not that everything that happens is pleasant, but that everything that happens is in His providential care.

Psalm 107 also says (four times), “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” The problem is that the “children of men” are, for the most part, unbelievers. Their view of the world and thankfulness is based more on chance than on an immanent God. They are like the gambler who is thankful when the dice roll his way (and angry when they do not). Or they are like the athlete who points to the sky when a higher power allows him to win rather than the other guy. “As worldly people go on their way they meet with some things that make them happy, and some about which they complain bitterly. They conceive of life as a matter more or less of chance. Accordingly they welcome those workings of chance which favor their purposes and object to those which do not” (Leon Morris on 1 Thes. 5:18).

The Bible mentions being thankful in its various forms (thank, thankfulness, thanksgiving, etc.) about 140 times in the Bible. I think one of the most challenging is 1 Thes. 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I would have to raise my hand at being the first to fail in this verse. How can we do this in the broken world in which we live, where people suffer and where Satan is loose to do his bidding? I think the verse implies two ways in which we can give thanks in everything.

1) You should be a thankful person. It is the will of God for you to give thanks on every occasion. “In everything” is a single expression. We are to be this way at every turn of the road. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6). Jesus said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me” (John 11:41). Eight times the apostle Paul began a statement with, “I thank my God” (Rom 1:8 being the first) and sometimes “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord (1 Tim 1:12). It is the believer who can truly thank the Creator of all things for providing all things at all times.

2) You should be thankful for everything. It is the will of God to give thanks for every occasion. This is much harder. “This” is also single. We are to be thankful for each thing that happens. This is God’s will for us as well. But we do not see these circumstances as chance the way the world sees them. God is working all things to a proper and good end and in a broken and sinful world, He has to allow a mess in order to clean up a mess. It is ours to be thankful that we have such a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19) Who is organizing our dirty world. Evidently He has trusted that I could withstand the pain in order to help in this endeavor though I prayed differently.

“We need to learn this secret of the happy Christian life—thankfulness. If everything actually conspires to do us good, how can we do otherwise than always rejoice? What if we do not always at once see and feel the good, is there not joy in anticipating the sight? The Christmas tree is already being decorated although the doors are still closed, yet how the little hearts beat with expectant joy!” (R.C.H. Lenski on 1 Thes 5:18).

Thankful Paul

And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only for the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island . . . And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all” (Acts 27:22-25, 35).

Paul had written earlier that one of his many trials was that three times he had been shipwrecked (2 Cor 11:25). According to the date of the books of Corinthians (early 50s AD) and the travel by ship to Rome (late 50s, early 60s), this would be Paul’s fourth ship wreck! Yet, Luke records, “he gave thanks to God.” One might say, “Well, now he had to because he had previously written that we should.” But those who would think this way just don’t know the Paul of the Scripture.

A simple computer search shows how often these words appear in the New Testament: “Thanks” (37 times), 24 by Paul. “Thankful” (2 times), both by Paul. “Thankfulness” (1 time), by Paul. “Thanksgiving” (9 times), 8 by Paul. In the Old Testament, “thanks” appears 36 times and 22 of those are in Psalms. Saying Paul was not thoroughly a thankful person is like saying Psalms knows nothing about being thankful. Paul would simply reply, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col 3:17). Or, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Cor 2:14).

In Acts 20 Paul was on his way back to Jerusalem for the last time. Having stopped in Ephesus he explained to them, “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me” (vss. 22-23). If God were to give us these kinds of advance notices of the trials which are just around the next corner, how would we respond? There would probably be a prayer vigil to keep it from happening.

When Paul’s party landed in Caesarea they stayed in Philip’s home. While there, Agabus the prophet came from Judea and informed Paul and the others that he would be bound in Jerusalem and given to the Gentiles. Sure enough, “Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem” (vs. 12). Why should we be put ourselves in a position in which we know harm will come? But Paul’s answer is instructive, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (vs. 13). Hearing that, to their credit, the believers said, “The will of the Lord be done” (vs. 14).

We find, as the story proceeds, that Agabus was right. In Jerusalem Paul was nearly beaten to death by the Jews who thought erroneously that he had brought a Gentile into the temple area. Yet God saved his life by having the Roman guards rescue him and put him in their own jail. Was Paul discouraged at this string of events? No, a few days later the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome” (23:11).

So, aboard the ship on the way to Rome, Paul knew he would make it and was only concerned for the rest of the crew which God would also give him. What Paul could not see at that point was that he would be marooned on the island of Malta for three months and would preach there and see a great revival (27:7-10). Paul’s many experiences had taught him that the greatest blessings often come out of the greatest trials. He had taught the believers in Achaia about the believers in Macedonia, “that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality” (2 Cor 8:2).

So we learn in life that, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). God will not allow us to be tried above our ability to withstand (1 Cor. 10:13). We can be thankful in our trials because we know our Lord has a purpose and that He walks with us through them. I know some great people now who are going through cancer, serious operations, family struggles, near poverty. I love Paul’s motto on his way to Jerusalem that day,

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

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GPS – Walking in Darkness

October 1, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – Walking in Darkness

by Rick Shrader

October is the month for Halloween, that sad old tradition on “Hallows’ Eve” when ghosts and goblins are thought to be traveling around. It is an unbiblical and unholy tradition that the church ought to discard. However, there is a lot of darkness in this world, some of it from Satan himself, some of it from man’s own heart, and some of it from God.

The Darkness of Satan

We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, the apostle wrote, “but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age” (Eph 6:12). Satan is the god of this age who blinds the minds of unbelievers so that they will not see the light of the gospel (2 Cor 4:4). Lucifer became Satan when he desired to be higher than God and sit on the throne of God (Isa 14:12-15). We don’t have to look far to see his effect on the current world system. One transhumanist wrote, “We seek, therefore, to bless ourselves with perfect knowledge and perfect will, to become as gods, take the universe in hand, and transform it in our own image” (Mark Pesce, 2013, at the Global Future 2045 International Congress). Satan is still a liar and the father of those who reject God as their spiritual Father (John 8:44).

The Darkness of Sin

Jesus, the Light of God, came into this world of sin and darkness, but the darkness did not “comprehend” Him (John 1:5). In fact, sinners loved their spiritual darkness so much that they willingly refuse the light and accept condemnation instead (John 3:18-19). The apostle Paul wrote that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18). At the end of that chapter, after listing 23 human sins, Paul concludes, “who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (vs. 32).

The Darkness of God

It seems odd to talk of the darkness of God, but I am referring to the silence of God in this age of grace. The most common accusation against God these days is that He doesn’t put a stop to all the terrible things that happen in the world. “Either God does not care about the plight of human beings or He is not able to do anything about it.” Such blame reveals a depraved and unbiblical knowledge of God. God does not reveal Himself by miraculous intrusions into history in the age of grace as He has in times past. Today, it is His creation that declares the glory of God and His attributes (see Psa 19:1-6; Rom 1:18-21). When skeptics ask to see God step in, stop sin, and judge the world, they are asking for something they will regret.

The Darkness of Tribulation

God will step in one day! After He takes His church away, He will cast the world into a time of judgment and wrath for their sin. It will be a time both of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jer 30:7) as well as for “all tribes of the earth” (Rev 1:7). Those who would not “receive the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” will “believe the lie” (2 Thes 2:11-12) of Satan himself and be eternally lost. Now is no time to play around with trivial games of darkness and debauchery. Today is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time to believe in the light of the gospel (2 Cor 6:2).

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GPS – Working While Walking

September 2, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – Working While Walking

by Rick Shrader

Labor Day in America falls on the first Monday of September. Americans don’t seem to care what a certain holiday commemorates, they just enjoy the day off—hence the oxymoron, Labor Day Holiday. Christians have a stewardship from God to labor but we often don’t pay proper attention to what that means. Genesis 1:1-5, the first day of creation, reminds us that God was at work in the world. God “worked” six days, “and He rested on the seventh day from all the work which He had done” (Gen 2:2). He set the example for work as well as rest.

God’s Innate Dominion

God has rightful dominion over His own creation. As God, He is eternal as well as omnipotent. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psa 90:1). God did not need to create a world with life in it. He did it for His own glory and enjoyment. He has innate dominion over it all. “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations” (Psa 145:13).

God is the owner and sustainer of His world. He owes no man but all creation is owing to Him. “Who has preceded Me, that I should repay him? Everything under heaven is Mine” (Job 41:11). Paul said, “Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever, Amen.” (Rom 11:35-36). God sustains His own creation as well. He “upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb 1:3). “All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Col 1:16-17).

Man’s Delegated Dominion

Recently Kevin Bauder wrote, “God’s plan was never to govern the world immediately. Rather, He created intermediaries who would do the work of governing on His behalf. He intended to fill the world with these God-like creatures who would continuously bring creation to higher and higher levels of order. These creatures would not have the power to create out of nothing, but they would have the ability to take the pre-existing materials of the world and to arrange those materials so as to force them to become more useful.” (Nick of Time, 8/9/24)

C.S. Lewis once called that delegated dominion the “dignity of causality.” The Psalmist asked, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (Psa 8:4-6). This is an area where we have continuity with Adam, the Psalmist, and every other human being. We are stewards of God’s creation. We are not to abuse it nor to worship it.

One area where we have a certain discontinuity with all of our ancestors is in the dominion God gave Christians in the local church. The church is a small island in the sea of humanity and creation where we have a unique stewardship. Our labor here is also delegated to us in the New Testament and one in which we have dominion as believers, in the world and yet different from the world. With one step we are planting and watering actual seed and dirt on God’s earth, and with the next step we are sowing and watering the seed of the gospel, fulfilling our delegated dominion.

Paul the Tentmaker

The apostle Paul was a “tentmaker” (Acts 18:3). This expression is commonly used of bi-vocational ministers who pastor and must also support themselves by working in a secular job. Paul came by it naturally. When brought before the Council after his arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21), he said, “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel” (Acts 22:3). Paul says three things here. 1) He was born in Tarsus, the capital city of the province of Cilicia in Asia Minor. This is a beautiful Mediterranean city on the southern shore of Pamphylia in Galatia. 2) By “this city” Paul means Jerusalem where he learned Rabbinic law, a “Pharisee of a Pharisee.” 3) He was “brought up” under the tutelage of Gamaliel (of the school of Hillel), and, as customary, went off to Rabbinical school as a young teenager and was therefore raised in Jerusalem.

After his familiar conversion story, Paul went back to Tarsus for eleven years (Acts 9:30; Gal 1:21). Carson and Moo record, “Paul’s native town may also have led him into his trade. A local product, cilicium, was used to make tents, and Luke tells us that Paul was himself a ‘tentmaker’ (Acts 18:3). This is presumably the trade that Paul pursued during his missionary work in order not to burden the churches with his support (e.g., 1 Thess. 2:9).” (Introduction, 355). It seems the province of Cilicia was so-called because of the cilicium produced in that region. Homer Kent adds, “Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla and engaged in labor with them for they were all ‘tentmakers.’ The term skēnopoioi was commonly used of leather-workers. The province of Cilicia from which Paul came was noted for the production of a cloth made from goats’ hair called cilicium, and perhaps this was Paul’s manual skill” (Acts, 142).

Paul’s home of Tarsus in Cilicia gave him the advantage of being a Roman citizen (something his family had purchased and he was born into) and also learning a trade. This bi-vocational ability profited him during his Rabbinic years but more importantly during his apostolic years. It led him to Aquila’s house and their ministry partnership. It allowed him to either receive support from churches (from Philippi, Phil. 4:15) or to keep from being a burden to churches that could not afford to support him (the Ephesian church, Acts 20:34 and the Corinthian church, 1 Cor. (9:4-14).

Tents were popular and necessary in the Bedouin times and tentmaking became a lucrative profession. There were other popular professions, especially fishing. Peter and Andrew, James and John (and father Zebedee) were fishermen around the sea of Galilee. Tax collecting was not popular (“Hello, I’m from the Roman government and I’m here to help”) but Levi, a Jew (and later Zacchaeus), used this trade as income. Joseph was a carpenter and the only thing we know about Jesus during most of His life growing up was that He was also a carpenter (Matt. 13:55) probably of stone and wood. When Jesus would say, “Take My yoke upon you,” I’m sure it would have been an analogy referring to His own beautiful hand-made yokes!

What we see in the inspired history of the early church is that working with our hands is an honorable thing. “That you aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we command you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing” (1 Thes 4:11-12). In fact, Paul will go on to say, “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither will he eat” (2 Thes 3:10). Sometimes the only choice is to either work or starve. Beyond the necessity of our own bodily needs, Paul says, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (Eph 4:28). Ministers and churches cannot minister unless God’s people have learned to be productive in some labor that they may be able to give to the ministry.

The Bible also has the words “tent” and “tabernacle,” both coming from the same root word, skēnos and skēnē. Both Paul and Peter referred to our physical bodies as tents (2 Cor 5:1, 4; 2 Pet 1:13, 14) and both references are speaking primarily of death when we put away our tents and look forward to a house not made with hands. In this sense we are all “tentmakers.” God has given us human bodies in which to live and move and be productive. These tents are also the temples of the very Spirit of God (1 Cor 6:19-20). We must also be good stewards of our physical bodies. We cannot abuse it nor worship it. This too is our mandate. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes 5:23).

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GPS – Walking Godly in an Ungodly World

July 31, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – Walking Godly in an Ungodly World

by Rick Shrader

Our walk with God is an invisible walk. That is, we cannot see Him because He is spirit, or invisible, though we are physical and visible at least to ourselves. Yet we are to walk with God as if we were like Adam walking with Him in the cool of the day. Our trouble is that we are trying to walk godly in a very ungodly world. That process is called sanctification. The Bible uses various analogies to our physical existence so that we can relate to our spiritual walk.

Our eyes. Proverbs says, “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you” (Prov 4:25). But John says that the world is full of “the lust of the eyes” (1 Jn 2:7). Peter says that the world has “eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin” (2 Pet 2:14). What is a believer to do in an immoral, immodest, and impious world? David said, “My eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; in You I take refuge” (Psa 141:8). We train our eyes to look straight ahead.

Our ears. “The ear tests words as the palate tests food” (Job 34:3). Even Elihu knew that. The ear has wonderful sensory perception. Jesus admonished His disciples to, “let these words sink down into your ears” (Lk 9:44). If we have ears to hear we must take heed to what God says and guard our ears from destructive things such as gossip, lies, slander, cursing, and any performance or speech unworthy of our Lord.

Our tongue. James famously wrote a whole chapter on the tongue. If it can be controlled, it will make a believer wise and even able to teach others. However, “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity” (3:6); “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (3:8). Our words can hurt if they come too quickly without thought or prayer. Yet comfort often needs to come quickly and we must be prepared ahead to be a wise counselor. “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life” (Prov 15:4). “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver” (Prov 10:20). Of the Proverbs 31 woman, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness” (Prov 31:26).

Our feet. We have talked a lot about the path we are walking with God. As with all of these analogies, we don’t mean our actual feet but the way our life moves, toward or away from God. “Ponder the path of your feet, let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right hand or the left” (Prov 4:26-27). “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in His way” (Psa 37:23). Our path can go in many directions, even as believers, because the world offers varied choices. Job said, “My foot has held to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside” (Job 23:11).

Our hands. Our hands and our feet are busy parts of our bodies. We hardly do anything without the use of our hands. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so” (Prov 3:27). We are to be “lifting up holy hands without wrath or doubting” (1 Tim 2:8).

Our minds. We are to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, strength, and also our mind (Mk 12:30). Our actions, decisions, beliefs and disbeliefs, start with the thinking process. Some have said that culture is the incarnation of religion, or the life we live is the direct result of our thinking process. That is why we must think biblically and not worldly. “I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to your testimonies” (Psa 119:59). Paul simply put it, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col 3:2). This is to love the Lord with our whole being.

Christian & Faithful in Vanity Fair

We should read Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress often but at least once. The episode of Christian and Faithful passing through Vanity Fair is a reminder of all Christians as pilgrims and strangers in this world. I give a few important excerpts here.

“Then I saw in my dream that when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept called Vanity Fair. It is kept all the year long; it beareth the name of Vanity Fair, because the town where ‘tis kept is lighter than vanity, and also because all that is there sold or that cometh thither is Vanity.

“And as in other fairs of less moment, there are the several rows and streets under their proper names, where such and such wares are vended. So here, likewise, you have the proper places, rows, streets, where the wares of this fair are soonest to be found. Here is the Britain Row, the French Row, the Italian Row, the Spanish Row, the German Row, where several sorts of vanities are to be sold. But as in other fairs, some one commodity is as the chief of all the fair, so in this fair. Only our English nation, with some others, have taken a dislike thereat.

“Now, as I said, the way to the Celestial City lies just through this town, where this lusty fair is kept, and he that will go to the city, and yet not go through this town, must needs ‘go out of the world.’ The Prince of Princes himself, when here, went through this town to his own country and that upon a fair day, too. Yea, and as I think it was Beelzebub, the chief lord of this fair, that invited him to buy of his vanities; yea, would have made him lord of the fair would he but have done him reverence as he went through the town. Yea, because he was such a person of honour, Beelzebub had him from street to street and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a little time that he might, if possible, allure that Blessed One to cheapen and buy some of his vanities. But he had no mind to the merchandise and therefore left the town, without laying out so much as one farthing upon these vanities. This fair therefore is an ancient thing, of long standing, and a very great fair.

“Now thee pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so they did, but behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved and the town itself as it were in a hubbub about them, and that for several reasons.

“First, the pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people therefore of the fair made a great gazing upon them. Some said they were fools, some they were bedlams, and some they are outlandish men.

“Secondly, and as they wondered at their apparel, so they did likewise at their speech, for few could understand what they said. They naturally spoke the language of Canaan, but they that kept the fair were the men of this world. So that from one end of the fair to the other, they seemed barbarians each to the other.

“Thirdly, but that which did not a little amuse the merchandisers was that these pilgrims set very light by all their wares; they cared not so much as to look upon them, and if they called upon them to buy, they would put their fingers in their ears and cry, ‘Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity,’ and look upwards, signifying that their trade and traffic was in heaven.

“One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriages of the men, to say unto them, ‘what will you buy?’ But they, looking gravely upon him said, ‘we buy the truth.’ At that, there was an occasion taken to despise the men the more; some mocking, some taunting, some speaking reproachfully, and some calling upon others to smite them. . . The men told them that they were pilgrims and strangers in the world and that they were going to their own country, which was the heavenly Jerusalem, and that they had given none occasion to the men of the town, nor yet to the merchandisers, thus to abuse them and to let them in their journey. . . Therefore they took them and beat them and besmeared them with dirt, and then put them into the cage, that they might be made a spectacle to all the men of the fair. There therefore they lay, for some time, and were made the objects of any man’s sport, or malice, or revenge. The great one of the fair laughing still at all that befell them. But the men being patient and not rendering railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing and giving good words for bad and kindness for injuries done.”

Bunyan ends the episode with Faithful being martyred and taken to heaven while Christian escaped and went on his journey.

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GPS – Trials on the Road

July 1, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – Trials on the Road

by Rick Shrader

We have been dealing with our walk with God and the junctions in the road. On this road there are many things including blessings, answers to prayer, changes in direction. One of the most difficult things to understand and deal with is a trial that God brings into our The Bible is full of examples and admonitions concerning trials. The earliest of these in the biblical text is the trial of Job. Job probably lived in the days of the Patriarchs and the book of Job could be the first inspired book in the Bible. In the midst of his trials, Job gives us one of the most oft quoted passages about trials: “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). These three statements are encouragement to us.

He knows the way that I take. We serve an omniscient God Whose knowledge is beyond our comprehension. “Who hath known the mind of the Lord?” (Rom 11:34). Yet God, while seeing every movement of His creation, takes special interest in the lives of His people. Jesus told us that God sees every sparrow that falls, every flower of the field that grows, and that He knows the number of hairs on every head of every person in the world (some of us are of less trouble to Him than others)! In addition, God hears every prayer of every believer in the world at any given time, even if those prayers are mere thoughts (He declares our every thought, Amos 4:13). I am reminding us that this same God sees every detail of the trial you are going through right now. It is popular today to be amazed at AI (artificial intelligence—and it is humanly amazing I guess). But I choose rather to trust in EI (“Now unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise God”!! 1 Tim 1:17). Be assured with Job from centuries past, He knows the way you take.

When He has tried me. Not only does God know our path, He has built into that path lessons to make us more wise and holy. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (Jas 1:2-3). Though our parents chastened us, “He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness” (Heb 12:10). He knew this trial was coming when He created the world and then put you in it! Remember the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us (Heb 11), including patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and those in the church. Though we have an enemy who would “sift us as wheat,” our Lord prays for us! He makes intercession for us in heaven, constantly, faithfully, lovingly. Perhaps your trial at this time (and there are numerous kinds in every life) is health, or finances, or family problems, or moral failure, or just not having enough time to do things. Cast your cares on the One Who cares for you! “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator” (1 Pet 4:19).

I shall come forth as gold. Job knew that he would come through his trial in the proper way because God was overseeing the whole process. We need to have the end in sight, whether it is a temporary struggle of this life or the Bema Seat itself where we will find our gold, silver, and precious stones. I have always found comfort in the thought that there will be an end to the present situation, and when that end comes I will be thanking God and rejoicing at what He has taught me. Job saw it and responded well. “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends . . . The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (42:12-12).

Further Thoughts on Trials from Job and Others.

The writer of Hebrews said, “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets . . . And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us” (Heb 11:32, 39-40). David was faithful in keeping his head when Saul and Absolom were losing theirs; Joseph was also faithful though his own brothers betrayed him; Daniel was taken from his home which he would never see again only to become the second highest official in Babylon; Peter failed his Lord in a crisis time but was later restored and was used to opened the gospel door to the gentiles.

Job’s trial is more accessible because we have the full story in a single volume. We are even taken behind the scenes at the very beginning to see God praising Job to Satan and Satan accusing Job to God. It reminds us that Satan is the accuser of the brethren and that more happens behind the curtain of this present world than we can see. It is amazing (or is it troubling?) what God allowed Satan to do to a blameless and upright man who feared God and shunned evil! Though we wrestle against principalities and powers from the darkness of this world, we hardly ever see the extent of it. What heavenly creatures may be watching the outcome of our struggles?

We know that Job’s friends were of no comfort or help. “Miserable comforters are you all” he said to them (16:2). In the end God warned these “friends” to repent and do right or His judgment would come upon them. Job prayed for them. That act of forgiveness did not replace their need to repent before God, but it reminds us that we should not allow the offenses of others to affect us and burden our souls for years to come. Our forgiveness should always be open and as ready as our Lord to respond. Job’s wife (it’s a good thing we don’t know her name) was also no real comforter. “Do you still hold to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job’s classic response was, “Shall we not accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (2:9-10). I have seen that the most difficult trials to face are those one faces alone because loved ones will not share the load. This makes the trial harder and creates even more burdens.

Job’s responses to his trial remind us that though we lose heart for a moment, we do not need to be overcome by the hardship. In his first reply, Job wished he had never been born (chapter 3). But this is to blame God for failing in our life to sustain His purpose. The feeling may tempt us, but we know better. Job also groaned over the depth of God’s allowances. “For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me” (6:4). It is always tempting to ask why God is doing what He is doing. Solomon would later say, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other” (Ecc 7:14). In fact, Solomon will remind us, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting . . . And sorrow is better than laughter . . . The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” (7:2-4). What do we learn by laughter? But look what we learn at a funeral.

Job also was tempted to be quiet before God and not speak to Him at all (9:1-4). No one can say anything to God that He doesn’t already know and for which He doesn’t already have an answer. Still, we are to pour out our souls to God in the time of our trouble. Job even begged God to speak to him when He seemed so silent (chapter 13). No doubt there are those times when our prayers don’t seem to go past the ceiling. Job even longed for the good days before his trouble came upon him (chapter 29). That sort of feeling sorry for ourselves and looking for happier times can discourage us even more. We should look to the end, when we will praise God for His goodness. Job’s most amazing verses are 19:25-27, “For I know that my Redeemer lives!” In the end Job’s faith sustained him. He did see the end from the beginning and knew that “in my flesh I shall see God.” Even if this trial brings me to an early end, to be absent from the body and present with the Lord is far better.

“This principle likewise moderates that inordinate fear and sorrow to which we are liable upon the prospect or the occurrence of great trials, for which there is a sure support and resource provided in the all-sufficiency of infinite goodness and grace. What a privilege is this, to possess God in all things while we have them, and all things in God when they are taken from us!”

John Newton, Letters of John Newton, p. 137.

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GPS – When You Took the Wrong Road

June 1, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – When You Took the Wrong Road

by Rick Shrader

In February I wrote about the junctions in life’s road. Life is full of those decision times when we must choose to go one way or the other. We have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to guide us, but many times we decide to go a way that seems best to us and we make an unwise choice. Those choices may last a short time or they may affect the rest of our lives. How do we handle these unwise choices?

It is never too late to do right. We all start life on the wrong road. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one, to his own way” (Isa 53:6). As soon as we realized the broad road leads to destruction and that God has provided the right, howbeit narrow road, we turned to Him from idols to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Conviction, repentance, and trust in Christ moved us from the wrong to the right path. That is basically the formula that we use in all the lesser changes in life. We must realize from God’s Word that we made a mistake, let godly sorrow work repentance, then go in the right direction from that point.

The junction in the road where we made the poor choice is long behind us now and we can’t go back to that time. We have to look ahead to that opportunity God gives to turn in the better direction. We ought to say, “If the Lord wills we shall live and do this or that. . . Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (Jas 4:15, 17). There is another junction in the road up ahead and this time we will trust the Lord’s direction. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov 3:6).

1) Is it a bad moral choice you made or are making? Do you know that such a thing is sin before God? These wrong choices can be corrected immediately. “Godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted” (2 Cor 7:10). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). Your bad choice may be an offense to a brother or sister in Christ. This may not seem so burdensome as the moral sin, but it is a sin nonetheless. “Leave your gift before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother” (Matt 5:24). These wrong choices, whether morally corrupt or simply offensive, can and ought to be remedied quickly. It is never too late to do right.

2) Some decisions have longer effects and cannot always be totally reconciled, at least not quickly. A choice of occupation may have come to a dead end or placed you in a compromising position. It may take time to prepare yourself for another profession. Perhaps you realize that you were not the best parent to your young children and they are older now and not prepared as they should be for life. You can still be a good parent. Read Proverbs often and ask the Lord to give you godly wisdom for each situation.

3) Some decisions we live with all our lives but make the best of them by God’s grace. A child out of wedlock, finding yourself married to a person you thought was a believer but is not, or that marriage ending in divorce. Sometimes the church you have known all your life or for many years is no longer following God’s Word and you are forced to make a change you did not want to have to make. Sometimes it will be God’s will to remain in a difficult situation such as staying with a lost spouse if that person is pleased to dwell with you (1 Cor 7:13). You can still have a godly effect on your adult child though he has not yet surrendered to God. You are still the parent God has given him. Above all, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet 5:6-7).

“No human hand has ever drawn an absolutely straight line. That is the ideal of the mathematician, but all ours are crooked. But we may indefinitely diminish the magnitude of the curves.” Alexander Maclaren, The Acts, 159.

Further Thoughts on the Wrong Road from the Life of John Mark

John Mark made a bad decision early in his ministry with Paul and Barnabas. “Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem” (Acts 13:13), “returned” is from the ordinary word meaning to leave. John Mark was a Judean and Jerusalem was his home. Compared to the rural countryside of Pamphylia, John was a city boy. Even in the company of uncle Barnabas and the apostle Paul, he felt very uncomfortable when they landed on the Galatian continent. The very place is called Attalia in Acts 14:25. Today it is called Antalya, a very pretty vacation spot. It was not so pretty to John Mark.

John (sometimes called John, sometimes Mark, or “John called Mark” in 15:37) had a privileged youth to this point. He was probably the young man who followed Jesus and the disciples to the garden of Gethsemane and then fled from the soldiers (recorded only in Mark 14:51) and it is also possible that the last supper was eaten in his parents’ house. His later stature as a Bible writer and traveler testifies to his familiarity to all the believers.

There have been various views as to why John returned home rather than go on with Paul and Barnabas. Fear, of course, would be one of them. This area, after all, is where Paul will be stoned and left for dead. Perhaps he was homesick on this first missionary journey away from home. We’ve all felt that during our first year at college or when we moved away from home. Many feel John could have been jealous for uncle Barnabas (the word is “cousin” or “kin”) because during this trip Barnabas, who is always named first to this point, now takes a back seat to Paul. It is Barnabas who later defends Mark to Paul. Regardless (and Luke sees no reason to explain it further), John Mark made a decision that will impact his life and ministry for a great while to come. He probably had many sleepless nights thinking over his decision.

The issue is taken up in Acts15:36-41 when Barnabas wants to take John Mark with them on a second journey but Paul will have none of it. Barnabas was “determined” (from bouleuō, to be resolute) to take John but Paul did not think it was good, (he insisted mē axioō, it was unfit) and that John must not go because he “departed” (here the word is from apostasia) and basically quit. Now we see that John Mark’s bad decision is causing division among other brethren. This is always the case that our unwise decisions affect many others for a good while to come. Aren’t we glad that all of our decisions aren’t written in the Bible as Mark’s was for all to see! Yet they are known and accounted for by God.

Luke records that the “contention became so sharp that they [Paul and Barnabas] parted from one another.” This division will last for the rest of their lives in a physical way, though Paul and Barnabas, as adults should, will patch things up spiritually between themselves. Paul will mention Barnabas positively five times in his epistles, three time in Galatians. This present contention will also affect Silas and Judas, Timothy, Luke, and Titus, as well as the churches where he could have ministered. It is amazing how many others we affect in our lives by the decisions we make, whether good or bad or just unwise.

The good news is that the life and ministry of John Mark was far from over. Though Paul “chose” Silas (who will appear only in the second journey of Paul), Barnabas “took” Mark and returned to Cyprus, his home territory (Acts 15:39; 4:36). Tradition has it that Mark will later travel with Peter (1 Peter 5:13) but most of all that God will use Mark to write the second gospel. This is a testimony that it is never too late to do right. “The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin (Exod 34:7).

On another side, it is also disputed whether Barnabas responded properly toward Mark or whether Paul did. Barnabas seems more loving and forgiving and that is natural for those with closer family ties. On the other hand, Paul seems to be more practical and more consistent with his principles. Sometimes it takes both kinds of friends to set us on the right path again. Sometimes we ourselves can be too soft on those who need correction, and at other times we can be too severe and unforgiving toward those who have hurt us. As we have seen, in the end God will bring us all together if we have a heart for His heart. In Col 4:10, John Mark is with Paul during his first Roman imprisonment. Later, in 2 Tim 4:11 in the Mamertine prison, Paul asks Timothy to “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.” How that must have stirred Mark’s heart. Let us do that quickly with our wounded and discouraged brethren, God has done it long before.

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GPS – Walking as Strangers and Pilgrims

May 1, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – Walking as Strangers and Pilgrims

by Rick Shrader

The apostle Peter wrote to the “pilgrims of the Dispersion [diaspora] in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1). James also addressed his readers as “the twelve tribes scattered abroad” (literally, “of the diaspora”). Peter especially designates these Jews as Christian believers or “elect” (vs 2). Diaspora means a scattering of the “spora” or seed. These believers had been sown among these provinces throughout Asia Minor.

In 2:11 Peter calls them both “sojourners and pilgrims.” Sojourner (para+oikos) means “without a house.” Pilgrim (para+dēmos) means “without a people.” These terms in the New Testament are used to describe the Jews who have been scattered throughout their history and also of the Christians of the first century. Paul says to the Ephesian believers, “You are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19). D. Edmond Hiebert described them as “sojourners in an alien land, dispersed and far removed from their homeland. However, they were assured of their future in-gathering to their heavenly home.”

The Jewish people have always felt this estrangement as a people on the earth. Unfortunately, we are seeing that age-old antipathy toward them expressed in hateful racism today. But we as Christian believers in Jesus Christ will also experience a similar thing, as John wrote, “In the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ . . . for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:9). Christians are people with a foot in two worlds. Yes, we have to live here for now as the old song said, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through,” but our real citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20). We do not have a home in this world nor a people. Our spiritual family are all strangers and pilgrims as well. “For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland . . . that is, a heavenly country” (Heb 11:14, 16).

In an epistle to Diognetus, early in the second century AD, a believer named Mathetes wrote about Christians, “Every foreign land is their home, and every home a foreign land. . . They find themselves in the flesh, but do not live according to the flesh. They spend their days on earth, but hold a citizenship in heaven.” Is this the way twenty-first century Christians live today, or have we lost that perspective of our true citizenship? Jesus said, where our treasure is, that is where our heart will be also (Matt 6:21).

In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and Faithful are passing through the town of Vanity Fair, so named because the vanity was non-stop, 24 hours a day. There they found themselves in a strange environment and odd-looking to the residents. “They wondered at their apparel, so they did likewise at their speech, for few could understand what they said. They naturally spoke the language of Canaan, but they that kept the fair were the men of this world. So they seemed barbarians each to the other.” Christian and Faithful were beaten and jailed but the townspeople still created a riot over their presence which was blamed upon the two themselves, and they were run out of town.

It is easy to be more concerned with what the world thinks of us than what our Savior thinks. James wrote, “Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (Jas 4:4). This should concern us greatly in the day in which we live and walk with the Lord. John wrote about false prophets, “They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us” (1 John 4:5-6). You really don’t have to work at displeasing the world. All you have to do is work hard at pleasing the Lord and the world will by itself be displeased. A lost and dying world needs the godly believer, if for nothing else than a convicting testimony of God’s grace.

Further Thoughts on Strangers and Pilgrims from Hebrews 10:25

“Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:24-25).

Strangers and pilgrims (Christians) gather together in church. This has been the pattern since the Sunday night of resurrection and has continued for over two thousand years. Unbelievers have always been welcomed, sought in fact, to come and observe what Christians do in this strange gathering. However, the local gathering is designed for those who are basically strangers and pilgrims to the rest of the world. This great verse contains four actions that motivate these believers to gather together.

Forsaking. This first action is put in the negative as a warning and a contrast to the previous verse. How can we stir one another up to love and good works if we forsake the gathering? One of the major reasons for being in church is to communicate verbally with others who need encouragement. This word is used in very serious ways in the New Testament. Jesus cried to the Father on the cross, “Why have you forsaken me.” Paul mourned that Demas had forsaken him, “having loved this present world.” In the warnings that follow verse 25, those who are not part of the assembly “willfully” do not receive these truths. But the writer notes that we should not be surprised because this is the “manner” of some. The word ethos (ēthōs, as we say it) refers to the culture of the world of which church attendance is usually not a part.

Assembling. The assembly of the local church is a familiar word to believers. Usually the word would be “ekklesia,” but here is one of the few uses of the word “sunagogē,” usually translated as synagogue. We have it also in Jas 2:1 referring to the congregation of believers. 2 Thes 2:1 uses it referring to the raptured saints who will be “gathered together” in the clouds with the Lord. So whether we say “assembly” or “congregation,” we know what it means.

The Christian church is not a synagogue nor is Sunday a Sabbath day. In America we have always been glad that Saturday and Sunday have been the weekend, when one can choose to worship on either day without work obligations. Christians gather on Sunday because that is the day churches in the New Testament gathered. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7). John gave it the title, “the Lord’s Day” (Rev 1:10). Sunday, of course, is the day of the Lord’s resurrection and we are believers in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. We do the business of the church on this day. “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). We could rightly add to that singing, receiving offerings, and even eating common meals.

Exhorting. Parakaleō is a familiar Greek word meaning to come or call beside. It can mean to comfort or to encourage. It is difficult to come along beside someone from an invisible distance. In verse 24 we read the words “stir up” or “provoke.” We get our English word paroxysm from the Greek word. A connotation would be a convulsion or seizure. Stirring up and exhorting results in a person being moved to right action. This is often done by the preaching of the Word but could happen in other ways in the assembly. An encouraging word or an explanation of a truth may be just the thing a struggling believer needs at that moment. In verses 22, 23, and 24 the writer used a soft command, “let us,” to strengthen individuals, encourage better witnessing, and to consider one another’s needs.

Approaching. The local church is essential because the “Day” is approaching. That is the second coming of Jesus Christ, and to believers that means the rapture of the church. “Approaching” (engizō) is variously translated in verses that describe the imminent coming of Christ. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom 13:12); “The coming of the Lord draws near” (Jas 5:8); “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Pet 4:7). Therefore we should assemble “so much more.”

Statistics abound that show American church attendance going down each year. I think that church attendance among conservative Baptists may also have gone down over the last few years. Was it just covid? Was it just the ease of sitting at home and watching online services? The biblical admonition as we see the apostasy of the age is not to run from the assembly but to run to it even more. We don’t need fewer services during the week, we need more, or at least we should not do away with the ones we have. Assembling together is not a mere legalism, and it is more than just the command. It is a dire necessity for believers as we approach the end of the age.

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GPS – Walking as Mere Men

April 1, 2024Written by Admin

GPS – Walking as Mere Men

by Admin

The apostle Paul described the Corinthian believers as those who were “behaving like mere men” (1 Cor. 3:3). We have been thinking about the Christian walk and the word “behaving” is the normal word for “walking” (peripateo means “to walk around”_. How was it that they walked as “mere” men? We are told that they walked carnally. Four times in four verses (3:1-4_ Paul described the Corinthian believers with the word “carnal.” It becomes immediately obvious that true believers in Jesus Christ, though being spiritual and having the Holy Spirit, can also behave carnally. Carnal is the English word for “flesh.” That word appears over 150 times in the New Testament referring to the physical body, human works, the old nature, the works of our hands, and things we do when we give in to our old nature. When referring to this last usage, “flesh” is translated “fleshly” or “carnal” in five specific passages in five ways.

Sold under sin (Rom 7:14, “I am carnal, sold under sin”). Paul had come to realize the devastating nature of sin that remains in the believer. Though that nature has been rendered powerless by justification (6:6), it still roams the halls of our hearts barking out orders. In order to be successful in the Christian walk the believer must know the difference between the voice of the new nature and that of the old. The remainder of Romans 7 is a unique description of how the new and old natures fight within the believer.

Fed with milk (1 Cor 3:1-4, “I fed you with milk and not with solid food”). Though Paul desired to feed the believers with the meat of the Word, their carnality only allowed them to take milk. Even Bible study is severely limited in its effects when the mind is set on carnality (see Heb 5:12-14). In a carnal condition the believer hears good words, even the meat of the Word, but makes bad decisions. Peter will say, “add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge” (2 Pet 1:5). Virtue, or spirituality, must always be the priority in a believer’s walk.

Fleshly wisdom (2 Cor 1:12, “not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God”). There is much fleshly wisdom in the world but it is a wisdom that does not know God (1 Cor 1:21). Worldly wisdom may make one famous, or rich, or popular, and even religious. The believer has wisdom available that comes through the grace of God. James says the wisdom from above is pure and peaceable and is sown in peace of them that make peace (Jas 3:17-18).

Fleshly mind (Col 2:18, “vainly puffed up in his fleshly mind”). Similar to fleshly wisdom, a fleshly mind wanders away after false humility, even into a worshiping of angels and other pseudo-religious things and is “vainly” puffed up, that is, empty-headed though it appears to be full. The old nature puffs us up but the new nature builds others up (1 Cor 8:1).

Fleshly lusts (1 Pet 2:11, “fleshly lusts which war against the soul”). Many naïve Christians have thought they could safely play with temptation of the flesh only to find destruction of the flesh. We must see the fleshly temptation of the world as a war waged for our destruction. We have “weapons of warfare” (2 Cor 10:4-6) that can make us victorious in the battle if we will only use them. The “members” of our bodies are either weapons that enslave us or that give us victory (Rom 6:13).

Richard Baxter: “A heart in heaven is the highest excellence of Christian temper. As the noblest of creatures, so the noblest of Christians are they whose faces are set most direct for heaven.”

~ The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, p. 259.

Further Thoughts on Carnality from 1 Corinthians Chapter 3

Paul continued his discourse on carnality (1 Cor 3:1-4) through the remainder of chapter 3. This chapter is best known for the description of the Bema Seat of Christ, especially verses 12-15. The Bema Seat (“Judgment Seat”) of Christ will take place immediately after the church is raptured, just before the tribulation period begins (see Rev 4:4, 10 for the rewards already given and the casting of the crowns before the throne).
Reference to the Bema Seat is important because our spirituality or carnality now will determine our reward or loss of reward then. Of interest in chapter 3 is the reference to believers as “every man,” “no man,” and “any man.” These descriptives show how the believer’s walk will affect the rewards which he will receive at the Bema Seat.

Note: I’m using the KJV for English consistency which translates ekastos (“each one separately”) as “every man;” oudeis & mēdeis (“none, no one”) as “no man;” and ei tis (“anyone, whoever”) as “any man.”

Every man (i.e., every believer will experience this: 5, 8, 10, 13). God gave the gospel to every believer (5). Every believer will receive the result of his own work and not for anyone else’s work (8). The believer’s work must be based on the foundation of Christ for it to have eternal value (10). Every believer’s work, spiritual or carnal, will be evaluated at the Bema Seat of what sort it is (13).

No man (i.e., no believer should do this: 11, 18, 21). Many have tried to please God by building on a foundation other than Christ but there is no other such foundation (11). We deceive ourselves when we seek to be wise in the worldly sense. It is better to be a fool in the world’s eyes and truly wise in God’s eyes (18). Therefore, Paul says, no man should glory in men because God has given believers everything (21).

Any man (i.e., all believers may do this: 12, 14, 15, 17, 18). The reference to “any man” is a reference to the ability of a believer to choose the good or bad. A believer can chose to build his Christian life with gold, silver, and precious stones, or he can chose wood, hay, and stubble. These represent good works or carnal works (12). The fire of God’s Bema Seat will try our works. If any man’s work abides the fire, he shall receive a reward (14). By the same token, if any man’s work is burned up by the fire, he will suffer a loss of reward (15). Paul calls our body the temple of the Holy Spirit. Any man who defiles this temple will be destroyed. “Defile” and “destroy” are the same Greek words meaning “to ruin” (17). In light of this, any believer has freedom to choose to be a fool or to be wise. Paul encourages the believer to be a fool in this world that he may be wise before God (18).

The subject of spirituality and carnality, rewards and loss of rewards, must also include a final factor. The subjects in these include all believers. Paul is not talking about lost and saved but about Christians who can choose to be spiritual or carnal. This truth is brought home in four verses.

Saved so as by fire (15). The man who loses reward due to carnality will not lose his salvation. This is similar to the carnal man in chapter 5 whose carnality caused the destruction of his flesh but his spirit was saved (5:5).

The temple of the Holy Spirit (16). The Holy Spirit lives within every believer whether he is living as carnal or spiritual. Sadly, the carnal believer appears to be the same as a lost person though he is not. The Holy Spirit will never leave the believer.

All things are yours (21, 22). All believers will inherit all things in the kingdom of God. Yes, a loss of reward will mean a loss in places of leadership, but not a loss of salvation, eternal life, or presiding as the bride of Christ in His kingdom.

You are Christ’s and Christ is God’s (23). Paul said we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God (Col 3:3). Nothing can be more secure than to have the Holy Spirit in you, while you are in Christ, and while Christ is in God. “No man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:29-30).

Not Now—Momentarily!

There is a contemporary view which says that believers are reigning “already—not yet” in the kingdom of God i.e., the kingdom of God is already here in a spiritual way but it will come in a physical way later. Rather, in 1 Corinthians 4, Paul was scolding the Corinthians when he wrote, “You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!” (1 Cor 4:8). Then we will judge angels (6:3). So, if Christ is “not now” reigning, when will He reign? Paul says, “Momentarily!” “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (15:52).

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GPS – Providence and Decision Making

March 1, 2024Written by Rick Shrader

GPS – Providence and Decision Making

by Rick Shrader

When we are walking on life’s road and navigating the junctions and choices in life, we need to remember that we are not alone. Though we have many companions and counselors helping us make the right turns, as believers we have a Friend Who never leaves us nor forsakes us. Our Lord Jesus Christ is now both human and divine, One Who knows our human sorrows and Who also sees with divine omniscience. Here is a child of Adam walking with the Son of God! This is a great partnership.

God’s Providence

As God, our Lord has all the attributes necessary to guide us. His sovereignty will work all things together for our good (Rom 8:28). His omniscience sees the whole path we walk, not just the next bend in the road. His omnipotence gives Him the power to create, adjust, and change any circumstances to conform to His will.

The Lord also uniquely uses the means necessary to carry out His will for us. “He who calls you is faithful who also will do it” (1 Thes 5:24). In this age He does not need nor use miraculous means to direct our paths. We don’t get hand-writing on the wall, audible voices thundering from heaven, nor inspired prophets to deliver the voice of God to us. His Word and Spirit are gifts enough. But the Lord does manipulate the circumstances behind the scenes in ways unknown to the human eye. “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:36).

We can also trust that the Lord’s purposes are for our good. That does not mean that all of the circumstances along our road are easy or comfortable. In fact, for many they have been very difficult and often have ended in persecution and death. Sometimes they are sickness, brokenness, and trial and we are tempted to complain and ask God why. Finally, however, we humble ourselves under His mighty hand and cast our cares upon Him because we know He cares for us (1 Pet 5:6-7). With such a Companion, we can finish our race with joy.

Our Responsibility

As a toddler hanging tightly to a father’s hand, we hold and follow God’s leading. This requires a life of learning but it starts with learning about Him. The Lord has given us all things that are needed for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). We grow and mature in these things as we learn His Word (2 Tim 3:16-17). The more we understand the Word of God the more we know how to be abased or to abound and endure all the twists and turns in life through Him Who strengthens us (Phil 4:12-13).

Purity is the first thing we learn (2 Pet 1:5). As the Word of God converts us and changes us into the person He wants us to be, we are more and more attuned to His will. To live a peaceable life is first to be pure and then gentleness follows (Jas 3:17).

Prayer is the key that causes us to be partners with the Lord as we hold His hand and follow along. Our prayers, when effectual and fervent, avail with God (Jas 5:16), i.e., they make a difference. They don’t of themselves change things, but they petition God Who changes things. Prayer is our great asset in navigating life’s road and following where God leads.

John Flavel: “Prayer honors providence, and providence honors prayer . . . Providences have borne the very signatures of your prayer upon them.” Allen & Chester, The Glory of Grace: an introduction to the Puritans, p. 145.

Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies, Four Views

Brent Parker & Richard Lucas, editors

This is another “Views” books which gives the reader four different views on a subject. This is also the second of such books I have reviewed this year. This volume covers the same topics as last month’s book but by different well-known authors.

Covenant Theology, by Michael S. Horton, the J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary. Horton is an obvious choice to write on covenant theology. His large volume on systematic theology, The Christian Faith (2011), has become a standard text for that point of view. Horton basically presents and explains the three “theological covenants” of covenant theology: the Covenant of Works, the Covenant of Grace, and the Covenant of Redemption. These are primarily defended from the Westminster Confession of Faith and other similar confessions (since they are not mentioned by name in the Bible). Horton goes on to link circumcision to infant baptism and Passover to communion in what he describes as a “Vista from the grand balcony of this covenantal house” (p. 60), though I think a view from the ground floor would have been more profitable.

Progressive Covenantalism, by Stephen J. Wellum, professor of Christian Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Wellum has been the major voice for this more recent variation of covenant theology. He writes, “Progressive covenantalism argues that the Bible presents a plurality of covenants that progressively reveal our triune God’s one redemptive plan for his one people, which reach their fulfillment, telos, and terminus in Christ and the new covenant” (p. 75). There are two views among PC advocates that this section helps make clear. The first is Wellum’s “three horizons” of biblical interpretation: textual, epochal, and canonical. Textual is the immediate context; epochal is God’s unfolding plan; and canonical means considering a text with regard to what comes before and after. A second helpful explanation in this section is his extended discussion of typology. PC is heavy into type and antitype. “However, ultimately the types reach their antitypical fulfillment first in Christ and then his people” (p. 83).

Progressive Dispensationalism, by Darrell L. Bock, Senior Research professor of New Testament studies, Dallas Theological Seminary. Darrell Bock, along with Craig Blaising, also of Dallas Seminary, have become the leading voices in the PD movement. Bock describes his view by comparing it to traditional dispensationalism, especially each version’s view on Israel and the church. He writes, “The difference within dispensationalism is, whereas traditional dispensationalism kept the two tracks completely distinct, progressive dispensationalism brings them together so one people of God emerge among distinct structures of Israel, church, and then consummated kingdom” (p. 127-128). PD sees the kingdom existing today as an “already-not yet” kingdom (inaugurated eschatology). Among Bock’s many contributions to this view, one that clarified it was his view that in the millennial kingdom, the “one people of God” also means that even Israel will not have a more prominent place than the other nations. “Again, this is not Israel over the nations, but Israel with the nations” (p. 139).

Dispensationalism, by Mark Snoeberger, professor of systematic theology and apologetics, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. Since this traditional dispensational view is what I believe, I enjoyed this section the most. In fact, I thought it was one of the best defenses and explanations recently given. Among the topics covered, I thought Snoeberger’s description of literal interpretation as “originalist” was unique, in keeping with current understanding of constitutional issues. Also, his explanation of how the OT is used in the NT was very helpful, including his criticism of typological methods. Perhaps the best contribution was his explanation of how the biblical covenants and biblical dispensations fit and work together including a unique chart (p. 166). Snoeberger lists the “formal” covenants: Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, New, and includes the Palestinian in some places. Other so-called covenants (such as Edenic, Protoevangelium, and Eternity) he labels as “arrangements” which contain no redemptive element and were not made with Israel specifically. The dispensations, then, are God’s way of administrating His plan for the earth. Snoeberger also emphasizes that God’s glory in the millennial kingdom will be the culmination and the doxological (rather than redemptive) center, or “mitte” in God’s purposes. “The rule of God” is “God’s primary plan for achieving his own glory” (p. 164).

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