GraceNTheTruth@ COX.NET~OUR ASSURANCES UNDER GRACE

*WHEN TROUBLE COMES*
*Part Four of Five*
*BY RICHARD JORDAN *
A FALLEN CREATION

Romans 8: 19·22 gives an insight into something that by our own
experience "we know" to be accurate:

"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God.
"For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by
reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.
"Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
"For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain
together until now."

The history of creation can be set forth in three parts: first, God
said it was good. Then, because of the fall of man, He cursed it and it
has been groaning ever since. One day it will be glorious, having been
delivered from the bondage of corruption by the return of Jesus Christ.
We currently live in the groaning stage.

We know by experience that "the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now." And what of the claim made by
some that believers are exempt from this common lot of creation? Paul
answers in the next verse of Romans 8:

"And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits
of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23).

Far from being exempt from the "pain and travail" of life in a
fallen creation, we "which have the frrstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves." And what are we waiting for? A
deliverance from pain and suffering when we claim it aright? A healing
program available if only we believe enough? No! We have something far
better. You see, the healing program for our "vile bodies" is "the
adoption" --the "redemption of our body." It is at the Rapture that the
healing program for the Body of Christ will be accomplished. It is then
that our Savior:

" ... shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto
his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to
subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. 3:21).

At present we live in a fallen creation, a creation cursed by sin.
This explains why, as the hymn writer says, "change and decay all about
I see." The reason there is decay and death in the world is because
there is sin in the world. The world is held in "the bondage of
corruption" because of Adam's sin (Rom. 8:20, Gen. 3: 17-19). This is
the reason there are calamities and unexplained horrors about us.

There are many things that are going to happen simply because we
live in a world cursed by the corruption of sin. Because of this fact
and based on Rom. 8:22,23, we can make a prediction: If the Lord
tarries, we are going to get sick, suffer pain and eventually die. Why?
Because God does not love us or have our best interest at heart? Far
from it. Rather this is the common lot of all creation "until" Christ
returns to deliver creation into His Kingdom glory.

Notice Paul's explanation that this groaning is "until now." The
time when "sorrow and sighing shall flee away" and creation will be
delivered into "the glorious liberty of the children of God" is the
kingdom reign of Christ (e.g., Isa. 35). In order for the present
dispensation of grace to be extended, He must postpone that day of
deliverance.

Thus we continue to live in a sin-cursed world, not because God does
not love us but because His dispensational purposes are being carried
out. Because He continues to extend His grace to a needy world, we are
going to have problems and ultimately be overtaken by sickness and
death. But that grace has transformed our infirmities in to "light
afflictions " which "work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory."
* There is peace in the time of trouble,*
* There is peace in the midst of a storm;*
* There is peace though the world be raging, *
* In the shelter of His arms.

*WHEN TROUBLE COMES*
*Part Two of Five*
*BY RICHARD JORDAN *

The deliverance awaiting Israel--and, through her, the world---in
her kingdom is not the same ministry and victory that God has for
members of the Body of Christ. If we do not rightly divide the Word of
truth at this point, we are going to be brought into despair. God's Word
is going to become a burden rather than the blessing it is designed to
be. It is going to actually become destructive rather than constructive
in our lives because we are trying to claim promises and blessings God
never made to us. The old adage, "all the promises in the Book are
mine," is simply not true. To base our lives on such an unscriptural
viewpoint is not only wrong; it is absolutely dangerous. Not one of
us--nor all of us together--is, or ever will be, able to force Almighty
God to do something He has not promised us He will do. To claim promises
made to others is to invite discouragement and disaster into our lives.

Take a test for yourself: look at Gal. 5:22,23, where Paul lists the
"fruit of the Spirit" in the dispensation of grace. The life that comes
from the Spirit of God produces fruit in the believer. Paul lists those
nine fruit--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness and temperance. Notice that there is no "deliverance&q uot; in
the list. There is no "I will deliver you from your problems;" no "I
will perform a miracle and you will have no more difficulties in your
life." There is none of this In fact, there is just the opposite.

One of the Spirit's fruit is longsuffering- -the capacity to endure,
to "suffer- long." In the present dispensation God makes no promise to
miraculously eliminate our problems. There is no promise that He will
manipulate circumstances so things will be easier for us. Rather, His
promise is that we will be "strengthened with might by His Spirit in the
inner man" (Eph. 3:16) and thus enabled to cope with any extremity of
life. Patience and endurance are hallmarks of the Spirit's empowering
under grace. Col. 1:11 puts it this way:

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto
all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness."

It is not "strengthened with might unto signs, wonders and mighty
deliverances. " We could quote verses all day long about the delivering
power of God and how He promised to do things for Israel in her program.
But what God promises members of the Body of Christ is quite different.
Our promises are just as real, just as dynamic, just as victorious-- they
are just different.

When we take verses out of the Bible that are not directed to us,
that are not about us; when we begin to read someone else's mail and
claim someone else's promises, do we not commit spiritual larceny? The
better course--the proper course--would simply be to take what God has
given to us in Christ and let that be what is real in our lives.

Now when Paul says we can "glory in tribulation also " it is because
we know some things .. "knowing that tribulation worketh patience."
Tribulations- -the troubles, pressures and difficulties that come our
way--are actually productive in our lives. As we have "access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand," the problems of life become
productive .. rather than destructive- -by providing a context for our
spiritual growth and maturity in the application of grace to the details
of life. Thus these spiritual qualities become active realities in our
lives as we face problems by faith in God's provisions for us in Christ.

*WHEN TROUBLE COMES*
*Part Three of Five*
*BY RICHARD JORDAN *
*THE TRUE SOURCE OF TROUBLE *
It is important to understand where tribulations come from and why
they find their way into our lives. The problem can be a seeming
blessing or an apparent threat. Whatever the difficulty-- pain or
prosperity, poverty or abundance, whether we "abase or abound." -- we
must learn to respond properly. If we are to do so, understanding their
true source is essential.

There are basically three sources from which troubles arise. We need
to be clear about these things so as to be in the "know" in this
important area of life. First, however, we need to establish a basic truth:

"THERE HATH NO TEMPTATION TAKEN YOU BUT SUCH AS IS COMMON TO MAN ...
" (I Cor. 10:13).

Think about this. No trouble comes into our lives except that which
is "common to man." Thus we know something: there are no "special
testings" from God going on in our lives. God has not singled us out for
some special trial (or punishment) in order to teach us lessons which we
would not learn unless He inflicted those things on us.

While the idea of "special testing" is often used to make believers
feel "special" to God in the midst of trials, the Bible is very clear
that this is simply not correct. We are very special to God and that
fact has been abundantly demonstrated in tangible terms at Calvary.
Reread Rom. 5:8 and see where it is that God demonstrated His great love
for us. He points to the cross of Christ--not to our troubles--as proof
of His love and care for us.

When we consider the problems we face, we must remember that God
says what is happening in our lives is the common lot of all mankind.
What is happening has happened (and no doubt is happening) to countless
others.

One other point: We have all experienced the phenomenon of trouble
causing things to look really big in our perception. When we are having
a wonderful time, time passes quickly. On the other hand, if we are
having problems, time seems to pass ever so slowly. Trouble has the
effect of magnifying events and making things seem large--thus making
our perception of them go in slow motion.

This can be an advantage. If we have sound doctrine in our heart,
that doctrine gets magnified too! So if we put in our heart an
understanding of trouble' s source and how we have been equipped to deal
with it in a way that builds us up, then that knowledge is also enhanced
when trouble comes. Thus what human viewpoint sees as destructive turns
into something that becomes productive. Then,

"... OUR LIGHT AFFLICTION, WHICH IS BUT FOR A MOMENT, WORKETH FOR US
A FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY" (II Cor. 4:17).

With this in mind, lets look briefly at the three sources of trouble
in our lives.
*THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
The Scriptures and history teach us,
offering grounds for endurance and encouragement.
But are we learning the clear lessons?
We seem doomed to re-learn hard lessons our
spiritual forefathers learned and gave warning of.

Prayer
May I be a learner, Lord, and not have to learn so much from failure

*WHEN TROUBLE COMES*
*Part One of Five*
*BY RICHARD JORDAN *
The first word of Romans 5 is "therefore. " It has often been said
that "therefore&quo t; is always "there for a purpose." This occurrence is no
exception, for it opens the door from the past into the wonderful
present and glorious future given to us in Christ.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ:"
"By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:1,2).

Notice the formula: "being ... we have." It is because of who we are
in Christ that we possess wonderful assets. In Christ we have a new
identity, a new standing which has provided us a whole sheaf of
spiritual blessings: justification, peace with God, access into grace,
the hope of the glory of God--to mention just a few. To demonstrate that
these blessings are more than theological rhetoric with no impact on the
daily details of our lives, Paul goes on to declare:

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that
tribulation worketh patience;
"And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (vs.3-5).

Because we have been given eternal life we look forward even now to its
glories--we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." But this is not
simply "pie in the sky by-and-by." No. We have eternal life as a present
possession-- we do not have to wait until we die to obtain it. It is a
present reality in our lives and enables us to ''glory in tribulations
also." In other words, the life we have in Christ is also adequate for
the "nasty now-and.now. "

In Christ we have been made part of a total victory program. We are
"more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37) and are
made to always "triumph in Christ" (II Cor. 2:14). This is the reality
of our new standing in Christ. Yet too often we look about us and wonder
if this victory program has really penetrated our lives; has it reached
as far as us?

We need to understand that the victory program of which members of
the Body of Christ are a part is not the Pentecostal program of time
past. Our program is not the deliverance program God gave the nation
Israel in the past nor is it the program He will have for Israel when
Christ comes back to restore His authority over this planet through the
kingdom promised to that favored nation.

In that long-awaited kingdom, God will deliver His chosen people from
their enemies and establish them in their land. Jerusalem will be "the
city of the great King" (Matt. 5:35) and the whole "creation itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21).

*~THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY~*
*By Pastor Robert Hanna, *
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:19

Any attempt of the finite intellect to comprehend the mystery of the
triune Person of God would be pure folly. God is Father, Son and Holy
Ghost. All three share the same characteristics: omnipotence,
omnipresence and omniscience. Though the three operate separately at
various times, there is always present the aspect of one person in
triune concert, with never any cross-purpose or conflicting action. Our
apostle' s benediction in his second letter to the Corinthians
beautifully illustrates the perfect coordination of the divine
identities. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all" (2 Corinthians
13:14). In promising to send the Holy Spirit after His departure, the
Lord said to His disciples, "The Comforter, which is THE HOLY GHOST,
whom THE FATHER will send in MY [the son's) name, He shall teach you all
things..." (John 14:26).

"For through HIM [Christ) we both (Jew & Gentile) have access by one
SPIRIT unto the FATHER" (Ephesians 2:18). "How shall we escape, if we
neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the
LORD [the Son), and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him; GOD
also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers
miracles, and gifts of the HOLY GHOST, according to His own will?"
(Hebrews 2:3, 4).

All three members of the Godhead are identified as the source of life:
FATHER (Ephesians 2:5); SON (John 5:21); HOLY GHOST (Romans 8:10), and
as indwelling the believer: (2 Corinthians 6:16); (Colossians 1:27); (I
Corinthians 6:19).

LIVING TO THE GLORY OF GOD
by C. R. Stam
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory of God" (I Cor. 10:31).

This is the great guiding principle of the Christian life.

The Apostle Paul points out in the preceding context that what may be
perfectly right for one person to do may trouble another’s conscience.
The sincere and gracious believer, therefore, will not carelessly
violate his brother’s conscientious scruples, offending him by indulging
in that which he considers wrong. In Paul’s day, this particularly
involved the foods of which men partook, but from both Romans 14 and I
Corinthians 10 it is evident that Christian conduct in general is involved.

If, in my daily conduct, I consider not only my own, but also my
brother’s conscience, it does not follow from this that I am disobeying
Gal. 5:1, failing to "stand fast... in the liberty wherewith Christ hath
made us free." True, I have no right to give up my blood-bought liberty,
but I do have liberty to give up my rights. This the world about us is
slow to do, but it is one of the signs of true regeneration.

My aim in life should not be to gratify my own desires, much less to
show up my brother’s weaknesses by vaunting my liberty in Christ. My one
aim should rather be to glorify God in all I say and do.

All this, of course, has to do only with the conduct of believers in
Christ. The unbeliever can do nothing to the glory of God. His very
rejection of Christ is a continual offense to God who, in love, gave His
Son to die in our place. The only way in which the unbeliever can honor
God is to turn from his unbelief and trust Christ as Savior and Lord.
*THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY *
*By IVAN L. BURGENER PASTOR*
*
Scripture Reading: II Thessalonians 2:7

Two things are working energetically during this present time. Paul
wrote in our text "the mystery of iniquity doth already work (i.e.,
works energetically) ." But "the Word of God ... worketh effectually in
you that believe (works energetically) " (I Thess. 2:13). Thus God's Word
on the one hand and the "secret of lawlessness" on the other hand are
both at work.

Thru the preaching of the cross, God's Word rightly divided in all its
glory and clarity, souls are saved and established in eternal truth.
God's Word is His power unto salvation in the believer. This message
works mightily, effectively and wonderfully in those that respond in faith.

But how does the "secret of lawlessness" work now? We expect all manner
of evil and calamity to break out when the man of sin, the antichrist,
is finally revealed. Our very text goes into detail about that. The
Wicked [one] will come forth with satanic "power and signs and lying
wonders." That his full-blown program will have its effect upon many is
not surprising. But what is the present working of "the secret of
lawlessness" ?

Today "Satan transforms himself into an angel of light" and his servants
are "also ... transformed as the ministers of righteousness" (II Cor.
II:14-15). Satan is in the business of saying seemingly "right things."
For example: Do not many teach that the Gospel will convert the world
before Christ will return? In our very text Paul shows that the
restraining force preventing the full-blown prophesied satanic deception
is the presence of the Church, Christ's Body! But our catching away
[apostasy] must come first---Rapture, Wrath, and Revelation in that order!

Creation
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler,
Scripture Reading:

"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the
light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the
evening and the morning were the first day."
-- Genesis 1:3-5

I am a creationist. I personally believe that God created all things in
heaven and earth in six literal 24-hour days. A proper understanding of
creation is essential, since it is the foundation upon which all the
doctrines of God rest. Sadly, some in Christendom have sought to erect
an elaborate system known as the day-age theory to accommodate the
geologic timetable of billions of years. But does this position pass
the Berean test?

Those who subscribe to the day-age theory believe that the Hebrew word
"day" (yom) can refer to a 24-hour day or a long period of time. This
is true! For example, the day of the Lord is an extended period of time
which covers well over one thousand years. Consequently, the context
must always be consulted to ascertain the duration of time under
consideration. Of course, those who defend this position teach that the
days of the Genesis record quite literally cover millions and millions
of years, which conveniently accommodates evolution.

Interestingly, when the Hebrew word yom is used with a number, it always
refers to a 24-hour day, without exception. In regard to the Passover
God instructed Moses, "Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even
the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever
eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that
soul shall be cut off from Israel" (Ex. 12:15).

Would we conclude otherwise that the "first day" here is anything other
than a normal day? Furthermore, when perimeters are set on the term
yom, such as "the evening and the morning," as found in Genesis 1:4,
this limits the day to 24 hours.

But perhaps the most conclusive evidence that each day was 24 hours is
found in Exodus 20:11: "For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore
the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Here Moses uses the
term yamin, the Hebrew plural for "days," which exclusively speaks of
24-hour cycles.

If the Holy Spirit had intended to convey that the days of creation were
"eras," He would have used the used the Hebrew olam, which is defined as
"indefinite time." We accept by faith that God is sovereign and
all-powerful; therefore, it was a small matter for Him to speak all
things into existence in six days (Psa. 33:6-9).

*THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST*
*AND*
*THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHRIST*
*PART FOUR **--CONCLUSION*
*By Fred Bachand**
Again let us "test things that differ" in connection with Christ's
Second Coming to earth and the "Rapture" of the Church into heaven:

THE SECOND COMING
Christ's reign on the earth
Israel and Nations
The visible manifestation of our Lord to all
That which was prophesied.

THE RAPTURE
Christ's reign in the heavens
The Body of Christ
The secret appearing of our Lord to the saints only
That which was kept secret.

Seeing, therefore, that there are so many distinctions between these two
passages of scripture, John 14:1-3, and I Thess. 4:16-18 (and there are
many more), is it any wonder that there is so much confusion among our
brothers in Christ as to the Second Corning of Christ and the "Rapture"
of the Church? Is it any wonder that most Christians do not really know
whether they are actually going to be in heaven or if heaven will be
merely a renewed earth when Christ returns to it? Some believe that
Christ will not literally return to the earth to reign for a thousand
years. They believe that He is reigning today in the hearts of men. This
they believe in spite of scriptures such as Heb. 2:8, which says, " ...
We see not yet all things put under him," and Jer. 17: 9, which says,
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who
can know it?" Some go on blindly claiming that the world is getting
better and better through the work of the many missionaries all over the
world. But the scriptures claim the world is getting worse and worse,
and will continue to do so until Christ returns and assumes ALL POWER
and rules the world with a rod of iron (Psalm 2).

Why is it that many of us who claim the Bible to be the Word of God can
not see that to deny that Christ will literally come again to earth to
reign is to deny that He literally came to earth the first time to
literally suffer and literally die on a literal cross for our sins, and
that He literally rose again from the dead in order to make all these
other things literally possible? For if we claim that God's Word does
not mean what it says in one part, how can we depend on it meaning what
it says in any part?

Let us resolve from this moment on, never to doubt the words of our
Lord. If there seems to be confusion between any passages of scripture,
let us "test things that differ" and "rightly divide" these passages and
acknowledge that the confusion is in our understanding, NOT in God's
Word. And let us who are in Christ acknowledge the fact that we are
justified by faith, and that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God" (Rom. 10:17) .

Therefore let us have faith in God's word. Let us study our Bibles so
that we may know God's Word. And let us meditate on His Word in order to
have a better understanding of our wonderful Lord and thereby learn to
love Him more, knowing that whatever He has promised He is also able to
perform. As it is written in II Pet. 3:18, " ... Grow in grace, and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both
now and for ever. Amen. "

* * * * * * *
We pray that this has been helpful in establishing you in the faith, and
that in all things Christ may receive the glory, knowing that when He
Who is our life shall appear, then we also shall appear with Him in
glory (Col. 3:4).
* * * * * * *
*GraceNTheTruth@ COX.NET*

*THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST*
*AND*
*THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHRIST*
*PART THREE *
*By Fred Bachand*

*THE FIRST RESURRECTION*
*
The apostle John, one of the twelve apostles to the nation Israel,
writes by revelation in the book of The Revelation concerning Christ's
second coming to earth after the tribulation: Rev. 20:4 "And I saw
thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I
saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and
for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

Now let us pay particular attention to the next two verses: Rev. 20: 5,6
-"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection. "Blessed and holy is he that
hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years."

Let us not forget, beloved, that we who are members of Christ's Body,
the Church, will have been in heaven with the Lord for at least seven
years before this "first resurrection" takes place on the earth. The
first and second comings of our Lord and the first and second
resurrections are the subject of prophecy, which deals with God's
earthly purpose for Israel and the nations. But Christ's coming in the
air and the catching away ("Rapture" of the Church which is His Body
before the tribulation is the subject of the Mystery, God's Secret,
Heavenly purpose, which concerns us; the members of the Church, His Body.

*
*"THAT WHERE I AM"*
*
Looking back now at John 14:3, Jesus told His disciples, " ... I will
come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may
be also." In our Lord's prayer to the Father concerning His disciples,
He said, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be
with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me: for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24).
Notice the glory spoken of here. This glory was given to Him by the
Father. It is not His essential glory which He had with the Father
"before the world was" (John 17:5), nor is it His inherited glory which
He acquired through His sacrificial work on Calvary (Heb. 1:3,4). This
glory has a direct reference to the Melchisedec priesthood spoken of in
the book of Hebrews. The only way the Lord Jesus Christ could be made a
high priest was by the gift of grace given Him in resurrection, since,
being of the tribe of Judah according to the flesh, He had no part in
the Levitical priesthood (see Hebrews, chapter 7).

Back again now to John 14:3. Our Lord said to His disciples, " ... that
where I am, there ye may be also." Where is Christ going to be at this
time? An accurate study of God's Word will show that He will be seated
on David's throne reigning over the Nations on the earth. Where will we
be at this time? An accurate study of God's Word will show that we who
are in Christ, members of His Church today, will be seated in the
heavens reigning over Principalities and Powers in the heavenly places
(Ephesians).

*
*GOD'S SECRET*
*
As we have seen, the "Rapture" of the Church was a secret until it was
revealed to and through the apostle Paul. The Second Coming of Christ,
on the other hand, was NOT a secret. The Old Testament prophets spoke
often of both the first coming and the second coming of Christ, both the
sufferings and the glory that should follow. One such passage is found
in Isa. 53:10-12. This was no mystery or secret to the Jews, it was
misunderstood by them. They could not see that the suffering Saviour was
also their glorious king. They looked only for the restoration of the
Kingdom to Israel. They were concerned only with the blessings promised
them in the flesh and did not learn the lesson of John 3:1-8, that they
must first receive the spiritual blessing before they could realize
their fleshly blessings. This lesson is that they, as a Nation, must be
born again (from above) before they could enjoy the blessings of the
earthly kingdom which were promised to them in their Messiah.

What basically is the gospel which we find being proclaimed in the books
of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Basically it is " ... Repent ... for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2) .

The Kingdom of Heaven was:
1. PROMISED in the Old Testament,
2. PREACHED in Matt. through John,
3. PRESENTED in the book of Acts.

Israel rejected the Kingdom because of pride. They would not, as a
nation, repent of having crucified Jesus of Nazareth, and admit that He
was their Messiah. Therefore God rejected Israel, nationally, and the
Kingdom of Heaven, which was promised to them, was thereby postponed and
was replaced by the Dispensation of the Grace of God, God's Secret
Purpose, the Mystery (Eph. 3).

It was in this present dispensation, the Dispensation of the Grace of
God, that Christ revealed to Paul the truth concerning the Church which
is called the Body of Christ; with its Heavenly Hope and Spiritual
blessings. The doctrine concerning this Church; its calling, its proper
walk in this age, and its Blessed Hope, which is Christ's coming in the
air to catch away His Body (the "Rapture" ), can be found only in the
Church Epistles, those written to us by the apostle Paul.

This Church is NOT "Spiritual Israel." This Church is NOT going to reign
on the earth. This Church is NOT the subject of prophecy. Israel is a
nation, both physically and spiritually, a political organization,
called by God to manifest His glory on the earth. But the Church is a
Body, both physically and spiritually, a living organism, called by God
to manifest His glory throughout all the heavens. In Phil. 3:20, we find
that our "conversation& quot; (Greek -- Homeland) is in the heavens. In Eph.
1:3, we find that our blessings are all spiritual and in the heavens.

*GraceNTheTruth@COX.NET*

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST*
*AND*
*THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHRIST*
*PART TWO *
*By Fred Bachand*
*THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHURCH*
*
Now let us look at I Thess. 4:16,17. Here our Lord is speaking to a
different group of believers, members of the Church which is "His Body"
(Eph.l:23), through Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13). In
verse 15, of I Thess. 4, Paul writes, "For this we say unto you by the
word of the Lord ... " These then are the words of "Him that speaketh
from heaven." And in verse 16, we find that " ... The Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." Notice
these words: "the Lord himself," and "the voice of the archangel" (only
the voice of one angel, not "His angels" as in Matt. 24:31). In verse
17, Paul writes that we shall all, the raised dead in Christ and those
who are living and are in Christ, be caught up, or seized away by force,
from the earth to meet the Lord IN THE AIR. This will take place before
the tribulation for in the fifth chapter, verses 1-11, Paul is writing
about the coming tribulation and comparing it to a day of darkness, and
he says, in verse 5, "Ye are all the children of light, and the children
of the day: we are not of the night, nor of the darkness." Now notice
particularly verses 9-11: For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that,
whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore
comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."

In I Cor. 15:51, this same apostle Paul, writing to the same body of
believers, members of "The Church which is His (Christ' s) Body," says,
"Behold, I show you a mystery (a secret)." Now if this was a secret that
Paul was telling, it certainly could not have been that which was
revealed before by our Lord when He was on earth. But what is this
secret that Paul is here revealing to the Corinthians? Let us find out
by reading verses 51 and 52: "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not
all sleep, but we shall all be changed, "In a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. "

Paul is here referring to the same event as in I Thess. 4, the coming of
our Lord in the air to catch away His Body, the Church, before the wrath
of God is poured out upon the earth.

Now let us make a quick summary of what we have found out thus far:

John 14:1-3 --
1. Concerns Christ's Second Coming.
2. After the tribulation He will send His angels to gather His elect.
3. These elect He will receive unto Himself (Greek -- paralambano) .
4. This gathering will take place ON THE EARTH.

I Thess. 4:16-18 --
1. Concerns Christ's Secret Coming.
2. Before the tribulation the trumpet shall sound, and we shall all
be changed.
3. He will seize away His Body from the earth (Greek -- harpazo).
4. This gathering will take place IN THE AIR.

This is our Blessed Hope! This is what we should be looking forward to!
We should be patiently waiting, and anxiously looking for our Lord's
coming IN THE AIR to catch away ("Rapture" His Body, " ... and so shall
we ever be with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:17).

*"MY FATHER'S HOUSE"*
*
But what about John l4:l-3? For a better understanding of this passage
let us examine our Lord's words more closely. First we shall notice the
words, "In my Father's house." In Matt. 21:12,13, we find our Lord in
the temple casting out the merchandisers, and we read, "And Jesus went
into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in
the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats
of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house
shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of
thieves." Here our Lord uses a compound quotation from two scriptures in
the Old Testament:

Isa. 56:7, " ... For my house shall be called an house of prayer for all
people," and

Jer. 7:11, "Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of
robbers in your eyes?"

So we see that the temple is called by Jehovah, "My House." In John 14,
Jesus, speaking of His corning again to earth, tells His disciples about
His Father's house. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can only be referring
to Jehovah' s house, His Father's house, which is the temple. Not the
temple then standing, which was to be destroyed, but that future temple
which will be established in connection with His Second Coming. In the
book of Ezekiel, chapters 40 through 48, there is a vivid description of
the temple that will stand during the one thousand years of our Lord's
reign on this earth.
*"MANY MANSIONS "*

The next words we come to are the "many mansions" that are to be found
in Jehovah' s house. These are not to be "mansions" ; according to our
present meaning of the English word. This word is a translation of the
Greek word mone, which means nothing more nor less than abodes: living
quarters. The priests who minister the duties of the temple reside on
the premises. Therefore we see that John 14:1-3 refers to the Second
Coming of Christ to earth to reign for one thousand years, and that it
is particularly connected with the Priesthood of the Nation Israel.

In Exodus 19:5,6, after the Lord had led Israel out of Egypt He tells
them, "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my
covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people:
for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests,
and an holy nation ... " When Christ returns to establish His kingdom,
and Israel becomes a kingdom of priests, then they who minister the
duties of the priesthood will abide in the Father's house, the temple.

*GraceNTheTruth@COX.NET*

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
AND
THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHRIST
PART ONE
By Fred Bachand
*
There is much confusion today, people concerning our Lord's return. This
confusion is largely the result seeing no distinction between the return
of our Lord to earth and His coming to catch away His Body, the Church,
into heaven. That is, very little distinction, if any, is being made
between COMING OF CHRIST AND THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHURCH.

There are two passages of scripture which are generally linked together
as to the same event, and then we hear all kinds of "explanations& quot; and
theories concerning the Second Coming of Christ and the "Rapture" of the
Church, the Tribulation, the "Millennium, " and the "end of the World."
The two passages of scripture are:

John 14:1-3, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe
also in me "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I
would told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go to
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also."

and I Thess. 4:16-18, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: "Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. "Wherefore
comfort one another with these words."

The truth is that these two passages of scripture refer to two entirely
different events and are related to each other only in that they both
mark the ending of one age and the beginning of another. Here again the
perfection and the precision which mark God's Word, the Bible, as being
distinct from all other writings is seen by applying the principles He
Himself has laid down for studying His Word. In Phil. 1:10, we read the
words, " ... approve things that are excellent ... " In the Greek, from
which this is translated, it means to prove, by testing, things
differing; or to test the things that differ. Then what are we to do? II
Tim. 2:15, says that we are to rightly divide the word of truth. With
these two principles in mind, and knowing that "All scripture is given
by inspiration of God ... " (II Tim. 3:16), let us examine the foregoing
scriptures and see what our Lord would have us to know about THE SECOND
COMING OF CHRIST AND THE "RAPTURE" OF THE CHURCH.

*THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST*
*
Let us first consider John 14:1-3. Here our Lord is NOT speaking about
the "Rapture" of the Church. In fact, He is NOT speaking here about "The
Church, which is His Body," at all. Any believer today who is looking
forward to this event as his Blessed Hope is living under a
misapprehension and is going to be surprised, pleasantly surprised, to
find that he has no direct connection with this event.

Let us compare two words. In John 14:3, we find the word "receive. " This
word is translated from the Greek word paralabano, which means to
receive alongside of. Here our Lord, speaking to His disciples of that
time, said He would receive them alongside of, or unto, Himself. Now let
us look at the word used in I Thess. 4:17, translated "caught up." This
word in the Greek is harpazo, which means to seize by force. Turn in
your Bible to John 10:28, and see how this same Greek word is used where
it is translated "pluck. " So we see that already we have a definite
distinction between these two passages, John 14:1-3, and I Thess.
4:16-18, in reference to our Lord's method in gathering His saints. We
could stop right here and say that these two passages could not be
referring to the same event because the gathering of the saints in each
passage is to be done in a different way. Now we know that God is not
the author of confusion and when we find things differing in His Word we
are exhorted to test them and rightly divide them in order to be
approved unto God, needing not to be ashamed (ll Tim. 2:15). Therefore
let us proceed further into God's Word.

There are some who claim that the most important words in the Bible are
those of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is true! Yet those who make
this claim have limited His words to those spoken by Him during His
short stay on earth. Let us not forget, beloved, that Jesus Christ is
God personified, and that ALL scripture is "given by inspiration of
God," literally (in the Greek) God breathed. Therefore the whole Bible,
from "Genesis" through "The Revelation," is the Word or breath of God
and in it we find, from cover to cover, the words of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. In Heb.12:25, we read, "See that ye refuse not him
that speaketh. For if they escape not who refused him that spake on
earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that
speaketh from heaven."

In Matt. 24, our Lord is speaking to the same disciples as in John 14,
and concerning the same event, His Second Coming. And in verse 31, we
read, " ... He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and they shall gather together his elect ... " He will receive unto
Himself those who are gathered by the angels. This will take place on
the EARTH, for the Lord must return to the earth to establish His
kingdom and reign for one thousand years ON THE EARTH. Notice also that
this Second Coming will be after the tribulation. In verses 29 and 30,
we read, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall
all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

*GraceNTheTruth@COX.NET*

BEING THANKFUL*
*By C.R. Stam*

God's verdict upon the pagan world is that "they are without excuse,
because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither
were thankful..." (Rom. 1:20,21). The Psalmist, on the other hand, declares:

"IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, AND TO SING PRAISES
UNTO THY NAME, O MOST HIGH:

"TO SHOW FORTH THY LOVING KINDNESS IN THE MORNING. AND THY FAITHFULNESS
EVERY NIGHT" (Psa. 92:1,2).

Believers today have even more to be thankful for than did the Psalmist,
for we can rejoice in what God has done for us through Christ and His
redeeming work. Thus Paul, by divine inspiration, speaks of...

"GIVING THANKS UNTO THE FATHER, WHO HATH MADE US MEET [FIT] TO BE
PARTAKERS OF THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN LIGHT:

"WHO HATH DELIVERED US FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS, AND HATH TRANSLATED
US INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS DEAR SON" (Col. 1:12,13).

It is because of this "deliverance&q uot; that the humblest believer can cry
with Paul: "Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in
Christ!" (II Cor. 2:14) and "Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (I Cor. 15:57). How appropriate, then,
are the following exhortations:

"In everything give thanks" (I Thes. 5:18) and "By [Christ], therefore,
let us offer the sacrifice of praise... giving thanks to His name" (Heb.
13:15).

"For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might
through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God" (II Cor.
4:15).

Most of all, "THANKS BE UNTO GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT," our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ! (II Cor. 9:15).
*Let's focus on the wonders of God's grace,
training ourselves to make
a spirit of gratitude pervade our lives.
That's the way to experience joy
today and to be forever joyful.*

"SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE"*
* by Russell S. Miller

"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all
things, which is the Head, even Christ:

"From whom the whole Body fitly joined together and compacted by that
which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the Body unto the edifying of
itself in love" (Eph.4:15,16) .

Surely by now you have noticed that people get upset and offended
whenever anyone wants to share the Love of God. They do not want to hear
that they are sinners in desperate need of the Saviour. Even Christian
people naturally get offended when the truth is not spoken in love. But
the unsaved will justify themselves with all kinds of excuses to evade
this important truth that, if believed, would save their soul from an
eternal loss.

"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe" (I Cor.1:21).

The devil is very clever and knows how to "get an advantage of us" and
keep precious souls from seeing "the light of the glorious gospel of
Christ" (II Cor.2:11; 4:4). Satan would "blind" those who do not believe
from seeing their need of salvation and damn their souls to an eternal hell.

So we must walk "in love" toward the unsaved, for God places a very high
value upon mankind, and He is not willing that any should perish. And
because we are of "eternal worth"to Him, He sent His "only begotten Son"
into this world to pay the full penalty of our sins, Himself, at the
extreme cost of His own life's blood (Rom.8:31-34) . Because of Calvary,
therefore, and by faith in Jesus Christ, we may also now walk in the
light of His Word. Why else would God have sent "His own Son" into this
sin cursed world to die on a cruel cross for our sins?

"HE THAT SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON, BUT DELIVERED HIM UP FOR US ALL, HOW
SHALL HE NOT WITH HIM ALSO FREELY GIVE US ALL THINGS?" (Romans 8:32).

The Love of God had no bounds at Calvary, as His wrath upon sin was
poured out upon Christ. Shouldn' t we, then, in love, be showing people
from the Bible the Love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord? It is what
Christ did on the cross that God accepts (Rom.3:25), and as we accept
Christ's redemptive work on our behalf (Eph.2:8,9), God "accepts" us
(Eph.1:6). It is not our "good works," then, but "faith" alone in the
Lord Jesus Christ that saves from sin and hell and the Lake of fire. It
is a matter of whether or not we believe what God has said in His Word
about Jesus Christ. Do you believe the truth of the Word of God or do
you still believe the devil's lies? God loves us, each and every one of
us, with an everlasting love, an eternal love. How MUCH He loves us:

"BUT GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET
SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US" (Rom.5:8).

"BE YE THEREFORE FOLLOWERS OF GOD, AS DEAR CHILDREN; AND WALK IN LOVE,
AS CHRIST ALSO HATH LOVED US, AND HATH GIVEN HIMSELF FOR US AN OFFERING
AND A SACRIFICE TO GOD FOR A SWEET SMELLING SAVOUR" (Eph.5:1,2).
*The cross that ended the earthly life
of Jesus now puts an end to the sinner;
and the power that raised Christ
from the dead now raises
you to a new life along with Christ. *

GRACE ABOUNDING*
* by C. R. Stam*

In a letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, Paul wrote, some 1900 years
ago, about his conversion:

"[I] was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious, but I
obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. AND THE GRACE
OF OUR LORD WAS EXCEEDING ABUNDANT..." (I Tim.1:13,14) .

And he follows this with the now-famous declaration:

"THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING, AND WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION, THAT CHRIST
JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF" (Ver 15).

Upon reading this statement by Paul, those who know their Bibles will
immediately recall the words of Rom. 5:20,21:

"...the law entered, that the offence might abound, BUT WHERE SIN
ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND; THAT AS SIN HATH REIGNED... SO
MIGHT GRACE REIGN..."

These two passages from the pen of Paul have a closer connection than
may appear on the surface. The Apostle Paul, once Saul of Tarsus, had
led his nation and the world in rebellion against Christ. "As for Saul,"
we read in Acts 8:3, "he made havoc of the church," and he himself
testified to the Galatians: "Ye have heard... how that beyond measure I
persecuted the church of God, and laid it waste" (Gal. 1:13).

Yet God, in infinite mercy, had saved Saul, not only for Saul's own
sake, but to make him the living demonstration of His grace. Thus in
writing to Timothy, the Apostle goes on to explain:

"Howbeit, FOR THIS CAUSE I OBTAINED MERCY, THAT IN ME FIRST JESUS CHRIST
MIGHT SHOW FORTH ALL LONGSUFFERING, FOR A PATTERN TO THEM WHICH SHOULD
HEREAFTER BELIEVE ON HIM TO LIFE EVERLASTING" (I Tim. 1:16).

Let us, then, take our places with Saul, the sinner, and find salvation
by grace through Christ, the Savior. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

*THOUGHT FOR TODAY*

Life is often so unfair
It often seems God doesn't care
The hurt is deep the wounds are sore
It seems you just can't take any more
That's when you need to learn to trust
& watch your troubles turn to dust
(GET REAL WITH GOD)

THE CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
by Russell S. Miller
"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world"
(Gal.6:14).

What does the world have to offer you, my friend? Does its "glamour"
charm you? Are the politics of this world really bringing in the
peaceful reign of Christ? Will the United Nations actually achieve
righteousness? Or our leaders, in seeking to run the world without
Christ, will they actually win these wars against terrorism? The blood
that has been shed upon this earth, all seemingly in vain, has not yet
brought about peace and righteousness. And sadly, we're discovering that
the world is just that much closer than it has ever been before to the
awful reign of anti-Christ.

If we would truly "win" in this world, and not lose, we shall have to
follow the Apostle Paul, and his ministry, as he followed Christ. And
then we shall be able to say with Paul, "what things were gain to me,
those I counted loss for Christ."

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Phil.
3:7,8).

It is not until we put away our so-called "good works," and trust Jesus
Christ alone and His redemptive work on the cross of Calvary that we
shall truly be on the "WINNING" team. As Paul goes on to say:

"And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith (fathfulness) of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith"( Phil.3:9) .

This is the kind of "gain" that the world, the flesh, and the devil
cannot destroy. And because "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge"
are found in Jesus Christ (Col.2:3),the Apostle Paul rejoiced in what
Christ accomplished in the cross:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; YET NOT I, but CHRIST
LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I LIVE BY THE
FAITH of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

The One who rose to power, our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
has done so "through the blood of His cross," and He "ever liveth to
make intercession for us" (Col.1:20; Rom.8:34; Heb.7:25).

"IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN,
ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE" (Eph.1:7).

Lord God of my salvation, thank You for the glorious message of the
gospel. I rejoice that You have taken me out from under the law. I now
know that I am your inheritance, I know you are my life, and know that
it is you Lord Jesus who brings forth spiritual fruit in me, and all the
praise belongs to you. May Your name be exalted, Amen.
*GraceNTheTruth@COX.NET*

*~THE DAY OF THE LORD~*
*Richard Mazek, Bible Teacher*
*1 THESSALONIANS 5:2,3*
*"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a
thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then
sudden destruction cometh upon them, as
travail up a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
*~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
There are four key days that are proclaimed in the Word of God These
days do not refer to literal twenty- four days, but rather to varying
periods of time. Let us take a look at these four days in their proper
order.

First of all, THE DAY OF MAN (1 Cor. 4:3)-- This Day began (we believe)
with the fall of man ~ continues to be in effect even to the present
day. It is marked by the government of man as it progressively becomes
more ripe for judgment. This Day will culminate with ....

THE DAY OF CHRIST (1 Cor. 15:51, 52)-- This Day refers to the Rapture or
home-coming of the Body of Christ. The judgment Seat of Christ is also
included in this Day. The transpiring of this Day will usher in....

THE DAY OF THE LORD (1 THESS. 5:2,3)-- This Day speaks to us of God's
Judgment and Justice being dispensed, first upon Israel, and then upon
the Gentiles. This day begins immediately after the Rapture and
continues on through the seventieth week of Daniel (the Tribulation) .
During this time we find Jehovah-God dealing basically with Israel
(Jacob's Trouble) under Judgment until the Revelation (Second Coming) of
her Messiah.

THE DAY OF THE LORD does not end here but rather continues on through
the Millennium (2 Peter 3:10) as God deals with mankind as a whole,
under the rod of justice and judgment. With this in mind it would seem
that the Day of the Lord would also include the "Great White Throne
Judgment. "

Finally we come to THE DAY OF GOD (2 Peter 3:12,13) -- This Blessed Day
coincides with the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times (Eph 1:10) and
has to do with the New Heavens and the New Earth, or the eternal state.

*THOUGHT TO PONDER
There are many dangerous trends pulling folks away from true Bible
Christianity. Many of the newer philosophies of ministry employ methods
that are wholly carnal. Some have adopted objectives that have not one
line of Scripture to support them, and some employ conduct that differs
little from the world.
----Tozer **

THE GOSPEL THAT PAUL PREACHED*
* by Russell S. Miller*
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto
you, which also ye have received, and wherein " stand;
"By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto
you, unless ye have believed in vain.
"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;
"And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according
to the Scriptures" (ICor.15:1-4) .

Do you recall that during our Lord's earthly ministry, and the
announcements of His approaching crucifixion( Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33,34),
that His disciples didn't comprehend a thing He had said to them about
His impending death (Mark 8:32; 9:32;10:35)?

"And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from
them, neither knew they the things which were spoken" (Luke 18:34).

But it is suggested by some that the words of Christ in Luke 24:25-27
show that our Lord there revealed what He actually accomplished at
Calvary. If the Lord had revealed to his disciples that "Christ Died For
Our Sins" as He later revealed to the Apostle Paul, this would surely
have been the good news that Peter and John would have preached on
Pentecost. Instead we find Paul using the personal pronoun "I" in I
Corinthians 15:1-4 regarding "the gospel" which he had "received" ; of the
Lord Jesus, and "declared" ; and "preached" ; and "delivered, " to the
Corinthians, and to us.

In early Acts the Apostle Peter had only known, and preached, the
resurrection of Christ to sit upon the throne of David's prophesied
kingdom. He did not know what the death, burial, and resurrection of
Christ had accomplished, nor did Peter preach Paul's gospel at
Pentecost. He rather called upon Israel to "repent" of their wickedness
in the crucifixion of Christ and submit to water baptism "for the
remission of sins" (Acts 2:22-31, 38; 3:22,23). Clearly, at Pentecost,
the disciples of our Lord did not know what the cross of Calvary meant;
else they would have preached it from the housetops!

On the contrary, God raised up the Apostle Paul for the specific purpose
of proclaiming Paul's gospel for the obedience of all peoples today
(Rom.16:25,26) . And all this, beloved, though first revealed to Paul, is
consistent with Paul's words in Romans and Corinthians and Colossians
that Christ's death, burial and resurrection was "according to the
Scriptures" (I Cor.15:3,4).

Heavenly Father, we are awe struck at the vast dimensions of Your grace.
Forgive us for under estimating that grace so often. Enlighten the eyes
of our hearts that we might know the richness of Your grace. May the
immeasurable ocean of Your grace be our daily supply for life in Christ,
in His name we pray, Amen.

THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY; PAST OR FUTURE?
by C. R. Stam
Did our Lord actually ride in triumph into Jerusalem to become King
of the Church? Or is His true triumph still to come?

True, the towns people cried: "Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel
that cometh in the name of the Lord" (John 12:12,13). But Jesus
responded by entering the city, riding "an ass's colt" (Verses 14,15).
Surely this was not a very regal sight! Once before, when He knew that
they "would come and take Him by force to make Him a King, He
departed...into a mountain Himself alone" (John 6:15).

He knew that it was not yet time for Him to reign. First must come the
cross, then the throne. Zechariah had prophesied of this entry into
Jerusalem, saying: "Behold thy King!" Look at Him! and then he describes
His entrance: "Lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal
of an ass" (Zech.9:9).

At this entry, "When He was come near, He be held the city, and wept
over it" (Luke 19:41). At this entry He entered into the temple, looked
about and went out again (Mark 11:11). It was His Father's house, but He
could not worship there. It had become a den of thieves. No, this was no
triumphal entry. Look at Him, meek, lowly, riding on an ass's colt, and
then see Him coming again as Revelation 19:11-16 describes it. How
different the symbolism!

Once meek, lowly, and "having salvation." Now, "in righteousness doth He
judge and make war." Once, riding "an ass's colt." Now, "Behold! a white
horse!" And those eyes, once filled with tears are now "as a flame of fire."

Our Lord's true triumphal entry is still future. According to prophecy
He will come again, put down all rebellion against Himself, and reign in
glory and power. Thank God He has not yet done so! In love He still
points to Calvary, where He died for our sin and offers us the riches of
His grace.

"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our
justification" (Rom.4:25).

NOTE OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR US THE BODY

Grace be to you and peace
Though days be dark about us.
God’s working out His plan
All enemies regardless.

We know that Bethlehem’s Babe
Once crucified, is risen
And seated now above,
At God’s right hand in heaven.

And soon He’ll come again
His loved ones to deliver.
We’ll share His glory then
Forever and Forever.

So while we watch and wait
O, may His love constraining
Help us to live for Him
In all the hours remaining.

– C.R.S.

THE STARS OF MESSIAH' S REIGN*
* by C. R. Stam*
"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the
firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for
ever and ever" (Dan.12:3).

The day is coming when redeemed Israel and all the saints of the Old
Testament times will taste the joy of Messiah' s glorious reign. But some
-- the wise -- will be honored more than others and will shine in that
day as the stars of the firmament.

Who are these "wise" ones? Our text answers: "They that turn many to
righteous-ness" ;. Not those who merely knew all the technicalities of the
prophetic program, but remained unmoved, but those who, understanding
the prophetic plan and recognizing that God must judge sin, did
something about it and labored to turn many to righteousness.

These will be the stars of Messiah' s reign.
What a lesson this passage holds for us who have trusted Christ as our
Saviour in this present "dispensation of grace"!

When we stand before the Lord, all saved by His abundant grace, not all
will be equally honored. Outshining the rest will be "the wise", who,
understanding God's message and program of grace and, "buying up the
time because the days are evil" (Eph.5:16), URGED THE LOST TO ACCEPT
"the gift of righteousness" by faith in Christ. Of these we may well say
by way of adaption:

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

*THOUGHT TO PONDER *
*When I was young I was sure of everything;*
* in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times,*
* I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; *
* at present, I am hardly sure of anything*
* but what God has revealed to me.*
* ----John Wesley *

*HEART TROUBLE *
*By late Pastor Win Johnson*
*

The heart beats 2,500,000,000 times in a normal life span, but did you
know that one out of every four who read this, will die of heart
disease? Did you know that heart trouble causes twice as many deaths as
cancer?

There is no quick cure for heart disease, though by doing only as much
work as the heart can carry, many can lead a long and useful life.

Suppose you have a bad heart. How would you like to have a doctor who
knows all about it, but never tells you? Instead he talks about your
nice rosy cheeks and says you are the picture of health. How tragic to
find out that you have been a victim of his deceiving flattery.

It is not a very pleasant task to tell people the truth about
themselves. Often such candid information is deeply resented. However,
as a minister of the Gospel, it is my duty before God to give you the
facts about spiritual heart trouble which afflicts every human being
born into this life. The Word of God says:

1. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked" (Jer. 17:9).
2. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, laviciousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evil things come from
within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-23).

This is God's diagnosis of every heart, yours and mine. But unlike
physical heart trouble which may not always be cured, there is an
unfailing remedy for this spiritual malady. It is found in the cleansing
Blood of Christ. "In Whom we have redemption through His Blood, the
forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians
1:7). It is applied by faith. Has your heart trouble been cured?

Coffee Break
"Immediate Obedience"

"And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him." Matthew 4:22

I have always thought it was interesting that when Jesus called these disciples to follow Him they immediately did. They didn't delay in doing so. They didn't go and pray about it. They didn't take their time trying to decide if this was what they should or shouldn' t do. They didn't procrastinate. They didn't wait until all the conditions seemed right. They didn't make excuses. They immediately followed Him.

How quick are we to obey when the Lord speaks to us? Do we wait? Do we debate? Do we obey when it is convenient for us? Do we try to reason it out and then make the decision? Or do we, as the old hymn saying... trust and obey... and do what He says?

There are two forms of disobedience. The first is just simply "don' t do it"- which is rebellion. The other is "delayed obedience" . Delayed obedience is the same as disobedience. Our obedience is a serious matter to the Lord. It was disobedience that cased mankind' s fall in the garden. Jesus even spoke about it in a parable in Luke 14.

How is your obedience? Are you quick to obey? Do you "drag your feet" in obeying? Are you immediate about it? Or do you do it in your own timing and when you get around to it?

Have a great day. Is your obedience to God immediate or do you take your time about it?

For further reading:
Luke 14:16-24
1 Samuel 15:22

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
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You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry

HEART TROUBLE *
*By late Pastor Win Johnson*
The heart beats 2,500,000,000 times in a normal life span, but did you
know that one out of every four who read this, will die of heart
disease? Did you know that heart trouble causes twice as many deaths as
cancer?

There is no quick cure for heart disease, though by doing only as much
work as the heart can carry, many can lead a long and useful life.

Suppose you have a bad heart. How would you like to have a doctor who
knows all about it, but never tells you? Instead he talks about your
nice rosy cheeks and says you are the picture of health. How tragic to
find out that you have been a victim of his deceiving flattery.

It is not a very pleasant task to tell people the truth about
themselves. Often such candid information is deeply resented. However,
as a minister of the Gospel, it is my duty before God to give you the
facts about spiritual heart trouble which afflicts every human being
born into this life. The Word of God says:

1. "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked" (Jer. 17:9).
2. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, laviciousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evil things come from
within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-23).

This is God's diagnosis of every heart, yours and mine. But unlike
physical heart trouble which may not always be cured, there is an
unfailing remedy for this spiritual malady. It is found in the cleansing
Blood of Christ. "In Whom we have redemption through His Blood, the
forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians
1:7). It is applied by faith. Has your heart trouble been cured?

RED LIKE CRIMSON
by Russell S. Miller

"Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to
the Law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and
scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the
people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath
enjoined unto you" (Heb.9:18-20) .

There are three different Hebrew words for "crimson" in the Old
Testament with 41 occurrences translated by four different English words
in our King James Version of the Bible. Of these Hebrew words one is
always rendered "crimson" in the English (IIChron. 2:7,14; 3:14).
Another is rendered by "scarlet, " "scarlet thread," and "crimson, " in 35
passages. While the third Hebrew word is translated "worms" in Exodus
16:20, "like crimson" in Isaiah 1:18, and "scarlet" in Lamentations 4:5.

Another interesting Hebrew word, "worm," so rendered seven times, used
of the color from it and of the cloths dyed therewith, is also
translated "scarlet" twenty-nine times. Under the law, in David's day, a
sacrifice was required for sin. The Psalmist, therefore, uses the same
word in Psalm22:6 to describe the Lord's sufferings on the cross as your
sin, and mine, twisted and wrenched His body: "But I am a worm, and no
man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people" (Psa.22:6). Not only
was there the shame and disgrace associated with that accursed cross,
but these words also speak of the writhing agony that His soul bore for
the sin of the world (IICor.5:21) .

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou
forsaken Me?" (Matt.27:46) .

The prophet Isaiah also described our Lord, and His appearance, as He
suffered there for your sins and mine: "His visage was so marred more
than any man, and His form more than the sons of men" (Isa.52:14). They
"scourged" ; the Lord, and made Him carry that heavy wooden cross until He
could no longer bear up under its weight. They drove spikes into His
hands and feet and they "crucified&quo t;Him in "a place called Golgotha--a
place of a skull" (Matt.27:27- 35).The Lord's words in John 15:25 could
not have been more true; "They hated Me without a cause." Yet from that
cruel cross, our Lord prayed, "Father, forgive them; forthey know not
what they do" (Luke 23:34), and still the Father pleads:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isa.1:18).

In the revelation that was given to the Apostle Paul, he further
confirms these things concerning the sufferings of Christ and His death
on Calvary' s cross: "For [God] hath made Him to be sin for us, [Christ]
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him"
(IICor.5:21) .That "scarlet thread" (Jos.2:18,21) that followed Joshua,
and Israel, throughout their history answers to the blood-stained cross
of Calvary, and we must also look to Jesus Christ, and Calvary' s cross
for salvation from sin today. The blood that flowed from the crown of
His head, from His hands and feet, and from His side that was pierced
with that spear, was NOT tainted with sin. The Creator, our Lord Jesus
Christ, died, that day, to redeem the creature from his sins.

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse
for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree"
(Gal.3:13).

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation THROUGH FAITH in His
blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time
His righteousness: that [God] might be just, and the Justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus" (Rom.3:25,26) .

Have you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? Won't you trust
His finished work of redemption on your behalf? Won't you believe on Him
who died for you on that cross to save you from your sin? Believe, and
be saved, today.

HAVING DONE ALL *
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:13
When we come to the end of our tether in this life of struggle and
strife, we have a lifeline to turn to - that is, if we are saved by the
grace of God in Christ. As saints, we are assured that "God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted [tested] above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation [testing] also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it" (I Corinthians 10:13). Paul offers his
personal testimony to this statement: "1 can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil 4:13).

Serving our Lord as His dear children, we are impelled by His enduring
love. The apostle affirms, "The love of Christ constraineth us" (II
Corinthians 5:14). When we come to the end of our endurance, there is
but one source of energy available. Paul expresses it best: "I take
pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong"
(II Corinthians 12:10).

As we are faced with a dilemma, though our destiny is in God's hands, it
is often difficult for us to reason in our own minds, where the solution
lies. Paul reveals such an instance in his own experience. His desire
was to pass on to his heavenly reward, but he was deeply burdened with
his responsibility to his congregation of believers, to whom he wrote,
"I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with
Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more
needful for you" (Philippians 1:23,24). It remains with God to resolve
the problem, Paul "having done all" (Ephesians 6:13).

FROM AMAZING GRACE

*Wise people realize how little they know
and how much they need
the great wisdom of God. —Joe Stowell*

* WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT CALVARY?*
* by C. R. Stam *

If the Bible makes anything clear, it is the fact that the secret
of all God's good news to men is centered in Calvary. It was because
Christ was to die for sin that God could proclaim good news to sinners
down through the ages.

It was not until some time after the crucifixion, however, that "the
preaching of the cross" was widely proclaimed as a message by Paul in
"the gospel [good news] of the grace of God" (ICor.1:18; Acts 20:24).

The proclamation of "the gospel of the grace of God" was the natural
accompaniment to the revelation of the cross as the secret of God's good
news to man. In this proclamation of His over-abounding grace to
sinners, everything centers in the cross.

According to Paul's epistles "we have redemption through His [Christ' s]
blood" (Eph.1:7), we are "justified by His blood" (Rom.5:9), "reconciled
to God by the death of His Son" (Rom.5:10), "made nigh by the blood of
Christ" (Eph.2:13), and "made the righteousness of God in Him" because
"God hath made Him to be sin for us" (IICor.5:21) .

The "covenant" ; of the Law was abolished by the cross (Col.2:14), the
curse of the Law was removed by the cross (Gal.3:13), the "middle wall
of partition" was broken down by the cross (Eph.2:14,15) , and believers
in Christ are "reconciled to God in one body by the cross" (Eph. 2:16).
Little wonder Paul calls this message "the preaching of the cross"!

To the believers it is thrilling indeed, and how thankful we should be,
to see the cross as God's reply to Satan when, at first glance, it had
appeared that the cross was Satan's greatest triumph.

Lord God of my salvation, thank You for the glorious message of the
gospel. I rejoice that You have taken me out from under the law. I now
know that I am your inheritance, I know you are my life, and know that
it is you Lord Jesus who brings forth spiritual fruit in me, and all the
praise belongs to you. May Your name be exalted, Amen.

~A GOOD SOLDIER~*
*By **DICK WARE, Pastor, *
Scripture Reading: II Timothy 2:3, 4

The true Christian has three enemies: "the course of this world", "the
prince of the power of the air", and "the lusts of our flesh" (Ephesians
2:2,3). None of these will ever give in to the new life or the new
divine nature that the Christian has in Christ Jesus. We are in a war
with these enemies as long as we are in these physical bodies. Many dear
believers don't even know there is a battle going on (Galatians 5:17).
What a shame! If there are no battles and no war, what do we need
soldiers for?

Saul of Tarsus went from being the persecutor of the "Church of God", to
being the persecuted Apostle Paul. The switch came about because of his
salvation, and because of the "program of God's Grace" committed to him.
The switch from the persecution of the Jerusalem Church and the Twelve
Apostles, to the Apostle Paul and the Body of Christ, proves God's
program of salvation was being changed. Members of the Body of Christ
are in a warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil. That is why
Paul wrote to Timothy to "endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ" (II Timothy 2:3). Satan apposes the Gospel of Grace, but he
doesn't have much of a problem with you, if you are already being
conformed to this world system (Romans 12:2), and being defeated by your
fleshly desires (Gal. 5:19-21). In fact, you are probably a good
advertisement for Satan's cause. God's message to Timothy is also His
message to you who are saved today. "Be strong in the grace that is in
Christ Jesus!" "Be a good soldier of Jesus Christ!" "Don' t be entangled
with the affairs of this life!" Why? Because, the furtherance of the
Gospel of Grace is at stake involving eternal souls being saved, and
Christians being established in the Truth. By God's grace, may you not
be found AWOL!

*THOUGHT FOR THIS WEEK*

*Rest means to trust*
*Jesus Christ as our*
*Life-Source, *
*depending on Him to empower*
*our actions with His strength and direction.*
*
THE RICHES OF GOD*
* by C. R. Stam*
* *
*

Some years ago there came to this country a very poor young man. He
found a job in the timber lands of Wisconsin. Being industrious he
gradually accumulated some timber acreage of his own. Soon be began to
prosper, and after a few years he invested in a lumber milling industry.
It was not long after that until he owned more than one mill. This led
him to expand into northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Before long he was
very rich, investing in timber acreage in the far northwest and
eventually owning valuable land by the thousands of acres, the very
finest timber in the country. At the time of his death neither he nor
his relatives nor friends knew what he was worth financially, so wealthy
had he become.

When the time came for him to die, however, he could not take one cent
of his riches with him, for as I Tim. 6:7 says: "We brought nothing into
this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."

It seems difficult for most men to learn that "a man's life consisteth
not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15).
They close their ears to the words of wisdom spoken by our Lord:

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal" (Matt. 6:19,20).

The truest, most lasting riches of all are referred to in II Cor. 8:9
where the Apostle Paul says:

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty
might be rich."

And these riches may be had by faith -- by accepting them as a
gift, for "the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our
Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
*THOUGHT TO PONDER *
*What are you passing through at present? *
*Are you been persecuted? *
*Call unto God! *
*He is ready to answer you. *
*He has done it in past, *
*and He can still do it again. *
*Rely on Him, *
*and He will give you rest from all your troubles. *

*THE GREATEST COMMISSION *
*By Pastor Joel Finck*
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:9
In the last lesson, we saw that God has always had a commission for His
people to carry out. Our commission today is not the one given to Noah,
Abraham, or to the twelve apostles. Rather, we currently operate under
the commission given to and through Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles.
This commission is found in II Corinthians 5:14-21, and involves the
ministry of reconciling men to the God who has already reconciled the
world to Himself.

But as great as this responsibility is, there is a second part to our
commission. This is stated by Paul in Ephesians 3:9, "And to make all
men see what is the fellowship (Gk-"dispensat ion" ) of the mystery, which
from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all
things by Jesus Christ." This was the burden on Paul's heart when he
wrote to Timothy, "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God
our Saviour; Who will (desires to) have all men saved, and to come unto
the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:3, 4).

This is the pattern Paul followed at Corinth. When he first came into
town, he says, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save
Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). But after men were saved,
Paul continued on with the second part of his commission: "Howbeit we
speak wisdom among them that are perfect...we speak the wisdom of God in
a mystery" (I Cor. 2:6, 7). We must all do our part to bring the gospel
of salvation to a lost and dying world. But let us not be content with
only half a job; we must also proclaim the mystery to those who are saved!
*
*THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK*
*If Christians had ever been brave enough to make Christ
alive,nobody would now be saying that Christianity
is dead.
*Phip 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it
becometh the gospel of Christ: ...... that ye stand fast
in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the
faith of the gospel;*