A TIME OF CRISIS - By Charles W. Wages

A TIME OF CRISIS 

By Charles W. Wages

Life is sometimes described as one crisis after another. We often think of a crisis as being an emotionally significant event that causes a radical change in that persons life. Sometimes the crisis is caused by events outside our control, such as accidents, wars, recessions, severe illness of self or loved ones. The causes of crisis are so numerous that we are all affected whether a believer in Christ or not. What is the answer to a victorious life in time of crisis? 

It shouldn't take a severe crisis to bring a person to Christ, but often it does.

From Crisis to Christ

Sometimes a person needs a crisis in their life to see their need of salvation. Often, self dependant, successfully active people are blind to the fact that they are sinners by nature and practice. They are self-sufficient and self-reliant and never think of being blind and lost. The crisis often causes a person to see how helpless they really are and their need for Someone to help. The crisis doesn't save them, but their turning from self to the Saviour and trusting Him as Saviour and Lord results in salvation. The gospel of Gods grace is sufficient to save from the guttermost to the uttermost all who believe.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Sometimes, a crisis turns believing people to greater service for the Lord. We could speak of this as,

From Crisis to Challenge

The apostle Paul spoke of a door being opened unto him to serve the Lord.

For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Corinthians 16:9)

However, he was quick to write, and there are many adversaries. The devil is quick to respond every time an opportunity is offered the child of God to serve in some manner or capacity. The needed advice is given in verses, 13-14,

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with love.

We are also admonished in Galatians 6:10,

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

In 1 Thessalonians, chapter 1, the apostle Paul thanks God for the believers and their faithful work for the Lord. In verses 2 and 3, he writes,

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father.

Note how the service of these saints is listed,

. work of faith 
. labor of love 
. patience of hope. 

We must remember these saints were ministering in a time of great crisis and challenge. Also, it is . . . wonderful that these three virtues of service are those familiar three virtues found in 1 Corinthians 13:13,

And now abideth faith, hope, and charity (love); but the greatest of these is charity.

These three should be the basis for our service for the Lord in time of crisis, not the love of money or fame. Someone wrote,

Shamger had an ox-goad;
David had a sling;
Dorcas had a needle;
Rachel had a string;
Samson had a jawbone;
Aaron had a rod;
Mary had some ointment;
But all were used of God.

One thing is sure, that if we turn to the Lord in times of crisis, it will become a

Crisis to Victory

Who could forget or not be moved by the apostles cry of victory in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57,

 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.    But   thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We read much today about victories on the battlefront, and in the air, but to the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the spiritual victories are the most important. A soul saved; a prayer answered; a fallen believer reclaimed; the understanding of Scripture; the fellowship with other believers, etc. These are spiritual victories that build us up in the faith. We then can explain and proclaim,

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:13)

These are the things that bring victory out of every crisis. The saying of an enlightened saint is true today. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life that I might enjoy all things. In times of crisis let us turn to Christ, prevail in service.

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It's All In the Bible - by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

     It's All In the Bible

by Pastor Crelius R. Stam

We couldn't help hearing it! This woman had a voice that could be heard at considerable distance and we distinctly heard her say: "I doped it all out from the Bible."

"Well, at least somebody's interested in the Bible," we said to each other.

But as she prattled on it turned out that she had used the records in an old family Bible to establish her claim to part of an estate. These records, introduced in court, had won the case for her.

There was, after all, no indication that she was interested in the Bible - only in those pages between the Old and New Testaments which, in some editions of the Bible, are kept for family records.

Actually she was no different from the masses about us who go about from day to day interested only in the things of this life and ignoring almost completely the things that really matter: God, heaven, hell and their own eternal destiny.

If these people only knew what treasures are to be found in the Bible! Among these are "riches of mercy" (Ephesians 2:4), "riches of grace" (Ephesians 1:7), "riches of glory" (Phil. 4:19), "riches of wisdom and knowledge" (Romans 11:33), "the riches of the full assurance of understanding" (Colossians 2:2), "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8). And the best part of it is that anyone may have these riches simply for the asking:

"For there is no difference… for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him,

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:12,13).

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The Church or the Rock? - By Pastor Ivan L. Burgener

  The Church or the Rock? 
By Pastor Ivan L. Burgener  

   "And I also, I say unto thee that thou are Peter and upon this rock will I build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18 revised)

   The Lord spoke to Peter about a rock and a church and said the "gates of hell" would not prevail. But what does that mean? 

 

   To many this is the foundation passage upon which to base the teaching that Peter is the head of the church and that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. But that interpretation is based upon assumptions. 

 

   First, is Peter the rock? Peter's Greek name is PETROS, a masculine name meaning a "stone," such as a pebble one might toss or throw. The Greek word for "rock" is PETRA, a feminine noun meaning a massive rock or boulder-something that cannot be lifted or that will not budge. The Lord said one could build a house on a "rock" and even carve a tomb therein. See Matthew 7:24 & 27:60. Peter was not the rock and able commentators who read the Greek Language have known better.

   But what about the church? Did the Lord really say "the gates of hell would not prevail against the church"? His words were, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against IT." We all know "it" is a pronoun, but we do not all know that "it" refers to the church. Many have assumed so just like they assumed the Peter or his confession was the rock. But are we reading into or out of the verse? 

 

   One cannot tell by any English translation but the Greek pronoun here translated "it" is not neuter, but feminine and singular. Our word "her" would be the equivalent, but that would not be good English. 

 

   Since every pronoun must have its antecedant, our question is. Which noun in the sentence is both feminine and singular? There are two candidates: rock and church! Since both appear to be equally qualified, we must consider which fits the text and the context. 

 

   What would it mean to say, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church"? Or, what would it mean to say, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against the rock"? And to what does the term "rock" refer? Surely Christ was the Rock that followed Israel in the wilderness and the Messiah was to be the Rock of their salvation. People want to make Peter's confession to be the rock, but which is greater, his confession or the Rock Himself? 

 

   What are "the gates of hell"? In either case, what would it mean for them to "prevail"? Would you know the gates of hell if you saw them? What do they look like? Are they double-wide doors with hinges and latches? These questions are posed to help us consider what the Lord was talking about. 

 

   Pursuing the word "gates," from Genesis 19:1 we learn that "Lot sat in the gate" of the city of Sodom and in verse 9, they said he was a judge indicating a position of authority. In Proverbs 31:23 the virtuous woman's husband was "known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land." Further tracing of figurative uses of "gates" will confirm that this word indicates authority or power, such as one might have in government. 

 

   Our word "hell" comes from the Greek "hades" and its Hebrew equivalent "sheol." But both these words are often translated death or grave. For example in I Corinthians 15:55 this same word, HADES, is alternatively translated "death" and "grave." But when one combines these two words, "gates" and "hell," the phrase "gates of hell" becomes the "power of death" or "authority of the grave." 

 

   The idea of the "power of death" failing to prevail against the church is vague and uncertain. But to say that "the power of death" will not prevail against the Rock (Christ) clearly announces His resurrection! For the "power of death (or grave)" to prevail against Christ, would mean that the grave would hold Him and not let Him rise! That could not be!

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Coming To The Land - By: Fern Cambell

After recording the events of the Flood and the scattering of mankind at the Tower of Babel, the book of capitalGenesis gives us the genealogy of Shem, the son of Noah. Out of Shem's lineage, would come God's chosen people, Israel.

In running the figures in the book of Genesis, we calculate that the Flood occurred in 1656 BV (approximately). Two years after the Flood, Shem was one hundred years old Shem then continued to live for five hundred more years after the Flood. He continued his life at the pre-Flood life span level. Shem was a living witness to the post-Flood generations of the severity of God's judgment upon sin. Shem lived to tell nine generations of people living after the Flood about the seriousness of disobeying God. Shem lived almost up to the time of the death of Abraham!

We continue the story in Genesis chapter 11 with the recording of the genealogy of the line of Shem. The record ends with the detailed record of Terah begetting three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran (the father Lot) died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.

The name of Ur is a purely phonetic rendering of the place name and has no relationship to the actual spelling of the word. In Hebrew, the word is exactly the same letters as the Hebrew word which means light. Gesenius, in his Lexicon, says that the word might mean lucid region or the East.

The issue at hand is: Where was this Ur where Abraham was born? Archaeologists have claimed to have found a city by the name of Ur near the mouth of the great Euphrates River near the Persian Gulf. Of course, almost all of the religious world promptly jumped on the bandwagon and glorified this ruin as the birthplace of Abraham. But is it?

Now look at the map. On which side of the Euphrates River is this city of Ur shown? Yes, it is on the west side of the Euphrates River. Now, find Canaan on the map. With your finger, trace the so-called migration route of Terah and family if they were traveling to Canaan on the west side of the river. Would they have come naturally to a stopping place at Haran? No! Haron is on the wrong side of the Euphrates River, and, even if they had waded across it at this point, Haran would not have been a natural stopping point, for it would have been many miles out of the way. There is a another ancient city by the name of Ur on the eastern side of the Euphrates River, north of Haran, in Turkish Asia Minor The Turks believe that this city is the proper Ur, and they have a sign welcoming visitors to "Ur, the city of Abraham." Scholars, with recognized high academic degrees, believe that this city is the Ur mentioned in the Bible.

In Genesis chapter 12, we read that God told Abraham to go "from your land and from your kindred, and from the house of your father to the land which I will show you." Abraham clearly understood this land to be the land of Canaan, for he took Sarah and Lot and all his possessions, including his servants and "departed to go to the land of Canaan."

The land of Canaan was named after its early inhabitants, the Canaanites, and idolatrous people. Although God gave this and to Abraham and to his descendants, saying, "To your descendants I will give this land," Abraham realized clearly that God did not want Abraham's descendants to intermarry with the Canaanites. When the time came for Abraham to choose a wife for his son Isaac, he commanded his servant to go to his family home, Haran, where his brother's (Nahor's) family had settled, to get a wife for his son. Abraham said, "You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanits--among whom I dwell!"

God, with sovereign authority, gave this land of Canaan to His servant, Abraham, an "to his Seed," his descendants. God said to Abraham, "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and to our descendants after you. Also I give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger --all the land of Canaan for an

everlasting possession, and I will be their God" (Gen. 17:7-8--Emphsis added)

We should be sure that, in today's confusing political world in which we live, we stay on God's side in relationship to the land of God's people, Israel.

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God's Faithfulness And Ours - by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Many people suppose that salvation is God’s reward to those who do their best to live good lives. This is not so, for God’s Word says of those who are saved:

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (II Tim. 1:9).

Referring to this “salvation which is in Christ Jesus,” St. Paul says:

“It is a faithful saying, for if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him” (II Tim. 2:10,11).

In other words: The believer, viewing Calvary aright, has “died with Christ.” Viewing the Cross, he has said: “This is not Christ’s death. He was no sinner. He had no death to die. He is dying my death!” And so by faith he is “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20). The penalty for all his sins has been fully paid, for he died — in Christ, and thus has also risen with Christ “to walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:3,4).

This is all God’s doing, and only now is the believer in a position to do good works that will please God. Thus the Apostle writes of believers, in II Tim. 2: “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us” (Ver. 12). When the believer’s service for Christ is reviewed some, indeed, will “receive a reward,” but others will “suffer loss,” though they themselves will “be saved, yet so as by fire” (I Cor. 3:14,15).

It will be deeply embarrassing, in that day, for unfaithful Christians to face empty-handed the One who gave His all, Himself, to save them. Yet salvation is by grace, thus the Apostle hastens to conclude his statement in II Timothy 2, with the words:

“If we are unfaithful, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself” (Ver. 13)

Thus our rewards as believers depend upon our faithfulness, but our salvation, thank God, on His

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Glorious Liberty Of The Children Of God by Pastor C. R. Stam

       We Americans have, for over two hundred years,

celebrated our liberty  as an independent nation on the Fourth of July.

 It does not follow from this however, that all Americans are now free. Far from it! Think of the millions of alcoholics and drug addicts,  bound with chains they only wish they could break. Think of the slaves  to immoral passions, to violent tempers, to malicious backbiting, not  to mention smoking and other habits they cannot control. No, the vast majority of Americans are slaves to–well, sum it all up in one word: sin.

 If God is a righteous Judge — and He is — He must of course, punish  sin. Romans 6:23 says: “the wages of sin is death”, but on the other  hand, thank God, I Corinthians 15:3 says:“Christ died for our sins”.

 The Lord Jesus Christ was no sinner; He had committed no crimes; there was no wrong He had to pay for; He had no death to die. It was our  death He died at Calvary, and we are saved from the penalty as we look  at Calvary and say: “This is not His death He is dying; it is mine. He is paying for my sin. I will accept this gift of God and trust Him as  my Saviour”.

 This is a wonderful truth: Death, the penalty of the Law, was inflicted on us — in Christ. Therefore the Law (i.e., the Ten Commandments) has no further claim on us. If it did, we would be  condemned all over again. This is why Paul says in Galatians 2:19: “I  through the Law am dead to the Law”. The Law may put a man to death,  but after that what can it do? Nothing. The Law has put him to death  (in Christ) and set him free from its own dominion.

 Unsaved friend, God wants you to be free, really free. He Himself, paid sin’s penalty for you and wants you to rejoice in what Paul calls, “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom.8:21),  freedom from the condemnation of the Law!

 Place your trust in the Christ who died your death and you will find how gloriously true it is that “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed”.

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Buy the Truth and Sell It Not - by Pastor C. R. Stam

Buy the Truth and Sell It Not

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

Every true Christian should understand that the truth costs. If you don’t think so, make it your own, value it, defend it, stand for it, and see if it doesn’t cost. Before you are through it may cost you far more than you had thought — hours of ease and pleasure, friends and money. Yes, the truth costs. Salvation is gloriously free but the truth costs — that is, if you want it for yourself. Many who know the truth won’t buy it. They won’t pay what it costs to say: “This is what I believe. This is my conviction.” The truth isn’t worth that much to them.

But in Prov. 23:23 God’s Word urges us: “Buy the truth”! Not, “Buy it if you can get it at a bargain; if the price is not too great.” No, “Buy the truth”! Buy it at any price. It is worth far more than anything you can give in exchange for it.

And when you have bought it: “sell it not.” How many, alas, have bought the truth only to sell out again! For a while they valued and defended some God-given light from His Word, but presently they sold it again for something that seemed more valuable. Perhaps it was peace with others, or position, or popularity or some other temporal gain. They still gave mental assent to it but it formed no part of them. It was no longer a conviction.

Such should read again the Spirit’s counsel: “Buy the truth, and sell it not.” He does not say: “Don’t sell it unless you can get a very good price for it.” He says: “Sell it not.” Sell it not at any price. Buy it, no matter what it costs and when it is yours do not sell it for any price or under any consideration.

It is because the truth is so little valued in this indifferent age, that many of God’s people have become so spiritually powerless. They hold opinions instead of convictions, because they have given the infallible, unchangeable Word of God little place in their lives. God blesses and uses those who “buy the truth and sell it not.”

The Coming Judgement

By Les Feldick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsXi96tmoh4&feature=share

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