"As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, 'Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?'" (Acts 8:36) One of my faithful readers submitted a question concerning Christian Baptism. If you ask three different ministers you might get three different answers. Some argue baptism takes place by sprinkling or pouring water over a person’s head. Others say baptism must be by immersion. Some practice infant baptism while others insist one should only be baptized following their profession of faith. It seems everyone has an opinion. For this reason, we cannot appeal to history, tradition or church authority. If we are to do what is pleasing to God we must be faithful to the Word of God. Martin Luther (who practiced infant baptism) had this in mind when he said, "The church needs to rid itself of all false glories that torture Scripture by inserting personal conceits into the Scripture which lend it to their own sense. Scripture, Scripture, Scripture for me constrain, press, and compel me with God’s Word." I think that’s good advice for us all. Although water baptism has no saving merit I believe it is crucially important that we get it right. I believe this, not because I want to be divisive, but because I want to honor the Word of God and the God of the Word! But it seems to be today that the climate is such that one simply is not allowed to disagree with anyone without being considered as divisive and unloving and unkind. This is sad but is a risk I take in order to be faithful to my great God and Savior—Jesus Christ!

Let me say upfront that baptism by sprinkling or pouring is human in origin. There is simply no scriptural support for either practice. It appears these practices arose around A.D. 250. However, I should also add there is nowhere in the New Testament that explicitly commands or prohibits either practice. But the absence of a command or prohibition is not sufficient grounds for its practice, the reason being God’s Word clearly instructs us on Christian baptism. The word "baptism" in the New Testament is a transliteration of the Greek word "baptizo" (βαπτίζω), which very plainly means, "to dip, to immerse, to submerge." It was used to describe a ship that was sunk. I doubt pouring or sprinkling water onto a ship would result in its being sunk. Furthermore, forms of the word "baptizo" appear in various extra-biblical Greek writings where it consistently carries with it the idea of immersion. Another thing to note is that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the New Testament to use the word "baptizo" when referring to baptism. God does not have a speech impediment. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit had sprinkling or pouring in mind, there are Greek words He would have chosen to communicate such. Those who practice sprinkling and pouring have their "proof texts." However, none of the verses they site actually prove that sprinkling or pouring is a form of baptism. The baptism Jesus commands and the apostles and early church practiced is precisely what is indicated by the Greek word "baptizo": immersion! The book of Acts contains multiple accounts of baptism, and in every instance, the person being baptized was immersed. A thorough study of the New Testament reveals several important facts about the proper mode for Christian Baptism. John 3:23 tells us that baptism involved "much water." Acts 8:36 tells us "they came to some water." Verse 38 tells us, "They both went down into the water." Verse 39 says, "They came up out of the water." Colossians 2:12 declares, "Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith," indicating baptism is a picture of our identification with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. How in the world could sprinkling or pouring ever picture this? Every time I baptize someone, I will say (in addition to the Matthew 28:19 formula), "Buried with Christ in baptism; raised to walk in newness of life." Furthermore, in the first century church, baptism by immersion was obedience and obedience was the fruit of repentance. One’s first act of obedience following conversion was baptism by immersion. The new believer would stand before a watching world and declare their identification with Christ—His death, burial and resurrection—knowing that such identification might very well result in their martyrdom.

There are so many people who say, "Oh well. There are so many views of baptism. I don't want to make an issue out of it." Well, it is certainly not something over which we should divide. But it is important. It is important because we want to honor Christ and the Word of God. We want to be obedient to Christ’s command. The only way we can do that is through baptism by immersion according to the formula Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:19. Anything less is disobedience and disobedience is sin. James 4:17 says, "Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin." In spite of the biblical command, in spite of the New Testament mandate and clarity on the issue of Christian baptism, there is still wide-spread disobedience. All I can do is lay this on your conscience from the Lord Himself and trust that you'll do what is right. "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?"

“But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:11-12a). In August of this year, the Southwest Believers’ Convention assembled in Forth Worth, Texas. The meeting was hosted by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and included an “all-star” lineup of various prosperity gospel preachers. Prosperity theology, also known as the word of faith movement, is a belief system that teaches that God provides material prosperity for those He favors. It is often used by its promoters to elicit donations, as was the case with the Southwest Believers’ Convention. It is not unusual for prosperity preachers to own large houses, expensive cars, airplanes, jewelry, boats, and a whole lot of other stuff. In fact, the whole system revolves around material possessions and good health. One thing you will never hear from a prosperity gospel preacher is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ—why Jesus came and what one must do to be saved.

The prosperity gospel is nothing new. Paul confronted it head-on in his first letter to Timothy: “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim. 6:9-10). Notice the Bible doesn’t condemn money. Money isn’t the problem. The problem is one of the heart—“those who want to get rich.” In other words, the desire for material wealth is far more dangerous than the wealth itself. Furthermore, the notion that God provides material prosperity for those He favors is deceptively deadly. It is deadly because having material wealth and good health doesn’t necessarily imply God’s favor. The opposite is also true. Being poor doesn’t necessarily imply godliness. There are numerous examples in the Bible of godly men who were unbelievably rich—Abraham, David, and Solomon. There are just as many, if not more, godly men who were materially poor—Lazarus from Jesus’ story about the rich man and Lazarus, as well as most of the disciples.

The true Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of suffering. In fact, Jesus bids us to leave all that we have and come follow Him (Mark 10:21). It is a call to a sold out faith and obedience to Christ. This is why Paul says to “flee” from the desire for riches and material possessions. Instead, we are to “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” He describes this as “the good fight of faith,” and “[taking] hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” I recently witnessed this kind of faith and obedience firsthand. Allow me to introduce you to Brother Herman. Bro. Herman and his wife are from Europe. Following God’s call to missions nearly twenty years ago, they literally left all that they had—good jobs, good retirement, even medical and life insurance—and came to another land to establish Siloam, a home for orphaned, abandoned and terminally ill children. He seeks to provide a home for any needy child, no questions asked. And the amazing thing is he does it entirely on faith. He never asks anyone for anything other than prayer. When asked what donations he might need, he refuses to ask for a single item. Instead, he humbly asks, “If you have the time, pray for us—the most important gift you can give us is prayer.” There is no hint of prosperity theology here. Meeting Bro. Herman absolutely transformed my life. This guy oozes Jesus! He is fighting “the good fight of faith.” Nearly every testimony he shares about God’s faithfulness and provision is prefaced by the words, “To be very honest…” His simple faith in God is contagious.

The prosperity preachers are liars, cheats, and frauds who misuse God’s Word because they think it is an avenue to riches. When the Gospel is presented in this way, it makes followers who are completely unprepared for tough times and have no idea what true Christianity is. To be very honest, we need to see Christians who are more concerned with what glorifies God than with what benefits me. So which Gospel do you choose to believe—the one that promises health, wealth and prosperity and ends in hell or the one that requires faith, promises suffering, but ends in heaven with Christ and joys immeasurable?

“In the first year of Darius…ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years” (Daniel 9:1-2). Is the Bible really God’s word? After all, there are numerous books in existence today that claim to be the word of God. Therefore, what’s so unique about the Bible? Why has it been the all-time best seller in all of history? The answer is simple—because it is exactly what it claims to be—the word of the Living God. It is the word of God to the exclusion of all other writings that claim to be such. These excluded writings would include the Book of Mormon, the Koran, the Hindu Vedras, the writings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the sayings of Confucius or Buddha, just to name a few. One of the primary reasons we know all these other writings are not God’s word is because they cannot prove themselves to be such. The Bible on the other hand has authenticated itself to be of divine inspiration—the very word of God. It has done this through its prophecies. Prophecy makes up at least one-third of the Bible. No other book that forms the basis of a religion contains prophecy. So whereas it would take a foolish, misguided and blind faith to believe in all these other writings, one’s faith in the Bible as God’s word is rooted in sound, historical fact.

There are many prophecies in the Bible. One scholar has indicated there are over one thousand prophecies in the Bible about half of which have already been literally fulfilled. Some of these prophecies are Messianic in nature—they speak of the person and work of Jesus Christ. There are more than 300 of these Messianic prophecies about His First Coming. Some of them appear more than once so if we gather them together, counting them only once we end up with 108 prophecies that are separate and unique. All 108 were fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ—a mathematical impossibility when one considers the probability of one person fulfilling them all. One of these prophecies tells us Jesus will be born in “Bethlehem Ephrathah” (Micah 5:2). That prophecy was given more than 700 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Often overlooked is the precision of this prophecy. It does not simply tell us Jesus will be born in Bethlehem. It says, “Bethlehem Ephrathah.” When Micah wrote this prophecy there were two Bethlehems in Israel—one in the north near the Sea of Galilee, and the other in the south near Jerusalem, in the area known as Ephrathah. How’s that for prophetic accuracy and precision?

Another amazing prophecy—one I believe to be amazing beyond compare and the greatest of all prophecies—can be found in Daniel 9 where Daniel wrote that the Messiah would present Himself publically as the Messiah of Israel on a certain day. This certain day would fall 173,880 days after a certain decree was issued to “restore and rebuild Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25). This decree was issued by Artaxerxes on March 5, 445 B.C. 173,880 days later, on April 6, 32 A.D., Jesus entered Jerusalem as the Messiah of Israel (Luke 19:28-44). There are many other prophecies found in the Bible that verify the Bible is indeed the word of God. These include prophecies about the regatherinng of the Jewish people from the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:11-12) which began in the 20th Century and continues to this day; the re-establishment of the nation of Israel (Isaiah 66:7-8; Ezekiel 37:21-22) which occurred on May 14, 1948; all the nations of the world coming together against Israel over the issue of the control of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:1-3) which is occurring before our very eyes on the evening news! All these prophecies the Bible says would take place in the last days, right before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

As a Christian, I find the fulfillment of these prophecies very exciting and encouraging. When most people, many of whom claim to followers of Christ, are expressing fear over the things that are coming upon the world today, I am encouraged. I am encouraged because things are happening just as the Bible predicted—proof positive that the Bible, and only the Bible, is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant word of God. All geo-political trends and events in nature indicate that Jesus will return for His Church at any moment. So for believers, we need not fear. We should be ready for His soon return while telling others how to be saved. For unbelievers, the situation is grim. God’s judgment will soon fall upon this world and all those who have rejected Christ will find themselves in a predicament that could have been avoided—in fact it can be avoided—by placing your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, building yourselves upon your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life” (Jude 3, 17, 20-21). I am convinced we are living in a time of tremendous deception and apostasy and it scares me to death. If there was ever a time when the Biblical tools of discernment were desperately needed, it is now. We need to take these objective tools of discernment and apply them to whatever we hear being taught under the label of Christianity. In other words, we need to learn to question everything and to filter everything that comes our way through the grid-system of God’s Word. Jude wrote that although he had originally desired to write about “our common salvation,” he found it necessary to admonish his readers to “contend earnestly for the faith.” In other words, he wrote to defend the faith against false teachings that were arising in the churches of his day and our day as well.

It seems experience rather than God’s Word has become the basis for truth of many in Christian circles today. I guess to many, experience is much more exciting than God’s Word when it comes to truth. Therefore experience has become the basis for truth. This is very dangerous but very few seem to care. I suppose it is more exciting to go to a meeting and be “slain by the Spirit,” rather than read the truth of God’s Word about the only two people in Scripture who were slain by the Spirit and never got back up (see Acts 5:1-11, the account of Ananias and Sapphira). I guess it is more exciting to experience forty days of purpose with other seekers than it is to open the Bible and discover the rich truth of God’s holy Word. I guess it is a powerful experience meeting Christ in your subconscious mind through the new age practices of contemplative (centering) prayer and prayer labyrinths rather than appealing to Him in heaven where He cannot be seen, touched or heard (whatever happened to faith?). It seems that truth through the preaching of God’s Word has been removed from many pulpits because it offends “seekers.” It seems that prayer has been redefined to be mystical techniques in order to gain experiences which are much more relevant to postmodern society than simply praying to the Father, through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Experience is a dangerous thing and can be spiritually fatal. But the Word of God as the standard of truth tells us Who God is, our true need (to be forgiven) and how to have that need eternally met.

Jude tells us how to avoid being deceived. We are told to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down.” We are to stand (earnestly agonize) for the body of truth once for all given. This truth is not to be added to or subtracted from. What is this truth? Notice how Jude defines it in verses 17 and 20-21: “the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is done by (1) building on the truth of God’s Word, (2) praying while guided by the Spirit of God, and (3) waiting (faith with an eternal perspective). How important was the truth of God’s Word to the early church? It was first and primary according to Luke: “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). The early church submitted to the teaching of the apostles who were the recipients of Christ’s authoritative teaching. Their teaching was God’s Word. The early church preached the Word. They did not preach felt-needs or experientially based messages. Their preaching could be described as “Thus says the Lord God.” Any church (or preacher) that has forsaken the pure preaching of the Word of God is robbing the people of God’s primary means of grace and is showing itself to not be a valid church. Since the early church preached the Word of God, they also preached the gospel. In Acts 2, we see Peter’s preaching was not at all like the watered down version of the gospel we see in many churches today. It definitely wasn’t “seeker friendly,” and it didn’t focus on felt-needs. But it did result in some 3000 souls being added to the church that day. As true followers of Christ, we share a “common salvation,” which was brought about through the finished work of Christ, as revealed in the Word of God. According to Paul, it became ours through listening to the “message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed” (Eph. 1:13). He didn’t mention experience. He talked about truth and believing that truth! Always make sure that Scripture, not experience, is your basis for truth. Otherwise, it is not a matter of “you might be,” but you will be deceived and led astray by “deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). So get in the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, apply the Word and question everything!

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-5). If the meal you were about to eat contained one kernel of poison, would you still eat it? Would you try to find the poison and then eat around it? Would you eat one bite at a time until you died? Or would you avoid the meal altogether and choose a meal that would be beneficial to your health? Obviously, you would not eat the meal with the poison. In fact, you would avoid it at all cost (R. Oakland). I have been very troubled by developments I have witnessed firsthand over the past few years. The church is being told that Christianity needs to be re-invented in order to reach this postmodern generation. This push to re-invent Christianity seems to be all over the place. “The message never changes,” we are told. “But we must find new methods of reaching this generation.” That statement sounds legitimate. The problem is, in the rush to find new methods; most are laying aside the unchanging message. Rather than sound, verse-by-verse expository preaching, what we find these days is topical felt-needs preaching (or talks). It seems the Bible has taken a backseat to a here’s how to feel good about yourself kind of preaching. In the minds of postmodern preachers, the Word of God and the gospel no longer have the life changing power they once had. But Paul was clear and to the point: “Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season.” This was a forceful order and directive. It wasn’t up for discussion. He didn’t say preach it until it’s no longer popular. God’s Word is clear. If we want to see lives changed and people saved, the preaching of the Word must remain central, even in this postmodern generation.

This is extremely crucial considering the times in which we live. It seems in an effort to be relevant to this generation, many preachers have set aside the Bible for a more relevant message. Relevant? What could be more relevant than the message of salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:10), which says, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Luke13:3). Paul warned Timothy (and us), “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” He also wrote, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). The only place we will ever hear sound doctrine is through the expository preaching of God’s Word. However, when solid preaching is replaced by felt-needs preaching and when the message of sin and repentance, the gospel and the coming judgment is watered down into easy-believism, the door is opened wide for deception. And I’m afraid that many people who sit in churches across this land are deceived. But why should this surprise us? Especially when many preachers are entering their pulpits with no Bible in hand. Just preach the Word! The Bible tells us that God is always right and man is almost always wrong. When we rely upon human consensus we end up with man’s perspective and not God’s revelation. This is why Paul solemnly charged Timothy and us to preach the Word in season and out! Preach the Word!

The Bible says in the last days Satan will deceive the whole world with doctrines of demons and seducing spirits. Therefore, the Bible must be our authority. Imagine how astounded I was the day a fellow minister suggested we include in our worship service such activities as centering (or contemplative) prayer and prayer labyrinths, both of which are nothing more than far eastern meditative and religious practices repackaged under a Christian label. I’m sorry, but God’s Word does not call for us to repackage activities of other religions in an effort to drum up Jesus. It calls upon us to preach the Word and to filter everything that comes our way through the grid of God’s Word. Sometimes I wonder if we really and truly understand how dangerous it is when we abandon the forceful order and directive to “preach the Word…in season and out of season.” We may as well be eating poison. Whatever happened to the Bible?

A major publisher has announced a new Bible translation that is sure to be well received by many mainline protestant denominations and even in some Roman Catholic circles. The new translation will be called The Amillennial Replacement Theology Version of the Holy Bible. This new translation has been developed to better meet the needs of the many mainline denominations that hold to an Amillennial interpretation of the end-times and believe the promises of God to Israel have been reassigned to the Church. The translation committee was made up of several scholars and their work spanned several years. The first step in developing this new translation, according to one scholar, was determining once and for all that the word everlasting, used in five of the six covenants found in Scripture, did not really mean everlasting in the sense of eternal or endless. Rather, the word could be better translated as being provisional or passing. Furthermore, many of the scholars on the committee questioned whether the word everlasting actually appeared in the original documents, and if so, a more figurative interpretation was probably in order. Additionally, some on the committee suggested that these everlasting covenants, if they indeed are everlasting, ultimately applied to the Church.

Many passages, mostly from the Old Testament, were determined to be either not a part of the original manuscripts or irrelevant for today. In order to make this translation of the Bible read better and maintain its integrity to Amillennialism and Replacement Theology, the translators completely omitted these many passages. Those passages omitted are listed and categorized as follows:

(1) Those passages referring to a future re-gathering, restoration and Nationhood of Israel: Genesis 15:18; 28:10-15; 35:9-12; Deuteronomy 30:3-5; Isaiah 27:12-13; 35:1-2; 41:18-20; 43:5-6; 51:3; 66:7-8; Jeremiah 16:14-15; 23:3-6; 32:36-37, 44; Ezekiel 4:3-6; 11:17; 20:34; 34:13; 36:8-11, 24, 33-35; 37:10-22; Joel 2:22; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 7:8-11; Zechariah 8:7-8.
(2) Those passages referring to the preservation of Israel: Genesis 15:5; Leviticus 26:3, 7-8, 44; Isaiah 49:13-18; 66:22; Jeremiah 30:11; 31:10, 35-36; 32:36-37; 46:28; Zechariah 8:13.
(3) Those passages referring to the worldwide impact of the Jewish people: Genesis 12:2-3; 28:10-15; Deuteronomy 28:64; Isaiah 27:6; 42:1-9; 49:6; Matthew 24:14; Luke 21:13. It should be noted that Genesis 12:2-3 is found within the notes section suggesting this promise was possibly directed to the Church rather than Israel.
(4) Those passages referring to the Nation of Israel and the end-times were also omitted or explained in the notes section as applying to the Church. It should also be noted that a lengthy section of notes addressed the current presence of the Jewish nation in the Middle East. The conclusion reached was the modern Nation of Israel is nothing more than an “accident of history” and has no bearing on Old Testament prophecy, the Church and God’s plan for the ages.
(5) Some notable New Testament passages were either omitted or further explained in the notes section. For example, passages such as John 14:2-3; 1 Corinthians 1:51-53; and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 were omitted and included an explanation in the notes section that these passages were either added by the early Church or self-proclaimed scholars in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s, who taught that all end-times prophecy should be read for its literal, plain-sense meaning.
(6) The Book of Revelation was included in its entirety. However, the introductory section as well as the notes section indicated much of the prophecy of the book has already been fulfilled, mostly in A.D. 70. The remaining parts of the book are best understood as allegorical and having no major prophetic significance for today.

The final assessment of the translation committee was that prophecy concerning the First Advent of Jesus should be interpreted as literally true. However, those prophecies dealing with the Second Coming are better interpreted in a more spiritualized symbolical understanding. In other words, Second Coming Prophecy does not literally mean what it says. Surely, this translation will help in providing the Church a better understanding of God’s plan for the ages.

Well, obviously there is no such translation in existence or in the works. My point has simply been to demonstrate what is at stake when we spiritualize scripture rather than letting it say what it means and mean what it says. God does not have a speech impediment. He has clearly revealed His plan for the ages, involving both Israel and the Church. It’s not hard to understand. It’s just hard to believe. However, if you will believe it, you will understand it. God’s Word is literally true and its prophecies will be literally fulfilled.

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11). I read an article recently in which the author reminisced about the little Baptist church he attended as a child. It was not a very spiritual article. In fact, it was less about spiritual matters and more about fashion – who had it and who did not – at the little Baptist church.

Well, I did not learn too much about fashion at that little Baptist church I attended as a child. Most folks who know me now would argue I have never learned too much about fashion! I guess one of the things I learned at that little Baptist church was there are some things in life more important than clothes. After all, it was Jesus who said, “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). I learned there are some things in life more excellent than fashion.

A few more things I learned at that little Baptist church are life does not always turn out as expected, people are not always what they appear to be, God can save anybody, and when it comes down to it, Jesus is all that matters. Life does not always turn out the way we expect it will. Twenty years ago, if you told me I would be married, a chaplain in the Air Force, and have thirteen children, all of whom would be at home with the Lord, I would have never believed it. After all, I had my plans, and although these plans included marriage and children, they did not include the chaplaincy, the Air Force and they certainly did not include the tremendous pain, suffering and loss that my wife and I have experienced. I guess when it comes down to it, Jesus is all that matters, not houses, not cars, and especially not fashion.

I also learned, and this took me awhile, that people are not always what they appear to be. In other words, someone can present themselves as one of the most godly, committed Christians in the church, and yet be pure evil. Maybe that is what Jesus meant when He said that when He appears, He will “separate the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). It is a true statement. The church is full of some godly people. But it also contains some who might “have a form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). He went on to say, “Avoid such men as these.” I guess when it comes down to it, Jesus is all that matters, not personalities.

One of the greatest things I learned at that little Baptist church is God can save anybody. He saved me. But how hard is it to save an eleven year old kid? I do not know the answer to that question. All I know is God saved me. I have seen him save a lot of people. I have even been used of God to communicate the Gospel with many of those I have seen Him save. But the greatest memory of all that I have from that little Baptist church, concerning salvation, is the last night of one of our annual revivals when I saw God move in the heart and life of an uncle of mine who I was convinced was beyond salvation (and he is probably reading this now—I love you Uncle Rusty!). He learned something that night, as did the rest of us, at that little Baptist church. When it comes down to it, Jesus is all that matters.

When it comes down to it, that is, when all is said and done; when this life is over and I stand before God—He will not be interested in fashion—He could care less how much money I made, the people I knew, the things I accomplished. When it comes down to it—in that moment—the question will be, did I, “approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ?” In that moment, Jesus will be all that matters.

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11). I read an article recently in which the author reminisced about the little Baptist church he attended as a child. It was not a very spiritual article. In fact, it was less about spiritual matters and more about fashion – who had it and who did not – at the little Baptist church.

Well, I did not learn too much about fashion at that little Baptist church I attended as a child. Most folks who know me now would argue I have never learned too much about fashion! I guess one of the things I learned at that little Baptist church was there are some things in life more important than clothes. After all, it was Jesus who said, “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). I learned there are some things in life more excellent than fashion.

A few more things I learned at that little Baptist church are life does not always turn out as expected, people are not always what they appear to be, God can save anybody, and when it comes down to it, Jesus is all that matters. Life does not always turn out the way we expect it will. Twenty years ago, if you told me I would be married, a chaplain in the Air Force, and have thirteen children, all of whom would be at home with the Lord, I would have never believed it. After all, I had my plans, and although these plans included marriage and children, they did not include the chaplaincy, the Air Force and they certainly did not include the tremendous pain, suffering and loss that my wife and I have experienced. I guess when it comes down to it, Jesus is all that matters, not houses, not cars, and especially not fashion.

I also learned, and this took me awhile, that people are not always what they appear to be. In other words, someone can present themselves as one of the most godly, committed Christians in the church, and yet be pure evil. Maybe that is what Jesus meant when He said that when He appears, He will “separate the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). It is a true statement. The church is full of some godly people. But it also contains some who might “have a form of godliness, although they have denied its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). He went on to say, “Avoid such men as these.” I guess when it comes down to it, Jesus is all that matters, not personalities.

One of the greatest things I learned at that little Baptist church is God can save anybody. He saved me. But how hard is it to save an eleven year old kid? I do not know the answer to that question. All I know is God saved me. I have seen him save a lot of people. I have even been used of God to communicate the Gospel with many of those I have seen Him save. But the greatest memory of all that I have from that little Baptist church, concerning salvation, is the last night of one of our annual revivals when I saw God move in the heart and life of an uncle of mine who I was convinced was beyond salvation (and he is probably reading this now—I love you Uncle Rusty!). He learned something that night, as did the rest of us, at that little Baptist church. When it comes down to it, Jesus is all that matters.

When it comes down to it, that is, when all is said and done; when this life is over and I stand before God—He will not be interested in fashion—He could care less how much money I made, the people I knew, the things I accomplished. When it comes down to it—in that moment—the question will be, did I, “approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ?” In that moment, Jesus will be all that matters.

“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1). I believe Paul’s letter to the believers’ in Rome has been rightly described as The Constitution of Christianity. It is a twenty-two page, 7,100 word letter, which according to A.M. Hunter, has “century after century has been the flame at which one great Christian leader after another has kindled his own torch to the revival of the church and the enrichment of Christendom.” Samuel Coleridge said, “I think that the Epistle to the Romans is the most profound work in existence.” John Knox said, “[Romans] is unquestionably the most important theological work ever written.” How is it that such things can be said about this letter? It was written by a former Jewish Pharisee who hated Christianity (Acts 9:1). He helped kill the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:58; 8:1). He persecuted the early church with passion (1 Timothy 1:13).

However, this persecutor of the early church had a face-to-face encounter with Jesus Christ and it forever changed his life. God took a man who passionately hated the church, Christians, and Christ and used him to write most of the New Testament. This man we know as Paul came to view himself as a “bond-servant of Christ Jesus.” The use of this term expressed his complete submission to Jesus Christ. He further viewed himself as totally set apart for the gospel. The word means slave, and Paul saw himself as such. He was a slave to Christ. He saw himself as God’s property. I wonder how many believers today see themselves as slaves to Christ.

Three things can be said of a bond-servant of Christ. First of all, a bond-servant is one who has been redeemed. There are two types of people in the world today, the redeemed and the condemned. We are redeemed on the basis of Christ’s death. Romans 3:24 says, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” Secondly, a bond-servant is one who has resolve. He has resolved to live for Christ. Paul said he had been “set apart for the gospel of God” (1:1). He was resolved to live for Christ. Furthermore, a bond-servant has resolve to live a life of holiness (Eph. 1:4), to proclaim Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:14-15), and to please God (1 Cor. 7:23). Finally, a bond-servant is one who has the promise of reward. God’s Word makes it clear that all those who faithfully serve Jesus Christ will be rewarded (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

It is the combination of redemption, resolve and reward that sustains the bond-servant of Christ. We can face whatever circumstances life might bring our way. We can remain faithful to God no matter what. We can be assured that God will fulfill His purpose for us. This is the message of Romans 8:26-39. We have been redeemed. We can resolve to live for Christ. We will be rewarded for our faithfulness. Are you a bond-servant of Christ?

“In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil” (Hebrews 6:17-19). 

I confess to you, at times I simply do not understand God’s purpose and promise. In fact, I would say that this is the case most of the time. I would venture to say the case is the same for most folks reading this article. We are quick to offer up praise to God when all blessings flow. However, we have a tough time believing when those blessings seem to go. It is during times such as these, when the trials and tribulations of life come, that we must learn to think theologically rather than logically. This is exactly the message of the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 6:17-19. God does not expect us to understand all the ins and outs of life. Neither does He expect us to be able to explain it all away. From this passage of Scripture we know two theological facts: (1) With God, there is an unchangeable purpose; and (2) that purpose is guaranteed with an oath.

So let’s think theologically for a moment. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, Solomon writes, “God has made everything appropriate in its time.” Therefore, theologically we can conclude, God is in control all the time. From that we can further conclude that because He is in control all the time, all time is under his control. Since God is in control all the time and because all time is under his control, then we must equally conclude that God is in control of every single event that occurs within time, and to take it one step further, eternity. Finally, we must conclude that He is in control of every single event within our lives. There is nothing about us over which God is not sovereign. He is in control!

Thinking theologically rather than logically provides three benefits. First of all, there is encouragement. The writer of Hebrews tells us that logical thinking will discourage but theological thinking will encourage. He says you will have, “strong encouragement.” Secondly, there is hope. This is not the hope the world offers, which can be summed up by the statement, “I hope so.” This is a sure and eternal hope! Therefore, he says we can “take hold of the hope set before us.” If we truly understand God is in control all the time of all time of all events within time then we know He is in control of the good times and the bad times. Therefore we can hope. This hope yields a sense of divine refuge, because the hope is in God and not yourself. Finally, this encouragement and hope we have serves as an “anchor for the soul.” It reminds us that because God has a purpose and because He cannot lie, we will not lose. And we will discover, as one preacher said, “In the mysterious manner of God’s own timing, for some unexplainable and yet unchangeable purpose, those of us who trust Him ultimately win – because God ultimately wins.”