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  • EASTER: LIFE IN JESUS’ NAME

    A Christian Message

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    HAPPY EASTER! 

    OUR SAVIOR IS RISEN! The Lord Is Risen, Indeed!

    EASTER: The Heart of the Christian Faith

    • Easter is not a one-day event. It is the foundation or cornerstone of Christianity.
    • Along with Pentecost, Easter explains why and how Christianity exists.
    • Easter defines us.
    • Without Easter:
      • No Christianity – Jesus would just be a teacher
      • No forgiveness of sin
      • No eternal life
      • No lasting joy
      • We would die in our sins – our faith would be useless.

    KEY POINT: Easter is more than just a date. It forms our identity in Christ. As such, Easter should be celebrated every day.

    CALL TO WORSHIP | PRAYER

    ON THE FIRST DAY of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.

    As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’”

    Then they remembered His words.  [Luke 24:1-8 BSB]

    ABBA FATHER,

    our Lord and Savior and Creator of the Universe and of all living things, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ.

    Thank You for sending Your Son to live a perfect life as a man, a human being, so He could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

    • Thank You for His willingness to die on the Cross for us, to bear the punishment we deserve.
    • Thank You for raising Him from the dead that He would be the first fruits of our own resurrection from the dead.
    • Thank You that His rising from the dead defeats both sin and death forever.

    As You foretold in the Garden of Eden, Satan would bruise the Messiah’s heel (that would be His crucifixion), but the Messiah would bruise Satan’s head (He would rise victorious).

    Lord, let Easter fill our hearts with joy yet again this morning as His closest followers celebrated His return to life 2,000 years ago.

    Give us, O Lord, ears to hear and hearts to believe the wonderful message of salvation, the message of forgiveness, and the message of reconciliation that His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension back to Heaven provide for us.

    Lord, be praised, be magnified, be worshipped.

    In the Messiah’s Name,

    AMEN

    MESSAGE

    I. EASTER – “A Year-Long Celebration”

     “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.” Exodus 15:18 NASB20

    • Jesus’ resurrection is not just a story—it is the offer of real, eternal life.
    • Salvation (life) is God’s gift of grace. We have the free will to accept it or reject it.
    • Belief in Christ brings transformation in our lives, making Easter much more than just an annual event.
    • It is — and should be — a way of life.

    BIG QUESTION: Is Easter a way of life for you?

    • Easter means life to the Christian.
    • To non-believers, it is nothing more than an occasion to dress up, go to church to fulfill an obligation rather than worship, head out to a big beautiful brunch, and watch the children scour the house to find colored hard-boiled eggs and chocolate bunnies.
    • For Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed.  1 Corinthians 5:7b CSB
    • By His power God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will raise us also.  1 Corinthians 6:14 BSB
    • For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

    CHALLENGE: Are we living with Easter in our hearts, or is Easter just an introduction to Spring?

    II. EASTER – “The First Easter Morning”

     “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” Luke 24:5-6a NIV

    • Women came to anoint Jesus, expecting a body, not a miracle.
    • The women trusted they would have access to His body, even though they faced an imposing obstacle. In Mark 16:3, they asked among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone for us?”
    • They saw the angels, shining brightly, and were afraid, but the angels told them not to be afraid.
    • Then the angels declared: He is risen! The Lord is risen! Jesus has defeated death! His early followers could not comprehend this fully because the moment was too big!
    • Who could imagine Jesus, their teacher, rising from the grave, rising from death, even though He told them multiple times He would do so and showed them over a three-year period that He could heal the blind, the deaf, the lame, the demon-possessed; that He could walk on water, still the storm, multiply the fish and loaves and do it a second time, that He had the power on earth to forgive sins and to declare that He was the Lord of the Sabbath. He repeatedly said that those who have ears should hear what He was saying and those who had eyes should observe what He was doing. 
    • Our Lord did everything but smack His followers over the head with a two-by-four, and still they were slow to believe.
    • That moment of joy and discovery should still be ours today.
    • Can you feel the excitement of knowing that Jesus lives!

    CHALLENGE: Are we living as if Jesus is still in the tomb—or do we celebrate that He is risen and that He has defeated death?

    III. EASTER – “The Modern Disconnect”

    “Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons. … For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” 1 Timothy 4:1,4 CSB

    “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” 2 Timothy 4:3 ESV

    • Many today do not truly know Jesus—some only know of Him. They give no thought to Him, either to accept or to reject, as though He does not exist.
    • Some have turned away from church due to hurt or perceived hypocrisy.
    • Cultural distractions have replaced spiritual devotion.

    Examples of Cultural Easter:

    • Colored eggs, chocolate bunnies, sleeping in, playing golf, family gatherings, big meals, fancy clothes, and celebrating spring’s arrival.
    • All these can be fun, and there is nothing wrong with any one of them—except *maybe* sleeping in or playing golf—but they miss the point of Easter.
    • Some traipse off to church to please Grandma. You can tell it in their eyes. They are spiritually dead.

    CHALLENGE: Do our lives reflect a belief in the risen Lord, or do we reflect the lifeless lives of those living without the risen Lord? Are our eyes alive or are they dead? Do we reflect misery or do we reflect joy? God’s grace is sufficient for the day.

    IV. EASTER – “Cultural Christianity vs. True Faith”

    “Now if Christ is being preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty. Also, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when, in reality, he did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins. Furthermore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone.” 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 NET

    • Many *attend* church only on Christmas and Easter. They do not worship; they attend. They are the CEO Christians.
    • Church becomes a seasonal habit—not a lifelong relationship. Often, these people take comfort in religious ritual, not an authentic personal relationship with the Risen Lord. Ritual ≠ Relationship. When someone “does” church for you, you are not worshipping the risen Lord; you are just watching a show.
    • This “cultural Christianity” is not the real gospel but a religion without resurrection. A set of moral imperatives. We all know we should not kill anyone. All “religions” teach that, just as do secular policies.
    • Many religions – not all – teach similar moral verities; let us remember that God created us in His image, breathed life into us, and gave us a yearning for the eternal. We have a conscience because God breathed it into us. We know right from wrong, even when we do wrong.

    CHALLENGE: Do we reduce Easter to an annual ritual—or do we respond to it as a compelling reality.

    V. EASTER – “For Believers: Our Defining Truth”

    • Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth—but Easter gives His birth its meaning. 
    • Jesus came to take away the penalties of sin and death, but He could not do that as a Babe in the manger. To do that, He had to live a perfect life, then allow Himself to be sacrificed on the cross, and then be raised from the death. That’s where Easter comes in.
    • Without the resurrection, the manger has no power, the cross has no power, and the tomb has no power. The resurrection is what gives Christ the victory. 
    • Easter gives Christmas its power and glory. Pentecost, which comes next, is God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. Easter and Pentecost are the crux of the Christian faith. Latin for “cross.” Transfer into English: the noun entered English from Latin via learned use (scholarly, theological, legal texts) in the 17th century, carrying both literal (“cross”) and figurative senses. The figurative sense produced derivatives and idioms: crux of the matter (central difficulty), crux (pivotal point).
    • The gift of the Holy Spirit — who guides us, teaches us, convicts us, blesses us — is given to us as a down payment on eternal life.
    • Pentecost points us to Easter. Easter gives Christmas its power.

    Personal Testimony Idea

    • “Without Jesus, life is meaningless.” That is a true statement for believing Christians. Is it a true statement for you?
    • Easter says there is so much more to life! Easter changes the equation. Easter gives us the promise of life!
    • If you are discouraged, then reflect on what Easter means for your soul. For your future. For your eternity!

    EASTER. IS. LIFE!

    VI. EASTER – A Call 

    • Without Easter, life is random, purposeless, and hollow.
    • With Easter, life has design, hope, direction, and destiny.
    • Those are not just pastor words during church service; those are life-defining words that should shape our existence, our lives.
    • If there is a Creator behind all this, don’t we owe it to ourselves to know Him? To know who He is and what He wants for our lives?
    • Isn’t life more than random sequence of accidental occurrences? 
    • Is it not obvious to each of us that life is the creation of a Super Intelligent Designer? Numerous scientists studying the world around us — both the vast universe and the invisible nano-sphere — recognize Intelligent Design. The non-believers among them might not believe the Intelligent Designer is a personal God who cares about His creation because that entails a moral dimension and a claim on their lives.
    • Fortunately for all of us, that Super Intelligent Designer is not an evil genius, and we are His toys. No, He is a loving and grace-filled God who meant our lives to be more than a flame of light, quickly snuffed out and cast aside.
    • There is purpose to our lives. Easter points us to that purpose = to glorify God.

    BIG QUESTION: Is Easter just another holiday, or just another Sunday—for you — or is it (as it should be) the defining moment of your life?

    HYMNS OF PRAISE & THANKSGIVING

    • CHRIST, OUR LORD, IS RISEN TODAY
    • GOD OF GRACE, GOD OF GLORY

    VII. FINAL WORDS: “Let Easter Linger”

    SUMMARY STATEMENTS

    • Do not pack away Easter with the decorations.
    • Let Easter shape how you live, love, hope, and worship.
    • Jesus’ resurrection is not just an event in the past—it is for you and in you today, if you will let that Spirt in. 
    • That decision is yours. God has given you the choice. Your eternal destiny — with or without God — rests on your answer.

    If you have any doubt that you are Heaven-bound, that the Lord has your name written in His Book of Life, then we can change that right now. We should not leave this room, or finish reading this message, without 100 percent certainty that the Lord has claimed us as His own. 

    While the Bible says God loves everyone, the Bible also says only those who have repented of their sin and believe on His name will be called His children; only they will enter God’s glory. God wants everyone of us to be where He is, but only those who are reborn will see the Kingdom of Heaven.

    PRAYER BENEDICTION

    Just repeat these words to yourself, or use your own words, and pray to the Lord with your heart:

    LORD, I admit I am a sinner and need Your grace. I believe Jesus is Your Son, and that He died on the cross for my sins. I turn from those sins, Lord, and turn from my worldly ways. I ask You, Lord, to forgive me as I call on Your name. Come into my heart, Lord, and be my Savior, and from this moment on, be my Lord. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

    There are three things we just prayed for and should pray for every day:

    1. Admit we are sinners
    2. Admit our need for a savior
    3. Submit our lives to God.

    FINAL CHALLENGE

    1. Live every day in the power of the empty tomb. Do not leave Jesus in the manger (Christmas) or on the cross (Good Friday) or in the tomb (Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath). 
    2. Instead, live every day as Easter Sunday, believing in your hearts and proclaiming with your tongues that Christ Is Risen and sits with the Father in Glory. 

    OUR MISSION

    • When God raised His Son from the dead, He showed the world what Easter means to Him. 
    • When we enter our mission field, let us show the world what Easter means to us.

    THE LORD bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

    Both now and forever more. AMEN

    Go in peace, Church. God bless you.

  • JESUS PRAYS FOR US

    • “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20 ESV
    • “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” John 17:20 ESV
    • “Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. “” John 20:29 ESV

    A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    SUMMARY

    TOGETHER, THOSE VERSES reveal a glorious pattern: Christ prays for future believers, His word reaches us, He beckons us and waits patiently for us to answer, and those of us who trust Him–even without having seen Him physically–live in communion with Him.

    COMMENTARY

    In Revelation 3:20, Jesus is addressing the faithless church in Laodicea, the apostate church. He is holding out hope for them, for just as He did with the woman caught in adultery, He is more interested in saving souls than He is in condemning people or even rebuking them. 

    He says, “I offer Myself to you. I will not force Myself on you but will graciously extend My hand. If you will hear my voice, see My hand, recognize My offer, and accept My gift, I will not turn you down.” He tells us He’ll come in–gladly, warmly, openly–and eat with us. We’ll become friends. However, He remains more than a friend: He also is our Lord (leader) and Saviour (ransom). 

    This is more than a salvation from judgment, which is the absence of a negative; this is an offer of friendship, which is the presence of a positive. 

    When this promise is married to that of John 17:20, in His High Priestly Prayer, He is extending that same offer of friendship to those of us who were born 2,000 years later, who did not have the privilege of seeing the Man Jesus in His earthly walk, but who knew Him only through the words of those who had seen Him. 

    We see something else: The Godhead is willing–eager, even–to work salvation through the words and deeds of mere humans, of us. Fortunately, our forebears carried the mantel. Now, we must pick it up and carry it forward for others.

    We see that even in the Messiah’s agony, He is thinking about us and praying for us to the Father. When was the last time any of us prayed for someone 2,000 years from now while we were facing a personal agony, a trial, or a tribulation? I know I haven’t.

    Remember the words of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 (also Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15)–Go and tell the Gospel to every creature–to everyone! I am with you!

    Finally, in John 20:29, when He faces the disbelief–and then the honorific of Thomas, “my Lord and my God!”–He says it is a blessing for Thomas to believe because he has seen but even more blessed will it be for those of us who believe without having seen.

    CONCLUSION

    While we have not seen Him in the flesh, as did our forebears, we do see Him today through the Holy Spirit. Faith, born through apostolic testimony, becomes the door opened to the unseen Saviour.

    MESSAGE FOR ME

    JESUS IS CALLING ME to do for others what He has done for me, and what He has commissioned those who walked with Him to do for those who would come after them. [Jesus does not just call pastors and theologians to carry the Word but all believers. We need to be partners or co-workers in the harvest field.].

    Since I am living proof of the work that has gone before me, I have no excuse for not carrying the mantel forward. The good news for me is this: Jesus promises to go with me. He says, “Lo, I am with you, even to the close of the age.” 

    I presume that’s forever, but it could mean the end of the Church Age (the Rapture). Either way, He has promised not to leave us as orphans but through the Holy Spirit, to live in our hearts. He is there to guide us, to comfort us, to console us, to encourage us, to teach us, and to share time with us. He also is there to remind us that He advocates for us to the Father.

    PRAYER

    HEAVENLY FATHER, Lord God, Creator of the Universe – Accept our worship, our praise, and our adoration. You alone, O God, are worthy; You alone, O God, are good. You have called us to be Your friends, while You died to ransom our souls and stand patiently outside the door, knocking, and waiting for us to hear Your voice and open the door. Lord, forgive us for our faithlessness, our wanderings, our disrespect, our disobedience, our willfulness. When I think of my sins, I am ashamed. I ask you, humbly and, if only mentally and in my heart, on my knees before You: Please grant me Your mercy and Your grace, and empower me, O Lord, to extend mercy and grace to others. In the mighty name of Jesus, the Messiah. AMEN

  • WHAT ARE THE CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINES?

    A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    PASTOR WARD PIMLEY 

    PASTOR, JOURNALIST, AUTHOR

    CALL TO WORSHIP/PRAYER

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. – John 1:1-5 NKJV

    ALMIGHTY GOD – We thank you for this opportunity to gather in worship of You and to praise Your mighty name. Thank You for how You have blessed us. We pray that this message will be Your message, that it will reflect Your truth, and that we will be guided and encouraged in our fellowship with You. In Jesus’ name we lift this prayer. AMEN

    MESSAGE

    WE COME TO an interesting question/answer segment in our current series, this one regarding the *Christian Disciplines*, a term that refers to customs and practices faithful Christians follow to stay close to the Lord.

    This is the third item in our series.

    You’ll recall in our first item, “I Am a New Christian. Now What?”, we had identified five characteristics of the born-again Christ: Rejuvenation (spiritually alive), Redeemed (bought with a price), Justified (declared debt-free), Adopted (part of God’s family), and United With Christ (becoming one with the Son).

    In our second item, “Which Version of the Bible Should I Read, we discussed the pros and cons of word-for-word translations as well as thought-for-thought and paraphrase, and concluded that a dedicated Bible reader would want to (1) find a comfortable version to read and (2) might want to read side-by-side translations.

    In this lesson, we’ll see that the Christian Disciplines are designed to help us: Abide in Jesus and Draw Near to Jesus.

    Jesus told us to abide in Him, and He would abide in us.

    [Interesting, at least to me, is that those encouragements came from half-brothers: Jesus told us to abide in Him (John 15), and his half-brother James urged us to draw near to Him (James 4).]

    There are six disciplines we’re going to discuss, but we’ll focus mainly on the first three of them: Bible reading, prayer, and meditation; the other three are fasting, tithing, and serving (time and treasure).

    Staying connected to the Holy Spirit is critical to keeping us on track during our earthly journey. 

    When we pull away from God or are slack about staying on the “straight and narrow” path (see Matthew 7:13-14), we’ll lose God’s …

    • spiritual input,
    • energy,
    • guidance, and
    • direction.

    We have a word for that: It’s called *Lost*.

    The world tries to pull us away from our spiritual grounding and provides all sorts of enticing diversions, including daydreaming, under the guise of meditation. 

    The apostle Paul (Romans 12) reminds us not to be “conformed to this world” but to be “transformed by the renewal of [our] minds” so we will know what is the “good, and perfect, and acceptable” will of God.

    THE DISCIPLINES

    BIBLE READING

    • All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. – 2 Timothy 3:16 NKJV
    • For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. – 2 Peter 1:21 NKJV

    YOUR WALK WITH CHRIST SHOULD LEAD YOU TO LOVE READING HIS WORD and to consider the time you spend alone with the Lord to be the highlight of your day. 

    This is not a duty to be performed before you get on with the real work of your life. 

    You’ll may find as you start having difficulty carving out even five minutes for morning devotions. Pray that God will carve the time out for you. Soon, you’ll be spending more time and finding it more valuable.

    As for which version or translation to read, that depends on your walk. Some people like to stay with one translation; others want to learn the Word from several translations. 

    You’ll find some translations (NASB, NKJV, ESV) are word-for-word translations, whereas others (NIV, NLT, NET, NCV, GNT) are thought-for-thought.

    The WFW Bibles are truer to the original script in writing; the TFT Bibles are easier to read and understand. One technique people use is to read side-by-side versions. 

    In the end, you need to find what’s comfortable for you, and don’t be surprised if you switch around as you grow.

    PRAYING

    • Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. – Mark 1:35 NIV
    • But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. – Matthew 6:6 NASB

    PRAYER IS A TREMENDOUS PRIVILEGE. We ought to want to treat this as the incredible, and so undeserved, privilege it is; yet so many of us have stale prayer lives or nonexistent prayer lives. 

    We treat prayer as an obligation and think we’re good if we recite a memorized prayer from our past.

    Can you imagine having a conversation with a family member or a good friend who just rattles off memorized comments to you? 

    “Hi! How are you? I like your blouse (shirt). Isn’t it hot out today? Where are you going now? Okay, goodbye.”

    Next day: “Hi! How are you? I like your blouse (shirt). … Okay, goodbye.”

    A few days later, we see that person again, and he/she says: “Hi! How are you? I like your blouse (shirt). … Okay, goodbye.”

    The Creator of the universe allows sinful man to pray to Him! To talk with Him, ask Him questions, petition Him, seek forgiveness, offer praise, express frustration, and express anger — anything in Jesus’ name! 

    You don’t need an appointment, you can discuss any topic, and you can stay as long as you want! What other CEO allows you such unfettered access … and loves hearing from you?

    This is not a ritual, with ritual words, flung rapidly into the air. Instead, this is thoughtful, heartfelt dialogue within the spiritual realm. 

    Pray to your Father in secret, and He will hear your prayer.

    Jesus said God is spirit, and we are to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Let your prayers be the highlight of your day. 

    Oh, by the way, Paul urged us to pray constantly, so you can pray – in some way – all through the day, feeling nourished and strengthened by His love. (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Romans 12:12) 

    Practice using “prayer-lets” – little prayers, like, “God, help me please.” “Thank You, Lord.” “Forgive me, Father.” “Help me find my car keys (wallet, phone).”

    You might like an encouraging prayer, like “Bless me, Lord, to be a blessing to others” or “Plan to do the Lord’s work; Work to do the Lord’s plan.”

    You also could recite from Galatians 5:22-23 the nine components of the Fruit of the Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” At least one of them will be helpful in whatever situation you find yourself.

    MEDITATING 

    • Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. – Psalms 1:1-2 ESV
    • May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. – Psalms 19:14 NIV
    • Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things. – Philippians 4:8 BSB

    MEDITATION IS AN *UNDERUTILIZD DISCIPLINE* – misunderstood and often neglected.

    This is not Eastern-style meditation, which consists of emptying the mind and repeating *hums* to block out intrusive thoughts.

    Rather, this is a Scripture-based meditation, which is “thinking on these things.” 

    • Reflecting on the morning’s Scripture reading.
    • Cultivating stillness to listen for God’s voice.
    • Praying for insight into private experiences.
    • Looking to reflect Christ’s love and grace in difficult moments.

    Meditation plays a role in prayer and study.

    • What do we need to pray about?
    • What questions should we be asking?
    • What are the relevant/meaningful passages?
    • Who do we need to reach?

    FASTING

    • And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. – Matthew 6:16 ESV
    • “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” – Joel 2:12 BSB

    WAY UNDERDONE. YOU MIGHT RARELY HEAR OF ANYONE FASTING. Some will fast for a meal, such as skipping lunch. Others will fast solid food for a day but take plenty of liquid. Others will cut back on food consumption (desserts) for three days. 

    The point is that your cravings for food will grow, and you’ll need to depend on God’s strength and lovingkindness to make it through the fast. Fasting is designed to build your reliance on God.

    Fasting can take other forms: social media, television, dessert, soda, sugar, second helpings. 

    Many Christians, Bible-based, strong-in-the-faith Christians rarely, if ever, fast. You might want to pray about God’s direction for your life, to see what He wants for you. If you fast food and drink, you might want to consider health risks, depending on the extent of your fast.

    My approach, instead of denying myself something, is adding something to my devotions. During the fasting period, I will add to my time reading the Bible, add to my time praying, and add to my time in meditation. I will consciously look for additional service opportunities or for another organization to support financially.

    My view is that denying myself does little for me and nothing for others I meet; whereas, adding devotions to my life benefits both me and others.

    TITHING

    • “My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NET
    • “‘Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,’ says the LORD of Armies. ‘See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.’”– Malachi 3:10 CSB

    PLEASE DON’T SEE THIS AS THE CHURCH HITTING YOU UP FOR MONEY. Churches are voluntary organizations. They thrive or die on collections. 

    God was clear that we should give to the church through the thankfulness of our hearts. Prayerfully find a church where you can plug in and support it with your time and treasure. 

    Consider it all joy that God has called on you to contribute to His Kingdom. 

    In addition to your giving to the local assembly, you might want to pray about contributions to Christian-based charitable organizations.

    SERVING

    • In the same way, faith by itself is dead if it doesn’t cause you to do any good things. – James 2:17 GNT
    • I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. – Acts 26:29 NIV
    • Produce fruit worthy of repentance. – Matthew 3:8 BSB

    GOD HAS GIFTED EACH OF US DIFFERENTLY TO SERVE HIM IN VARIOUS CAPACITIES (see Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12). 

    Some can teach or play musical instruments or sing; others can handle finances or are skilled in painting, carpentry, plumbling, or electrical; others can work with seniors, youth, or in the nursery; while still others make excellent greeters, parking lot attendants, or security detail.

    Praising my Savior all day long. Let us raise our voices in song.

    We are a mosaic of humans, which God weaves together to form the church. 

    There is a place for you in His Kingdom building. 

    Serve humbly; serve joyfully; serve in community. 

    Remember that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet (see John 13). He said that no student is more important than His teacher (John 13:16). 

    Jesus’ point is that if He, your Lord, can stoop to wash your dirty feet, surely you can set up tables, serve a meal, teach children, clean bathrooms, greet strangers, or pray with a colleague. 

    That’s just for starters. Pray about where He wants you. He’ll make it clear to you, if you will listen. 

    Sometimes, He’ll take you out of your comfort zone, and you’ll need to come under someone else’s authority.

    More often, He’ll use the gifts and talents He has given you, augmented by your training, education, and experience, to further His Kingdom.

    FINAL WORDS

    THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES should not be seen as mere religioius practices, which may give the impression of piety and faithfulness but, in reality, lack any semblance of worship, evangelism, or discipleship.

    Instead, they should be seen as God-induced, Bible-supported activities that we can engage in with great enthusiasm to guide, direct, and enhance our walk with Jesus Christ.

    We are connecting with God the Father and God the Son through the bonding power of God the Spirit.

    Whether you are reading your Bible (or someone is reading it to you, or you are reading it to someone else), or whether you are praying and sharing your heart with your creator, or whether you are “thinking on these things” – meditating, contemplating – you should enter these disciplines with joy and deep anticipation, eager to learn what God wants to share with you.

    When you are done, you should feel a closer bond with God the Father and God the Son through the bonding power of God the Spirit.

    Keep reading your Bible.

    Keep praying.

    Keep meditating (thinking on these things).

    PRAYER/BENEDICTION

    ALMIGHTY GOD, LORD OF CREATION:

    Help us, as we go forth, to be mindful of Your presence and Your call on our lives. May we be diligent in following the Christian disciplines so we will remain close to You as faithful disciples and ambassadors for Christ.

    NOW, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace, both now and forevermore. AMEN and AMEN

  • WHICH VERSION OF THE BIBLE SHOULD I READ?

    A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    BY WARD PIMLEY 

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    NARRATOR

    IT IS NORMAL for a new Christian to be confused, excited, and scared. This is new terrain.

    The same is true for our friends who are actively seeking answers to their questions about Christianity. We call them “seekers,” and even those skeptics who are beginning to doubt their disbelief.

    To help, we have prepared a series called, “Real Questions Asked by Newbies, Seekers, and Skeptics.”  

    See the first item, I AM A NEW CHRISTIAN. NOW WHAT? at  HERE.

    We might title this lesson: “I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.”

    Today, we have the privilege of eavesdropping on a New Believer’s class, and I believe the instructor is laying the groundwork for a discussion about the integrity of our Bibles. Can we trust its 66 books to deliver the truth? 

    Let’s listen in, shall we?

    INSTRUCTOR

    THE BIBLE TELLS US that when we are regenerated, or redeemed, by the Holy Spirit, we become a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and so we are.

    Last time, in our prior message, we learned that, as new Christians, we are regenerated (spiritually alive), redeemed (bought with a price), justified (our debt paid), adopted (become part of God’s family), and united with Christ (we become one with the Son).

    So, when we want to grow in our knowledge of what it means to be a Christian, when we want to know what is “right” as opposed to what is “wrong,” where do we go for the answers? Who, or what, can we trust?

    Most Christians go to church with some regularity, and that becomes the limit of their devotion. They don’t read their Bibles, they don’t pray daily, and they don’t witness for their faith. When their church service is based mostly on ritual, they don’t learn anything, either.

    As a result, we come a church that is “biblically illiterate.” A biblically illiterate church is ill-equipped to discern false teaching and so can go astray.

    For those Christians, once church is “over,” they’ve “done” church, and they go back to the real world without another thought about God and His design for us until the next time they go to church.

    That’s why, in this series, we’re going to discuss some of the basics of Christian doctrine and emotions so we can grow in our faith.

    As Christians, we’ll assume we go to the Bible for the answers, but that leaves the question: Which version or translation of the Bible is the most reliable?

    Some people, especially skeptics, doubters, and the downright hostile, will claim – falsely; we believe – that with so many different translations, there must be numerous errors.

    Scholars have assured us that is not so.

    They provide great detail demonstrating the care taken in making copies of the original text — called “autographs — and making additional copies of those copies.

    The originals date back between 2,000 years ago, when the NT was written, and 3,500 years ago, as much of the OT was written 1,000-1,500 years before Christ was born.

    The Bible speaks to the need we have to know the truth:

    “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” – John 17:17 NKJV

    “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6 ESV

    It looks like we have our first question. Go ahead.

    STUDENT’S QUESTION

    All right, listen here. I’m sitting in a Bible study. I know most of the folks here. Some of them are really cool, others like to show off their *Bible knowledge*, and a few, like me, stay quiet for the hour. 

    The thing is, I’ve got an NIV Bible that someone told me was a good introductory version. The instructor uses the NASB, this other guy who’s pretty smart uses ESV, then another guy has the NKJV. I think the guy who sits in back uses KJV, but he doesn’t say much, so I can’t say for sure. 

    Then there’re a couple of young women who use something called the NLT or the NCV or GNT or TLB. Like every week, they’re into something different. 

    Point is, I have no idea which Bible I should be reading. I mean, are they all the same, or are they different? Are some good and some bad?

    What gives? I want to trust what I read.

    NARRATOR

    THAT WAS QUITE a question, and we can hear some students murmuring in agreement. It’s a typical question and quite reasonable. It’s a question we have at some time. Why do I say that? Because it was based on a small amount of information mixed with a healthy dose of confusion.

    Shh. The instructor is about to respond.

    INSTRUCTOR

    WE HAVE A CHART that will give you some sense of the Bible translation landscape. 

    Be grateful to Almighty God that He has made available so many different translations in English for believers, newcomers, scholars, and serious students alike!

    The chart is printed below, but I’m going to describe it. 

    There are three basic classes of Bible translation: word-for-word, thought-for-thought, and paraphrase.

    Word-for-word translations will provide the closest English equivalent to the original text word, be it in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. 

    Thought-for-thought translations will give the English equivalent to a group of words forming a thought. In a sense, they smooth out the writing to make it more palatable to 21st century English-speaking ears. 

    The thought-for-thought translations cover a range from closer to word-for-word to closer to paraphrase, depending on the amount of license the translators used.

    Paraphrase Bibles scrap the original writing and take a broad overview of the text. They might call their invention “holistic,” wherein they look at the “sense” of the passage as opposed to the actual wording.

    Here is how our chart depicts the various translations:

    • WORD-FOR-WORD: INTERLINEAR, NASB, AMP, ESV, RSV, KJV, NKJV.
    • THOUGHT-FOR-THOUGHT: HCSB (CSB), NRSV, NAB, NJB, NIV, TNIV, NCV, NLT.
    • PARAPHRASE: NirV, GNT (GNB), CEV, TLB, MSG.

    Still confused? Don’t be. Hang in there.

    HERE’S A SUGGESTION: Read the Bible. Pray to God. Spend time with the Holy Spirit. He will lead you where He wants you to go. Then go there. 

    For now, why not start with a reputable translation with wording that you can understand. As you delve deeper into Bible study, you’ll become more comfortable comparing versions.

    Buy different translation Bibles or use one of the handy Bible apps for your phone or tablet that allow you to download multiple versions of the Bible in multiple languages. Use the split-screen option.

    With a split-screen, you can read a word-for-word translation on the left side and a thought-for-thought or paraphrase version on the right side. 

    By reading them together, you’ll get a deeper sense of the original wording along with an easier-to-understand translation. The two together should help you draw closer to God as well as help you memorize various verses.

    Experiment. Have fun! This is God’s Word you’re starting to discover. You’ll find that, if you’re serious about finding God, He’s more than equally serious about finding you. 

    How’s about this for encouragement: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) 

    Note that the wording is from the NIV that you’re so fond of. Experiment on your own to see how other translations compare.

    Remember this promise: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. – James 4:8 (NASB). 

    Okay, that was from the NASB. Check out where NASB is on the above chart. See where the NIV is and then read James 4:8 in your Bible. 

    Hey, ask one of those young ladies with the NCV or the GNT or even the man in the back with his KJV what their versions say. Ask them why they like those translations. Listen to them. Tell them your thoughts. Pray with them. 

    Together, all of you will be joining together on life’s greatest, most rewarding, journey!

    Be a Berean! 

    Don’t know who the Bereans were? Check out Acts 17:11. Go ahead. Look it up. Yes, do it now. Try any translation. Try several! 

    You’ll be glad you did. 

    Then, once you’ve read that verse, be a Berean!

    NARRATOR

    WHAT DID YOU LEARN from that exchange between the Instructor and the Class? You saw 20 translations listed. There are more in English, including some I have used that are not listed, such as the BSB and the WEB. For those of you are fluent, or even semi-fluent, in a second language, you’ll have the advantage of adding more translations to compare.

    A web search shows there are more than 450 versions of the Bible in the English language – with estimates of about 900 translations since the 16th century, when the printing press was invented. Most of those translations are no longer in print, having been updated or replaced. The exact number of translations depends on the definition one uses as to what constitutes a new translation versus a revision.

    We know the various translations serve different purposes. Scholars and serious students will gravitate to the exact translations, while newer minds will find the easier-to-read options more inviting.

    It looks like the instructor is ready to speak.

    INSTRUCTOR

    The word-for-word translations have the advantage of being truer to the original text being translated, so the accuracy rate is higher. In other words, we can say it is a “truer translation” to the original.

    The disadvantage is that the writing often is stilted and can be more difficult for us to read and comprehend.

    The thought-for-thought translations seek to rectify the comprehension difficulty of the word-for-word translations by rewriting the text, so it reads like your daily newspaper. 

    The advantage of comprehension is offset sometimes by slight-to-moderate deviations from the original writing, which can lead to a different interpretation of the text, so one needs to be careful when reading them.

    The paraphrase options are the most suspect for serious Bible readers and scholars but often present the easiest-to-understand versions for the casual reader or new Christian.

    As we can see, each style has its advantages and disadvantages, so I would recommend doing the following:

    1. EXPERIMENT. Check out various translations and find the one or ones you like. As far as I can tell, there is no wrong choice, just be diligent in reading your Bible.
    2. COMPARE. Read a side-by-side Bible, either in print or digital app version, so you will have a word-for-word translation side-by-side with a thought-for-thought version. That will give you the advantages of both – a truer translation plus an easier-to-read version. Compare both translations against a paraphrase to see if that helps you. It might or it might not. For paraphrases, I like the GNT and often use it in my writing, but I would not depend on it for my study or devotions.

    The more comfortable you become reading your Bible, the easier it will be for you to identify the translation that fits you best, the one you turn to for your devotions and study.

    NARRATOR – FINAL WORDS

    I PREFER USING the New King James Version and the English Standard Version as side-by-side, but I also make heavy use of the Christian Standard Bible, Berean Standard Bible, and New International Version Bible. 

    In my Life Bible app, I have all five versions called up in two rows: In the top row, I have the NKJV and ESV side-by-side; in the bottom row, with skinnier columns, I have the CSB, BSB, and NIV side-by-side.

    That gives me the range of translations I like while making it easier for me to read the NKJV with the ESV as a smoother version to read alongside it.

    You’ll need to determine what system works best for you.

    Remember: Keep reading your Bible!

    PRAYER & BENEDICTION

    ALMIGHTY GOD, LORD OF CREATION: 

    We are so grateful for the love You bestow on us. 

    You have given us a Bible that we can read and treasure, a book capturing the very words of Jesus Christ, the interpretative letters written by His closest followers, and the prophets and historians of the Old Testament, foretelling the Messiah.

    Help these, Your faithful servants, as they go to their rooms for solitude and gather in groups for fellowship, to seek Your truth, Your Word, Your promises that, when followed, will enrich their lives and save their souls.

    Whichever version or versions of Holy Writ they decide on, we pray Your encouragement for them to stay in the Word and not find daily excuses to avoid that very important Christian discipline. 

    As they do, O Lord, may Your Word continue to change their lives.

    We lift this prayer in praise and thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name.

    NOW, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace, both now and forevermore. AMEN and AMEN

  • I AM A NEW CHRISTIAN. NOW WHAT?

    A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    BY WARD PIMLEY 

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    NARRATOR

    WE ARE PRIVILEGED TODAY to drop in on the first meeting of a church class for three groups of people: new Christians, those seeking answers to life’s basic questions, as well as skeptics, who nevertheless think there could be something to that Jesus message they’ve heard about.

    The class is called Real Questions Asked by Newbies, Seekers, and Skeptics.

    Some of you might be in that category. If so, as we proceed, we will try to answer your questions about the Christian faith and its doctrines.

    We will try to post one topic a week, so those interested should bookmark us or subscribe for e-mails announcing a new posting. You can post questions to the author by clicking on “Contact Editor.”

    It looks like class is ready to start, so let’s tune in.

    INSTRUCTOR

    CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS!

    For those who recently joined the Kingdom of God through repentance of sin and declared belief in Jesus Christ as God’s Son, welcome to the family. Jesus in John 3:3 calls it being “born again.”

    For those who have walked with Christ for many years, this series should be a good refresher.

    For those who are still questioning and wondering whether you ought to jump in, you are most welcome to join us.

    It looks like we have our first question.

    STUDENT

    I recently confessed my sins to Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior, but now I’m confused. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do or what my salvation means, other than I’ll go to Heaven when I die. So, really, what did I sign up for?

    INSTRUCTOR

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.

    Class, as you think back on your conversion experience, you might be thinking along these lines:

    I found myself walking down the aisle at the pastor’s invitation to join others, who were lined up in front of the altar, many of whom I fugre were, like me, not certain they wanted to do this but couldn’t ignore that *tug* in their hearts that said it could be the Father calling. Jesus told us in John 6:44 that “No one comes to Me unless the Father calls him.”

    After we recited the “Sinner’s Prayer” and turned our lives over to Jesus, we recall the pastor sharing some comforting Scripture with us:

    • “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
    • “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20 NLT

    You might also recall the pastor listing some categories that, he said, described what it means to be a new Christian.

    I am …

    • REGENERATED
    • REDEEMED
    • JUSTIFIED
    • ADOPTED
    • UNITED WITH CHRIST

    NARRATOR

    Well, that’s what we were looking for, isn’t it, a bunch of big words! Let’s see if the class will unpack them so we can understand what the Bible is telling us.

    INSTRUCTOR

    WE ARE FALLEN CREATURES

    THE FIRST ITEM we should discuss is how we got here, how we came to need Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, and our belief in Him to become what the Bible calls “a new creation.” 

    Let’s start with this: The world is a messed-up place.

    Adam and Eve, in their first recorded act as a married couple in the Garden of Eden, disobeyed God.

    If we could remake the world to meet all the wonderful qualities of love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and tolerance – and teach those values to everyone so they all understand the new rules of the game – it would not take long before the world would degenerate into the same mess we have today.

    Why is that?

    Because our problems are not problems of poor government or economic poverty. They are problems of the heart. We are, by nature, rebellious men and women, disobedient to God and His word. 

    The first recorded action of man and woman in the Garden of Eden was to violate God’s command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Disobedience was our first response to God as a newly minted married couple living in Paradise.

    However, God in His mercy, in what is called the Protoevangelium (Genesis 3:15), promised to send a savior or redeemer, the Messiah, to reclaim us and give us life. That Messiah is Jesus.

    Let’s take a look at those five categories listed above that define our new lives.

    I AM REGENERATED

    JESUS TOLD US in John 3:3 that unless we are “born again,” we will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. So, what does it mean to be “born again?” and how do we accomplish that? First, we don’t accomplish it; God does it for us.

    The transformation from death to life is a simple action on our part but one that relatively few people are willing to take. It just involves a short prayer of repentance for our sin and a declaration of belief that Jesus is (a) the Son of God, (b) that He lived a perfect life, and (c) that He died on the cross for our sins. 

    The difficulty most people have is that in that prayer, we are turning our lives and wills over to Someone else. We want to say, “My life, my will.” God gave us free will, so we can exercise that liberty, but He also calls us to give our wills over to Him. 

    When we act out our wills, we act in a manner contrary to God’s design in ways that are harmful to our health, our peace, and our self-worth. When we turn our lives over to Him in trust and obedience, He leads us in righteousness. He grants us His peace. We are bathed in His love. We have His forgiveness.

    “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. … But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:1, 4-5 NIV

    Being “made alive” spiritually is what it means to be “saved.” It is what it means to be “regenerated.”

    Most of all, we have Heaven to look forward to as our eternal reward.

    I AM REDEEMED

    Jesus embraces us when we come to Him in childlike faith.

    REDEMPTION COMES FROM the Greek word agorazo, which means “marketplace,” and exagorazo, which means “to remove from the marketplace.” There is a third word in the Greek, lutrao, which means “freed” or “to pay a ransom.”

    When the three words are grouped together, it means we have been freed from the marketplace of sin because someone paid a ransom for us.

    The Bible says we are not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, but with something more important, more lasting, more enduring – Christ’s blood.

    We are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” – 1 Peter 1:19 NKJV

    That means our redemption price, or salvation, was paid for by Christ’s self-sacrifice on the cross for our sake.

    I AM JUSTIFIED

    WHEN WE ARE “JUSTIFIED,” we are declared “righteous” by God; that is, the Creator has named us as “righteous” because He sees us through the sacrificial blood of His Son rather than the sin-filled beings we are. 

    “Abraham believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” – Genesis 15:6 CSB

    “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:1 BSB

    Our “righteousness” does not mean we are faultless or sinless, because we are not. Rather, it means God has chosen to see us as sinless because His Son has endured His wrath or anger for our sinfulness. Therefore, He can hold us as forgiven, clean, and faultless.

    That is His gift of grace. 

    “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. … For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 3:23-24; 6:23 NKJV

    I AM ADOPTED

    WHEN WE ARE ADOPTED by God, we become full-fledged members of His family. 

    The adoption by God was likened to Roman law, where the adopted son held the same privileges and property rights that would have been his if he were a natural-born son in that family. In fact, any debts or obligations he would have incurred as a member of his former family were abolished as if they never existed.

    As new Christians, we are welcomed into “God’s family,” with all the privileges and love that His bestows on His own Son. No, we are not divine, but we are wanted, adored, valued, and cherished.

    We can take comfort from the assurance God gives us in His Word:

    • “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” – Romans 8:14 ESV
    • “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs with Christ.” – Romans 8:17-18 NKJV
    • “So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.” – Galatians 4:7 CSB
    • “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” – 1 John 3:1 NKJV
    • “But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children.” – John 1:12 NET

    That should be enough to convince you of God’s love for you when you draw near to Him. He blankets you, protects you, and comforts you. Those things are true whether we understand them, or accept them, or even want them.

    If we ignore the gift, it lies fallow; if we pick it up, it becomes ours. 

    As for me, I gladly and willingly accept God’s gift of love and family. I want to draw near to Him, and He has promised to draw near to me. (See James 4:8)

    I AM UNITED WITH CHRIST


     God’s gift to mankind is eternal life. We can choose to accept it or reject it. The smart choice is to accept it.

    WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be “united” with Christ? He is divine; I am human. He is self-existing; I am created. He is eternal; I have lived a short time. (However, I am promised life from now on.) How can I possibly be “one” with Him?

    We can liken our relationship with Jesus Christ to the institution of marriage as God designed it to be, where a man and a woman each leave their parents and families of origin, become “one flesh,” and start a new family. 

    “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family.” – Genesis 2:14 NET

    Here are some verses that describe our “oneness” with Christ:

    • We are crucified with Jesus. Galatians 2:20
    • We died with Him. Colossians 2:20
    • We are buried with Him. Romans 6:4
    • We are raised with Him. Colossians 3:1

    THREE MORE ITEMS FROM ROMANS 8:17:

    • We will suffer with Him. 
    • We are glorified with Him. 
    • We are joint heirs with Him. 

    Just a word of caution and consolation. When the Bible says we will “suffer” with Christ, there are two points to make: (1) We might be targeted for our faith; (2) Christ suffers alongside us. We want to be united with our Savior in all respects.

    In ancient Israel, Joshua confronted unbelief among the Israelites with these words:

    “If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. … But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15 NIV

    FINAL WORDS

    WE CAN DRAW great comfort from God’s promises. He is unlike any human in this very important aspect: He can be trusted. He keeps His word. Why is that? Well, besides being 100 percent human, He also is 100 percent devine.

    “God is not man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” – Numbers 23:19 NKJV

    “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will also help you. I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NASB

    “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

    “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 NLT

    God’s promise to restore mankind cost His Son an excruciating death on the cross, which He did for us. Let’s not leave that gift sitting on the table unopened. 

    As a new Christian, you have opened the gift, and the gift of life is now yours!

    CLOSING PRAYER

    ALMIGHTY GOD, Our Lord and Creator, we thank You for Your love and Your desire to reconcile us to fellowship with You.

    Give strength, courage, and direction, we pray, to these new Christians, all of whom have recently turned their eternal destiny over to Jesus Christ and now wonder what lies ahead. 

    We pray, O Lord, that our series of articles for new Christians and those curious about Christian beliefs will lead them faithfully to draw closer to You in their walk ahead.

    Spare them spiritual warfare, we pray, until they have the confidence to call on You for protection.

    Forgive us, Lord, when we fail You. Pick us up and direct us forward on the path You have chosen for us. 

    In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, we lift this prayer. AMEN

  • CHRISTMAS: FIRST ADVENT [Part 2 of 2]

    “The Spirit of the LORD [is] upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to [the] poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to [the] captives And recovery of sight to [the] blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” – Luke 4:18-19 NKJV

    A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    THIS IS THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.

    Our Lord’s First Advent. His first arrival in human life as Himself human. There were prior appearances as Christophanies, but never before had He come as man. Fully man and fully God. 

    We cannot understand how He could do that, but He could because He is God.

    This message completes the two-part message of The Meaning of Christmas. The first part is here.

    PART 2. THE MEANING

    This birth of our Lord was a downpayment on the future promise of Paradise Restored after sin cost us Paradise Lost. 

    Jesus would preach the Gospel – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Repent! The Kingdom of God is at hand. Me. I AM the Kingdom of God. I AM here. Therefore, you repent.

    That’s a beautiful message, and we who believe entrust our very salvation and future in Paradise to the truth of that message; yet most men and women in His time and even today reject the Message, want nothing to do with it because He is interfering with their sin, and men and women love their sin. We love our sin.

    That’s still the Gospel message that we are called to carry on, to urge those we meet to repent before the time is fulfilled, that the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe. Tell them what God has done for you.

    He then lived a sinless life and died an ignoble death on the cross, having been beaten and lashed so that the Bible says He no longer looked human. 

    After dying, He rose from the dead, taught for 40 days and nights, then was ascended in glory to sit next to the Father and to send the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us, which took place 10 days later. 

    Before leaving the Earth, He commissioned us to carry on His ministry – of preaching, forgiving, healing, baptizing – all in His name.

    Through all of this, a tension was building, is building still. Faster and faster this tension builds. Can you see it? Can you feel it? Do you hear the sound of something approaching? Is there not a whisper that says, “Hold on, folks, this is not the end. There is more, much more, coming.”

    As glorious as the First Advent was, all of history is building for the crescendo, and that will be the Second Advent, the Second Coming of Jesus, when the whole world will recognize Him as the Jewish Messiah – Yeshua HaMachiach. 

    Figure 3. The day will come when all mankind worships Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords, the Christ and Jewish Messiah.

    In that moment, the Bible tells us, every knee will bow before Him, and every tongue will confess that He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.

    In that moment, the Bible tells us, the whole world will recognize and acknowledge that Jesus was, is, and forever more will be the Christ, the Messiah.

    No longer just a Babe in the manger. You see, that was just the beginning.

    PART 3. SECOND ADVENT

    DO YOURSELF A BIG FAVOR. Work your way through the three Bible passages below and see if you find anything discordant with the Christmas message.

    [HINT: Although they are familiar passages read at Christmas time, they largely reference the Second Advent, not the First Advent.]

    The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to [those who are] bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” – Isaiah 61:1-3 NKJV

    “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of [His] government and peace [There will be] no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. – Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV

    “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.””- Luke 1:30-33 NKJV

    THE REAL JOY OF CHRISTMAS for many evangelical Christians – and certainly it is for my wife and me – is the promise of the Second Advent, of Christ’s return. At that time, He will establish His forever Kingdom, the one prophesied by Isaiah 750 years before Christ was born – 750 years before Christmas – 750 years before the Babe in the Manger.

    If you worked your way through the three Bible passages above, you’ll see something that most churches glide over. The passages do not focus on Christ’s first coming but His second, not His coming as a sacrificial lamb but His coming as a conquering king.

    When Jesus spoke in the Temple, He stopped His reading of the prophet Isaiah in the middle of the sentence – at the comma. 

    To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God.

    That hasn’t occurred yet, but it will. Just as sure as we know the Babe in the manger was fulfillment of biblical prophecy, we know His next arrival also will fulfill biblical prophecy. 

    PART 4. FINAL WORDS

    THAT BRINGS US TO OUR MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: SO WHAT?

    All of that is well and good, but what does any of it have to do with me and my life?

    Good question. Here’s the answer: All of us are called to make a decision. We have to decide if we are willing to accept the gift that Jesus is offering us.

    Are you ready for the Messiah to return? He will catch us up in the air _ either as the dead in Christ who will rise first or as we who remain _ in the great Harpazo – “to snatch away” – the Rapture.

    Unless you are born again, or reborn – know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior – all of this will be done without you. You will be resurrected, but the Bible tells us it will be after the Tribulation and Millennium are over, when God holds court for the unsaved, called the White Throne Judgment. 

    Do you know for certain that you are saved and that you will spend eternity in Heaven with God? If you are not sure, let’s change that now. Just repeat after me:

    “Lord, I am a sinner in need of Your grace. I believe that Jesus is Your Son, that He lived a perfect life and died on the Cross for my sins, taking Your wrath upon Him for my sake so I could be reconciled to You. I need Your forgiveness. Help me to turn from my unbelieving ways and be counted in Your Kingdom. Please come into my heart now and lead me, both as my Savior and as my Lord. I come to You, Lord, in childlike faith, saying, ‘Save even me.’” In Your name I pray, AMEN.

    If you prayed that prayer and were sincere, then welcome to the Kingdom of God! 

    If you have come to know the Lord before this, then rejoice for those who now have joined us.

    This is the meaning of Christmas. It is more than the celebration of a baby’s first cry in the dark but the celebration of forgiveness, of God’s mercy and kindness, and of restored fellowship with the Creator. 

    This is the fulfillment of the protoevangelium. Let us resolve together never again to let Christmas be just a warm smile for a squirming infant but to recognize with deep humility and gratitude that Almighty God humbled Himself for our sake to redeem us. 

    His journey was planned in eternity past, but the execution of His salvation plan began at Christmas 2,000 years ago. 

    Our job is to believe and to carry the message forward. 

    You see, Christmas was just the beginning.

    CLOSING PRAYER & BENEDICTION

    LORD, WE THANK YOU for this Christmas season, when we who believe Jesus is the Son of God praise You for this incredible gift, that when our first parents sinned in the Garden of Eden, You proclaimed the First Gospel and vowed to reclaim us in fellowship through the birth, death, and resurrection of Your only Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, and that You promised to send the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, to come and live in our hearts.

    Now, as we enter our Mission Field, go with us in front of us to lead, beside us to encourage, and behind us to protect, and may we be the Salt and Light that our Lord assured us we are.

    Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.

    In Jesus’ Name we pray, and we all say, “Praise God; Praise the Lord.” AMEN

  • 2 PETER 3: God Fulfills His Promises

    This message emphasizes God’s promises and patience, as described in 2 Peter 3. It highlights the importance of faith, repentance, and readiness for the Day of the Lord. Believers are encouraged to live holy lives, share the Gospel, and trust in God’s plan for a new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells.

    “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 ESV

    “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.” 2 Peter 3:10-11 NKJV

    “But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.” 2 Peter 3:13 CSB

    A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    PASTOR / JOURNALIST / AUTHOR

    We are in the Last Days. We have been in the “last days” since Pentecost, and we’re still in them. We do not know how many days remain until the Lord returns for His faithful followers. 

    We have been in the Last Days since Pentecost, and we’re still in them. We do not know how many days remain until the Lord returns for His faithful followers. 

    We call that return the “Rapture,” and there is dispute within the Christian world as to whether there will be a Rapture, and if there is one, when it will take place.

    • Some faithful believe we move directly into Christ’s Second Coming without a Rapture. That’s the Amillennial position.
    • Some believe there will be a Rapture, but it will come at the end of the Tribulation, just before the Second Coming of Christ, when He will establish His millennial rule on the Earth. That’s the Post-Tribulation position.
    • Some believe there will be a Rapture, and that it will occur during the seven-year Tribulation period. That’s either the Mid-Tribulation position or the Pre-Wrath position, depending on whether the Rapture takes place exactly half-way through the seven-year period or whether it occurs slightly afterward when the Sixth Seal judgment is opened.
    • Finally, some – encompassing most of the evangelical community – believe there will be a Rapture and that it will take place before the Tribulation starts. That is the position of this pulpit and the church we serve. That’s the Pre-Tribulation position. 

    Whichever you believe, we do not break fellowship with those who hold a different position, especially since God in His wisdom has decided to give us clues but not defining details. 

    In other words, strive to understand as best you can the events and calendar of what we call The Last Days, but don’t become so doctrinaire in your position that you lose the humility that allows you to recognize that God the Father alone is sovereign, and He alone has the final act under His control. 

    Figure 1. Worshippers gathered to praise God. Many are praying for the Lord’s return. All are grateful for forgiveness.

    Your view, or my view, could be wrong. If God wanted to make the point crystal clear to us, He would have done so. He chose not to.

    For now, just focus on the apostle Peter’s writing that God wants everyone to be saved, so He is patiently giving people time to repent.

    in our study of 2 Peter 2, we looked at the apostle’s admonition to be on guard for false teachers who would slither into the church with their demented doctrines, their erroneous theology, and their wayward practices – agents of Satan, often dressed in clerical clothes, sent to destroy the church Jesus Christ vowed to build on solid Rock.

    In our final chapter of this small book, Chapter 3 of 2 Peter, the apostle urges us to maintain our faith in God’s judgment, knowing that He is not late in fulfilling His eternal promises, but is merciful and patient.

    Don’t be disillusioned. The Day of the Lord – Judgment Day – will come in its appointed time. Until then, your job – and my job – is to prepare ourselves for that time and encourage as many others as we can reach to join us. The ship is leaving the dock; the train is leaving the station, and God – the captain and conductor – is shouting, “All aboard! All ashore who’s going ashore.”

    We have three parts to today’s message, each anchored by one of the text verses quoted earlier: God Is Patient, The Day of the Lord, and God’s Calling on Our Lives.

    PART 1. God Is Patient

    “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 ESV

    FOR MANY YEARS after I became a Christian in November 2010, this verse was my “life verse,” the one verse that meant the most to me. The reason? It emphasized God’s patience.

    I was overwhelmed by the goodness of a God who could be so patient with me as to wait on me, not call judgment down on my head, not end my life or create more hardships than I could manage. Yes, I had finally reached repentance, to use Peter’s words, and I was “saved” from Hell’s eternal fires.

    To say I am relieved would be an understatement. I am giddy with joy – even though I am not always happy – but I am filled with the joy of knowing that my Redeemer lives, and someday He will call me Home to be with Him, that where He is I may be also. 

    Figure 2. As Christ followers, we are called to share our faith and explain our joy. We are relating what God has done for us.

    As a Christ-follower, my job now is to share that message of hope and salvation with you and others I meet. I might not always be faithful in doing so, because I’m not always certain if this moment is the right moment to key up a discussion of spiritual matters, but I do pray for those moments to occur and ask God to prepare me for them so I will be ready to share my testimony when they are presented to me.

    That is what Jesus has commissioned each one of us to do when we submit our lives to Him. He has given us the right to share the Gospel message. We do not need anyone else’s permission to tell them what God has done for us, but we do need to live our lives in such a way that others will be willing to hear what we have to say. 

    • Our talk needs to match our walk, and our walk needs to match our talk.

    Trying to share the Gospel when our lives are not a testament to the Lord’s message will make us nothing more than what 1 Corinthians 13 calls “noisy gongs or clanging symbols.” We will fill the air with our breath, but we won’t be witnessing to God’s saving grace or His healing power. 

    Therefore, we must be on guard every moment to ensure our actions and our reactions reflect the light within us. Jesus has commissioned us in Matthew 5 to be “the light of the world.”

    That light is the light of the Lord that lives in the hearts of all who call on His name, who believe in His saving grace, and who have been redeemed or reborn.

    So, God is patient with us, calling us into His kingdom. If you haven’t felt called yet, then today is your day. Do not let it pass without calling on His name. 

    The Bible says (2 Cor. 6:2; Rom. 10:13/Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21) “Behold, today is the day of salvation” and “all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

    Yes, God is patient, but when patience has run its course, it gives way to judgment. God is patient, but He is not stupid. 

    Don’t take advantage of His patience; instead, take advantage of it and turn your life over to Him while you can. You’ll be glad you did.

    PART 2. Day of the Lord

    “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be in holy, conduct and godliness.”  2 Peter 3:10-11 NKJV

    THAT IS QUITE a dramatic image, isn’t it? It says here the heavens and the earth will melt with fervent heat. Well, Peter isn’t done yet. In fact, as we read in verse 12, he says the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they are burned!

    Is that supposed to give us the shivers? To be honest with you, if I were not a believing Christian, that would downright scare me, and I would not want to be around at the time.

    But, true to His word, our God promises us a restoration that will surpass in beauty and wonder our current world. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves because that verse, and the promise it contains, will be the third focus of our message.

    Here in the second part of our message, we ask this: What is God trying to tell His people in these verses that detail the destruction of the known world? 

    Figure 3. God will refine us as fire refines minerals. He calls us to surrender to Him, and He promises to restore our souls.

    God, through Peter, is using symbolic language to say He is going to refine the world the way fire refines gold, the way fire purifies gold, the way fire burns away the impure elements to present gold in all its splendor. Jesus is not returning to destroy the world but to judge the world and eliminate the evil spawned by Satan and his demons.

    The Bible throughout its many passages tells us that the universe has been stained with human sin, that even the physical elements of creation “groan[] and suffer[] the pains of childbirth” (Rom. 8:22 LSB) as we wait for God to restore order.

    When God acts, as Romans 8:21 NKJV tells us He will do, His creation “shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

    Something magnificent is happening here, and Peter wants us to be prepared for it. What does that entail? He gives us the clue in this verse in our text passage: “what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”

    Here it is in verse 14 (NKJV): “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”

    Now, it starts to make sense, doesn’t it? The coming promise of the Day of the Lord is to give us an impetus, an incentive, a heads up, if you will, to straighten out our lives, to smooth out our wrinkles, to – as the saying goes – “get our act together.”

    But we know we don’t do that on our own, that we need God’s power to make that happen. In John 15, the Lord Jesus warns us to “abide” in Him and He promises to abide in us so that we might bear “much fruit.” He says: “For without Me you can do nothing.”

    Earlier, I said that if I were not a believing Christian, I would be frightened at the violent imagery depicted of the world dissolving in fire and heat, but these words of assurance from God – as we’ve seen, spoken directly from Jesus and spoken through the apostles Paul and Peter – should bolster our confidence in this merciful God who, as our first passage told us, is “patient” with us, not wanting any of us to perish.

    He is calling us to surrender our lives to Him, and then He will impart within us His Holy Spirit, which will restore our brokenness, our weakness, our defeat into lives that reflect the Lord’s light and salt. 

    PART 3. God Calls Us

    “But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.” 2 Peter 3:13 CSB

    ALL OF WHAT we’ve discussed so far leads up to this verse, and I find the promise it contains for us to be the cherry atop the sundae, well worth the wait, that pot of gold we keep expecting at the end of the rainbow.

    Well, in a manner of speaking, that pot of gold is real. 

    God will create “new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” The current heavens and earth have been sin-stained, and God, like a springtime house cleaner, is going to wipe away the dust and cobwebs and polish the furniture and wax the floor and change the lightbulbs.

    He is going to make “new heavens and new earth,” and we are invited to join Him in living there. 

    Not to do the housecleaning. No, He is going to do that because He wants it done right. 

    Figure 4. Those of us who are walking with Christ are looking forward to our new homes in Heaven. We don’t know what they’ll look like, but they’ll be tailored for us.

    He is going to design it; He’ll pick out the furniture and the window treatment; He’ll hook up the platinum TV with surround sound; He’ll set up the popcorn maker to spit out tasty treats while we watch a spellbinding movie that He will pick out.

    Now, Peter doesn’t mention anything about the popcorn, the TV, and the movie, but he does tell us that we need to get ready for this new world our God promises, and that means we ought “to make every effort” to be without spot or blemish.

    That is, to be sinless. To be obedient. To be faithful. To be loving. To be considerate of others. To serve those in our world. 

    You know the drill. All of those things God has been telling us from Genesis on, we are to be aware of and dedicated to doing … with God’s help.

    • Proverbs 3:5-7 NKJV, Solomon says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
    • King David says in Psalm 119:105 NKJV: “Your word [is] a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” That is another way of saying that God will lead us if we let Him.
    • Finally, we can’t let this point go without once again claiming the Lord’s promise in John 15:5 NKJV: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

    QUESTION: How are YOU preparing for the Lord’s return? Are you spending daily time with the Lord in prayer, Bible reading, and meditation? 

    If you are not doing that, why aren’t you? Do you think you are exempt somehow from life and life’s responsibilities? Do you think God is not making a claim on your life? Do you think Satan has forgotten about you? Do you think that how you spend your day does not matter in terms of your eternity?

    My prayer for each of you is that you will see that your life in whatever situation you face is as important to God as is the life of anyone else, even those who are placing their lives on the line to care for others, even those who you think are more righteous and more Godly than you are.

    Here’s a news flash: No one is more Godly or more righteous than you are. We are all in the same boat. We are all flawed, and we all need God’s saving grace.

    You. Matter. To. God.

    FINAL WORDS

    THIS LESSON COMPLETES our study of Peter’s letters. We worked our way through 1 Peter 1-5 and now 2 Peter 1-3. 

    Here’s a quick recap of what Peter wrote to his generation and ours in his two letters: 

    • God is patient with you, and He has promised you a better life in Heaven.
    • You are a chosen people, and you should always be ready to tell others your testimony; that is, why you have hope amid despair.
    • Submit your will to God, and live out the Gospel for His glory.
    • Beware of false teachers and their false doctrines, and believe in the grace and peace that God offers.
    • Finally, the day of the Lord is coming, when He will judge the earth; so be ready for His coming. Live out the Gospel because you want to please Him.

    Here’s a chapter-by-chapter recap of Peter’s two letters: 

    • Although you may suffer in this world, better days lie ahead for us all in Heaven. (1 Peter 1.1)
    • God uses our life experiences, even our troubles and tribulations, to prepare us for Heaven. (1 Peter 1.2)
    • We haven’t seen God, but we can still believe in Him. (1 Peter 1.3)
    • God’s Word is eternal and universal; it needs no refinements to make it relevant to the times. (1 Peter 1.4)
    • We are a “chosen” people; that is, God “chose” us to be His people, to love us, and to sustain us. (1 Peter 2)
    • We should “always be ready” to share with others the peace and joy in our hearts. (1 Peter 3)
    • We should be “salt and light” to the world for God’s glory, not our own. (1 Peter 4)
    • We must “submit our lives” to God because God loves the humble and will raise them up to glory. (1 Peter 5; 2 Peter 1)
    • We should be on guard against false teachers and their deceitful doctrines. (2 Peter 2; Jude)
    • God maintains His promises, and we can take comfort in that fact. (2 Peter 3)

    Between our study of Peter’s first letter and his second letter, we took up a two-part series of living lives without regret and God’s promise to restore the lost years to those who love Him and have trusted Him for their salvation.

    A personal note:

    For the first 10 years after giving my life to Jesus Christ in November 2010, I picked 2 Peter 3:9 as my “Life Verse.” [A life verse is a verse that encapsulates or summarizes a person’s calling or life experience.] That verse tells us that God is patient with us, calling everyone to salvation.

    I loved the reassurance that God was patient with me, of His goodness, of His love that He wanted me to be a part of His Kingdom.

    However, as I grew in my faith, a few years ago, I switched my life verse to Galatians 5:25, which says: “If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.”

    That basically means our actions should support our words, and our words should support our actions. I was confident enough in my new salvation that I felt a responsibility to so live my life that it would be a living testimony to that faith and to God’s goodness and love.

    I did not want to talk a big game without supporting it with the way I lived, and I did not want to live out the Gospel without sharing a testimony with others or telling them about the joy my salvation has given me.

    As you grow in your faith walk with the Lord, you might find yourself changing your life verse to reflect better your growing spiritual maturity. 

    Nothing in this world is more important than our relationship with God, with who we think He is, and what we acknowledge He wants from us. Nothing. 

    Your eternal destiny depends on how you respond to that calling. God calls each of us to believe in Him, and He promises great rewards for those who answer the call.

    If you have not said “yes” to God before now, this is your moment. If you have said “yes,” then join us in praise.

    PRAYER / BENEDICTION

    ALMIGHTY GOD, as we sing Your praise, we know from the praise hymn that You are a “Good Good Father, that’s who You are, that’s who You are;” and “We’re loved by You, that’s who we are, that’s who we are.”

    Lord, if anyone here today does not know You in a personal way as both their Savior and their Lord, can You change that today in this very hour.

    You said no one comes to the Son without the Father calling them, so please, Lord, call them. You said at “the right time” would be the time of salvation. Lord, please make this hour “the right time” for those who may not know You.

    Hear our prayer, O Lord, as we pray together in our hearts:

    “Lord, I believe Jesus is Your Son and that He died on the cross for my sins; I believe He is calling me to give Him my heart and soul. Lord, forgive my sins and wipe my slate clean, and enter my life as both Savior and Lord from this moment on. Lord, I give you my life, that I will have eternal life with You.”

    Lord, for those already walking with Jesus, we pray continued strength and faith for them to stay in Your will, to be salt and light to those around them, and to be a comforting and encouraging presence wherever they are.

    We thank You, Lord, for Your goodness toward us. We praise Your name, and we love You and worship You. In the name of Jesus, we raise this prayer.

    “[Now may] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”  — 2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV

    AMEN and AMEN

  • 2 PETER 2 & JUDE: Warning Against False Teachers 

    This message addresses dangers of false teachers and doctrines within the church, based on biblical texts from two early Christian leaders: The Apostle Peter and Jude, a half-brother of Jesus. The chapters, 2 Peter 2 and Jude, highlight various types of false teachers and warns believers to remain vigilant and grounded in Scripture. They remind us that failure to stay close to the Lord in Scripture and Prayer will leave us vulnerable to falsehood. You cannot arm yourself against falsehood unless you ground yourself in God’s Word. There are no shortcuts. Salvation requires vigilance on all our parts. Be on guard!

    A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” – 2 Peter 2:1 ESV

    “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” –  Jude 1:4 ESV

    PREAMBLE

    HERESY, OR FALSE TEACHING, has been a destructive element in the church from the very beginning. Once Jesus Christ returned to Heaven and the First Generation of Christians, led by the very Apostles who followed our Lord for three years, died off, the church was led by men who never walked physically with Jesus, never saw Him heal the sick or restore life to the physically and spiritually dead, nor saw Him walk the Earth following His crucifixion.

    During this period and ever since, rival philosophies or theories were, and have been, expounded that the nascent church and its successors have had to defend against. 

    It has been far easier to advance false or distorted teaching once the Master and His closest followers were gone than when they were present and able to refute false teaching.

    They warned us to be on guard.

    Among those false teachings were that Jesus was not God but a man, just a prophet; that He had not existed from eternity past but was a created being, denying the existence of the Trinity; failure to recognize the Holy Spirit as a Person but considering Him an ‘It’; that man was not born with a sin nature but developed his own propensity for sin; and that Jesus was not fully God and fully man at the same time. 

    Additionally, disputes within the church have developed that have broken a unified voice. 

    One dispute focused on whether salvation was extended only to those whose salvation was pre-destined or pre-selected by God or whether salvation was based on God’s grace and an individual decision in response to the exercise of free will; whether there was double predestination, which included the doctrine of reprobation, where God predetermined who would face an eternity in condemnation and punishment, or whether that punishment also was the result of free will, based on a rejection of God’s calling.

    As time went on and controversies were settled, new conflicts arose. The reason for this is simple: Satan was, and is, at work, striving to disrupt God’s plan for salvation and reconciliation. 

    Whole congregations within the Protestant realm have split over doctrinal disputes, with the more conservative wing holding fast to a literal interpretation of the Bible while the progressive wing divorces itself from literal interpretation in favor of a “living” or evolving interpretation more in keeping with the secular culture.

    The Roman Catholic Church faces its controversies separately, teaching that Church doctrine supersedes biblical teaching. That false holding has led its leaders to advance different teachings throughout the ages under the guise of “new revelation.” 

    That failure to follow Holy Script has led to power struggles within church leadership and faulty teaching like the selling of indulgences and the teaching that faith alone is not sufficient for salvation, even though the Bible says it is.

    By the way, Protestant reformers who took issue with the Catholic Church’s teaching fared no better. While they denied that the Catholic Church supplanted Israel, they taught that the Protestant reformed churches were the actual successors to Israel. That also is a false teaching. 

    It also has led to a highly destructive false teaching that Christianity has replaced Israel and the Jews as God’s favored people. That is not true. The Bible teaches that God’s plan for the Jewish people will come to pass in the Millennium.

    Beware the Charlatan! The charismatic, self-proclaimed prophet who dazzles the crowd with ear-pleasing nonsense.

    That false teaching is called “replacement theology,” and it denies the Bible’s clear teaching that God is not done with Israel but that He will fulfill every promise He has made to the Jewish people.

    In Peter’s second letter, he only makes general references to specific sins so he can urge his listeners (readers) to focus more on the idea of false teaching than on specific ones. Nevertheless, he does point out (a) denying the deity of Jesus, (b) the right to indulge in sexual sin without consequence, and (c) telling lies for personal gain.

    Let’s take a look at false teaching and doctrine so we can guard ourselves against its destructive force.

    FALSE TEACHERS: SEVEN TYPES

    WHILE SATAN HAS SOUGHT to divide the church by attacking it from outside, its most destructive falsehoods have arisen from within, notably when pastors, theologians, and teachers either add words to the Scripture or delete words from it.

    The result is a distortion of the Bible’s truth, and not surprisingly, the Bible, in both the Old and New testaments, warns us against doing either. 

    By way of reminder: To list a variety of false teachers requires us to split into distinct categories descriptions that often overlap and combine with other categories. We should not make the mistake of thinking any individual falls exclusively within one category to the exclusion of others.

    THE HERETIC

    THE HERETIC teaches as doctrinal truth an idea that one commentator said “blatantly contradicts” a core teaching of Christianity. Heretics usually are gregarious, charismatic figures who lead their flock as though they, themselves, were the Savior.

    This category is like the Prophet, except it focuses on false doctrine as opposed to the teacher’s persona. 

    Our text sources today from 2 Peter 2:1 and Jude 1:4 speak directly to this evil, as both church leaders warned successive generations to be on the look-out for false teachers, who would invade the church and lead the vulnerable astray. 

    Modern theologians, following a school of skepticism, distort Jesus’ teaching, often because they themselves do not believe in the supernatural. Jehovah’s Witnesses alter the text so that Jesus becomes “a” god as opposed to “the” God, and Mormons add to the Gospel the Book of Mormon, which is not biblical.

    The Heretic is the teacher who violates Jude 1:3 ESV, “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” 

    THE CHARLATAN

    THE CHARLATAN uses his position of privilege to enrich himself, urging the faithful to contribute their tithes and offerings to his personal ministry. 

    Through the ages, this has ranged from the selling of indulgences by the Roman Catholic Church, the profits of which funded construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, underwrote the pope’s lavish lifestyle, and underwrote some of the world’s most cherished artwork, including that by Michelangelo and Raphael. 

    That is not an endorsement of the practice of indulgences; only it goes to show the magnitude of the false teaching.

    Today, we see television evangelists – called “televangelists” – who use their outsized personas and smooth words to bilk the faithful into sending in contributions ostensibly to grow the ministry but, in reality, grow the speaker’s wealth.

    Some have built notable cathedrals as monuments to themselves or drive around in luxury automobiles, all while telling the congregation that they, too, can have their “best life” if they remain faithful to the charlatan’s teaching.

    The Apostle Paul was having none of it when he wrote to his disciple Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:3-5 GW:

    “Whoever teaches false doctrine and doesn’t agree with the accurate words of our Lord Jesus Christ and godly teachings is a conceited person. He shows that he doesn’t understand anything. Rather, he has an unhealthy desire to argue and quarrel about words. This produces jealousy, rivalry, cursing, suspicion,and conflict between people whose corrupt minds have been robbed of the truth. They think that a godly life is a way to make a profit.”

    THE PROPHET

    THE PROPHET is the leader who purposefully sets himself up as a voice from God, which is intentional, while in other cases develops over time from the sin of human pride. This is the situation where one’s success in building a church or ministry is attributed not to the workings of the Holy Spirit but to the dedication of the teacher or leader. 

    The prophet traffics in words of encouragement, prophecy, or rebuke that stem from his own imagination as opposed to God’s actual teaching. Many teachers today claim to be speaking in God’s name when there is no connection between God’s will and the prophet’s mouth.

    Their falsehood can be readily discerned by anyone familiar with God’s Word, so they naturally prey upon the gullible – individuals looking for answers to life’s questions who do not know what the Bible teaches and so are more likely to believe falsehood.

    Those who are reading their Bibles faithfully are better able to see through the charades, knowing they have been warned, not only by the Apostle Peter and Jude, the Lord’s half-brother, but also by the Apostle John and the Apostle Paul.

    Here’s John, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 NASB

    Here’s Paul, “God, by his grace through Christ, called you to become his people. So, I am amazed that you are turning away so quickly and believing something different than the Good News. Really, there is no other Good News. But some people are confusing you; they want to change the Good News of Christ.” Galatians 1:6-7 NCV

    THE ABUSER

    THE ABUSER uses his position of authority to take advantage of other people. This sin takes place in all Christian churches, both with Catholic priests and Protestant ministers.

    They use their position in the religious institutions to cover the evil in their hearts. 

    False teachers will invade the church, leading the congregation to infighting.

    Much of their evil is focused on sexual lust, where the church leader preys on troubled girls looking for guidance from a solid father figure or young boys uncertain about their own sexuality. 

    The abuser claims he is tending to the souls of the flock, especially of the weakest and most vulnerable members, but his (or her) true interest is in gaining illicit sexual liaisons, or adding to their personal bank account, or gaining power and influence.

    Throughout the ages, the church has been infected with abusers. In its earliest days, the faithful followed the sexual perversions of the pagans around them; the papacy was a battleground of political struggle, and even today, Christian icons are felled by sexual and moral failings. So many examples abound, and the secular press is always eager to pounce on any rumor of waywardness.

    One woman sadly told me years ago, “My ex-husband graduated from seminary and still had an affair, which ended our marriage.” In her confusion, she asked, “How can that be?”

    Peter, in 2 Peter 2 NLT says, “Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.”

    Jude says this in Jude 1:4 CSB: “For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.” 

    THE DIVIDER

    THE DIVIDER uses false doctrine to divide a church, separating brothers and sisters of faith into warring parties. 

    There always will be disagreement within the church body, just as there is disagreement within households, but the divider, as described here, is not just someone who sees things differently than the church leader but someone who hungers for the attention that being a spoiler brings. 

    This person can ride a minor doctrinal or practice dispute into a major rift, forcing factions within the church to choose sides.

    Their sole purpose is to feed the satisfaction they receive by seeing others suffer.

    Jude warned against this abuse this way (Jude 1:18-19 NIV), “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”

    THE TICKLER

    THE TICKLER is the teacher who tells the flock what they want to hear. This is the man-pleaser, the one who sacrifices the hard sayings of the Bible into story time and feeds the egos of church members, eager to “feel good” about themselves.

    Satan is in the pulpit! Not all pastors/teachers are strong believers in God’s Word. Some alter the text to be pleasing to their flock.

    The tickler’s driving force is the desire for fame and popularity, to be “liked” by many. Sometimes, the tickler is driven by a desire to build the church into a large, profitable organization that drips with money and prestige. 

    Regardless of church size, the Tickler’s weekly message evokes happiness among the flock, as opposed to salvation. There is a reason our Lord came to Earth from Heaven to die on a Cross, but that reason is our sin, and who wants to hear about sin? Especially not when the reason comes at the expense of a good joke. 

    After all, the church attendees are less interested in praising God because they would rather praise themselves and feel “good” about themselves.

    In 2 Timothy 2:3-4 BSB, Paul says, “For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So, they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

    These are the false voices who echo Jeremiah’s cry in 6:4 NKJV, “They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace.”

    THE SPECULATOR

    THE SPECULATOR wants to be original or spectacular in some way, not for Godly gain but for its own sake. 

    This is a false prophet who is a consummate entertainer, eager to spout the latest nonsense regarding the “last days” or “end times” and giving, perhaps, his own interpretation of what the current world landscape portends. 

    This is not to be confused with “end times” prophecy, which is based on biblical teaching but is mere speculation based on the Speculator’s own imagination.

    These are the people who rake in millions of dollars from those who want to read their prognostications on when the world will end. The world will end, but God has not seen fit to tell us when.

    Teaching focused on speculation displaces the sure and steady doctrine of Scripture. The Speculator tosses aside the bulk of the Bible’s content and the weight of the Bible’s emphasis to obsess about matters that are trivial or novel. He grows weary of the old truths and pursues respectability through originality.

    In God’s eyes, the Speculator is neither respected nor original. He’s just plain wrong.

    Sometimes he plants himself in academia, where one of his recent masterpieces is a re-imagined God who is unable to see and know the future. Well did Paul label the Speculator a contradictory, irreverent babbler.

    Haven’t we been told in multiple books of the canon not to dabble in false teaching?

    Here are some reminders:

    • “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.” Hebrews 13:9a NKJV 
    • “I asked you to stay longer in Ephesus when I went into Macedonia so you could command some people there to stop teaching false things.” 1 Timothy1:3b NCV
    • “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.” Titus 2:1 NKJV 
    • “Timothy, guard what God has trusted to you. Stay away from foolish, useless talk and from the arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge.” By saying they have that “knowledge,” some have missed the true faith. Grace be with you.” 1 Timothy 6:20-21 NCV

    CONCLUSION

    THESE DESIGNATIONS were provided in a 2017 article from Pastor Tim Challies, a Canadian speaker and author [Pastor Tim Challies].

    While these are overview snippets of a wider and deeper treatment in various books he has written and speeches he has given, each highlights a portion of the evil against which we should be vigilant [7 False Teachers in the Church Today, Jan. 31, 2017, Pastor Tim Challies.]

    Separating the whole into segments is much like looking at each individual color in the rainbow, when, in reality, we are unlikely to see one false teacher as the color “red,” another one as “blue,” and so one. Instead, they will be a blend of several categories, although it is possible to point out one or two characteristics that seem to define this one or that one more specifically.

    The point of this is that Satan’s greatest weapons are not necessarily the secularists outside the church attacking Christianity or decrying the power of “thoughts and prayers” or naming believers as “bigots,” “haters,” and “intolerant,” or even the academics discounting the possibility of supernatural intervention in human life.

    No, the greatest danger to the churches may well come from within the church, from its leaders – its pastors, theologians, and teachers – the very people we should be trusting to deliver the truth to us, to lead us and guide us according to God’s eternal plan. 

    Pastor Tim describes Satan’s tactics as being “studied, clever, predictable, [and] effective.” “Studied” means Satan watches us carefully; “Clever” means he is tricky; “Predictable” means he uses the same tactics over again; and “Effective” means, well, they work.

    False teaching, like weeds, sprouted up as soon as the Church Age began, and false teaching, like weeds, have been growing splendidly for 2,000 years and more. They follow the falsehoods perpetrated in the Old Testament by false prophets.

    We, the church, must not be cowed by false teaching, but we must stand on guard against it and fight back. We do that by being grounded in the Word of God.

    Church, if you do not ground yourself in God’s Word, you will remain vulnerable to the power and deception of false teaching.

    Jesus warned us in His Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:15-16a NKJV, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.”

    FINAL WORDS

    WHEN WE DISCUSS the topic of “false teaching” or “false doctrine,” we need to be careful in how we approach it. 

    One reason is that, apart from those core doctrinal points that our God has made crystal clear, much of church doctrine is subject to interpretation, and one person’s interpretation can differ from another person’s interpretation without either of them being entirely right or entirely wrong.

    Here are some doctrinal beliefs that are without conflict: Jesus was both God and man, Jesus was born of a virgin woman, Jesus was crucified for our sins, Jesus was raised from the dead, and Jesus now sits at the Father’s side in Heaven. To be saved, the Bible says, we need to believe those points and receive the Holy Spirit into our hearts.

    Many other teachings — such as the nature of the elements in Communion, the actual naming of Communion, whether children can be baptized into the faith or whether baptism is reserved for those who believe, whether the act of baptism itself has salvation power or whether it is only an outward symbol of an inner transformation — are not core doctrines. We can dispute another’s opinion, but they are not central to our salvation.

    There are three teachings in particular today that are causing a rift in Christendom, with fissures and fractures causing denominations to splinter and factions to grow within denominations even without a formal separation.

    They are:

    1. Homosexuality, transgenderism, and same-sex marriage.
    2. Illegal immigration, asylum, open borders, and controlled migration.
    3. Women’s role in the church, whether it should be driven by “egalitarian” or “complementarian” principles. (Each teaches the equality of women and men, but one says God created the sexes differently for complementary roles while the other says the two sexes are interchangeable, with the only exceptions being the ones related to reproduction.) 

    What this pulpit can say is that you, the faithful believer, must do your due diligence. You must continue to read your Bible, stay faithful in prayer, and ask God to continue to do what He wants to do anyway, which is this: Lead you.

    • “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
    • “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” – John 8:32 NCV
    • “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what its the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 ESV

    To remain faithful to His will, we need to remain faithful in our devotions – that is, reading our Bibles (or listening to the Bible read to us), praying to God, and asking Him to teach us His will for our lives.

    My friends, let us resolve not to give in to the heretics, charlatans, false prophets, abusers, ticklers, dividers, and speculators among us. Let us remain faithful to God’s will.

    If you do that, you will be blessed. That’s God’s promise, and that definitely is not false teaching.

    BENEDICTION PRAYER

    LORD, You have warned us to be on guard against those agents of Satan who would poison the church and our minds with false doctrine, aiming to mislead us and drive a wedge between believers and God, and aiming to split the church into warring factions, competing for attention, adherents, and resources. 

    Thank You for Your warning so we will be on guard against falsehood. Give us the desire, Lord, to read Your Word daily, to engage in prayer daily, and to strive daily to live according to Your plan for us. Forgive us, please, when we fail You. For those among us who may not know You in a personal way, may this be the moment that all changes.

    Hear our prayer when we say: Lord, I am a sinner in need of Your forgiveness. I believe Jesus is Your Son and that He died on the Cross for my sins and that all who believe in Him and call on His name will be saved. Come into my heart, O Lord, and redeem me. Be my Savior and my Lord.

    Lord, for those who do know You, we rgive thanks for the sacrifice of Your Son on our behalf. Give us the leading and the strength to be a living witness for what God has done for us that all may hear the Truth and give God the glory.

    Now may the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace … both now and forevermore. Guide us and direct us, Lord, as we enter our mission field. AMEN and AMEN

  • 2 PETER 1: God’s Grace and Peace Encourage Us To Be Faithful Servants

    This Christian message focuses on the themes of faith, humility, and perseverance. It discusses Peter’s letters to the dispersed churches, emphasizing the importance of holding onto the truth, avoiding false teachings, and growing in faith. The message encourages believers to remain faithful and close to God.

    A CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

    By WARD PIMLEY

    Pastor, Journalist, Author

    “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that [pertain] to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption [that is] in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:1-4 (NKJV)

    PREAMBLE

    I LOVE THOSE OPENING WORDS to Peter’s second letter to the dispersed churches of Asia.

    First, he refers to himself with humility. “I am a bondservant (slave) of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

    He was not, what we like to call today, a “name dropper.” He could have been, but he chose not to be, because filled with the Holy Spirt, he saw himself as a mere mortal, as just a humble servant of the Divine Mission.

    We know him as one of the Lord’s chosen apostles; not only that, but he was one of the favored three and even named leader of the pack.

    Although Peter was a close follower of Jesus in His earthly ministry; he does not tout himself as being anything special.

    Second, he goes on to say in writing to fellow believers that they “have obtained like precious faith with us” (NKJV) or “a faith of equal standing with ours” (ESV) or “a faith as precious as ours” (NIV] or “a faith of the same kind as ours” [NASB]. 

    Can you imagine that? Peter, who walked with the Lord, is telling fellow Christ followers – both Jewish and Greek – that their faith, their belief, their connection with the Lord is equal to his. That means so is your faith and mine.

    The humility that Peter expresses is identical to the humility the other letter writers exhibit, whether it’s Paul (the greatest evangelist of the Church Age] or James (the Lord’s half-brother) or John [the disciple Jesus loved] or Jude (another half-brother of the Lord] and even the anonymous author of Hebrews [who scholars speculate could be Apollos or Paul. I think Paul, with Silas as scribe.]

    LET’S REMEMBER AS WE READ through Peter’s two letters that he is writing to the dispersed Christians who are being persecuted by Roman authorities for their religion. While his main focus was on believing Jews, he also included the Greeks (Gentiles).

    God gave some to be teachers of the Word to help us understand.

    In First Peter, we learned that the apostle was writing to a persecuted people, so he encouraged them, giving them hope for a better future in Heaven, telling them they are a “chosen” people, reminding them they should always be ready to share their joy and hope, to do their good works not for their own glory but that of God, and to believe in the promise of being raised with immortal bodies, equipped for eternal life.

    Even though Peter is facing his own death by crucifixion, as foretold by Jesus in John 21, he is not burdened with his own death. Instead, he is burdened with a heartfelt desire to encourage his fellow believers. In First Peter, he reached out to offer solace and comfort; but in Second Peter, we see him encouraging the faithful to avoid destructive doctrines and false teaching, to hold onto the truth.

    In successive chapters in Second Peter, he brings up Grace and Faith, False Prophets and Teachers, and the Day of the Lord (Christ’s return).

    While Peter, a Galilean fisherman, did not benefit from the august scholarship of his fellow apostle and church planter Paul, he nevertheless was inspired by the Holy Spirit to tackle key doctrinal issues that were plaguing the early church. As such, we benefit from studying his writings because today’s church struggles with its own set of false teaching.

    From our vantage point in the Twenty-First Century, we can see – regretfully – it didn’t take long for the church our Savior installed and died for to begin sprouting weeds, much like our own cultivated yards and gardens sprout weeds.

    Fighting for the church – Christian belief and fellowship – has been, is, and will continue to be a struggle for as long as the Church Age continues and Satan rules the world. The present age will end when Jesus returns for His saints, ushering in the seven-year Tribulation before the Lord returns a second time, plants His feet on the earth, and declares the Millennium.

    The Millennium will be a literal 1,000-year reign ruled by Christ sitting on His throne in Jerusalem with the aid of His saints – you and me. At the end of that time, Jesus will usher in Eternity.

    PART 1. The Christian’s Call and Election

    THERE’S AN INTERESTING PARALLEL between the Christians of the First Century and our forebears, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. 

    Our Lord created mankind in His image as His favored creation.

    We read that Eve was deceived by evil, and Adam was disobedient to God’s rule, but both the man and the woman had been given ample instruction by God on what He expected from them; that is, what they could and should do and, conversely, what they could and should not do. 

    The one prohibition was to avoid eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

    God told Adam directly, and then it became Adam’s job to share the instructions with Eve, which the Bible tells us he did. The fact that Eve got the instructions wrong —God said they could not eat from the tree; Eve told the serpent they could neither eat from the tree nor touch it — could indicate either that Adam misspoke, or that Eve misheard, or – more likely – that neither one of them paid much attention to their conversation. 

    Doesn’t that sound familiar? Hmm?

    Well, someone was listening. Satan heard. Satan paid attention to what God instructed the First Couple to do, and he knew he also had to upend the creation order God established by addressing Eve, who was to be sheltered by and protected by Adam.

    Eve failed to follow God’s instructions through Adam, and Adam failed to follow God’s instructions to protect Eve.

    Apparently, the only one listening to God’s instructions was Satan, and that was not so he could obey God but to learn what he needed to do to thwart God’s design.

    At the start of the Church Age, when Peter is writing, we see in the nascent church the same pattern replicated. [The Church Age started at Pentecost and continues until the Rapture.]

    The Apostles benefitted from Jesus’ teachings during His three-year earthly ministry, and they dutifully passed that teaching on to their disciples who were to pass it down to their disciples, and so on through to our own day and beyond to generations that follow us. 

    Yet, somehow in the translation, the message started growing weeds, or maybe you prefer an analogy of the plaster starting to crack.

    Satan, the evil one, listened intently to what God said to His people; not so he could obey God but so he could mislead God’s followers. 

    Satan today is up to those same tricks. 

    Do you not see that in your own life, or in the lives of fellow believers, or in the church at large? If you do not see it, I would say it is because you are missing it, not because it is not there.

    I am constantly battling against Satan’s lies in my life. I will believe I can accomplish great things in my own abilities, or I will believe someone is belittling me, or stepping on my toes, or infringing in my space, or making unreasonable demands on my time or binding me to unsustainable burdens or maligning my contributions. Oh, woe is me!

    I know those are lies, but I still come under their power when I let Satan manipulate the truth. His falsehoods are never outright blatant lies. Instead, they are shadings of the truth, nearly parallel lines that nevertheless bend outward soon enough, or a darkening of the vision, slowly at first before picking up the pace until we see only darkness.

    Before you know it, the “almost but not quite right” becomes the outright wrong, and we are walking in quicksand … and sinking deeper and deeper.

    Like Peter walking on the water, we take our focus off the Savior and look around us, suddenly more conscious of the waves and the wind than we are of the Savior’s love. So, we sink.

    You are not called to show your brilliance. You are called to show your faith.

    Ward’s Words

    Like Peter when he was drowning, when we call out to the Lord, we find He is still faithful and will save us.

    Peter is telling his audience that God has given them all the instructions they need to live a godly and holy life, but he also reminds them that it will be a struggle. To win the battle, he tells them, they will need to keep learning and growing in their faith.

    That is the same with us. We need to keep learning and growing in the faith. How do we do that? By walking with the Lord. 

    We are to read His instructions in the Bible, stay close to Him in prayer, live lives of faithfulness, and be willing to speak when God presents us with the opportunity to share our faith.

    We learned earlier in our study of First Peter that sharing our faith means simply giving a brief testimony of what God has done for us. 

    Giving our testimony does not mean quoting Scripture like an Awana class or spouting doctrine like a systematic theology textbook, nor does it mean a recounting of your entire life. It does mean telling people how Jesus has changed you. First, and foremost, it is a personal testimony. 

    You are not called to show your brilliance. You are called to show your faith.

    PART 2. Peter’s Approaching Death

    ARE YOU STRUCK, AS I AM, with Peter’s sanguinity — his peace, his calm — in this letter? 

    He is not focused, as you or I might be, on our rapidly approaching death, death not by natural causes according to the order of life, but by a crude and gruesome method of torture — crucifixion.

    Do you see any sign of the jitters there? Any backing away from his calling? Any shirking of his duty? I do not. 

    We are called to be diligent in reading God’s Word.

    This is what he says, according to the New Revised Standard Version (Updated Edition): 

    “I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.” – 2 Peter 1:13-14 NRSVUE

    That’s it! That is his sole commentary on his impending death.

    [I have heard more whining and complaining from someone going to a routine dental appointment than I see with Peter referencing his impending execution. (Most of that complaining has come from me.)]

    Why do you suppose he is so peaceful about this torturous event that looms ever closer? 

    Isn’t it because he has grown in his learning and faith by walking with the Lord, by talking with Him, by reflecting on what He remembers the Lord having said, by revisiting the scenes of Jesus – feeding the crowds, healing the sick, raising the dead, confronting the religious leaders, forgiving sins, and offering Peter forgiveness for his backsliding, when he denied knowing the Lord? 

    When Peter tells us to remain in the faith and grow our faith through a strong personal relationship with the Master, he is basing his teaching on his own experience, his own life, his own walk with the Lord.

    He says: “This is what I do. This method works. Keep on coming. Keep on walking. Don’t quit now. Come on, y’all. You can do it.” He’s encouraging them.

    PART 3. Eyewitnesses of God’s Glory

    AS A FINISHING FLOURISH, Peter references a special event that he shared with the Lord, along with only two other apostles – John and John’s older brother James – on the mountaintop. 

    Known as “The Transfiguration,” Peter and the two sons of Zebedee saw the Lord transfigured into a shimmering glow of dazzling white. Alongside Him, talking like long-time chums, were Elijah and Moses. 

    Moses and Elijah prophesying in Jerusalem during the Tribulation.

    Interesting imagery for at least two reasons: one, the apostles had never seen either Elijah or Moses, yet the Bible tells us they knew who they were; and two, Elijah and Moses represented the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah).

    Revelation 11 tells us during the Tribulation there will be two evangelists witnessing for 1,260 days (3.5 years) until the “beast that arises from the bottomless pit” rises and kills them. Their dead bodies will lie in the streets, unburied, for 3 ½ days, when God will reinstall life to them and call them up to glory. 

    Like Moses, the two witnesses will be given power to send plagues; like Elijah, God will give them power to keep rain from falling. Now, the Bible does not identify them, but most speculation centers on Moses and Elijah, who best represent the Law and the Prophets.

    Moses and Elijah might make another appearance in the Scriptures.

    So, Peter was one of the favored three apostles to witness this brief encounter on the mountaintop, and he testified in his letter that they heard a voice from “Majestic Glory” (NRSVUE/CSB/ESV/NASB), although they NKJV calls it “Excellent Glory.”

    This is the only “power play” Peter uses in this chapter, and he uses it effectively. He knows that this story is well known within the Christian community of believers, so when he says we heard God’s voice say: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (verse 17), he does not use it to brag that he was one of the Favored Three picked by the Master to witness this event.

    Instead, he uses it to reinforce his next point, that the Scriptures were not, and are not, man-made inventions but holy writings inspired by God’s Holy Spirit; and as such, are truthful statements from the Creator, Himself, and you can rest assured in His faithfulness.

    Our modern expression might be something like this: “You can take that to the bank;” or “You can bet the farm on it.”

    Then Peter hits us, both the “us” of the First Century and the “us” of the Twenty-First Century, with this line:

    “For no prophecy (Scriptural text) was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” – 2 Peter 1:21 ESV

    Then he says: 

    “And we have as more sure the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19 LSB)

    Church, the “morning star” is Jesus. [Note: In Isaiah 14:12, Satan is referred to as the Morning Star, while in Revelation 22:16 (NKJV), Jesus refers to Himself as the “Root and Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”]

    Peter is calling us to remain faithful in our walk with Jesus Christ. That closeness pays spiritual dividends, and you will be blessed if you do. Peter is reminding us, as James — the Lord’s half-brother does in a later book in the Bible — to draw near to God because God will draw near to you.

    The apostle John reminds us in His gospel account of Jesus’ ministry that the Lord promised He would never leave us. He would always be with us. That was the point of sending the Holy Spirit to replace Him on earth. Jesus could only be in one place at a time, but the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once.

    If you are feeling distant from God, then you are the one who moved. Jesus tells us to abide in Him because without Him, we can do nothing.

    Matthew also reminds us that Jesus made the same point when He commissioned us to spread the Word throughout the world by saying, “And, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20b NKJV)

    Stay close to God, Church, and He will reward you with “exceedingly great and precious promises.”

    FINAL WORDS

    As we finish, we return to where we started: Peter addressing the dispersed believers in Asia shortly before his own crucifixion. He’s encouraging them to be faithful servants.

    “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” he writes. That means “grace and peace” will grow increasingly in your hearts as you believe in Him and walk obediently with Him.

    Check the majesty of the language, the beauty of the blessing, the certainty of the reward.

    Yes, my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, you are blessed if you do, if you remain close to the Lord in your heart and in your prayers. 

    You can do that because the hard part – paying the penalty of God’s wrath for your sin – has been paid by Someone else. That would be Jesus. 

    You have the easy part, which is this: Receive and Believe. Receive the gift of grace and believe in God’s promise of life.

    If you do believe and receive, you will have no worries; if you do not believe and receive, you will have no excuse.

    God gave you the choice.

    Which option will you choose? 

    My wife and I have chosen, choose now, and forever will choose to receive and believe.

    Praise God!

    PRAYER

    OH, LORD, we praise Your Glorious Name, You alone are God. You created all that is, and nothing that exists came about without Your will, Your imprint, Your design. 

    We are eternally grateful that You sent Your Son to endure Your wrath for our sins so that we would be spared that trauma, that suffering, that pain. Further, You said that believing in Him was sufficient for our salvation. Lord, we bless You for that gift.

    For those among us who do not yet know the Lord in a personal way, we ask that You receive their prayers now, their prayers of humble repentance and willingness ~ even eagerness ~ to receive Your Holy Spirit into their hearts and lives, bringing forgiveness of sins and renewal of soul . Hear their prayers now.

    For those among us who have been walking with the Lord, we pray for strengthened resolve in our daily struggles, knowing that the perfecter of our faith was raised from the dead as the first fruits of our own resurrection to come shortly. 

    As You give us opportunity to share our faith, we pray, O Lord, You will give us the words to touch each individual heart, sharing with them merely what God has done for us and then being willing to share more of our heart should they ask us.

    Come, Lord Jesus. Maranantha.

    In the name of Yeshua, our Lord and Savior, our King and Messiah, we lift this prayer and petition.

    AMEN