Gaius

Third John 3 says, “For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.” The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in a the truth. If the first had not been the case, the second could never have occurred; and if the second could not be said of him the first would have been a hypocrisy. Truth must enter into the soul, penetrate and saturate it, or else it is useless. Doctrine accepted in the heart, like digested food, sustains and builds up the body. In us truth must be a living force, an active energy, an indwelling reality.

A man may lose his clothes or even his limbs, but his inner parts are critical and cannot be removed without the loss of life. A Christian can die, but he cannot deny the truth. A simple rule of nature is that the inward affects the outward. When the truth is lit within, its brightness will shine into view in the outward conduct. I have heard that the food of certain worms colors the silk which they spin. In the same way, the nutrients which a man feeds upon will effect every word and action coming from him.

May we be ruled and governed by God’s divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful will reign in our hearts, lest it extend its dangerous influence to our daily conduct.

Kyle Campbell

Taking responsibility

Adam and Eve did everything they could to avoid taking responsibility for their sin. Genesis 3:12 says, “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Adam blamed his wife: “She gave me of the tree.” He even pointed an accusing finger at God, saying it was “The woman, whom thou gavest me.” Eve blamed the serpent saying: “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” God ignored their excuses and announced the judgment they would face as consequences for their disobedience.

One of the serious problems of mankind is that we refuse to take responsibility for our actions. We want to blame others for our problems: our parents did not raise us well; our friends let us down; our preacher was not a good enough speaker; our children are rebellious; our employer is not sensitive enough; our spouse is not understanding; there is not enough time in the day … the excuses are plentiful! Yet forgiveness and restoration to God cannot happen until we accept full responsibility for our actions.

An obvious indication that we have not genuinely repented is that we make excuses for our sinful behavior. Nowhere in the Bible does God excuse one person’s sin because of someone else’s actions. If we make a habit of blaming others for our failures, we will not reach a point of honest repentance. God will hold us accountable for our own actions, not others (2 Corinthians 5:10). Strive always to acknowledge and take responsibility for your own sins. It will free you to be forgiven and press on to spiritual maturity.

Kyle Campbell

Is this our attitude?

I don’t think it’s a far stretch to say that most of our lives boils down to attitude. Attitude or heart is going to determine how we act. Jesus made the connection in Matthew 15:19 when He said, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies …” (Matthew 15:19).

A good example of this principle is found in John 5. The lame man listened to what Christ said and was healed (vss. 2-9). The Jews disbelieved and did not care to learn (vss. 15-18). They automatically took the position that the miracle was untrue. God wants us to “search the scriptures” (vs. 39), but the Lord said “ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (vs. 40).

People close their hearts and their attitude toward the truth is extremely poor. Everyone has decisions to make. What will be your decision toward truth? Will you hear it and accept or will you reject it? If you wish to accept, let us help you find the truth that God has revealed through His scriptures.

Kyle Campbell

We need reminders

In times past, people would tie strings around their fingers, but more recently, someone is likely to write a note on their iPhone to remember something important.

God made us to where we need reminders. God warned, “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons …” (Deuteronomy 4:9; cf. 6:4-13).

In the New Testament, God specifically wanted us to be on guard against drifting (Hebrews 2:1-4; cf. 3:12-13). The apostle Peter wanted his readers to remember the truths that would help them to gain their inheritance (2 Peter 1:12-15; 3:1). Distractions are easy, so we cannot grow weary.

Kyle Campbell

Fingerprinting is the "mark of the beast"?

Pam McLaurin, a 22-year veteran kindergarten teacher in Big Sandy Independent School District (northeast of Houston) could lose her job for refusing, on religious grounds, to give fingerprints under a state law requiring them.

She claims that fingerprinting amounts to the “mark of the beast,” and hence is a violation of her First Amendment right to practice her religion. This article cannot explore the legal ramifications of this lady’s dilemma, but I would like to comment on the idea of the “mark of the beast.” The first reference (and probably the most well-known) is in Revelation 13:17-18: “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

There have been a lot of ideas about the “mark of the beast” as technology increases, but the idea in Revelation was simple. As God had sealed His people unto Himself by impressing His own name and the name of the Lamb upon their foreheads (7:3; 9:4; 14:1), and has promised to write His name upon the foreheads of the victors (3:12; 22:4), so the beast imitates this by requiring all to indicate their allegiance to him by a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads. In “causing” this to be done, the beast established a policy which required that they all be marked. The mark itself was probably a stamp of paganism impressed upon the character and conduct of the idolater. Whatever the mark was, no one could enter the field of trade or earn a living without it. The saints who refused the mark even at the risk of death, were boycotted by the world, being discriminated against even to the point of hunger or possible starvation.

In the time of Revelation, this “mark” denoted someone as worshiping the emperor, the head of the Roman government. While someone may be uncomfortable with being fingerprinted or even with the government knowing too much information about them, this does not constitute a “mark of the beast.”

Kyle Campbell

Archaeology: Caesarea Philippi

Caesarea Philippi is the site of a spring known as Panias, after Pan, the Greek god of the shepherds. In ancient times, it was a giant spring, gushing from a cave in the limestone rock, which is the source of the stream Nahal Senir. The Jordan River arises from this spring and two others at the base of Mount Hermon.

Excavations since 1990 have recovered much of the city of Caesarea Philippi from Jesus’ day. A large palace was found which matches Josephus’ descriptions of that of Herod Agrippa II, a descendant of Herod the Great. Herod Agrippa II was the governor of Galilee before whom Paul gave a defense of the gospel (Acts 26:2-29).

Kyle Campbell