The divisive gospel

Many people have a one-sided concept of Jesus Christ. They see Him as a great individual and a wonderful man. They see His compassion with those whom He healed and His compassion with all those whose sins He forgave. Jesus was a loving, compassionate Savior (Acts 10:38). But there was more to our Lord and His work than doing good.

His work as our Savior meant that He had to die on the cross for our sins. In dying on the cross for our sins, He instituted a new authority and a new way back to God (Matthew 5:21-48; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). This was called the gospel or the good news. And while it was good news of the gracious provision of God and the sacrifice of Jesus, it also was a condemnation of unrighteousness.

For this reason, the gospel can certainly be divisive. When it exposes deeds of darkness, those who practice such deeds will despise the gospel (John 3:19-20). Matthew 10:34-36 says, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”

No one can be saved without obedience to the gospel (Romans 10:13).  However, one must realize that the gospel is divisive. When one obeys and faithfully proclaims it, they may very well have many who turn against them.

Kyle Campbell

Fear

Franklin D. Roosevelt, during his 1932 inaugural speech, famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This was on the heels of the Great Depression, and as anyone might imagine, fear was in the air.

Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Man should not fear what can happen with God in the picture. Isaiah 35:4 says, “Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.”

John writes, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). “Perfect love” is a complete love, or a love that is allowed to exert its proper influence on the soul. If this kind of love exists in your soul in a complete state, you will be free from all dread regarding the future.

While the Bible admonishes that we remove fear from our lives, there is a fear that we need to remember. Jesus said that we need to fear the one who can kill the body and soul in hell, which is God (Matthew 10:28). Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 states that the fear of God will produce a desire to keep His commandments. Finally, Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Fear can be good because it can motivate us to greater faithfulness and service. Use that fear appropriately.

Kyle Campbell

The power of prayer

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:17-18).

Just as prayer was powerful for Elijah, it can be powerful for us too; but we must have faith! If we pray for something according to the Lord’s will, we must not doubt that the Lord will grant our requests. Sometimes we may not know what the will of God is but sometimes we can. James 1:5-6 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” We know that it is God’s will to grant us wisdom if we ask for it, but we must not doubt! This is just one of many examples.

Believe it or not, God answers our prayers even if we do not get what we want. Sometimes, the answer may be no, but we must not let this discourage us. Keep on praying, and if is according to the Lord’s will, He hears us (1 John 5:14). Pray! It is a privilege God has given us to thank Him, praise Him, and ask for blessings according to His will. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Jonathan Glaesemann

Lying

We should be holy as our Father in heaven is holy (1 Peter 1:16). There are so many different characteristics of God, but this short article will address honesty.

It is by revelation that we know that God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). On the other hand, that same revelation tells us that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). To me, the most chilling description of lying occurred when the apostle Paul said that lying is “contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:10). In the context, those who lie were grouped with “the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane.”

I’ve had people, even members of the church, lie to my face, and I knew they were lies. Although I can’t really do much to stop people from lying to me, I can pray that they see the ultimate outcome of their lies. Revelation 21:8 says, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Why would you want to lie and make everything worse? Lies are always revealed for what they are eventually. Why destroy your reputation and your trust with people? Telling the truth is the only option if you want to go to heaven. Lying destroys your chance for eternal life, for you will end up in hell!

Kyle Campbell

It should have been us?

Many have made this statement concluding that it should have been us that died on the cross, but instead, Jesus took our place. But did Jesus really take our place? Nowhere in scripture do we find that Jesus took our place or that He was our substitute. This is a misconception!

It is said that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, the lamb without blemish (1 Peter 1:19), our savior (Ephesians 5:23), our redeemer (Titus 2:14), our peace (Ephesians 2:14), our king (Revelation 17:14), but never our substitute. Should it really have been us who died on the cross? Consider this point. Were we the ones prophesied of that would come and live a perfect life and die on the cross? Absolutely not! It should have been Jesus because He was the one prophesied about and He was only one that could have been the perfect sacrifice for our sin.

Some individuals would still argue and say that we are sinners and we deserve the death of the cross. While this in a sense true, it is still not the point. Jesus did not die so that we wouldn’t have to go to the cross. He died so that we wouldn’t have to go to Hell because Hell is what we ultimately deserve, not the cross! And because of Jesus’ death, we can have new life and be redeemed (Ephesians 1:7) so that we can live with Him in Heaven throughout all eternity.

Jonathan Glaesemann

From heaven or from men?

In Matthew 21:25, Jesus posed a question to the scribes and Pharisees. He asked them if the baptism of John was from heaven or men. The Lord was asking them to make a decision of whose authority must be followed. The scribes and Pharisees seemed to know the answer, but they did not answer because they were in a difficult spot.

This question is still valid now. People in the religious world who want to please God must make a decision. They must decide whose authority they will follow. If they follow the authority of men, they will follow creeds and catechisms which direct them further and further away from the will of God. If they follow the authority of God, they must “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11).

Following authority from heaven sometimes means that we are going to make enemies along the way. Jesus never promised that following true authority would win us friends and admiration. In fact, it is often the opposite (Matthew 10:35-36). Truth has a way of causing division among people who are determined to follow two different sources of authority.

Are you tired of the confusion in the religious world today? Are you weary of seeing people do things that are against the Bible in the name of “religion”? Do you wonder about the true teachings of Christ? Come and join us to find out about authority from heaven and God’s plan for your life.

Kyle Campbell